Zeke-BE Report post Posted September 3, 2017 Well I didn't get my Wyoming tag, so I quickly found a ranch tag on a very large ranch in New Mexico. I packed everything up and plan to camp on the property. Nine and half hour later we get there, and my tag isn't till the next day. Right when get to our camp site my brother and I spot a really heavy buck. We watch him for a little bit, if my tag was that day he would be a dead buck! But hey lets set up camp first and then we will watch him tonight and bed him. Not worried about other hunters there are only 5 other hunters hunting this property. After about 20 mins of setting up camp I hear a BOOM!!! Ahhhhh man was that our buck??? Drive over there and sure enough!!!! Crap!!! My brother and I walk over there to congrats the hunters. The Father is Stanley on CWT, a real nice guy and his sons first Goat! He was a dandy Again Congrats to Stanley's sons buck!! Funny thing was we didn't see another hunter since then. After talking to them they had to hurry up a storm started rolling in. Not just a storm but a mother of all storms!! We had drive back on the dirt road that now feels like ice. I was in 4x4 the whole time it was cray. We got back to camp and the canopy was destroyed, tent knocked down and feeling up with water. Our camp was on top of a hill and it still had 2 inches of water. I was still in my shirt and shorts with running shoes on and never had a chance to change. I was soaking wet. We saved our gear, left camp as is and drove to town in 4x4, my truck was nothing but mud. We took the last room in the motel and at least had a warm bed and a hot shower. The next morning was still wet but no clouds. We got to our spot were Stanley said to go (where the rancher told him to go, but he never made it over there). First light we glassed up some antelope. They were about 1500 yards and still a little dark that we couldn't be sure if there was a buck. They went over the hill and we then drove up to that hill about 600 yards away. We hiked up to it and right when started cresting the hill on the other ridge behind it we see a buck. A very nice tall and wide buck. Ranged him at 600 yards. Ive been shooting out to 700 and 800 non stop for about a months. Lance can contest to that because every week Im sending him pictures of my groups. Here is my 716 yard shot with my 6.5-270 AI shooting 142 SMK at 3020 fps. I was shooting the 147 ELDm at 3060 fps and had really tight groups, but my gun hated the cold bore on that bullet. It would fly 4" to the left with the ELD at 100 yards so I switched to the SMK and problem solved. This was a 4 shot group with a 5th shot flyer So I am very confidante with a steady shot I can land these dead on. Well trying to get set up, I forgot to put on my bigger bi-pod that morning and the one I have now just barley puts me into the grass. I zero him and I can tell I will be shooting into the grass. Well not sure of it and I don't have my bigger bi-pod on hand so I decided to crawl to a different spot. By the time I got set up and ready to shot I started to focus on him I finally alarmed the does below me and the buck started running off. Nooooo!!! Four more seconds I could of taken him down!!!!! We watched them head out . We jumped in the truck and see if we could cut them off. Drove back to the main road and found them about 400 yards. Waited for the buck. But these goats are soooo skittish. They wend back down the hill out of sight. My brother and I try to cut them off but found out this was just a different heard. They took off and about a 1000 yards we find our buck and heard and they are looking right at us. A 1000 yards away and they still decide to run away back to were we first got on them but the neck ridge over. One thing for sure every fricken ridge is a 1000 yards away Ok back in the truck and lets go back after them. We hike to the ridge but they are gone. So we hike to the next one and as we crest the hill about 1000 yards there they are looking at us. I mean they only see our heads and its enough for them to start running again to the right about 500 yards. Are you kidding me!!! We drop out of sight and then come back up and I army crawl with my gear. They start bedding down and they and my self are on strait flat ground. I have to set up my larger bi-pod and put a second bi-pod on the butt of the stock to stabilize it to shoot above the grass. If you ever try to range find on flat surface with grass it is very very very hard. It took me 10 mins to even get a range on them. I ranged 680 yards, but not entirely sure if it ranged over his back or before. It could be 80 yards farther or 80 yards to close because I don't have a hill to hit solid surface. If I ranged it right Ill hit him. There is absolutely no wind. I take the shot and I either shot way over his back or it landed way in front of them. Well they are off again! We give chase again but not sure were the buck