UNFORGETTABLE!!!

[shortpants]

This was truly one of my greatest adventures! With only 1 day of scouting done in a unit I have never been in before I new I had my work cut out for me. I spent countless hours on Google Earth and talked to as many people as I could and want to thank Christian and Jim right off the bat for helping me narrow down where I would hunt.

 

I arrived in my main camp at 2am thurs. morning and set up the Jumpin Jack, got things ready to head out for a day of scouting before the opener and then jumped in bed at 3am for a 2 hour nap. I woke up and spent all day out trying to figure out the best ways to access the areas I planned on hunting. That afternoon I headed back towards the truck to glass because I wanted to get back to camp and get a good nights sleep.

I glassed up 2 great looking coues bucks about a mile away. I only saw them for a moment but new they were worth a closer look so I decided I would try to relocate them in the morning. I also saw this great muley buck and was wishing I had a muley tag after seeing him.

 

DAY 1:

I set up where I thought I would be able to locate the 2 bucks from the night before and waited for it to get light enough to glass. At first light I glassed up a couple of small bucks just 200 yds. away feeding up a ridge in front of me. As the sun began to light up the hillsides I found more and more deer. A couple of hunters came riding past me on horseback and headed further up. I was really wishing I had a horse. After seeing several deer but not the right ones I picked up and headed up to the top of a ridge to glass the next valley and the ridges beyond. I had this spike and doe walk 100 yds. below me and took the opportunity to snap there pics through the bino's.

 

Suddenly a shot rang out farther up the ridge than me and to the right of where I was glassing. I moved the bino's over to try to catch a big buck giving somebody the slip only to see a lion running up the hill. I later spoke with the hunters (same guys on horseback) and they told me the lion was getting ready to pounce on a little fawn. They missed the lion but saved a fawn! I continued on to the next vantage point which put me directly above where the 2 bucks from the day before had crossed. I was now in their bedroom hopefully! It was now noon and I had some lunch and took a short nap before getting behind the glasses again. I saw 2 illegals walking through bottom and glassed around them to see what they kicked up. Up ahead of them I saw a good looking buck running away. He stopped in a group of mesquites about 900 yds. away. I broke out the spotting scope that Jim lent me (thanks Jimbo) and gave hime a good look. I figured him to be about 85'', not what I was looking for this early in the hunt. The rest of the day was pretty slow but by the end of the day I had seen 36 deer, a lion, 8 javi's, and 2 illegals! As I was hiking back to camp I was happy that I had seen so much but also discouraged that the only 3pt. buck I had seen was only because the illegals had bumped him. I thought well if I could just find a shed or a skull on the way out that would cap the day off nicely. Not 100yds. later...

 

 

DAY 2:

I decided to climb a big steep hill that would give me a good perspective of the area and help me decide exactly where I was going to pack a bivy camp into. I saw a lot of country but not the deer I was looking for so I headed back to camp to have a good lunch and a short nap in the Jumpin Jack. That afternoon I set out to a different area to look at a particular canyon that had caught my eye on Google Earth. When I got out there there were hunters everywhere and I ended up sitting on a hill with 5 other people and no surprise seeing very few deer. I ended up seeing 20 deer, 3 javi's, 3 yotes, and just 1 illegal. I never saw a single buck that day. I went back to camp and enjoyed a nice steak dinner and pulled out my topo map. I made a new plan and got my bivy camp packed up, it was TIME TO GET SERIOUS!

 

DAY 3:

After hiking a couple miles I unloaded my bivy camp and set up to glass. I saw quite a few deer but nothing bigger than a 2pt. That's 3 mornings without glassing up a 3pt. Was I crazy to pass on the 85''er the 1st day? ''No way I just need to keep going'' I told myself. Leaving my bivy camp behind I went farther into the hills. It was late morning so I would stop and glass the good looking bedding areas and then hike farther and farther glassing along the way. Around noon I was approaching an area where I new there was a waterhole. I started seeing more deer and kicked a doe and a nice looking buck up and out of the country. It was miserably hot so I stopped and ate lunch in the shade of a mesquite. Another mile of hiking and glassing I stopped to glass a great looking bedding area and found this guy and his little friend.

 

 

After passing on him I found some more young bucks and does before proceeding on. Another mile found me glassing up this low 80's buck.

