24B SUCCESS!!! (new pics and scores)

[WISH I was on the MOUNTAIN]

Maybe it should be the other way around... 7 Bucks, 4 bears, TOO MANY SKUNKS! Well this is going to be more lengthy than I would like but, it should be worth your read... So Thursday Oct 27th my Dad, older brother Shawn, and younger brother Dallin take off after I get off of work to our huntin spot. We didn't get up there till about 9:30 and we were happy to see that the prime camping spot was not taken. After setting up camp and getting some things ready for the morning, we finally got to bed around 11:30. Of course I didn't fall asleep till who knows when due to the rediculous snore factor produced by Dad and brother. Alarm goes off at 3:45 and we all roll out of bed. We always leave an extra 45 minutes in the morning for my Dad to cook us a solid meal (this time it was steak and eggs with fried potatoes on the side). We take a quick look at the topo maps my dad printed out of the area we wanted to hunt, and we make final preparations. (Side note) Our method of hunting a new spot is this: My dad gets on his az topo map program on the computer, studies out the topography of the area and decides that "these hills/draws/canyons/nooks hold deer..."

 

So we drive up the road, park, and start hiking in the dark with flashlights. We are immediately dismayed by the absolute thickness of the manzanita, catclaw, yucca, cactus, etc. After about 30 min of busting through that stuff we finally find some decently clear walking but know that we are still far away from the 2 little hills (the hills) we want to glass. We make our way up the hill that will allow us to glass "the hills" and we stumble right across some cool rock wall indian ruins with seperate little dug out rooms. We only spent about 1 minute looking around them, but in that minute we saw a lot of pottery shards and a matate. Right after the indian ruins I catch up to my Dad and at the same moment we both say "Bear!". There was a bear about 50 yards away just staring at us. My brother decides to investigate further and at the same time hunt that country for coues. I decided to make my way toward "the hills" to get a better look. It wasn't five minutes after that I hear my brother over the radio say, "Bear! Bear!". While hiking he busted out a 2nd bear. My dad was still on top of the hill so he looked over in that direction with his 15's and says, "Shawn, there is a deer right in front of you!" Doe. By this time I had slid myself down the almost verticle side of the hill to get to a rock outcropping that would be a perfect place to glass "the hills" and shoot if need be. After finding out that I busted my binoc adapter on my tripod, I pull up my binocs on "the hills" and what do I see at about 350 yards? Three bucks! A really nice 4 point, a tall 3 point and a nice 2 or 3 point...

 

Well, some of you might get a little sick by what I am about to tell you.. That 4 point buck stood perfectly broadside with the sun shining directly on him in my favor for a good 3 minutes sraight and what did I do? Nothing. I honestly didn't know what to do! It had been 3 or 4 years since I had even shot a gun and let alone a long shot. I had no idea where to aim or anything... Yes I am a Rookie and NO IT WILL NEVER EVER HAPPEN AGAIN! So I just let them meander up the hill while my Dad and little bro made it down to where I was. Well by the time my Dad got down those bucks were on the shady side of the hill at about 500 yards at least. My Dad decided to take a shot, eventhough he literally could barely make out the outline of the deer in his scope... Boom! Nothing. I had the 15's on the tripod.. Those bucks didn't move a muscle. Boom! Nothing. Boom! Nothing. Boom! Nothing Boom! Nothing. Well after about 6 shots they slowly decide to walk around the other side of the hill.

 

So our next plan was to make it down through the canyon and up "the hills" and slowly sneak up to the top and glass down the other side to see if we could see them bedded down. Well I have to mention that by the time we started up the "the hills" my Dad, weeks before, said would hold deer, we started to see more deer sign than ever. That hillside was literally covered in sign, tracks, and food. Anyways, we get up to the top and we see one buck, staring at us.. He started to trot up a hill away from us and my Dad and brother barely got 2 shots off before he popped over the other side. Break time. We sit and glass and nothing. I hike down the next canyon to see if I can get a better view of a possible escape route of these deer. I get up to the other side, sit for about 20 minutes, then I hear shots. My Dad calls on the radio deer down! I hike over there, we search for an hour. No blood, no nothing. I guess my Dad had seen the buck dive under a tree after his last standing shot and thought the buck went down. We looked under every tree on the whole hill side and did not see any blood or deer...

 

By this time it is around noon. We decide to hike back to camp, not to the truck, cause there is no way in heck any of us were going to hike back what we came through to get to "the hills".

