Another New Mexico 2022 Hunt

[lancetkenyon]

Seeing Brandon's report on his hunt reminded me that we never posted our hunt either.

I got two tags again, and gave one to a buddy for his 12 year old son to fill.  Taylor would be filling the remaining tag for us.

We drove out and scouted the afternoon before opener, and found a couple good bucks, with this guy as our target buck for opening morning.  Hard to see, as he was about 2+ miles out, but he was tall and heavy.

I did not get a lot of photos, as opening day started from 0 to 100mph in a matter of minutes.

We got to where we wanted to be about 20 minutes before legal light and started glassing. The grass was so tall this year, the goats would just appear out of nowhere when they stood up.  About 10 minutes before legal light, our target buck made an appearance, but about a mile off property.  I then glassed up a different buck, and he was good too.  We made a "great plan" to go after the 2nd buck.  My buddy (Ryan) and his son (Cody) were going to jump in their truck, circle back around the buck about a mile away, then I was going to start walking towards it to push it to them.  Great plan, should have a buck down before sunup, right?  The minute Ryan started the truck, that buck was GONE!  Ran a mile to the fence then a mile off property in about 2 minutes.  Well, first plan failed miserably.  We glassed up a bunch of other pronghorn, and plans were made and broken before we could even gather the gear a few times in that first 90 minutes. 

We packed up, and drove to another spot to glass, and met up with another buddy about 2 hours after sunrise, and took a look at his buck he had just killed (The one Kyle was waiting on, and got shot by another hunter, my other buddy's kid (Cole).

We drove, and glassed, and spotted, and confirmed they were off property, and chased, and drove, and glassed.....for a few hours. Tons of goats, but nothing we could go after.  I then got word that the other person in our group, Tracy, shot a good buck about 10:30AM with my old .280AI at 650 yards. 

About that time we spotted a good buck with a couple does on top of a bowl about 3 miles away, watching us as I glassed them up.  No way to go straight at them, no way to go up the spine, so I devised a brilliant plan to back out, and drive around to the side about a mile away, and we could keep one hill between us and them and sneak through about the only group of junipers within 5 miles and should be above them to get about a 300-400 yard shot down into the buck.  Now, Cody had been cooped up in a vehicle for 16 hours on Friday, and another 5 hours on opening day, so he had been raring to go all morning.  About 1/2 mile into the hike, he was slowing down.  So we took our time sneaking around the hill....and we jumped two BIG mulies.  Who went stotting around the hill towards our destination....of course.  I told Ryan and Cody, "I sure hope those bucks don't blow the pronghorn out of the country.".  Sure enough, as we sneak to the top, there are the two mulies standing in the middle of the bowl staring at us, and the pronghorn are long gone.  I tell Ryan and Cody to get comfortable and set up, and I would go down and around the hills, and sneak up the backside just in case the goats are in a fold and I can drive them towards our position.  Well, 3 miles later, no dice.  I head back towards the hill Ryan and Cody were on, and see Cody sitting under a tree, and RYan packing up the gear while I am still topping the last hill.  Hmm.

Get back to Ryan and Cody, and Cody is looking like he is in bad shape.  Ryan thinks maybe he got too hot, so we slowly head towards the trucks a mile away.  We barely get back to the trucks.  

Cody climbs in and is instantly asleep. We would find out later, the poor kid came down with COVID and it kicked him in the face in a matter of hours.  So, Tracy and Don (Tracy's husband) met up with us and we check out her goat, and talk a little shop.  They give us a spot where they had chased some pronghorn earlier, and so we decide to go check the area out. 

About 2:30, we get to the spot, and I glass up 3 separate groups of goats, about 2.5 to 3 miles out in this huge flat.  1st goat, decent with 9 does.  2nd goat, good with about 30 does.  They are both about 2.5 miles out.  3rd goat, with about 6 does, and 3 miles out, hard to tell with him but he looked smaller than the first 2.  Talking with Ryan, no way is Cody making that hike out in the shape he is in.  Fast asleep and sick as a dog by now.  And then it happens....

