My opening day buck

[bowhuntaz1]

Sorry for the delayed story. I have had company. Well here it is. This is the first time I have ever written the story, instead of a paragraph or two.

 

-Tuesday, August 16th

I’m packing my bags to leave the next day. My 2 ½ year old comes up and says “Where you go Dada?” I tell her that I’m going to go hunt some deer. She replies “I hunt deer to Dada, I hunt to…” She starts putting her clothes in my bag. As Much as I would like her to go, and fight back the tears of joy, I tell her that she is going to visit grandpa and grandma in a couple days. She is now happy and off to the other room.

Later that night, knowing I can’t afford a bear rug, I still ask my smoking hot wife “What if a bear walks in front of me while I’m in the stand?”

She tells me to do what I want; but we will be selling some of my stuff to pay for the rug…

 

-Wednesday August 17th

Take the kids to daycare. The director wished me luck on my deer hunt as I left. Went back home and packed the truck. I pulled into the Mesa Game and Fish, and went in. While in line, the guy behind the counter commented on my new CWT.com sticker I was sporting in the back window. I smiled as he took his next customer. The lady at the counter asks how she could help me. Told her I needed a Lion tag. She asked if I needed a bear tag. I sadly replied, no… So now I’m on my way to deer camp!!!

I’m in the mountains by 12:15. I round the last corner and see that (IMO) the primo camp spot is open! I pull in and start to unload. Tent, hammock, tables, all set up and ready for me. I start my hike to where I plan to hunt with tree stand and ladder in hand. I set them up and pull my camera down happy that it’s still there. I hike down a steep hill to where I have another camera. I forgot to turn that one on. I start the hike back to camp. Back at camp, I’m having a sandwich when, a truck goes by and turns into one of the other camp spots. I have one more camera to check.

40 minutes later, I start the hike to it. A short time later I’m there. I have seen turkey there many times, and placed the camera there to scope it out. I have an Oct. Turkey tag at home, and want to hunt there. I have had this camera up for over a month with no pictures of anything but a few song birds. I had thrown out about a half gallon of corn the month before, and some of it was still there. I take the camera down and head to a stream nearby to catch some fresh fish for dinner.

I ended up catching 2 trout and was now back at camp. I’m now reviewing the SD cards from the cameras. I can’t believe it. The camera I set out for the turkeys now has turkeys on it.

It also has a nice bull elk

and a few whitetails.

I also check the camera where I plan to be sitting in a tree stand in 2 days. The deer I call “BIG BOY” has only shown up once in the past month. He stood right in front of my camera and posed for 6 pictures and disappeared like a Grey Ghost…

I checked the rest of the deer, and decided to“TRY” to hold out for one of two bucks cruising the area.

I go and check out the other campers in the area to see if I know anyone. Turns out, I do. I ran into a couple guys at the same spot last year. I will call them “J&C”. I spent some time with them catching up and telling stories.

I notice that my phone is now dead, and I can’t locate my car charger. I decide to go for a walk. I kick up a 3x3 and stalk him for awhile. After the cat and mouse game, I start making a big circle. I catch some movement out to my left, and stalk in for a closer look. It’s a Guy about six feet tall with red curly hair and beard. I see him walk around in a circle and he starts to undo his pants. He turns again and his back is to me. He is peeing all around like he is chasing a fly… After he leaves I follow the trail I’m on that leads to where he did his business. Turns out he just went all over someone’s salt pile. I take a different way back to the road. I end up finding a small 3 point shed!!! One more for my pile.

 

-Thursday August 18th

I go for another hike around the hunting area and kick up a doe.

Again the cat and mouse game is on. She busts me and is gone. I keep going to see if I can find any seeps or springs with no luck. I’m getting hungry after a few hours, and head back to camp.

I see J and C coming up the road. They look like they just came back from the pool. I asked what they had been doing. The stated they just went swimming. They told me of a nice pool in the creek with a small water fall. Well being able to smell myself after hiking for 4-5 hours, I decide to get rid of my funk. I ended up, going back and setting up my turkey camera back in the same spot. I then was on a mission to find the little pool my buddies told me about. The water was nice and COLD; but it felt so good. I head back to my camp.

