2014 "Brother Buck" (long post and picture heavy)

[lancetkenyon]

So, my hunting year has been truly blessed so far this year.

 

My 11 year old daughter drew a Jr. javelina tag, which she filled with her first big game animal ever. I also drew a general javelina tag and took one about 100 yards from where my daughter took hers.

 

We found out my daughter also drew a 7W bull elk tag for this November, so were spent a lot of time and money getting her ready, with both upgraded equipment as well as a lot of shooting time behind the gun. I was drawn for the Kaibab 12AE hunt two years ago, so when I put in for the deer draw this year, and applied for the 12AE hunt again, I did not expect to draw a tag again with only 3 bonus points. TO my surprise, I did draw the tag again. I was so focused on my daughter's upcoming elk hunt, that I was not really that excited about my own hunt.

 

I am usually one to scout a LOT before season opener, but I have spent most weekends in 7W looking at elk. So up until about 2 weeks before my hunt, I had not done any preparation other than a lot of long range shooting.

 

Well, 2 weeks ago, I started getting the itch BAD!!! I also planned on taking my daughter out of school for a couple days to spend time on an actual hunt so she might learn what to expect come November. I spend a lot of time with my kids, and this was going to be a blast.

 

On to the hunt...

 

Thursday:

I had to work (half day scheduled), so I dropped the kid off at her older sister's house and head to work. I guess I was already on vacation mode, as I get to my office and realize I left my backpack and computer at home. Thought I would do some cleanup work and my boss shows up and I shoot the bull with him for about 10 minutes and he tells me to "get out" and have a good time off. By 7:00AM I am on my way to the grocery to get the last remaining items! Picked up my daughter by 11:00AM from school and hit the road!!! Should be to the cap location and have a little time to scout a few canyons. That kid talked for 5 hours straight. It was a nice change from all of the solo driving I do for work.

 

On our way.

 

As we turned off 89 to 89A, we were following a Penske moving truck. Little did we know, Penske trucks can fly like the Dukes of Hazzard car! A 66 year old lady was moving from Tempe to Iowa, and lost control, send the truck with trailer off the road and jumped it 10' in the air and about 30', and rolling the trailer. Miraculously, and I mean ONLY by the Grace of God, she walked away from this.

 

 

 

My daughter called 911 as another vehicle and I ran to the crash. The lady opened the door, pretty much unscathed for what just happened, and walked away with a little help. Due to the remote location, and unknown injuries, she was life-flighted to St. John's, UT. By the time DPS was done, it cost us about 1.5 hours. Time well spent in teaching my daughter that helping others is priority #1, no matter what you might think is pressing. On a side note, after we hit the road again, we saw another Penske truck with 3 guys heading to the accident to transfer all the contents to another truck and hold it until the lady could be released. THAT is customer service!!! So if you move, think about Penske.

 

Anyway, we got to the camping area right at sundown, and just drove around for about 30 minutes to see if we could find deer. This bachelor herd was spotted within 10 minutes. I told my daughter the big two point would not make it through the season. Sure enough, Friday night we saw him hanging in a camp down the road from us.

 

 

Friday:

4:00AM Trying to get my daughter out of bed is like waking a bear. Enough said.

 

Excited and raring to go on the ride to the first glassing spot...

 

Got her up and hiking and we made it over the first canyon before legal shooting light.

 

Glassing 30 minutes before sunrise

 

We glassed up a lot of does and fawns, and one small 2 point buck. Nothing worth even getting the rifle out for. By the time we got back to the truck around 2:00PM, she was whooped as we have covered about 3 miles of up and down canyons. So we decided to sit a very remote tank that was at the end of a long unused road due to blow downs and the burn up there. It has produced bucks for myself and a friend of mine in the past.

 

Sitting across a small ravine from the trick tank. Nothing but squirrels ad birds came in but it was relaxing and fun to watch.

[Heat]

So far so good!

[lancetkenyon]

Saturday:

No photos, but lots and lots and lots of glassing, with no shooter bucks spotted.

 

Sunday:

Cold and windy, 34° at sunup and 25+ mph winds. Makes for cold glassing, but we bundled up.

 

Glassed up a decent 3x3 at 848 yards, and got a photo of him (with his head down of course) through the binos. Passed on him.

 

One of our glassing spots.

 

At noon, my wife who had come up on Friday evening and daughter had to head home. I was kind of bummed and it got lonely really fast. I went out and glassed the rest of the evening though, and I was finally finding deer in a different location than I had hunted previously. I glassed up a big 2x2 with a smaller 4x4, and watched them head into a canyon. I saw a group of hunters walking the canyon, and was hoping to see a kill shot. No luck, but three shots later the deer were seen heading out of the canyon, seemingly unscathed. I also saw two other bucks at last light moving quickly, and one was a shooter buck from what I could tell at over 900 yards.

