What an amazing experience!!!

[chewy15]

What an amazing experience!!! I am so very blessed with a wife that is so supportive and understanding of my passion (obsession) for hunting. This lope hunt started for me very early summer by scouting every weekend I was able to shooting my rifle often and building the best load I could. As a family we made several trips to my parents cabin and the very first time I saw this buck I was with my beautiful wife one evening. Over the next few trips this buck eluted me. Every time I found him he would be in a new location and would disappear within a few minutes. My father in law Dave named him Houdini because of this magical way of disappearing. Skip to the week before the hunt, we took one last weekend trip as a family to scout and break in the trailer that my wife had done a great job remodeling. First morning out scouting we found Houdini. We kept very close tabs on him every day along with a few other bucks in the area. Monday came and the girls had to head back home. The next 4 days dave and I kept very busy scouting every part of the unit making sure Houdini was still the biggest buck we could find. The night before opening day we went back and got lucky enough to find Houdini (he had moved over 7 miles from the last place we had seen him) we watched him tell he bedded down and tell we had no more day light left. My cousin colby and my dad both drove up to camp to help me on this hunt. Opening morning came and the troops set out for the ambush of Houdini. Dave was glassing across the 3 mile wide meadow with a vantage point over the hole meadow colby was out on a point where he would be able to see all of the possible hidden drainages dave couldn't see and my dad and I went to the closest spot (a mile away) from were the goats had beaded. While waiting for daylight we got to enjoy the symphony of bull elk bugling all around us. My dad spotted the goats first while there was only moonlight. I quickly made a game plan with my dad and started my first stalk. Once the sun just barely started to give light colby then dave spotted the goats. The plan was coming together like the last few pages of a book. I was getting play by play through a radio where the goats were and which way appeared the best for me to get in to get a shot. I finally peak over the rise and I saw a few of the does I started to set up for my shot. Well as every good magician does he had me focused on were his stage girls were and he exited stage right. Houdini got the best of me again. So many thoughts went through my mind on what I could have done different or what mistake I could have made to bust his does and never to even lay eyes on Houdini. A little discharged I took the mile plus walk of shame back to meet my dad at the truck. We met colby and dave and went to check out another buck that we new his location. We went and tried to do a stalk on him knowing in the back of my mind I wasn't going to be satisfied with any buck other than Houdini because I wasn't going to be out smarted by a stinking goat!!! After we stalked that buck and I didn't take a shot we went back to camp and had my moms 505 shredded beef that she was kind enough to make and send with my dad. After the old guys took there naps and colby let me beat him in a couple hands of cards we made a game plan for dave and my dad to go see if they could find Houdini while colby and I went to check on a few other goats. About 40 min after we left camp I got a very excited phone call from my dad saying they found Houdini. So colby and I started heading to meet up with them (abiding every speed limit of course) we met up on are hill and started forming a game plan on Houdini We split up and dave was on his hill and colby my dad and I went to Colby's original spot and started hiking in to make are move. Coby stayed high glassing as my dad and I went lower to see if any of us could spot them. Colby spotted Houdini right as it started to rain and the antelope all bedded. My dad and I started working are way to get in position and we spot him. Finally I am in range of Houdini and all I could do is sit and watch him as he has a fawn beaded right between him and I. The rain finally stops and Houdini starts acting like he might stand up my dad whispers get ready as the buck starts to stand I have already been staring at him through my scope for what seamed to be hours my dad gets out 2 words "he is" then boom my first shot was a little off the mark the antelope all start running except for Houdini he is walking slow I ask my dad for the range again he tells me 442 yards bang the gun goes off and Houdini is no longer. Almost half my life worth of putting in for goats and the hunt was over within hours of the hunt starting. It was an experience of a life time and hope I get lucky enough to get another goat tag in my lifetime.

[Flatlander]

Nice. Buck, congrats.

 

Ugly hat.

[Non-Typical Solutions]

Great buck love the hat!!! Come on Flatlander!!!

[jim]

Great buck, really good story.

[yotebuster]

Congrats! What unit out of curiousity?

[223VARMINTER]

Congrats on a nice buck

[CouesWhitetail]

Congratulations!!

[buddydog]

Nice job, congratulations!!

[Delw]

congrats

[Zeke-BE]

Great write up and congrats on a heavy good looking buck

[6ANut]

Great write up and nice looking buck. Thanks for sharing.

[218buck]

Congrats

[wildwoody]

Love ivory tips, awesome hunt

[chewy15]

Thanks everyone and yotebuster it was in unit 1

[chewy15]

I got Houdini back today!!! Love the way he turned out!!!