Left over buck and a hunting first for me.

[ylclaret]

My dad and uncle managed to get left over 34a tags from the mail in left over drawing. It just so happened that opening day also happened to be my birthday, so my birthday wish to glass up a buck and get my dad his first coues deer. I started hunting more seriously about three years ago and in that time I have glassed quite a few deer but I still hadn't glassed a coues buck myself that was successfully harvested. So we started the morning nice and early, and my dad, uncle, brother and I pulled up to the parking spot near our glassing point about an hour before first light. We are getting ready to hike up to our glassing point and I ask my dad, do you have your tag? "Oh, s#!+" he says.... Left it home! Oh well, my uncle had a tag so we decided to go ahead and just try to fill his tag. We were in position at our glassing point about 15-20 minutes later. Got set up, and waited for the sun to get the game started. About a half hour after first light I glass a buck up on a mountain about 1200 yards away, and then I see that he isn't alone! 2 bucks... If only we had two tags! As I am trying to show my uncle the deer through my swaro 15's the bigger beds and disappears, but I got back on the glass just in time to watch the other buck bed and fortunately I can still see his head. So we make a plan that my dad and I will stay on the glass and my brother will take my uncle on the stalk. About an hour later they are in position, 200 yards from the bedded buck. Some coyotes start going nuts in the valley below and the buck gets a little nervous and stands up. I'm thinking to myself, shoot, shoot, shoot, and all of a sudden the buck flips around and runs about ten yards. I'm thinking, oh no, did he wind them?!? No I think he shot... And then I finally hear the report from the rifle. Uncle mike shoots again for good measure but this time is a little high, and right after I see the rocks explode above his buck the other buck jumps up and trots up over the hill. I look back and see our buck hit the dirt and start rolling down the hill and then we hear several shots from just over the ridge where the other buck had gone. We pushed the bigger buck right into some other hunters laps! The mountain they bedded on must have been 60 degree incline or better, it was so steep that the pack out was easier than the hike up! We ended up helping the other hunter get their deer out as well because they couldn't get their truck as far back down the road as I could so we got to take some pictures of both bucks. So I didn't get to help my dad get his first coues but I did finally have a successful harvest and man did it feel good! Here are a few pics. Hope you enjoyed the write up! The first two pics are my uncles deer, then the two bucks together and the last is the one that got away (from us anyway!)

[trophyhnter]

Congrats on your spot and your uncles buck! We play 21 questions with my dad about his license and tag leading up the hunt, the day we leave to set up camp, and just before we get going in the morning to hunt...........Inevitably there will be an "Oh sh!t, I left it in my other pants at camp" Good times with family!

[trophyhnter]

Oh yeah, you got my left over tag ......I got the envelope in the mail with my app and check a week after they were accepted . Glad you guys had a great time and put them to good use!

[ylclaret]

Haha! Good to know we aren't the only ones it happens to! The funny thing is my brother handled all the leftover apps for my family, since I had drawn in the initial drawing. Out of the four apps he put in for left over 34a tags his was the only one that didn't get drawn! It's ok though, he ended up with a 30a tag so we will be learning some new country!

[CouesWhitetail]

Congratulations!

[Couzer]

Congratulations