thegunsmith2506 Report post Posted December 19, 2012 I was pretty excited when my Dad decided he wanted to put in for deer this year. We had one open spot on an app with my wife, her cousin, and my sister, who were looking to hunt Mulies. Once they drew the tag, we formulated a game plan that had my dad coming up to hunt the second weekend. Opening weekend Jason and I took the girls out and braved the wind and the cold. It was the most miserable opener I can remember in a long time. Even with the bad conditions we managed to put the girls on a few bucks. A few missed shots was all we had to show after 4 full days of hunting. Back to work for a couple of days and then it was time to head out with my dad. He made the drive up from Tucson and I skipped out of work just in time for a quick Thursday evening hunt. We checked the zero on his trusty .270, then hit the hills for the last few hours of daylight. The 15’s didn’t turn up any deer, and we headed home in the dark. The drive home was pretty discouraging due to the controlled burn the FS was conducting in the canyon we planned on glassing the next morning. Not that it really mattered. We were there to have a good time; a deer would just be a bonus. Gray light the next morning found us stumbling around looking for a trail I just knew had to be there. Turns out I was on the wrong ridge. We still made it to our glassing spot just as it was getting light enough to see. A few hours behind the binoculars turned up a few does, a couple little bucks, and a few too far away to tell. Nothing hung around long enough for a stock, so about 9am we decided to hike around the mountain and glass a deep canyon. It was steep, really steep. About 30 seconds after I said “this would be a horrible place to kill a deer”, I hear my dad say, “there they are”. Two bucks came running out of the bottom of the canyon and headed up the other side. I handed my dad the shooting sticks and got the bucks in the binos. “Shoot the one in the back” I said. “Ok”…. BOOM! “Miss, shoot again”! BOOM! “Miss”! I will leave out the details of what transpired the next 30 seconds. All said and done my dad made a great offhand shot at 395yds hitting the bigger buck one time right behind the shoulder. We picked up the spent brass and headed across the canyon to find his buck. Took us a while to get over to him due to the steep canyon, but we finally found him. This was my dad’s first deer hunt in about 15 years. I drug the deer down to the bottom to some flat ground. A couple of quick pics, the gutless method, and we were headed out with a pack full of meat. It was a long 2 miles out of that canyon and back to the Jeep. We made it to the Jeep about 3pm and were home sitting on the couch by 5. We got the girls on a couple of deer the next 2 days, but just never could make it happen. He may not be a huge buck, but we sure had fun getting him. Can’t wait to go again with my dad next year. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
loco4coues Report post Posted December 19, 2012 great job! thanks for sharing. It is always a good time being out with family. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
trophyhnter Report post Posted December 20, 2012 Great story! Congrats to you and your dad on a job well done! Why did your dad stop hunting? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
randyolson Report post Posted December 20, 2012 Congrats on the buck! Very nice story! Isn't it wonderful to be with your family in the great outdoors? ! What a great way to bond and share those moments! Thanks for sharing them with us too!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mocha1545 Report post Posted December 20, 2012 Great job. Always nice to spend time outdoors with the family. Bonus is getting a deer. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
