elkmaniac Report post Posted February 5, 2010 Hey guys and gals, After finishing up a couple of weeks with hunters down south this year I was able to sneak away for a few days of hunting for myself before the season ended. We left Safford Saturday morning and arrived at the ranch in enough time to throw a quick hunt before it got dark. Randy Barnes, a good friend of mine, connected on a handsome looking buck with about thirty minutes left of shooting light. Sunday morning myself and Trini (one of the guides that works for me) set off for a canyon that was about an hour and a half walk from the truck. We climbed to one of my favorite vistas and started glassing. I immediately picked up three bucks and a few does in a little saddle and put the spotting scope on the bigger of the three. He would have been a solid 105" deer had he not broke most of his G3 off on one side. I was messing around with my video camera trying to get some footage of him when Trini started going nuts. Trini is one of the most calm and collected people that I've ever hunted with and for him to be freaking out got me instantly pumped. He was looking 180 degrees from the buck I was trying to film on a dark nasty north facing slope. He told me to not screw around with looking at this buck through my 15's and to do what I needed to do to kill this buck he was looking at. I frantically got my custom built .300 win mag built by Western Precision Rifles set up on the oak thicket that he indicated the buck was chasing a doe through. It was one of those classic most uncomfortable set-ups you can imagine, most of you guys have been there. Feet pointing uphill, head pointing down hill, bipod fully extended and resting on my backpack to get enough height for the uphill angle. Basically, my boots and the rifle barrell were making a perfect V. I ranged the oak tree on the skyline that the buck was under, 511, ok, double check 511. I clicked my scope to 475 due to the extreme angle and when the buck stepped out in to the first opening chasing his doe I held on the front of his brisket and squeezed the trigger while he was walking. The report sounded very dull like a possible gut shot. Trini told me that he thought I hit him back. The buck bolted for about 40 yards and then slowed down. I reranged him at 485 and when he stopped broadside I held low on his front shoulder and squeezed again. I was able to see the impact on that shot and he buckled and rolled into some thick brush. Without being able to see him Trini and I played it super safe and stayed put for a solid hour. That litterally had to be the longest hour of my life. We gathered up our stuff that I had slung all over the hill trying to get to my rangefinder hiding in the bottom of my pack and headed down the ridge to cross the canyon. We ditched our packs at the bottom and started up the other side with nothing but my rifle and butterflies in my stomache. The image will forever be ingraved in my mind when we got to the buck and Trini picked his head out of the brush. I was speechless. I will never forget that sight. He is the result of a LOT of miles of boot leather and thousands of hours in the 15's. I have had hunters shoot bucks in the high teens and in the 120's but I have never been on the trigger end of those. This was different. Trini and I just sat there and enjoyed him for a good 30 minutes to an hour before taking him down to the bottom to take about a thousand pictures. After looking him over we found that my first shot hit him about six inches behind his shoulder and blew his lungs out and the second shot entered in his shoulder and exited behind his offside shoulder whiping out his ticker. I am a very lucky guy. He is an inline 5 on his right side with a sweet kicker off of his G2 and his other side is a big 3 with a kicker off its G2 also. He also has a double eyegaurd on his 3point side. He ended up scoring 125 3/8". Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Brian Payne Report post Posted February 5, 2010 Fantastic buck Chris! Nobody deserves it more. When you get to be a good hunter you wont need the lucky shirt anymore Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tjhunt2 Report post Posted February 5, 2010 What a beauty. Thanks for sharing. What outfitter are you if you don't mind me asking? TJ Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
draggingnuts Report post Posted February 5, 2010 AWSOME BUCK congrats Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Coues Sniper Report post Posted February 5, 2010 Unreal deer, huge congrats! Looks like that shirt has been through he!! and back Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CouesWhitetail Report post Posted February 5, 2010 Awesome!! Thanks for sharing your story and pics Chris!! Nice shirt!! Maybe you need to get a CouesWhitetail.com shirt if that one ever wears out Amanda Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Antlerdog Report post Posted February 5, 2010 Chris, Congrats again!!! Jim Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jay Scott Report post Posted February 5, 2010 That is a brute for sure! great buck! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Coues 'n' Sheep Report post Posted February 5, 2010 Outstanding Buck!! Congrats!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cramerhunts Report post Posted February 5, 2010 What a toad! Congrats on a great buck. I loved the description of your shot set up, I could picture it in my mind and felt like I was there with you. Congratulations and great job! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AZantlerhead Report post Posted February 5, 2010 Man what a Buck, AMAZEING!! . Big Congrats Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
FlyingW Report post Posted February 5, 2010 Super buck !!! Congrats Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WHT_MTNMAN Report post Posted February 5, 2010 What a stud buck, I love the extras and the inline. Lots of great character and a huge frame to boot, nicely done. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Red Rabbit Report post Posted February 5, 2010 Sehr Gut! I like the buck's rust colored forehead also. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Browning'sCustomMeat Report post Posted February 5, 2010 Spectacular! and in the words of WHALE "oh man"! -Jeremy- Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