ran to. We didn't know if we ran over the hill or kept running with the group. We know 4 of them ran over the hill. I went over the hill to get eyes on them. My brother comes up and says he see's the buck bedded down, and we see the rest of the heard about 1500 yards away with no buck with them. So with this bedded buck it all made since this had to be him. I army crawled about 100 yards to a spot and got set up again. I ranged him at 461 yards and put it on his vitals. SMACK!!!! He lifts his up mouth open and starts kicking and then dead! Never left his bed! Yesssss! Me celebrating my big buck kill!!!!! Well with all the excitement, fatigue, and adrenaline going on, and with the location of this buck it just made since this had to be our buck. But not one time did I try to observe if this was our tall V shape buck. I just got set up and took the shot. Funny thing was when I got down to him this was just another buck at the wrong time wrong place. Well lesson learned ha ha ha Well he was tiny and its just funny I put all this work and chased him around for a few mile and I do this ha ha ha. Still a good hunt and at least he will be tasty! Loaded up! Here is the exit of the 142 SMK and when I took the hide off it was a baseball size hole We hiked him back a mile and half to the truck with gear, rifle and buck probably around 65 pounds that mile and half felt forever. Once we get to the truck and drive back to camp to see the damage of course we see a really nice buck standing there 200 yards off the road. Of course he is!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thats hunting!!! Here is what happen to camp the night before. Good thing we set up camp not to even use it. Thanks to the muddy roads!! Its funny the 2 track roads were not sloppy at all. But that top layer of the main roads were bad. Here is my truck with my brother 10 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wildwoody Report post Posted September 3, 2017 Wow that's crazy.. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Big Browns Report post Posted September 3, 2017 Great story! Sounds like you had a great adventure!!! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DUG Report post Posted September 3, 2017 Congrats! Confused as to why Stanley's kids tag was good for that day but yours wasn't. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Flatlander Report post Posted September 3, 2017 Been there, done that. Except my buck really was TINY. At least you can call yours representative. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
452b264 Report post Posted September 3, 2017 Nice write up, it look like a lot of fun. If you need a good tent that wont let you down send me a PM. http://www.coueswhitetail.com/forums/topic/75004-cabelas-alaknak-95-x-95-ft-tent/ 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zeke-BE Report post Posted September 3, 2017 Congrats! Confused as to why Stanley's kids tag was good for that day but yours wasn't. DUG In New Mexico if you purchase a Ranchers tag you are not bound by Game and Fish exact dates. You have a 2-3 week period to hunt but out of those weeks you can only hunt 3 consecutive days of your choice. Stanley chose to have his days Fri, Sat, Sun while I picked Sat, Sun, Mon. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rossislider Report post Posted September 3, 2017 Sounds like a great adventure, even if you didn't get the buck you were after. Congrats and thanks for the story. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
223VARMINTER Report post Posted September 3, 2017 Congrats on the buck. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AZHunter1 Report post Posted September 4, 2017 Sounds like a fun hunt. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mattys281 Report post Posted September 4, 2017 Congrats! Sounds like an awesome hunt with good company. Can't beat that. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AZbowhntr Report post Posted September 4, 2017 Congrats on the buck. Been there done that. Except I did it with a Kaibab mule deer tag. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lancetkenyon Report post Posted September 4, 2017 Looks like those "match" bullets performed fantastic on game. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zeke-BE Report post Posted September 4, 2017 Looks like those "match" bullets performed fantastic on game. I used accubonds on 1 antelope, 1 whitetail, and 1 muledeer and never had an exit bigger than a quarter size and all three never bled. They all dropped dead though, but this SMK with a baseball exit and a good blood pile when I got there. I had to move the goat 3 times for pictures so I wouldn't have a pool of blood for my pictures Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DCS Report post Posted September 4, 2017 Pardon my ignorance,but what is a SMK? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
