Cell phone coverage

[bchoitz]

It has been three years since I was last drawn for deer in Arizona. It's my fault of course, I only put in for the December Coues deer hunts which have low numbers of tags. I started doing this because my wife Kathy wants to go with me like she did when we were younger. Now with her job as a swimming coach, she is not able to get away until the second week in November. I also make my hunting applications with the time set aside for the Jr hunts for my son and daughter, which really only leaves the December time for my own deer hunt.

The first weekend of the hunt was dedicated to areas where I thought Kathy could, at fifty, get her first deer. There was a storm moving in, and it was very windy by the second morning. We saw very few deer, and I was a bit frustrated because she did not get any shot opportunities. This is not what Coues hunting is supposed to be like. Kathy had to leave during the middle of the week to drive to Boise ID and help my daughter who is moving to Oregon. My plan was to get out the second weekend after the storm moved through and get in some hunting in areas I had not previously hunted.

On Wednesday, Kathy left for Boise, pulling a trailer, and got as far as Searchlight, NV. It seems a little storm was dumping snow on Las Vegas, and searchlight is up the hill from there. She wisely sat out the storm. Thursday saw her back on the road by mid-morning, and it was clear she would not make it to Boise until Friday at the earliest. I made reservations for her in Ely NV.

 

My hunting plan for the weekend was now changed. I decided I would stay within cell phone range so Kathy could keep me informed on her progress. It seems ironic that one of the reasons for going hunting is to get away from the time clocks, demands, cell phones etc, and now here I was making sure I could still use my electronic leash. On Friday I was out of the house at 2:15AM for the drive to my unit, with an expected arrival time of 5:30 AM. Not as early as I would like, but a reasonable compromise. By 6:15 I am sitting on a low hill glassing. I'm seeing lots of deer, and thinking; this is what it's supposed to be like when huntin' Coues. 7:15 AM the phone vibrates in my pocket, and I know It's my wife. She is waiting another day in Ely for a storm to pass through the I80 corridor near Elko and Wells. That is a lonely place to risk getting stuck in a storm, and I think she made the right decision. No more worries for today! I hiked and glassed and hiked some more. I think I saw 30 or more deer, but I never saw an antler. It was déjà-vu for me. I hunted this area 3 years ago. The deer were plentiful, but the bucks were not. Friday night I go to bed without a clear plan for Saturday morning. There must be bucks in the area, but I'm just not seeing them. Am I in the wrong place? Am I glassing too fast, or the wrong places?

Saturday morning arrives at 4:00 AM. Frost on the ground and the tent. Off I go, having decided I'm probably not high enough on the mountain. I'm going most of the way up today, and then I'll glass into a south facing slope from above. I'm in place by 5:45, and cooling off from the hike. The shirt I wore up the hill is off, and I'm putting on all the clothes in my pack. Thermal shirt, flannel shirt, jacket, thermal underwear. I wish I'd brought a change of socks, because It's cold. I should have brought my vest, but I thought the new (and different) thermal shirt would compensate. It didn't.

The sun starts to make it's way into the sky. I've been glassing for about 30 minutes now but haven't seen a thing. I'm going to move to the opposite side of the saddle I'm on and watch the southern facing slopes that can be seen from there. It's more area.

I'm set up and within seconds I'm seeing deer. One and two here, three, four, five, and six there, seven, eight....

Wait! I can't believe it! Antlers! On a deer!

OK, how big? He is eating in a yucca bush, facing uphill. Turn some, show me what you've got. Three by three, antlers are high off his ears and curve in. Not a great spread to them, but decent mass. Yeah, he'll do! Now, is he alone, or is there a bigger one. (Hey, I can hope can't I?) No he seems to be the only buck on this slope.

Can I get closer? Not likely. The distance is about 300 yards and there are two deep draws and a very steep hillside between us. Can I make the shot from here? There is no room for a prone shot. I'm going to try it from the tri-pod. I don't have "THE CLAW", but I'll do the best I can.

Rifle on the bino's. I'm a little shaky, not sure if it's the cold or buck fever, but my money is on the cold. Steady, Deer in the scope. Aim a bit above his shoulder.........BOOM

Now I'm looking through the scope trying to find him again.

He's still there, by the yucca. Not in a panic.

Back to looking through the bino's. I watch him and he goes back to feeding and starts walking. He is headed for the second draw, but is not in a hurry, and he certainly was not hit.

OK big guy, you had your warning shot.

Rifle on the bino's. Deer in the scope. Aim a bit above his shoulder.........BOOM!

Now I'm looking through the scope trying to find him again.

Nothing! I'm thinking how much easier this would be if I wasn't alone and somebody could watch my shot for me.

Back to looking through the bino's. I can't find him, but by now most of the deer on the slope are high-tailing it out of there. Does everywhere! There must be twenty deer on that slope. I can't find him high or low. If he's not dead he is not standing, at least not on the slope I can see.

I check the ground around were he was, but can't find anything. I mark the spot I shot from on the GPS and pack up. I check the spot he last stood and get landmarks that I can find when I'm on that slope.

Now I look for a route. The slope between us is steep, but I'm not going down and then up. OK, through the first draw, and onto the slope between us. Check the landmarks and scan the ground again. Still nothing.

I'm approaching the second draw now. Again I check my landmarks and scan the ground still nothing.

Now it's been almost 20 minutes since my shot, but I'm finally on his slope, and moving up to where he was.

Oh Yeah! I got him! Woohoo!

 

Uh-oh. How am I gonna get him off this hill?

 

 

Well, pictures and a tag first. Then take GPS coordinates. 286 yards.

 

 

 

The phone rings. It's my wife. She is leaving Ely on the last leg of her trip to Boise, and I'm starting the last leg of my journey for the weekend. I'll even get to church on Sunday! I have a lot to be thankful for!

 

I sure hope she wants to go out and try to get her deer when she returns, because I can't wait to hunt again!

 

Merry Christmas to all!

[krp]

Great story, made me wish I was there, very nice deer. hopefully your wife can get back and enjoy her own hunt.

 

Kent

[mjmhunter]

Great story and congratulations!!!!

[SO I HUNT]

Way to go and what a great buck. Hope the wife returns ready to go also. Good Luck

[ruffcountry]

Congratulations on a very nice buck .

[Young]

Very SWEET buck. Good luck to your wife when she returns

[izquik72]

Awesome Success

[willhunt4coues]

That is a great buck congrats

[AZbowhntr]

Congrats on a great buck. I really liked the story too.

[bchoitz]

Well, my wife finally made it to Medford Oregon, It only took her 10 days. It's been a long lonely holiday period.

She should be leaving there tomorrow and arriving back here in Arizona Monday.

 

After her ordeal I don't think she will want to go back out for the last day or two of the hunt so it looks like I'm done for the year.

 

I tried to measure my deer, but I'm not real adept at that. My attempts yielded 92.

 

Bret

[COOSEFAN]

Freakin' awesome story and awesome buck Bret! Huge congrats to you, you deserve it! JIM>