 

By the way, if anyone finds a pair of Bausch and Lomb 8 X 24 binos with a purpleish neoprene strap, hanging on a tree in the middle of some nasty country in 24B, those are ours! My little bro left them there! (We are going to try to go back for them sometime.. not looking forward to it...)

 

To put it shortly, the hike back to camp was the worst hike any of us have ever done on a hunting trip. It took us about 3 and half hours..

 

Afternoon hunt was short and uneventful.

 

Next morning we decide to hike up a designated hiking trail up into some country. We were a little late getting away so it was light by the time we got up to the saddle and to the the nearly empty cattle tank. No deer. We decide to split up and cover some country. Shawn and I are hiking towards some big hills and ridges we are gonna hike up and all of a sudden my brother says, "Bear!". I look down the canyon and there is a sow with a little cinnamon cub cruisin down the hill. It was really cool to see!

 

My brother stays behind and glasses that canyon and I make my way around a hill and start my way up to the tall ridges in the opposite direction of the cattle tank. Before I start the long treck up those hills, I pull up my bino's and look back down the canyon that the tank is in... Deer... I can barely see the outline of it, sun was in my eyes. Radio my dad who was a few hundred yards behind me but on the same side of the canyon as the deer. Pulls up the 15's. Buck! Nice buck! I look down the canyon and see a nice point I can shoot from, opposite of the deer. I make my way down there. Only took me about 15 minutes. Set up. Buck is still there, in the shade, I am shooting directly in the sun. Luckily I can still see it. Maybe 250 yards. He is kind of at a slant.. I decide to aim right at the front of his chest. I slow my breathes down. Take my time... Boom! His back end drops. pull up the bino's. Got him in the hind quarters... (I know, bad shot...) Anyways.. It didn't take him long to bleed out.

 

SWEET! FIRST DEER! COUES! NICE SYMMETRICAL 3X3!

 

Needless to say it was nice to be able to hike him out on a designated path with minimal cross country to traverse.

 

Afternoon hunt: We decide to go back to the spot we went opening night because it was close to the road. We were late getting away, so our hike up the hill was a sweaty, tiresome son of a gun. We had decided that there were no deer on the hillside we glassed the day before so we were going to hike up and over. Before my Dad and brother made it to the top, I decided to pull up the binos and look at those hills again. Buck! I whistle at my Dad, do the buck hand motion, he pulls the 15's up... 2 bucks! He hurries down the hill. Props up on a tree. This buck was more leery and decided to trot accross the hill.. Boom! Nails him. My brother sets up to shoot the other buck. No where to be found. We are losing day light. My Dad sends me off the hill down into the canyon and up onto the other side to see if I can scare out the the other deer because we thought he dove into a thicket and was hiding. I bust up the hill and start making noise. Nothing. We think he must have just slipped away as we were tracking to see where my Dad's buck went after he shot him.

 

My Dad and I had to be back to the valley for church and other engagements so we hurried back to the truck with the buck, packed up camp, and headed out. My brother decided to stay and hunt with another camp the next day. They didn't end up seeing anything...

 

I want to say thanks to my Dad and brothers for making this hunt possible! My younger brother Dallin is autistic and I am thrilled at how awesome he did hiking around that country!

 

This was way too long...

 

P.S. Our camp was frequently visited by various skunks. Plus, we saw 4 different skunks on the road driving out.

 

SCORES:

 

MY BUCK GROSSED AT 99 5/8

 

MY DAD'S AT 99

 

AFTER DEDUCTIONS MY DAD'S IS 2/8 BIGGER!

 

You can see blood on the leaves from my shot, then in the distance the rocky point from where I made the shot.

 

THE TOP RED ARROW IS WHERE I FIRST SPOTTED HIM FROM, I COULD BARELY TELL HE WAS A BUCK. THE BOTTOM ARROW IS WHERE I SHOT FROM. THE PICTURE IS BEING TAKEN FROM WHERE I HIT HIM.

 

 

Dallin's smile will warm anyones soul.

 

My brothers and I packin him out.

 

Beautiful red tail (Dad's buck).

 

My Dad with his Buck.

 

My Dad and brothers with my Dad's buck.

[SunDevil]

those are some nice bucks for sure. congratulations. good to see the whole family out together making longtime memories.

[james]

wow!! nice good job guys great story

[Week'nd WaRRior]

Awesome story and way to go on your two bucks, looks like you guys might of found a bear honey hole too. Congrats

[Coues Archer]

Dang those are some stud bucks! Congrats on your guys success

[justinspe25]

Cool bucks for sure! Congrats to you and your dad.

[bigorange]

Nice bucks...congrats!