A Pair of December Bucks Round 2

[C.S.Davis]

Ever since starting college in 2015 in Illinois I knew my time to hunt would be limited to hunting during December and January. Because of this it was either get drawn for the late December rifle hunt or do archery. With this being my senior year and the last time I am limited with time I was getting used to being an archery hunter until we got the news this summer that my dad and I had drawn  late December tags we have been waiting for. The preparation and wait began and we couldn't wait till December 14th. 

After finishing up the semester at school and getting back home my dad let me know he was able to hunt everyday of the hunt except opening day so we knew we could be selective and find great deer. Luckily my dad was able to get out and help a friend of his who had the early December hunt and located a couple good bucks that were in a spot that his friend wasn't able to walk to. Although they were unable to connect on that hunt my dad and I knew where we would be on our first morning.

Our opening morning comes around and we're sitting on the mountain at first light when we begin looking for the deer my dad had seen the weekend before. Not 15 minutes after the search began my dad lets me know that he's got a good buck found and he sounded excited. After guiding me in through the binoculars I actually found the bigger buck while he was trying to get me on the other. This is what we saw.

After looking over the two deer my dad decided the bigger buck was a great deer for opening day and he'd be happy to take him. This buck had a big body and a small kicker on the left side that fit the bill for what my dad was looking for. Along with his impressive antlers came his smarts and as soon as the sun began to shine he got up and walked over the ridge never to be seen again. With it being opening day we weren't too concerned with finding him again but we were wrong. Despite sitting on the same mountain for all but one day that we went out we were never able to find him again.

December 19th came around and we had seen a good amount of bucks at that point but could not find one that got our hearts going quite yet. I remember the day before when my dad glassed off a side of the mountain that very rarely produces deer and he walked back to me and said "I don't know why I even look that direction." That day was pretty slow and my dad goes to glass the same direction as the day before and I went with him this time. After some time my dad finds a buck and says he looks pretty decent. After I pulled up the spotter I confirmed that he was more than decent. Walking in the sunlight I could tell that he had a goofy right side that looked like what I thought was a double main beam.

       

After watching him till he bedded it was time to cut the distance. We snuck to our desired shooting spot only to find out that the hill was the worst shooting bench and we were unable to find where the deer was supposed to be. While my dad stayed put I snuck closer on the near side of the hill and was pleased to glass up the deer and find a shooting bench. After getting set up and ready for the shot I would have but the buck would have stood any minute because he was out in the sun and it was a warm day. Good thing I'm not a gambling man. After and hour of staring at the same ear and antler the deer finally stood and after a 475 yard shot my dad had his buck.

With one buck down we took the next day off to reorganize our gear and make a plan for the day after. Our next morning out my good friend Colton showed up to help glass. We're always racing to see who can find the first deer. I believe he found the first deer but I found the one that mattered. A beautiful 3x3 was standing on top of a hill less than 200 yards away and was very tempting but i was not ready to fill my tag knowing I had a Mountain Lion tag in my pocket and 10 days left in the hunt.

 

I mention the lion tag because we had seen three in the last two days without being able to get an opportunity. At 9:30 that same day I was reassured with my decision to pass that buck when I spotted the very reason I passed him in the first place. I let my dad and Colton know I found the same two lions that we saw the day before.

 

Our deer hunt quickly turned into a lion hunt and I was able to take my first lion on December 21st. 

We took the next day off and began looking for a buck I'd be happy with. I didn't have any specific requirements for my buck, just something that got me excited at first glance. The next few days were slow with small buck sightings but nothing big. I was looking for the opening day buck for the most part but I was confused where he went. On Christmas Eve we made a deal with my mom that let us hunt the morning. We agreed that if we weren't on a deer by 10 am that we'd pack up and leave. At roughly 9:45 i found a solid buck that I initially thought was a shooter. I even texted Colton and let him know I had found a good one. After watching it out of range we think the deer bedded down on the back side of a hill and we didn't have the time to wait him out or make a move so it was that deer's lucky day. 