 

Monday:

Got up at 4:00and saved some time by not having to drag the bear around. Got to my glassing spot by 5:15 and started getting ready to go. Looked across the small dirt road and saw a red light. Two other hunters had beat me to the spot. No sweat, I went and talked to them briefly and even though they said I could stay, I did not want to be rude so I move down the road about 3/4 mile. Still glassing at first visible light, ad 15 minutes before legal shooting light. Glassed up 32 deer that morning, but only a small 2 point that was feeding about 300 yards below me in the bottom of a canyon. They other guys left about 8:30, and I saw a few more deer after they left.

 

I figured being by myself, I was going to hit it hard, so I made a PB&J, and downed an apple, and headed over to a spot I had killed a deer two years previously. It would be the smartest decision I had made the hunting trip so far (or the dumbest).I had a little talk with God, and let him know how happy I am to be out in His wonderful creation, but I am already missing my family. I ask him to let me get a deer in the next two days, or I am packing up on Wednesday afternoon and heading home if I don't at least start seeing some decent bucks. Monday and Tuesday are going to be marathon days for me.

 

Drove around about 8 miles to the other side of a big canyon to save some legs. Got over there about 11:30AM, the same time I had killed my deer two years earlier. Threw some water, in my pack and headed out to check out my canyons. I had the rifle in the Eberlestock scabbard for the first canyon. Topping out on the second canyon, I was moving slowly, about 5 steps and glassing the whole way. About halfway down, I thought I better get out the rifle "just in case". I mean, it is noon, 65°, and the hunting pressure has been crazy. What deer would stick around if they heard someone walking through the thickest, nastiest, most blow-down, thorn infested, sticker crap known to man, right??? I am now bleeding from the torture of 1000 cuts by nature, and 3/4 mile away from my truck. I seriously take 5 more steps after getting out my rifle. Stop and glass again, hoping against hope to see a buck sneaking out of the country. On the very next step, 6 steps and maybe 2 minutes after getting out my rifle and chambering a round, I hear the "blow" and the crash of deer 30 yards to my left. Out bounds a doe, with a nice 4x4 on her heels. They are stotting across the bottom before I can even get my scope caps opened as I watch them. I flick off the safety, and throw up my rifle as he is halfway up the other side of the canyon. He stops for about 1 second and turns to look at what jumped him out of his bed so rudely during his noonday siesta. I see he is outside of his ears and let one fly at about 90-100 yards offhand. Crack! He hunches up, and takes off as I chamber another round. 10' later I am back on him as he goes over a log and nose plants on the other side. Not a single kick after that. I sit down on a log to watch him for a minute, and give my thanks to God for the very quick answer to my prayer and the magnificent animal He has let me harvest. After 5 minutes, I get up on shaking legs and head over to look at my deer. Now remember, this is really only the first verified legitimate shooter buck that I have seen in 4 days. I am not sure how big he is, just that he was a 4x4 and as wide as his ears.

 

Takes me another 20 minutes to fight my way across the canyon to my buck, and I was quite surprised by what I found. First of all, his body is HUGE!!! I would estimate over 200# on the hoof. With that being said, his antlers look better as I approach. Now I am also thinking this is very close to where I shot my 2012 deer. According to GPS, it is 152' from my 2012 deer! Upon arrival, I am also struck by how similar this buck is to my 2012 buck. Same type of frame, great fronts, decent backs, short main frame, a sticker on the left rear, but this one is wider and heavier. I would honestly say these last two bucks I have taken would HAVE to be brothers. Definitely in the same gene pool.

 

Snap a few photos, tag the deer, and start the dressing process. For those that have never done it, I tried the "gutless method" on this deer. Way easier!!! Google it. I had him quartered, caped, backstraps and tenderloins out, and neck roast off in about 30 minutes. That is with skinning out all 4 quarters and getting them in bags and cooling!

 

 

 

I loaded up the neck roasts, backstraps, tenderloins and head and cape on my pack, and it was so stuffed I could not get my rifle into the scabbard! I would estimate about 60-70# with all of my gear too. The pack out is going to SUCK!

 

 

Took me almost 2 hours to cover the 3/4 mile. Got to the truck and was WIPED out.

 

After I got back to camp, I pulled out the tape measure for a quick reference. How wide do you think a big bodied mule deer's ears are? I always figured 18-22" depending on the size of the deer. This deer has ears right at 22" wide. The rack is just over 26" wide. Quite a bit wider than I originally thought.

 

[lancetkenyon]

Story to continue after lunch....

[lancetkenyon]

Sorry, I was starving.

