SD Backcountry Archery Buck (Kill Shot VIDEO!!!)

[ADDICT]

 

I just got home from a hunt in South Dakota. I laughed when they said backpacking for mule deer…in SD! Man was I misinformed! You’ll see from the video that t=it is as rugged as any high alpine basin, and has the similar timberline characteristic buck brush and scrub pines.

 

We hiked in Friday night a couple of miles to camp. Early Saturday we hauled to the ridge-line and then started glassing each of those drainages. They went for miles. Every single hole had deer in it. The full moon had them bedded early but we picked deer up no problem.

 

Around 10:00 AM I found this buck in my Kaibab 15s. He was out cold! Face on the ground, bedded in a steep chute at the top of one of the drainages. I saw he was only a 2x2 but he looked really wide and heavy. He had the fattest head/roman nose I’d ever seen and judging by his big body I figured he was really old.

 

Since I’ve gotten in to archery hunting, I have gotten away from score so much as just hunting the best buck in the situation. It is so exciting to stalk these deer that I couldn’t pass up the situation!

 

I dropped down and out of sight. Hauled across the bottom of the gorge and then climbed the rocky outcropping that shielded the cove he was in. As I took my big Kuiu Icon 6000 frame pack off, I peaked to see if he was still bedded—Nope! Up, alert and very aware of my presence. I ranged, ducked down, nocked my arrow, clipped the release and slowly stood up. I had to get my level straight and aimed to slip it right into the crease as he quartered away. The shot screamed across the sleepy basin and entered just in front of his femur and exited his opposite ribs! A little left of planned but devastating. He only lasted 15 seconds or so.

 

We were so fortunate to capture all of it on video. Dave Chapman was there to help de-bone, cape and carry that old beast 4.5 miles back to the truck. His body was enormous! Missing teeth and his molars were ground and cracked to the gum line. I think he was a downhill warrior—which made me even prouder to have been able to harvest him!

 

VIDEO LINK:

 

[SDHunter11]

Nice buck, sounds like an exciting hunt. Congrats

[stanley]

"Since I’ve gotten in to archery hunting, I have gotten away from score so much as just hunting the best buck in the situation."

 

I really like that statement. So many are out for the highest 'score', but I think the vast majority of us all know that it is really about the 'hunt'! Congrats on a great hunt, and also congrats on a nice production job on the video!

 

Thanks for sharing with the site!

 

S.

 

[ThomC]

Nice, What part of SD is that?

[lucky2hunt]

Great video.... Great shot..... Great deer! Congrats!!! Interesting looking terrain.

[double lunger14]

looks like bighorn sheep country lol. Congrats!

[JakeL]

Wow. Surprising to me to see that kind of country in SD. I guess folks there are probably about as surprised when they see pictures of alpine basins here in AZ.

[Hunterjohnny]

That is crazy country! He's sittin up there in an eagle nest!

Nice shooting too.

[Coues Sniper]

Dude, you're a machine. 3 archery bucks this year??? Love the buck man, he's a stud. And nice work on the video - my favorite you've done so far. Musically and otherwise . Congrats on another great trophy.

[huntjunkie]

That was AWESOME!!! Cool video! I like watching the stalk and what a shot!

[reganranch]

Great video Zac! Final Cut pro is the only way to go on film editing. How far was that shot man? It looked epic.

[bonecollector]

Great video again. You sure are killin it this yr.

[ADDICT]

Thanks a lot guys! Western SD. Amazing canyon country. Huge bodies on these deer!!!

[Redman]

cool video...looks like you were hunting on the moon

[200"mulie]

very nice !! congrats!