After a nap, I pull out the old trusty Matthews LX. I zip half dozen arrows at my black hole target. She is still shooting straight. As I’m putting the bow back in the case, another truck goes by and turns into J&C’s camp. I go to see who it is. Across the road from their camp is another one. 2 trucks and 3 tents. I wave and continue to my buddy’s camp. We hang out for awhile and go over the plans for the next morning. I leave to check out another area. A couple hours later I’m back at J&C’s camp and there 4th friend has arrived.

I notice the camp across the road has changed. C said the Forest Service guy showed up, talked to them for a few minutes and left. The group moved their tents 10 feet to the left. I went over and asked what happened. They stated the Forrest Service guy told them that they placed their tents on the grass, which is “Wilderness” and told them to move the tents or get a ticket… We talked for a while and I went back to J’s camp. We hung out till it started to rain. I went back to camp.

I make some soup in the light rain and finish it as it starts to really let go. It’s about 8:00pm now and the rain has stopped. Again I find myself back at J’s camp. More stories are thrown around the campfire. It starts to rain again. On the way back to my camp, I spot deer in my headlights. I pull out my video camera and record about 3 minutes of action. It’s the same group I have thousands of pictures of. I quickly go and show my friends to physic them up for the deer that will hit the ground in the morning.

I’m back in my tent as it starts pouring down rain again. I go to close the tent door and the zipper breaks in 3 pieces. After 15 minutes of trying to play tent doctor, I had enough. I pull out my knife and cut holes in the tent door and the door frame. I tie them shut with some rope from my pack.

I spent the next 15 minutes mopping up the water in the tent with the clothes I decide not to wear. It was a long wet night.

 

-Friday August 19th. Deer “D” Day.

4:00am my watch alarm goes off. Cold spaghetti-O’s and cold coffee. Breakfast of champions. I am re-packing my pack as J stops by on his quad to make sure I’m awake. I thank him, wish him luck and he is on his way to his stand. I grab my bow and am now off to mine.

At 4:45am, I’m attaching my strap from my safety harness to the tree and snuggle in for the long wait for shooting light. As the land starts to waken up, I watch a cottontail slowly bounce around and leave. 5:30am. I see motion. It’s a doe and a fawn. I watch the fawn prance around and try to suckle twice from mom. She steps away both times, and the fawn leaves my line of site. It goes about 60 yards away and beds down on the other side of a downed pine. I watch momma graze for 45 minutes. After that she starts circling my tree stand. She did this for 15 minutes. All of a sudden, there are three snorts from the ridge. She starts stomping her feet and leaves with her baby on her heels. No other movement.

About 20 minutes after she left I hear a branch break to my left. There is a bear on a bee-line to my tree!!! I am shaking so bad, I thought I was having a seizure. The bear takes a few mouth full’s of grass and takes a 90% turn to my left. I now see how small it is. Looks like momma just kicked it out of her circle this past spring. It sits on its rump and looks around for a while. I keep telling myself, I can’t afford it, I can’t afford it. Besides, I did not have a tag and it’s a small bear… It gets up after a minute walks about 10 feet and urinates and leaves. I think I was still shaking for 10 minutes after that.

I stand and get blood moving back in my rear end… after a quick stretch, I’m back to sitting down. At 7:20am out of nowhere, there is a fork horn standing broadside at 27 yards.

He starts grazing in the in the small clearing next to the trail. I have never passed on a deer in my life. I knew he was the smallest one in the area from my trail camera. I spent the next few minutes in turmoil. I finaly told myself, screw it. I have to be at work the day after tomorrow, and he is meat in the freezer. His back was to me and I took my bow off the hook. I laid it across my lap, and was again at war with myself in my head. After what seemed like an hour (5 minutes) I decide to take him. I raised my bow. He started looking to my right and stomping his feet. I slowly looked where he was. More deer!

I do my best to scan through the trees without making movement. I see antlers. Within 30 seconds, there were 3 more bucks grazing and a fourth not too far off. The big one had his head in the open, and his body behind a tree. 2 of the bigger bucks chased the little one away. He walked over and stopped in his tracks where the bear urinated. He started making a wide circle smelling the ground. He started stomping his feet and flicking his tail. Now all the other bucks were on alert. For some reason the fork horn jumped about 6 feet to his right, which caused all the others to also take a few nervous steps. I’m ready to shoot as the big 4x4 steps out and starts to walk toward the others.