December 26th and 27th had a lot of wind in the forecast. The wind held the deer down and we were freezing on the mountain but I did manage to find the buck that was with the opening morning buck. My heart began to race as I got my dad and Colton on him to search for the bigger buck. With the rut beginning to kick in and seeing rutting activity on Christmas eve it would make sense for him to split off. After not being able to turn up the big buck Colton began to plea his case for me to shoot the smaller buck. He was the biggest, most unique fork we had ever seen so while Colton may have had a case I was not ready to fill my tag on him. Here he is.

  

He laid in the same spot all day and while I knew I'd be really happy to take him I just wasn't ready to be done hunting. 

The next day began in the same spot and while Colton and I were racing to find the first deer I found a buck two minutes into glassing and he looked like a great buck but it was too dark to tell. After getting the spotter up and letting it get a little lighter outside we were surprised to find out it was the same buck from the day before on the completely opposite side of the valley we'd looking in. I got excited when we found him so I knew I was ready to take him. After looking at another buck and watching him go behind a ridge I committed to shoot the fork only to have an airplane scare him and the does he was with out of the country and I began to regret not shooting him the day before. The rest of the day yielded zero bucks and I began questioning where I wanted to start the next day.

I had realized that because of the 10 day deadline to check in the mountain lion and the Game and Fish department being closed on Saturdays and Sundays that Friday the 28th had to be the day that we had to go check in the lion. We decided that we would hunt the morning and check in the lion in the afternoon. 

We begin glassing the morning of the 28th and the wind had finally died down and it rained a lot the night before all paired with a cold morning so we expected a great morning of deer movement. I'm not sure if the sun hadn't warmed up the valley enough yet or what but by 9 am we had only seen six does and I was getting impatient. Mostly because we had spoiled ourselves with early, frequent buck sightings in the past. At around 9:15 I had spotted a back that instantly had my heart beating. It appeared to be the buck I found on Christmas Eve and I was ready to shoot him. He was slightly out of range and we didn't know where he'd be if my dad and I both cut the distance so I made it to the hill between us and the buck while my dad stayed back. I made it to my shooting bench and the buck had bedded where my dad could see him but I couldn't. I had the range and the gun dialed up and ready to go while I started to glass to find where my dad said he bedded. While waiting the deer out we had to decide that if the deer didn't present a shot by noon we had to leave because game and fish closes at 5. We needed the buck to get up and walk about 20 yards for me to be able to see him. As I sat there looking at the same hill for an hour and watched videos of monster mule deer Colton was finding I got a call from my dad that the deer was up at 11 am. The deer actually did what we needed it to do for once and I found it in the binoculars then got set up behind the gun. The deer stopped broadside and I made the 400 yard shot to fill my tag. We quartered the deer out and got it home and was able to get the lion to game and fish by 4. I'd say we cut it close.

Thanks to my dad and Colton for the memories on the mountain.

Thanks for reading      

[eagle#eyes]

Awesome, nice work. 

[Flatlander]

Awesome write up. Congrats on a very exciting and well executed December!

[CatfishKev]

Congrats, sounds like a great hunt!

[AZbowhntr]

Congrats to you and your dad on a couple great bucks.  Sounds like an awesome hunt.

[RackTracker]

Thank you for letting me tag along Cole! Congrats on the great bucks! Can’t wait till we get to chase them with the bow in a couple days!

[Beaton]

Nice bucks!

[Will K]

Awesome job guy's.

[bigbuckfever]

Congrats on your hunts!  Thanks for sharing.  It keeps the excitement up leading to my January archery attempt.

[Duggaboy]

Awesome bucks. Thanks for the awesome story. Sounds like you had a awesome time. Awesome to spend time with fam............Duggaboy!

[swampokie]

Great deer and awesome lion.  Cant wait for the opportunity to hunt these two on a combo hunt.  Great story.  Congrats

[AZAV8ER]

Another buck with a kicker out of the side of antler bud

[bonecollector]

A December to remember! Congrats on all the success

[bigorange]

Awesome bucks and lion. Nice write up too. Thanks for sharing.