While watching the bigger buck...I see horn tips just off the top of a slight depression fairly close.  I run over to Ryan's truck and climb in the back and stand on his ice chest to try and get a better look at the buck.  He is a smaller buck, but ranged him at 565 yards.  I tell Ryan get Cody out of the truck and get him ready to go.  Ryan runs over and asks Cody, "Want to shoot a buck?"  Cody jumps out, and I tell Ryan, "I am going to get him to come in."  Ryan says, "huh?"

I run to my truck and grab a white hand towel I borrowed from the hotel.  Jump back up in Ryan's truck on the ice chest, and whistle once, and wave the towel like I am surrendering at Gettysburg.  The buck looks over, and he is on his feet in seconds, slowly headed our way.  I jump down, we get the tripod set up, and Cody on it to see over the grass.  Back up in the truck, and the buck has stopped, just staring.  I ranged him, 500 yards.  Ryan says, "What do I dial?"  I say, "throw me your rangefinders!"  Now, they still can't see the buck, as he is behind a little roller hill.  I start waving the white flag of surrender, and the buck starts back towards us.  I tell Cody, "He is coming, get ready, I am going to get him to come right to the top of the hill in front of you."  Range, "dial 3.2mil"....range "dial 3.0mil....range, "dial 2.5mil....dial 2.0mil......dial 1.5mil..........dial 1.0mil..........dial .5mil......here he comes"  I hear Cody, "I SEE HIM!"  Me, "dial .1MIL.....he stopped.....kill him right now!" The suppressed 25SST let out a crack, I watched the impact through the rangefinder.  He turned, and I saw the fountain and a flop and said, "He is down!"  From 565 to 210 yards.

Here is the buck just off the top (hard to see the horns, but he is there)

Cody getting ready and realizing a bipod was too low

Waiting for the buck to top out

Exit from the 133 Elite @ 3250fps

Cody's first buck!

Well, after the whirlwind that took about 10 minutes to unfold and get Cody's buck on the ground, Taylor and I headed out after the other 2 bucks 2.5 miles out.  We had a lot of ground to cover, and the pronghorns had been watching us the whole time.  We had a big herd of cows between us and the goats, so we were hoping to use them as cover.  It worked for the first 1.5 miles.  The pronghorn watched us coming the whole time, and when we got a mile out, both groups all stood up.  So we went really slowly the last 200 yards to the cows...which then started to mill around and narc us out.  Except our new friend, we shall call her "Bessie".  Bessie calmed the pronghorn down, and they all bedded back down.  Bessie walked with us for another 1/2 mile, as our escort.  At 772 yards, the goats all got back up, so we stopped and got set up for the shot.  They all bedded again, and the wait was on for the buck to stand and get clear of the does in front of him.

We waited for 40 minutes, me even having to shoo Bessie out of the way once, for the buck to finally stand and finally clear the does, slightly quartering away.  I have it all on video from Ryan behind us 2 miles back.  A long version and a short version of just the shooting.  It was really windy, and my first wind call was off a bit.  First shot was a bit far back and a pass through (would find out it was a liver shot when we recovered him) and would have been fatal, but a second shot was on the money.  The video is kind of gruesome, seeing him run and everything hanging out the backside.  A heavy buck, high prongs, and Taylor's longest kill to date.  

You can see the first shot entrance a little far back.

Here is the short video, buck is on the very left side of the frame to start.  

We had a great trip, and it was very rewarding to get Cody his first pronghorn, and Taylor her longest kill to date.

 

[bigorange]

Sounds like an epic trip and nice write up. Thanks for sharing. Always fun when waving the white flag actually works…

[PRDATR]

Excellent story Lance and congrats to Taylor on her longest shot.

[AZbowhntr]

Congrats to everyone. Sounds like a great time for everyone except Cody getting COVID.