Dodger2 Report post Posted December 2, 2011 Thought I would share some of the details of a great late November hunt. My hunt didn't start until Sunday due to work schedule and travel on Saturday. My 9 year old son went down with me and was staying until Monday. My brother was able to get down for an afternoon hunt on Saturday and called telling me he was watching a good mid-80s buck and a 2x2, but was having a hard time locating them due to looking directly into the sun. Those two eventually bedded down and my brother let them be for the night. The next morning we headed to one of our regular canyons and found it loaded with other hunters. It was understandable due to numerous locked gates, etc. We did a morning hunt there and found a few does. We then headed back to camp for lunch and discussed our options. During one of my scouting trips, I was able to locate a good looking canyon that wasn't as accessible as other areas and we figured there would be fewer hunters. We decided to head there for the evening. The hike in is up a pretty steep, long hill that takes about 30-45 min to reach the top of the ridge. Once at the top we locating a good glassing spot to allow us to glass a north face. This was our view.... After about 30 minutes I picked up a smaller buck in some trees. We watched him for awhile and then noticed movement above him. That's when we saw a better buck that we could tell had 4 points on one side. He stayed in the thick stuff and eventually bedded down behind a boulder giving us only a view of his head. We discussed the options for the evening and decided to head back to the same exact spot in the morning. Monday morning found us in the exact same spot. I had been behind my binoculars for about 15 minutes when I found the buck again. This time he was up feeding in the open. My brother kept an eye on him while I tried to find a good shooting location in the rocks we were sitting in. I eventually located one and ranged the buck at 339yds. Once he stepped back out into the open I squeezed the trigger. The buck dropped in his tracks and then rolled down the mountain, over two rock faces. Here he is... My son and me... The rest of the hunt was just as eventful as I attempted to help my brother fill his tag. We went back to the location where he found the nice 3x3 on Saturday and located him immediately. My brother second guessed himself with the distance and shot directly over him. After two more follow up shots were taken, the buck was able to move out of range. We ended up finding our way back into the Wilderness Area and man what a difference. The first evening found a good buck, possibly 100", on a ridge about 800yds away. He was just inaccessible due to the time, location, and distance. The next morning located two smaller bucks and a beautiful sow bear with her cub. That was neat to watch the little cub running around the mountain without a care in the world. That evening located two more big bucks about 1000yds out, but again we got caught in the time crunch with sunset. We tried to locate them again on Thursday morning, but the wind beat us and apparently blew all the deer off the mountain because we didn't see anything. Unfortunately, my brother was not able to fill his tag. Even if I hadn't filled my tag, the hunt would still have been a success. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
willhunt4coues Report post Posted December 2, 2011 Congrats on a great buck and to have your son with you makes it even that more memorable. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SunDevil Report post Posted December 2, 2011 nice buck. congrats! time for a new hat. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
uofahughes2 Report post Posted December 2, 2011 nice buck. congrats! time for a new hat. Heck of a Buck!!! Congrats! You do need a new hat though! They have some that say "DE for Life!" or my personal favorite, "31-27"!!!! All kidding aside, Awesome Job! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pine Donkey Report post Posted December 2, 2011 Nice buck, great hat! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bigorange Report post Posted December 2, 2011 Nice buck and great that you could share it with your son. Nice hat too! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bonecollector Report post Posted December 2, 2011 Congrats on a nice buck, I like the dark antlers on him. New hat time too Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cramerhunts Report post Posted December 2, 2011 Congratulations on a nice buck, looks like his neck is swollen already. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
superdave Report post Posted December 2, 2011 Very nice buck, well done Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BirdDog20 Report post Posted December 2, 2011 Nice buck, great hat! Lol. That was my initial thought too. Funny to scroll down and see it in print. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
synper100 Report post Posted December 3, 2011 dude, keep the hat. better than arizona state junior college!!!!!! ASJC !!!! By the way, what was the score in the 2011 duel in the desert????? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dodger2 Report post Posted December 3, 2011 Haha!! Thanks for the compliments on the buck and as far as the hat goes here is another pic with a different hat...before it warmed up climbing that mountain....yes it says "ARIZONA" Bear Down!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Coues Archer Report post Posted December 4, 2011 Nice buck great job. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SDHunter11 Report post Posted December 5, 2011 Love the buck, love the hat! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hunting6 Report post Posted December 6, 2011 Awesome man.... it was good to have your son with you, he will never forget that hunt. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
