Leftover tag buck

[elkhunter]

Last year I did not get a buck so I was really getting an itchy trigger finger this year, I wanted to shoot any deer that had test*c*les!

 

I was not able to make it out opening day due to work, no worries since I took Monday and Tuesday off right?

 

Saturday- my dad and I hiked up a nasty hill to where I killed a buck 2 years ago, we glassed for a few hours turning up does. Decided to hike farther up to check out the next canyon. Of course once we got to the top, set up tripods within 20 seconds I located a buck, yahoo! We watched him and slowly two more bucks showed up...I was on cloud nine as one of the bucks was certainly pushing the infamous 100 inch mark, it's been a few years since I've taken a buck of that caliber. We glassed them up close to 9am, watch them feed, spook, bed, feed, spook, feed, spook, feed, spook and they keep working their way up to the top of the opposite canyon, finally about noon the bucks decided to bed down and off we go. We got up to the opposite side roughly 190 yards of where we last saw the bucks. During the whole hike I was telling my dad to be very very quiet as these bucks seemed very spooky, once we were about 200 yards away from the bucks, my dad managed to kick out a full size dead yucca that probably weighed 100lbs and it went tumbling down the mountain about 50 feet….so much for being quiet!

 

Once we got settled in, I was able to pick out an ear flap through the thick oak/junipers and we watched that one little ear for over 4 hours.

It was decided that this was the smaller buck,

I told my dad I’m gonna shoot him when he stands up,

my dad said “what about the big buck?”

I said, “my finger is itchy, any buck will do”

my dad said “you should set a time-window when the little buck gets up, wait a few and see if you can find the big buck,”

I said “okay, how bout 5 seconds?”

my dad said “yah haha whatever.”

 

The sun set and the buck was still bedded! I told my dad to make some noises, my dad started to shake a tree, nothing…I told my dad to bark…WOOF WOOF…..nothing, I said “mountain lion, coues deer hate mountain lion” my dad started to MEOW, RARRR, MEOOOWWWW…..dang the deer really is not moving! Finally the buck gets up and moves 2 feet to the right, totally thick oak there, can’t see him! CRAP! I look through the 15’s and saw some sticks moving….wait…those are antlers….holy crap it’s the big buck! I told my dad to continue his weird noises and the big buck gets up and I switch over to the rifle, DANG he moved 2 feet to the left and we can’t see him anymore.

 

I really hate hunting thick country. I took us almost 3 hours to get back to the quads in the dark, probably did close to 4000 feet in elevation going up those hills.

 

Fast forward 2 days and 30 does later. I was about ready to quit and thought we should glass from the road on Tuesday which was my last day of hunting. My dad made some comments about me being a baby and that we should hike in to this canyon….more hiking huh? I was sick of hiking, I have a bad cold where mucus is flying when I cough like dove at a pond in the late evening in August.

 

Anyways we hike in the dark, get to glassing spot, we are in a canyon I’ve been in 20 times and never seen a buck and maybe 1 or 5 does in the past. I started glassing the ridge and saw a deer moving through the oaks…..deer is skylined…..whoa you have got to be kidding me, it’s a buck! I walked over to my dad and started to “pssst” “psssst” and finally I said “ HEY DAD” we got a buck here, 230 yards or so. We played cat and mouse with the buck, trying to locate him in the thick stuff and trying to get a shot off as he went from tree to tree, I could see his ears before a clearing and waited, waited, waited with nothing happening. I thought maybe he’s bedded down so I moved over to the right about 10 yards… and found the buck bedded down, made a good shot at 230 yards for a dirt nap. I’d like to thank my wife for letting me go hunting and taking care of our son! I’m thinking about taking this little forkhorn rack and make a coat hanger for my son, it’s the first buck taken by me since he was born.

 

I had a good time on this hunt, I certainly learned to not hunt the country you can’t handle….but as a friend of mine always said….if you don’t question your insanity, you’re not hunting hard enough.

 

 

 

 

This last picture says it all, the hunt was pretty much like this...both of us were on a different page which made for alot of funny moments and absolute confusion and the result was a teeny buck and great memories.

 

[luvdemcoues]

Nothing wrong with that. Congrats on a good hunt and fun memories. That'll be the coolest coat rack ever!

[izquik72]

Good times in the woods.

I like your hat rack/coat rack idea.

[aznate]

Nice write up! Too bad you couldn't find the big one again, but meat in the pot is always best. Congrats!

[SO I HUNT]

Good eating and a great coat rack

[Coues Archer]

Nice buck man congrats on your kill.

[bonecollector]

Congrats on your buck. Nothing better than hunting with your Dad.

[DCS]

Nothing like making memories with your dad,or your kids.Congrats on your buck

[Pine Donkey]

Thanks for posting the story, congratulations on your buck.

[BirdDog20]

Good stuff. Loved the story. Sounds like a lot how my dad and I hunt. Cherish those moments!

[Chef]

Pretty buck, any coues is a good one.

Congrats on the success and on making memories.

[elkhunter]

Thanks for the comments, I'm trying to figure out how to do this coat rack, anyone have ideas?

[Distance]

Nice!

[firstcoueswas80]

Good job Tyler!

 

 

Ive always been curious.... Why do you wear a hankerchif on all of your deer hunts?

[Ernesto C]

Hehehe good story I like it! Very nice, congratulations and thaks for sharing.

 

Ernesto C