Payne Brother's 09 Hunt

[kwp]

My brother Brian and I were fortunate enough to draw late coues deer tags in a southern unit. We had not spent a lot of time in the unit but had always seen good bucks in the time that we had spent. We both had 8-9 days to hunt and decided that we weren't going to shoot a buck that we didn't think would go 105". We were each able to spend a hand full of days scouting but neither of us found a buck that we wanted to harvest so we opted to hunt an area where we had seen the type of bucks we were looking for in the past even though we didn't find them scouting.

 

Opening day finally rolled around and we were so excited we could hardly stand it. The weather was perfect, cold and clear. We hiked about a mile up to a ridge that over-looked some nice stock tanks and some "perfect" coues country. Our excitement quickly diminished when not five minutes into glassing I found six illegals coming through a saddle towards us. We watched them lay up under some oak trees. Then I quickly found another illegal in a different spot that was taking a poop. Then I got a text from my wife saying that some of our irrigation pipes broke at home and the back yard is flooding. This all happened in about the first 15 minutes and we hadn't seen any deer yet. Needless to say we weren't excited about how the hunt had started. The rest of the day went pretty good though. We moved around the illegals and repositioned near another stock tank. Here is a picture of a doe that came in to the tank during the middle of the day.

 

 

Throughout the rest of the day we managed to glass about 40 deer including 7 small bucks. Brian also got a quick glimpse of a nice cat but couldn't ever get it in the cross-hairs. Here are some pics of a few of the small bucks and the sunset hiking back to camp that evening.

 

 

 

 

That night my buddy Mike (Steward224) joined us to help glassing. The next morning we went into a different area and started seeing deer immediately. I found a group of does that had a small 3 pt chasing them around when my brother says that he has a group of 4 bucks and one, maybe two of them look big. I repositioned to find the bucks that were about a mile away. I was only able to watch them for a few quick moments before they moved down the ridge and out of view but I could tell that we needed to get a better look at two of them. We made a plan and went on a mad dash to get in front of them and got into position just in time to watch them go through a saddle and once again out of view. This time we saw them at 550 yards and were able to tell that the smaller of the mature bucks was a 3 pt that we guessed would go 95". We could see that the bigger buck was a 3 pt with big eyeguards and a kicker coming off his left side. We guessed that he would go around 105". We then moved to a peak that overlooks the basin that they went into. It was getting later in the morning so we knew that the bucks would be bedding soon. We spent the rest of the day on the peak looking for the bucks and found lots of does and javelinas but never found the bucks. Brian had to go home that night so on our long hike back to camp we discussed a plan for Mike and I for the next morning.

 

The morning of Day 3 Mike and I were once again on the same peak overlooking the basin where we thought that the bucks would be. It was another clear, cold morning but was a little windy. We were seeing some deer and javelina but still no bucks. Finally after a couple of hours I saw the other 3 bucks coming out of the canyon bottom but the big one wasn't with them. The other bucks continued to move up the ridge and the big buck never came out. After looking for what seemed like an eternity Mike says, "I've got a bedded buck and I think he might be your buck." The buck was bedded down the hill and behind the other bucks but he was in the shade and we couldn't tell much about him. He eventually moved his head and we could see not one but two kickers coming off of his left side. We immediately knew it was the same buck and a shooter. I got positioned for the steep downhill, 270 yard shot and squeezed one off. I heard the 'whop' and saw the buck flinch and start kicking. I then put another one in him to make sure that he never got out of his bed.

 

Here are a few photos, thank to Mike and Brian for all the help!

 

 

 

 

 

 

The rest of the story is told in my brother's words.