I pull back as he lowers his head. The 2x2 spots me and stares at me. My pin is on the 4x4’s kill zone. There is only one thing going through my head. It’s something a few people have posted on CWT.com. “Aim low.” I slightly lower my pin, and pull the trigger on my release. My Patriot Cruise missile arrow tipped with a rage 2 blade is on its way in slow motion. I watch in horror as the buck drops and starts to kick off. CRACK!!! It sounded like my arrow hit a rock. I watch the buck lurch forward crashing through a downed pine tree, breaking branches. I see a branch kick my arrow out of his chest!!! I watch the buck run about 100 yards up hill dragging his front left leg like dead weight. I watched him clear a fence line. Now I check my watch, 7:33 and 9 seconds. The buck is gone. I’m worried. Was it a good hit? Did I hit him to low? The usual questions. This is the 2nd animal that has not gone down in fornt of me.

I shake for about 5 minutes, then lower my bow and pack. I take off my hat and face mask and throw them to the ground. I climb down and go to where he was standing. 17 yards. 10 feet away, I pick up my arrow. It’s got blood on the front half. Good blood. I get my bow and marker tape, and start the tracking job, stopping every few yards to glass for a wounded deer. I cross the fence and the terrain starts a steep drop into some thick nasty stuff with teeth (thorns). I spot him laid up in the shade. I glass him for about 2 minutes to check for his breathing, and see none!!! I crawl/hike down to him. I tap him on the eye with an arrow. No movement!!! I place my hand on his head and thank him for his sacrifice for my family. I sit there for a moment in silence in thanks. I take a few steps back and look at prince of the forest. There was no ground shrinkage. He got bigger!!!

 

There are too many bushes with thorns around for me to dress him. I put his head over my shoulder and put it in a head lock, and grab his back legs. After about 5 minutes of trying, I manage to stand up and start my hike to the top of the hill by the fence line. I placed him in the shade, and went back to camp to get some help to get him to the road.

I stop at J’s camp and no one is there. At the camp across the road, the ones that had to move her tents, the lady was there. I asked if she could help me lift the pack frame so I could get him to the road. As she was leaving a note for her boyfriend, he and his dad showed up. I asked if they got one and they did not. I told them a quick story of my success and asked for their help. All 3 came to help.

They snapped a couple quick pictures for me. I pull out my new havalon knife I won on CWT.com. Man, it was like I was using a scalpel, ha ha ha. That thing was so sharp, and I never needed to sharpen it or replace the blade. It made quick work of the beast I had slayed. They helped lift the pack frame loaded with the whole body on to my shoulders. The father held the frame so I would not fall over. I did not stop the entire hike back to my truck.

 

I knew if I stopped, I would not be able to start again. We get him to my tail gate. I put him in the cooler and place ice bottles in his chest cavity. I thank them again; shake hands and head back to my camp. I dump about a gallon of ice water on my head and dry off. I grab a few things and head for Young.

Before I leave, I stop at J’s camp and hang my bloody arrow from his awing with a note. The note said, shot at 7:33 recovered at 7:50

I pull into Dale’s house at Wildlife Taxidermy. He is busy working on a few mounts. He comes out to greet me. I ask him if I’m the first client of the deer season, and I am. I tell of my morning as his wife comes out and starts to take my info.

I do my best to stay out of Dale’s way as he skins my buck for the mount. Great conversations were passed back and forth, and we parted ways. Now with a carcass on ice and a rumbling in my stomach, I head to Antlers for lunch.

My server was quite younger than I expected. I think she was in Junior High. Her name was Tori. She was well versed in the menu. I settled for the French Dip. I was expecting some pre-packaged thinner than paper roast beef on the sandwich. Boy was I surprised when I saw the thick slices of roast hiding under the melted globs of Swiss cheese. It was so good words could not describe it. $5 tip for my $9 meal…

I get back to my camp and pack a few things and am ready for a nap. I hear some laughter down the way. I drive to J’s camp and there all there. They pull the arrow out and ask how big. I tell them 93 and 5/8.

