COUESAZ Report post Posted December 3, 2008 OK not my first buck, but the first with my son on the hunt. Well My brother and i drew tags this year. We did not get to scout in an area i have not hunted in for lots of years. I knew if there were deer in the are we would be able to glass them up and find them. Well the trip started out in the rain on the way to the wifes folks house in the unit we drew. We would scout thursday morning only. And we scouted in the rain. The only thing we saw that morning was rain drops and clouds. The next morning we had a plan to park and glass the hills we felt good about. My brother glassed up a couple does and that was it. the rest of the day was spent scouting an area for the next morning and that evening. While we were looking we found a wash that looked like it headed into an area we could see with our glasses. We jumped on the ATVs and headed up the wash. well sure enough we came across a road that lead up the hills and closer to the area we wanted to be for the evening glassing. Well We glassed our eyes out 6 eyes total with my brothers, my sons and mine. We were looking over some very good looking coues country and saw nothing. We decided that this area was to good to give up on. So the next morning found us pulling up that same hill and we started our hike into our glassing spots. My brother on the easte side and my son and I on the east side. The sun was just coming up and we new for sure that in no time we would see the little deer start to shine on the hill side. And once again nothing. My brother and I could not figure out this area and the situation that we were faced with. We have hunted coues most our lives and this was not right. So we walked to the west a bit farther away. There in the spot we had glassed the first day of the hunt I saw a couple deer moving down the slope and into the sun. We could put hornes on one but not the other. So we decided on how we could get the three of us closer to see if the buck was one we wanted. We could tell he had a set of tall hornes but not vey far out front. so we thought it was a nice little three point. As we decided our plan we decided to look around the hill they were on to be sure we would not bump any more deer and run the buck off. On the slope above them we saw another doe with a very nice buck. It was the one we wanted for sure. So we headed out. When we got to our first location we could see the smaller buck bedded under a tree. But we could not see any of the others. After glassing for a few minutes we could see one of the does coming up to the spot the young buck was bedded. We kept glassing while the doe came up on the buck because we knew with him being a younger buck that he may get up and move with her.And he did. We could no longer see them from the spot we had been glassing from. We decided to go ahead with our first plan and head up the hill to a higher point. We glassed hard to turn up the deer and could not see them. So my younger brother said he would head back down to the wash and around behind the spot we last saw them to the canyon we could see they may be bedding in. So he started his long treck over while my son and I did what hunting is all about.(we ate our snacks and lunch) that seemed to be my 8 year old sons favorite part of the trip. Well my brother got to the spot and glassed for a while and could not turn them up. So he said he would head across the canyon to the spot we saw them last. SO as he got closer to the spot he contacted me on the radio as we had planned to let me know i need to be ready. Not more than one minute later here comes four deer busting out the top of the ridge. They were running as fast i thought they could and not going to stop. I took one shot at the big guy as he was getting close to going back over into the canyon behind the spot my brother had jumped them up. I missed him. The smaller younger buck stayed on a dead run down the draw. So i thought for about half a second to let him get bigger. I do not shoot small bucks. I like to let them get bigger. But he was tempting me to show off in front of my son who had never been with me when i have takien a buck.(and my sone coahing me as i took the shot) said SHOOT HIM DAD. so i did he was at about 130 yards on dead run and i drilled him. He did not slow down like i thought he would. Rather he kicked it into over drive. I picked two cactus that i knew he would come through and as he crossed the open spot i drilled him again. This time it sent him sprawlling to the ground. He drug his legs under him and tryed to get up. At this point he was behind a huge cactus and a few little trees. He was hurting and I did not want this. I like a one shot kill and all but one of my deer have been one shot kills. You can ask my brother i have the same box of ammo i have had for a few years now. Anyways I told my son we needed to move fast so i could finish the Buck and stop his hurting. We made out way to the spot and i put an end to my hunt. Now get this my younger brother that had done the hard work for this buck and wanted me to enjoy this time with my son jumped right in and started helping with the work of gutting and then he picked up the buck and drug him to the wash so we could get him with the quads. Now this was no easy task as it was a long ways down to the wash. So i grabed up the other stuff and my son and I headed off behind my brother and talked abou the hunt. I was able to talk to him about never giving up and working hard for the Game you are hunting. I told him that it does not always work out but when it does it fills good like this. We spent the next few days just seeing does. We busted our butts climbing to high peaks and walking lowere hills.ANd nothing but a few does. This whole hunt was very strange and i am still not sure what is going on with the herds in this area. We did not see any lions and only a few tracks from them. We did see grud loads of yotes so i am thinking that they may be killing the fawns and the area is losing numbers do to this. Any ways I want to put the shout out to my Little Bro and say thank you for your help. We have spent many years as hunting partners and will spend many more this way. Thanks for letting me enjoy that with my son to pass the passion on to him. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
azyota Report post Posted December 3, 2008 Too bad you missed the bigger of the two but that's still a nice deer! And you got to share it with your son. I don't think there is much to compare to a running shot especially when your a kid. I remember hunting with my dad when I was about your sons age. My dad took me and a neighbor kid out to 34A back when it had more deer than illegals. He had us throwing rocks down the cut's trying to bust them out and sure enough, we busted one out. My dad took three running shots and missed them all. My buddy had never seen anything like that said "that was mighty fine shooting". My dad said "yeah, but I missed him". My buddy says "yeah but that was still mighty fine shooting". That was over 40 years ago, and still one of my most vivid memories of hunting with my dad. We hunted 33 this year and never put it together, but we saw a lot of Coyotes too. Time to go bust some of them... Congrats on that deer and a lifelong memory for your son. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
azcouesandelk Report post Posted December 3, 2008 Way to go Jade! I bet that buck will be one of your greatest memories and one your boy will never forget either. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
COUESAZ Report post Posted December 3, 2008 I remember my dad shooting bucks and i remember my first bucks. They are great memories, But this little buck just may have jumped to my best buck yet. To hear my son coach me and cheer me on made it all worth it for sure. Oh and yes Christian i was keeping an eye out for you making sure you did not sneak in the photo. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cramerhunts Report post Posted December 3, 2008 That's awesome! Great story and pictures. I can't wait for my little ones to hit the hills with me. Phil Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WHT_MTNMAN Report post Posted December 3, 2008 Hey Jade a huge congrats, I shot my NM antelope this year with my 7 yr old looking through the 15's. Probably the best hunting experience in my life. Nice job on getting it done. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
azcouesandelk Report post Posted December 3, 2008 I remember my dad shooting bucks and i remember my first bucks. They are great memories, But this little buck just may have jumped to my best buck yet. To hear my son coach me and cheer me on made it all worth it for sure. Oh and yes Christian i was keeping an eye out for you making sure you did not sneak in the photo. Thats what you think if you look in the picture where your brother is up on the rock just look right underneath him I am laying in the rocks Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hunterdan Report post Posted December 3, 2008 Congrats. Hunting with the kids are memorys that last forever! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Coues Archer Report post Posted December 5, 2008 Congrats to your son hope he keeps on hunting. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TAM Report post Posted December 5, 2008 Nice work Jade! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
COUESAZ Report post Posted December 7, 2008 Thanks for the words guys. My youngest son that is 3 wants to hold the antlers all the time. He likes this site about as much as i do. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