 

 

It was now late afternoon and I had a long way to go to get back to my bivy camp. I hiked on and was hiking through the bottom of a steep canyon when I decided to free hand glass the very top of the mountain to my left. I immediately spotted a good buck so I dropped the pack and pulled out the tripod and spotting scope (thanks again Jimbo). He was about 700yds. above me and after looking him over I decided he was probably about 92''. He was beautiful but I really wanted a 95'' or better hoping for a 100''er. Then I realized that I didn't have enough light left to go find another deer so I might as well get a little closer look at this buck. I ran up the steep ridge crossing a deep cut along the way and tried to find a place to set up. There was so much vegetation on the ridge it took some time before I found a small window I could shoot through if I decided to take the buck. I put the spotter on him once again and immediately new I was going to try to take this buck. I had under scored him and I now thought he looked right at 95'' but either way realized I didn't care what he scored because I wanted him. I ranged him at 405 yds. and dialed in my turret. There was no wind so I just needed to put the crosshairs on his chest and squeeze. BOOM!!! In the scope I saw the buck jump up and then roll head over tail about 20 yds. down the hill stopping behind a bush where I couldn't see him. I lay behind the rifle for 5 min. never seeing any movement. I HAD DONE IT!!! A one shot kill on a beautiful buck earned the hard way! I was exited but to exhausted to show it as you can see in this pic I took moments after the shot.

 

 

With just 15 min. of light left and my tank on empty I made the hard decision to just leave the buck and come back in the morning. I know some of you will criticize me for this and thats ok. I will just say it was a very hard decision but the right one. I hiked 9 miles that day and that deer was straight up and across 2 deep cuts. I just didn't have it in me to get to him. I was sure the shot was a good one.

At this point it was closer for me to hike back to my main camp as I had hiked in a huge circle so I left my trophy for the night and hoped the critters wouldn't scatter him by morning.

 

I set out early the next morning to recover my buck and after a few miles and a very steep climb I found him right where I'd left him and in one piece.

 

As I found him...

 

 

And a few better pics...

 

This buck was the 42nd deer I saw that day along with 1 javi. He measured 94 3/8'' and I couldn't be happier. To think I almost just kept hiking I must be crazy!

 

I got back to my main camp with the buck at 1:30pm shaking from exhaustion and lack of food and enough water. I ate and drank and just sat and stared at at my trophy for awhile but my long day was not over. I still had to go back and get my bivy camp I never got to use. I ended up doing 7 miles between the deer and the camp recovery. Determined to get home I packed up and drove home that night making it home at 10:30pm. Those were the 2 most exhausting days of my life but some of the most rewarding and UNFORGETTABLE!!!

[Str8Shot]

Great Post ... Story and Pics show exactly what you mean by Unforgettable .... and to top it off NICE BUCK

[loco4coues]

Awesome post! Great story and pics. Congrats on a nice buck.

[GameHauler]

Congratulations Jason

Great story, pictures and Buck.

[azcoues]

nice write up and pics,congrats,persistence always pays off.

[WFGinNM]

Thanks for sharing the story and pictures, Very nice buck.

 

Congratulations,

--Bill

[Apache7mm]

nice buck! Good job.

 

DAN

[Ernesto C]

Holy hole you made on that buck Batman!! Congratulations man and nice to see pictures of my favoryte hunting spot!

 

Ernesto C

[CouesWhitetail]

Wow, that's just awesome!! Thanks for the excellent write-up and I certainly know that feeling of total exhaustion! Congratulations on making a perfect shot on a perfect buck

 

Amanda

 

[joeybari]

Awesome story great buck that was fun to read good job by the way I did the same thing about 6 years ago leaving my buck over night and it all worked out

[firstcoueswas80]

 

Nice buck dude!

 

I got your number from Jim like two or three times, but kept forgetting to save it! I was planning on checking up on ya! congrats on working your tail off and good shot!

[ScottAdams]

Great story and a great buck Jason!!

[redline410]

Awesome- That's double tough right there. Congrats......

[Coues 'n' Sheep]

 

 

Right on Shorty! Great buck and a Great hunt! Congrats!!

[TAM]

Awesome story... Thanks for sharing and congratulations on a great hunt!