 

 

Friday Dec. 18 was my next opportunity to hunt. After my brother, Kevin, killed his great buck I wanted to kill a big buck so bad I could taste it. My brother and my buddy Dave and I hiked into an area near where my brother had killed his buck. That morning we glassed about 25 deer including several small to decent bucks. In the middle of the day we decided to move about a mile into an area where we had glassed several deer that morning and where we had seen some good bucks in the past. Right as we got into the area we started kicking deer off their beds right and left so we decided to sit down and start glassing even though we hadn't reached the point we planned to glass from. Not too long after we sat down some air-force jets started flying right over, I mean right over our heads. We could see the pilots. They must have been only 100 feet off the ground or so. All the commotion got the deer stirred up and we started to see more deer getting off their beds and moving around. My brother said, "I see about four deer running over a ridge about 300 yards away, they look like all does, oh wait, BIG BUCK!" I never even got a look at him before he went over the ridge but my brother said, "He had a huge frame. He was wide and had like 10" G2s." Dave said, "I didn't get a good look at him but he looked like a mule deer buck going over the ridge." Now I was excited. We moved to glass into the canyon they ran into sure that we would find them again. We spent five hours that evening looking and never found him. Dave had to go home that evening.

 

Kevin and I figured out the best vantage point to glass the country we had last seen the buck in and that is where we set up the next morning. Here is a picture as we waited for the sun to come up.

 

 

It was still pretty dark and we hadn't found any deer yet when my brother says, "There is a deer standing in the same place we saw that buck yesterday and I think it is a big buck." We were looking through ocotillos in the dark at 1000 yards and could tell this was probably the buck we had seen the day before. He quickly fed down into the canyon out of view. We moved to where we could see into the canyon he was in and within about 10 minutes we were set up and sure that we would find him this time. We glassed for about 30 minutes to no avail when my brother says, "I see a different buck bedded on the next ridge over." We could tell he was a decent buck but the sun was still just starting to come up and the buck was still as a statue and we couldn't tell much about him. We continued to look for the first buck and keep an eye on the second buck. Once the sun hit the second buck he got up and started to feed and we could see he was pretty solid, we guessed him around 100". We continued to look for the first buck and watch the second buck. The more I watched the second buck the more I started to think he was bigger than we thought but I new there was a giant somewhere right in front of me that we couldn't find. We looked for the first buck for 2.5 hours and never found him. The second buck moved out of view. We decided to move to the next canyon to get a better look at the second buck. We got set up and my brother says, "There is the buck chasing some does and they are about to go over the ridge." I took a quick look at him and saw his mass and realized he was better than we had guessed. I told by brother, "That buck looks good, I am going to hammer him." He stopped for a second and I double lunged him at about 250 yards. When we walked up to him I knew he would meet my goal of 105" or better. Part of the reason we had under judged him was his body was absolutely huge!

 

 

 

 

 

What a fantastic hunt! A December tag that was all we dreamed about. The weather was great, we glassed lots of deer and other critters, we had no trouble with illegals, and killed two great bucks. Thanks to my brother especially for all his help. I glassed his deer the first time but he returned the favor and glassed mine. Maybe someday I will learn to hold out for a giant.

 

Our bucks both scored just under 110"

 

[JMP]

nice job guys. Both are awesome bucks.

[Snapshot]

Great bucks guys. Two big bucks for the two bro's on the same hunt. That is simply outstanding!

[youngbuck]

congrats guys on two killer look bucks!

[ROBERT RIVERA]

congrates... nice story n deer

[deercrazy]

That was a great story, and 2 nice bucks. Us empty taggers are very jealous!!!!

[tjhunt2]

Congratulations on your bucks. I only wish someday I can shoot one as big. Great writeup and pictures to go along with the story. I'm sure everyone who reads this will agree

 

TJ

[n777ea]

Right on! Awesome write up and pictures.

Thank you

[Hancock7WSM]

Those are some awesome coues deer!!! Congrats

[FlyingW]

Very nice bucks !!! Congrats

[.270]

good job boys. Lark.

[steward224]

congrats again guys...just too cool

[Coues Sniper]

Those bucks are both studs. I don't know which one I'd rather shoot first. And the fact that you guys glassed up the others deer - too cool. Congrats guys

[palivs2hnt]

Great job Brothers and sensational write-ups!

[johnnie blaze]

Thats some nice bone guys. Congrats