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Incredible Shot on First Coues Buck

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I had the Pleasure of helping some good friends of mine on a December Coues Hunt this weekend. The hunt started with my friends Ryan and his wife Annette picking me up at 5am. We dint have to go far and we were set up and glassing by sun up. I took them to a canyon that I always find deer in. Its one of those that just gets driven by and never really hunted hard. We glassed for a couple hours and didn't find anything so we decided to hike up and over the next ridge and glass into a nice bowl. After about ten minutes I find a nice 3x3 buck that I guessed to be in the mid 80s with nice chocolate colored horns chasing a few does. I tried to get Annette set up for the shot but just couldn't get her to find the buck in the shadows with her scope. Ryan said he had him picked out and was ready to take the shot. A quick range revealed he was 690 yards away and presenting a perfect broadside shot. His first shot hit low and the buck just stood there looking around and gave an opportunity for a second shot. The second shot hit low as well but was much closer and the buck decided he had enough and decided to bolt up and over the mountain. After few disappointed moments and choice words we decided to continue glassing the area for another buck. I went back to watching the does hoping another buck would show up and sure enough a small spike appeared to continue the harassment of the does. Since the big dog on the block got run off he figured this was his chance. After watching him for a bit through the 20 power Steiners I could see that he had only one antler and that he was limping badly due to his left rear leg having been broke at the knee. As we were watching him Annette said you know what, this is my last day to hunt and this is my third year with a Coues tag and I have yet to seal the deal on a Coues buck. She decided to try and take the buck and put him out of his misery and fill her tag and the freezer at the same time. After getting her on the buck and getting her set up in a comfortable shooting position the small spike had moved to almost the exact position the bigger 3x3 was at when Ryan shot at him. I ranged the spike at 680 yards and told her to turn her turret to the 700 yard mark and hold at his belly line. She said she was ready so I gave her a wind hold and told her to shoot when she was ready. About 10 seconds later the .260 barks and I am able to watch the bullet vapor trail of the 120 Amax hit its mark just above the elbow joint in the small bucks shoulder. The hide of the buck rippled like throwing a stone in a pond and he toppled forward and began rolling down the mountain. Annette made an amazing one shot kill on this small buck at an incredible 680 yards. The 120 Amax performed amazingly providing through and through penetration leaving a quarter sized exit hole and turning the heart and lungs to mush. All I can say is that I wish we were able to get her set up on the first buck because I have no doubt in my mind that she would have her hands around a nice 3x3 instead of this little spike. I don't think any of us would have changed a thing though. Congrats to the long range huntress and thanks for letting me be a part of the experience.

 

 

The first picture is of Annette and her trophy. you can see where the bullet entered just above the elbow joint.

 

The second picture shows the exit hole left by the 120 grain Amax. It looked like the buck was shot in the knee joint of his rear leg on one of the prior hunts probably the youth or October hunt.

 

The third picture is of the shooting position. The shot was taken from the right peak in the rock out cropping.

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A big congrats to Annette for making an incredible shot and to you STOMP for setting her up and spotting for her. That's just too cool!

 

Great job!

 

M

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Nice shooting!

Congrats to the huntress on her first Coues.

Good to kill that buck. It will make better eating and you may have saved him from a gruesome coyote attack.

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Fantastic Shot! Good ethical decision and sweet eating. Great job spotting and congrats to the Huntress!

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That's a pretty awesome shot! Congratulations on your first deer.

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All the credit goes to the steiners for that. They are by far the most impressive binoculars on the planet in my opinion.

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