Got it DONE!!! UPDATED

[Becker]

Well, didn't work out quit like I had planned. But finally pulled the trigger late afternoon opening morning after some serious cat and mouse. Didn't get off the mountain till way late. Here is a quick pic for now!!! Super pumped about this buck. He was dirty sneaky and taught me a lot!

 

 

UPDATE:

 

Sorry for the delay, had a few more tags to help on and hadn't had the chance to get to my computer for awhile. since I haven't posted up an entire story in awhile here you guys go. Hope its not too long winded and hope you enjoy!

 

It was the end of August and scouting was in overdrive (never stops really but was in high gear). Had a few bucks from the year before that I was excited about seeing this year. Of the four deer, two had disappeared, one just didn't turn out like I had hoped, and I hadn't made it all the way to check on the other. I had spent a lot of time in the spring looking in new areas checking out deer before they shed their antlers. I had produced one buck that was pretty interesting. Early September I took my dad into this location for a morning of glassing. I sat down and set up my binos and looked where I had last seen the buck we were looking for in the spring, and to my amazement there was a deer in my field of view. It was a little buck, THEN out stepped a big framed deer. It was long distance but this thing looked giant. He gave me about 30 seconds as he walked straight towards me then turned and disappeared over the ridge top he was on. I knew I had to find this deer again. My father and I spent the next three mornings looking to no avail. I am not sure how many trips I made back into this location, looking at it at different angles, but I could just not turn him up. My good friend Jason had joined in the effort as well. About to throw in the towel on this deer and focus on something else, We (my father, Jason, and I) made one last trip in, and to our amazement, there stood this AWESOME buck. Game on!!!

 

The next couple weeks things got frustrating again. The country was almost devoid of deer. One doe or spike here or there seemed to be it. To top it all off we could not re-find him with any regularity. Look as we might he was elusive. After spotting him a time or two we started putting together his habits. He would bed ALL DAY. First light......... bedded. Evening prime times.....Bedded. Seemed like about 8:30-9 AM he would stand up and either switch beds maybe 15 yards, or simply turn around and lay down again.

 

Before I knew it time was almost up. Wednesday, my father and I searched the hillside with little to show for it. It was NOW Thursday morning and my small team (Dad, Jason and I) were perched up high tearing apart the hillsides as soon as we could see. Jason on one point just in case he moved, and my father and I on another looking into his bedroom. We had not laid eyes on the buck for over a week and we were all nervous. 8:30 my father says he's got a deer. Turned out to be a spike but was some motivation after not seeing deer the last couple trips in. I panned to the left up the canyon maybe 200 yards and there was the back half of a deer sticking out of the brush. Just when I said I have another deer, it bedded down. One flash of antler as it did. "Got HIM!!!!" We camped out on him the entire rest of the day. Two times he got up for a total of maybe 10 minutes. That was it. Stared him down until we couldn't see and made the hike out. Tomorrow was the day.

 

Friday morning..........We added another player to our team. As the hillside took shape, Jody and I were set up across from where we had the buck the day before. Range to last known location was 625 yards. 338 edge set up for a prone shooting position, all we needed was to see him. Jason and my father were on the high point long distance look for a broader view in case something went haywire. Hour one....No deer. 8:30.........man he should be getting up anytime to stretch. temperature was rising, stress was high when I finally spotted movement, 100 yards up the canyon from the last known location. I got him Jody!!! Aaaaannnd he's gone into the one little basin/bowl we cannot see into from our vantage point!!!! That quick. We signaled the other crew and Jason joined us to make a move up the canyon 1/2 to 3/4 of a mile so we could see into the bowl. We decided to go up the backside of the finger that we were on so as to not alarm the deer of our presence. A long while later we found ourselves back at our starting location. That side of the canyon was bluffed out and we could not find a way through.

 

11ish, we found ourselves very close to where we thought the deer had gone. 300 yards to the center of the hill. We took shelter in the only shade we could find in a small cave formed by a giant rock. 12, we were out of water, except Jody, she had one gulp left. We knew the deer was right in front of us and no one wanted to give up. We also knew that with a quick phone call my father could get some water to us up the canyon. 1PM no deer, 2PM no deer, 3PM no deer, 4PM no deer. ME...guys you sure you don't want to head out, get some water and come back tomorrow and try again. THEM If we were going to do that we should have done it when we ran out. Its PRIME TIME ALMOST lets STICK IT OUT........4:05PM I look at the same tree I had been looking at for I don't know how long and something moves in the left side of my binos, I pan over, ITS HIM. I GOT HIM!!!! The shadow had moved just enough that I was able to see through a small tree and make out the whole deer. He had been laying there the entire time. We just couldn't make him out. I ranged him, jumped down on my gun while Jody and Jason watched. Through my scope I had one opening to shoot through, his neck was exposed to where it joins the body. I settled on the base of his neck and squeezed the trigger. HE'S DONE. HE DIDN'T EVEN FLINCH. HEAD JUST FELL ON THE GROUND. We had a short lived celebration. We were so down on water that we couldn't manage much. Made the call to my father for bring water, and slowly made our way to the deer.

 

Jody and I, this was only the second time she had ever been with me when I harvested a deer!!!

 

I measured him right at 118 gross inches. Net 113 and 6/8!!!

 

 

 

 

[Becker]

Hmmm some how it posted three pics. Hahaha ohwell at least one is right!

[Outlaw87]

Awesome buck congrats!

[bonecollector]

Congrats again! Another stud coues drops for you.

[Mocha1545]

That is an AWESOME Buck! Congrats!

[Flatlander79]

Great Buck. Like to know what he scores

[MULEPACKHUNTER]

Great looking animal congrats

[KeithV]

very nice thats a great buck congrats

[flatline]

Nice buck congrats

[Zeke-BE]

Congrats

[nighthawk]

dang great buck!! Again....😡 You put in a lot of hard work and always get the good buck reward! Keep it up!

[CouesWhitetail]

Hmmm some how it posted three pics. Hahaha ohwell at least one is right!

 

fixed it for you....

[CouesWhitetail]

Big body on that buck too!! Congratulations!! Can't wait to hear more!

[100%DIYazCOUES]

That's a coues?! That thing looks twice as big bodied as any coues I've ever seen.congrats

[4Falls]

Look at the fricken neck on that son of a gun! He looks like hes in full rut mode.

 

Not to take anything away from that super long tuned rack. Hes a monster.