My first 100"+ buck

[Viper]

I don't mean to "beat a dead horse"...or buck. I posted this a while back, but it was the short version with only a couple pics. This is the long version with more pictures. It’s long, but hopefully entertaining.

If you get bored with it, you can skip to the pictures.

 

My hunting partner (Bill) and I had spotted this buck twice before the season, along with several other smaller bucks. Once in velvet and once after rubbed off. We had no doubt he would go at least 100”. The problem was figuring out how to get to them. They live on a high, very steep ridge with heavy brush and pockets of dense trees. The ridge top is lined with rock cliffs. After each scouting trip, on the way home, the question always came up “how are we going get to them”? “How do you get a crack at one of those bucks”?

 

Opening morning (10/21) we got up extra early and rode the ATVs (Ranger and quad) to the area. Bill set up for glassing on the east (sunny) side, below the ridge, hoping to get a shot at a buck low on the ridge, within a few hundred yards. I rode around to the west side and climbed to the top of what we call “heart attack ridge”, hoping to get a shot at a buck on the upper slopes. I was able to get to the top well before first light, which allowed time for the gasping, dizziness and sweating to subside…thus the name.

When it was shooting light, I slowly started walking the ridge top, glassing ahead and down both sides. Bill was glassing from below. If he spotted something up high, he could guide me in.

I was glassing down the east slope, when I heard a noise behind me. I slowly turned to look, as a spike walked by at 25 yards. He slowly walked away, down the ridge top and out of sight. Bill radioed that he had does, near the top, about ¾ mile down the ridge. I continued to hunt slowly. Eventually, I came to a cliff/bluff overlooking some drainages on the west side. This is an area that is shady most of the day. We have seen bucks in this area before, later in the morning. It’s about 8:30 and I hadn’t had my pack off all morning. I took a position on the cliff, took off my pack and sat down for a break. I was glassing below, using my shooting sticks under my binos for support. I glassed the terrain below for about 10 minutes, when I scanned over to a spot we had seen bucks before, right below a cliff face. “Holy $hi…!! That’s him”! There was the big boy, standing there staring straight ahead…right at me. I thought I was busted. He had a smaller buddy 20 feet away, a 2x3. It was a steep angle down to him, but it sure appeared he was looking right at me. I was frozen with the binos on him for what seemed like 10 minutes. All these thoughts were flashing in my head… “should I wait for him to relax, look away, lay down”? “Will he bust and run”? “Should I take my chances and go for my rifle”? “No, he’d bust me for sure”. I always tend to take the cautious approach, so I decided to wait him out. Finally, he looked slightly away. I slowly pulled my leather glove off my right hand with my teeth. I slowly reached down to my hip and pulled the range finder from the case, slowly brought it up to my eye……160 yards (angle compensated). Now he’s looking my way again. I freeze for another several minutes. This time he looks to his left, down the hill. I slo-o-owly lay down on the rocks on my left side. I realize he can’t see me now, as the cliff edge is hiding me. I reach for my rifle and gently pull it from the pack scabbard, remove the scope cover, chamber a round, spread the shooting sticks…. “I hope he’s still there…I hope he’s still there”. I slowly raise myself back up and rest the rifle on the sticks, pull the scope to my eye and…”yes, he’s still there”. Still staring straight ahead. “This is going to happen!”. Now the buck fever really kicks in. I’m breathing hard and the crosshairs are shaking about. “calm down, breath, settle on him, it’ll shoot high at this range…aim low, calm…..BOOM! After the recoil from the .270, I get the scope back on him… he’s gone…. “Is he down…did he run”? His buddy is still standing there, looking at the spot where he stood. “He must have dropped right there”. “If he ran, the other one would have run too”. The other buck is still standing, looking. I grab my binos, but can’t see anything through the brush. On the road, way below, nearly ¾ mile away, a Ranger drives by with two guys talking. The other buck busts and runs away.

I gathered my gear and went to the top of the ridge so I could radio Bill, still glassing the ridge. I told him “I think I just dropped the big buck…I think he dropped in his tracks, but I’ll have to go check”. “What! I didn’t hear you shoot”! He said “let me know when you find out”. He also informed me he spotted another decent buck on a different ridge.

So, I have to hike about 1/4 mile down the ridge to a saddle and wrap around under the cliffs, then side-hill a few hundred yards to where my buck was. This is no easy task, as the hillside is quite steep, with loose rock and brush. I finally get to the spot and find my buck. He dropped in his tracks and slid downhill five feet, with his right antler tangled in a bush, keeping him from sliding further. He was on his back with his legs in the air, and a bullet hole centered at the base of his throat.

I got above him and pulled him up to the somewhat flat spot he was standing on. I posed him and took some pictures.

Again, I gathered my gear and went straight up to the top of the ridge to inform Bill that I did have the big one down… also to see if it would be an easier way back to the buck. That didn’t work out so well.

I radioed Bill. We made plans to meet where he thought he could drive the Ranger to. A half hour later, I met him at the Ranger. We had a snack, hydrated, and stashed our packs and guns. I told Bill, “Don’t forget your walking stick…you’re gonna need it”. We put on the pack frames, and headed back for the buck.

When we got back to the buck, we took more pictures, some high-fiving, some back slapping, then we got to work. I gutted the buck, cut him in half, and loaded our pack frames.

The hike out wasn’t easy, but not as bad as I thought it would be. We just took it slow and easy, using the walking sticks to keep us from slipping and rolling down the mountain.

Four hours after the shot, we were back at the Ranger.

Wow! What an adventure! I am totally blessed to be able to hunt and enjoy some awesome country in this state. Being able to find and take this good buck is a real gift.

 

 

Brad

 

 

 

A sign from above.

 

This is where he fell… steep!

 

A better look.

 

Bill gets his hands on him.

 

Packing out with the front half.

 

Bill with the back quarters.

 

Finally, back at the Ranger… 4 hours after the shot.

 

Gross/green score is 111 1/8”

[shylopolito]

Congrats on a beautiful looking buck!

[stanley]

Congrats on a great buck! Also, thanks for a great story!! (Just what I needed to ease the stress on a crappy/busy work-day! )

 

Thanks for sharing with the site!

 

S.

 

[BirdDog20]

Beautiful buck! Love those long tines and the shape. Congratulations!

[WinMag]

Hello Brad... Bill said you had shot a nice buck. Congrats on a nice looking one and thanks for sharing the story. Sounds like you earned it.

 

Shane

[Hunting6]

Congratulations... you guys did awesome on this hunt.

that was a great story !

[echo co.]

Very nice buck congrats guys

[Coues Archer]

congrats on a beautiful buck!

[superdave]

Very nice buck, congrats!

[Evan]

Brad, Good to see your deer on here! Hope to see you and Bill up there again this year, hope to hear results soon! Evan (White Truck and Trailer!)

[reganranch]

Killer buck man!

[reganranch]

This was also a great write up! Its so hard when youve got the buck scoped and got buck fever bad especially scoping a stud like the one you shot. Haha I always tell myself dont look at the horns dont look at the horns.

[Flatlander79]

Good job. Nice buck. Man that is nice sight when you get them back to the camp table. Cant wait for this season.

[KYLES96]

What a Hog, great write up. What did you're deer actually score?

[Elkhunter1Jr]

nice pics!!!!! . hope to see more