Handshakes and high 5’s all the way around. They tell me of their morning. Does and fork horns. None of them let arrows fly. I tell them that I’m going to head for home. We say our good-byes and I leave. I hike back to the hunting spot. I collect my marker tape and head for my stand. As I’m wrapping up my ladders, J and his friend T are coming up one of the game trails. I show them where the deer came from and which way the wind was blowing in the morning. They set up their ground blind. I wish them luck, and tell them I will email them soon. Hike back to camp.

As I’m breaking camp, a Forest Service truck pulls up. The guy stops in the middle of the road, jumps out and is writing down my plate number. Still in a high from a great buck, I yell out my plate number and invite him into what is left of my camp. He said that he heard I shot a nice buck. I tell him of my morning. He asks if I had any salt out and I said no. He tells me of a spot not too far away that was salted, and had a camera. He tells me that it is on Wilderness land and it is illegal to place anything on the ground or in a tree. He tells me that he is going to sneak in there tonight and take the camera and leave the guy a ticket, and that its going to cost the owner of the camera $300 to get it back; because that’s how much the ticket is. Now I’m thinking… He just told me it was illegal to hang anything from a tree on Wilderness Land; but HE is going to “hang” the guy a ticket from a tree on Wilderness Land… I got tired of him and just turned my back with a see ya later and finished breaking my camp. This guy had NO people skills, was very short, and was very monotone…

Now to Payson to see Jeremy at Browning's Custom Meats. I’m turn north on to the 87 from the 188. I can’t believe how many trucks pulling toy haulers and trailers are north bound. Almost all were doing well over 10 miles over the limit. As I pass Rye, I see the rain. It’s coming down pretty good until I hit the Casino. The North and South bound lanes in Payson had water flowing over the sidewalk. I was one of the few using those lanes. I try my phone, and am able to get enough juice to text and call Jeremy. No answer. I go to his shop. A nice lady and a strapping young lad great me with a smile. Again I am the first client of the deer season. Info is exchanged, and I tell her what I want. I hang the carcass on the hook, and she slides it in the cooler. Now to go home.

Again, I am one of the few in the flooded curb side lane. I pass a cop and am expecting the worst; but he does not pull me over. I guess he did not want to get his boots wet. It was a long hour and 20 minute drive home. I still had 2 days till my smoking hot wife and kids came home from Grandpa and Grandma’s house.

The buck green scored 93 and 3/8 SCI. After the 2% velvet deduction, he scored 91 and 5/8 . This will be a hunt to remember, like all of them. Thanks to all for reading and allowing me to share my experience with you. Hunt hard, eat well.

James T.

[Pine Donkey]

Great hunt and story. Congratulations!

[CouesWhitetail]

Wow! I loved the story, thanks for sharing all the details! What a great buck, congratulations on making an excellent shot. And thanks for supporting two CW.com sponsors (Wild Heritage Taxidermy and Brownings Custom Meat)!

 

Great job!

 

Glad that Havalon knife you won worked so well for you! Watch those fingers around that knife!

[Coues 'n' Sheep]

Whooo Haaa! Awesome!

[Gr8 White Jr]

Congrats on a stud of a buck! I love those eye guards. Great story! I always like reading the very detailed stories.

 

-Tracy

[270wsm]

Way to go man I loved the story and all the pics thanks for taking the time to put it all together for us to enjoy

[Coues Kid]

Cool story nice buck congrats.

[SirRoyal]

Great pics ,Great story!!!!!

[200"mulie]

congrats on a nice buck

[bigga head1229]

Congrats on a great buck and a nice story as well

[Az_Outdoors]

Congrats on a well deserved buck! I really enjoyed the story also.

[BOHNTR]

Awesome buck man.....congratulations!

[nohoch]

That's awesome. Congrats. Reading these stories each year during the bow hunt gets me juiced up for my rifle hunt (and makes me want to start bow hunting!). Nice buck.

[cvw789]

Great story and nice buck..

[bonecollector]

Congrats on a great buck! Very nice write up, i enjoyed reading everybit of it.