December Coues Hunt

[reganranch]

Hey everybody thanks for all the help in questions concerning coues and rifles and all the stuff in between. Im just now posting this story from our hunt down south during the month of December. My father and I had left for 30a saturday morning after packing the whole week before. We got in late to Douglas and decided to sleep in the gooseneck, being in that the area we were going is very dangerous with UDA's and that whole issue especially at night all you S. of I10 hunters know what talking about. We headed out the next morning to camp and set up quick enough for the evening hunt. Getting out in the field we spotted a couple does surprisingly and a lot of mule deer which seems to be the case in most hunts you see what your not hunting. The next two days with my dad were calm lots of does but no bucks.

Tuesday night came around and our good friend Mike Norris showed up to lend a helping hand and it was a huge blessing to have another set of eyes tearing the country apart. The next day we hiked about 2 miles in and were glassing the mountain we had spotted deer on about 5 in the morning and once again 5 coues no bucks and at about 2 miles away. We hiked back to camp and got in about 2 o clock worn out and a little disappointed. We gear back up and decide to stay a little closer to camp and me and my dad are glassing this v shaped draw and a ridge adjacent to it and Mr Norris was above us glassing the bowl above. Eight minutes before the sun went down Dad spotted a buck then quickly lost him. We spotted a doe 20 yards away and then another deer in-between a sentry plant and a oak tree and dad had said i think thats the buck then he turned his head toward us and his horns lit up like the fourth of july with that last little bit of sunlight. Dad ranged him and he was 454 yards away and i got in the glass ready for my dad to take the shot and i took one look at him and i was like dad, "Can i take the shot i really want him dad." Then my dad said 'yes son you can take the first shot." We had never got drawn before this hunt and neither of us had ever shot a big game animal. I put the cross hairs two feet above his back and pulled the trigger. Then right after dad shot too. We were pretty sure one of us hit him!

By the time we climbed the hill and met back up with Mike the sun was down and we were looking for him in the dark. We looked for over 30 minutes in the dark. With no blood trail and no sight of the buck we headed back to camp to cook some carne asada burritos. I was really bummed and wasnt feeling to good and thought how could i miss my first buck and feeling like a failure i did what moma always told me and flipped open my bible and i read Joshua 3:5 "Joshua told the people, "Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do amazing things among you." In my mind i was like sweet were going to shoot another buck! Next morning the hunters from douglas that were helping us look the night before came down the ridge we had shot my buck on the night before. They shouted across the canyon at us hey we found your buck he was in this bush. Next scene Mike and Dad are running up the hill and i run back to camp to grab the camera. It was an amazing trip and a hunt of a lifetime. Heres some pics.

 

[TAIL CHASER]

Great buck. Congrats

[coyotekid]

great buck and write up. thanks for posting. glad you found your buck.

-sam

[bonecollector]

Great buck congrats on your first deer, its a nice one!

[headhunter]

Great story!! Congrats on an awesome buck!

[Guest borderboy]

Nice.

[FlyingW]

Nice deer !!! Congrats

[roninflag]

real nice buck. what gun and loadink??