 

Anyway, as I was packing out the first trip, they guys I met that morning glassed me up coming out of the canyons apparently. I saw them the next morning, as the story continues.

 

Monday night, I called the wife and kids to let them know I had a deer down and would be heading home the following day depending on how the pack out went. I loaded up 90% of my camp leaving only the tent, air bed and sleeping bag unpacked. Got to bed about 9:00PM

 

Tuesday:

 

Up at a leisurely 5:00AM. Head out to start the pack out and arrived below my normal ridge wondering if my new friends were up watching me. Started in with only my trusty frame pack, plenty of water and Gatorade, and my Havalon knife (they are awesome and easy). I was a little worried about the meat as I have seen a decent number of coyotes in the area. Started in and immediately jumped deer. At first a doe and her fawn, then about 100 yards further, a small heard of 11 does, fawns, and one small 3 point buck. They circled around and I watched them top the ridge right where I was parked.

 

Hiked the 3/4 mile in about 30 minutes with no weight and no need to be stealthy. Found the bed the deer had been in. I think he had the ONLY easy in/out location on the whole canyon side.

From the back

 

Front view

 

Got to the deer just as the sun came up.

 

Checked the 10' long blood trail, and was amazed at how much he had lost in so little of time.

 

 

 

Nothing molested overnight.

 

Typical .257" entrance just behind right shoulder/neck

 

Big exit hole on left shoulder

 

I got to the deer, and decided I was not going to carry any more weight than I needed to, so I boned everything out, bringing back ONLY meat. Weighed the rear quarters, front quarters, and half of the neck meat when I got home from my second pack out and it weighed 81#. Plus the other half of the neck, back straps and tenderloins and it was right at 105#.

 

I was back at the truck by 9:00AM and loaded up. Heading out, my two new buddies found me on the road and we stopped and chatted a bit. I found out they had seen my packing out the day before, and watched my drive in and head out that morning. They came to congratulate me and just shoot the bull for a few. Super nice guys who live up in Flagstaff. Also gave me some good info for my daughter's elk hunt next month. These types of guys are few and far between, and it was a true pleasure to meet them and share God's country. Seems like one out of 50 are like this, and they are becoming extinct.

 

There were many bad experiences during this hunt, mostly due to inconsiderate or just plain idiotic people, but these two guys are the type that need to be commended. Just good all around guys.

 

Got home yesterday evening to a happy wife and kids. Dropped the deer off at Krueger's Creations last night too.

 

Tell me if you think, these guys are related? 152' away from each other, and look at the similarities between the two.

 

2012 buck

 

 

2014 buck

 

[CouesPursuit]

Great post and story! Congratulations!

[lancetkenyon]

One other thing, I talked to about 15 different guys who said they "took shots at a 180" 32" wide 4x4 but missed". One of 6 things happening here:

 

1. There are at least fifteen 180" 32" wide 4x4 bucks running around up there that are not very smart to be seen.

2. There is ONE very lucky 180" 32" wide 4x4 up there wearing a Kevlar vest.

3. There are lots of terrible shooters out there.

4. There are lots of guys who can't score a deer on the hoof even remotely close.

5. There are lots of liars out there.

6. Answers 3/4/5.

[firstcoueswas80]

To me they look like mature 4 points but nothing too crazy similar.

 

Very nicely done, was that a 257 wby? what bullet?

[CouesPursuit]

One other thing, I talked to about 15 different guys who said they "took shots at a 180" 32" wide 4x4 but missed". One of 6 things happening here:

 

1. There are at least fifteen 180" 32" wide 4x4 bucks running around up there that are not very smart to be seen.

2. There is ONE very lucky 180" 32" wide 4x4 up there wearing a Kevlar vest.

3. There are lots of terrible shooters out there.

4. There are lots of guys who can't score a deer on the hoof even remotely close.

5. There are lots of liars out there.

6. Answers 3/4/5.

Ah, yes. I'll take 6 for $500, please?

[AZHog]

What a hunt! Thanks for the story and the pics. Congratulations on a great buck and best of success to your daughter on her upcoming bull hunt!

[lancetkenyon]

.25-06 Ackley Imp. Shooting a 115 Berger VLD. With the 28" barrel, shoots like a .257 Weatherby at 3400fps down in the Valley.

 

Deer hate it.

[GreyGhost85]

congrats on a nice buck

[Hoss50]

Nice work Lance. Congrats on a very nice buck.

 

Are you getting out wheeling anymore with all these hunts?

 

Harley

[lancetkenyon]

Sold my rig about 2 years ago. It was getting neglected and needed someone new to beat on it. It is now being raced in the Dirt Riot series and doing well from what I last heard.

[tytanner]

Very nice deer! Love to see some good sized muleys like these. Hope your daughter has a good hunt!