Since my antelope hunt here in Nevada..see here.. I have been hunting nearly every night, trying to fill my deer tag. Getting down to crunch time. If any of you saw the antelope post above, you know that I'm in the Reno area working for 3 months, knew early enough I was going to be here that I applied for archery tags, and darned if I didn't draw antelop and deer!!
Hunted this same little area pretty darn hard. I see bucks every evening after work. Last weekend, my wife, sitting across the draw, was almost in convusions watching me walk with 20 yards....twice....of a big P&Y 4x5 that was bedded in the sage and wouldn't move; he eventually snuck out afer my second trip by. The next night she hand-signalled me into a group of bucks, only for me to get over-anxious and come down on top of them, instead of the side, and I couldn't get a shot (at 15 yards). Really wanted to get a buck while she was here, that would've been awesome.
Big props to Sean Shea (theheadmaster.com). He gave me the advice to quit pushing in so close and get to an area and STAY PUT.
So, last night the wind was a tiny bit different, so I decided to come into the area from up the draw, rather than sidehilling like I have. I spotted quite a few does & fawns, bedded or feeding on the N slope of the sage draw. I spooked 2 does and a fawn from the east side of the draw; see those three almost daily, and they trotted away instead of blowing out. Made my way slowly up, glassing the opposite side almost every step.
Maybe 100 yds up the draw, after spotting another bedded doe and fawn, I snuck up over the next little hump in the bottom; and looked up on my side. Never seen a deer on my side; it faces west, and the deer stay off it in the sunlight. But, yesterday evening was the first cloudy period we've gotten in Reno in months. Hmmm...there's my does & fawn again...wait a minute, that one deer is pretty red...glasses up...nope....buck!!!
So, flopped down under a big sage, and this is what I saw through my spotting scope:
200 yards away. Wind perfect, right at me. Cut the distance to 80 yards, but could get no closer. Backtrack, and get right down in the bottom of the draw; what to do. Wind won't allow me to come from the top. Decision; go up the draw to parallel, move onto the ridge they're on, get within 60 yards of where they should be....and SIT DOWN.
So, worked my way up. Had good cover, but the wind really died, so I was #####-footing trying not to make a noise. Made it around a big brush pile, right where I wanted to be. Down on one knee...will they get up and feed into the wind, like they should?
After 5 minutes of being "in the pose", I'm hurting. I move my torso right and left, trying to stretch. On one move...antlers!! Buck is eating berries off the stunted juniper just above me. Waiting game begins. My hard-charging rifle hunter side wants to hop up and go at it...but I stayed put. One buck, two buck, three buck...and even four bucks; one more than I saw first. 2 4x4, one 3x3, and a fork. I don't dare move to range the distance; and all I can see is the heads anyway. Did I mention I've been in the same position for a while, and I'm starting to hurt?
They keep pounding on this bush. I'm looking through a sage, crouched down; I know if I try to stand up, I'll fall over. I can't move anywhere else, they'll hear me. The fork comes in the clear in a lane; nope, not going to take the shot. One of the 4x4's moves through. Gotta get this range. Pull out the rangefinder; won't range through the sage. Crud. Lean out to range it...and I'm BUSTED!! A buck is looking right at me. Now or never, big guy. I shrugged off being absolutely froze up..and stood. Still no range; guess 52-55. Uphill. 45 yard pin. I have the shoulder blade and neck to shoot at through the lane. Squeeze the trigger, "crack". Did I hit the sage? Sure sounded to loud for a body hit...but it felt like a good shot.
Off they run. I stand up; 3 bucks trot over to the little knoll just 60 yards to my right. Hmmmm...only 3, that's good. The fourth buck that I didn't see before....it's the BIG 4x5 from last weekend; he's 60 yards broadside, looking at me. Do I shoot? Just can't make myself draw. Then, I hear a clatter, like a deer running up a shale hill. Wait a minute, there's no shale hill around here. Could it be the thrashing of a wounded animal? Bow back down. I head up to where the buck was at the shot. No blood, good hoof print trail. Range back to the sage I was hiding behind; 54 yards (good guess). OK, I'll move to the edge of the hump and see what I see. Three bucks still standing there, now at 70 yards. I glance left....and there he is!! Laying right on top of a sage; in a nice open area. He didn't go 50 yards from where I hit him. The crack sound wasn't hitting the sage bush, but the sound of the Muzzy busting his shoulder, and then flying on through.
I did a little better job of posing for my self portraits on this one than I did on my antelope:
Gutted him out; now it's dark. About a 1/2 mile back to the ATV in a straight line down the draw; but I need to go out towards the road so I can find my way back in here with the rig. Of course, the batteries die in my light before I'm halfway back walking on the road. Moon is not up yet; it's pretty darn dark!! Oh, did I mention this area is crawling with cougars? There were 4 cats taken off this same hill in the last couple of years. And here I am walking down a dark ATV trail with no light, covered in blood from gutting a deer.
Obviously, I survived. Thank God for ATV's, saved my butt. Got it loaded and back down the hill to the truck. Skinned and boned it right on the ATV trailer. In the coolers and on ice by 11 pm.
Again, not the biggest of the bunch. After seeing all these big Nevada bucks posted here, I almost couldn't make myself share it! A very young deer, he had great potential. But after 3 weeks of pounding this hard, and lots of different blown chances, I've very proud of myself for pulling this off.
Now...it's time to find a bull elk in Oregon to stick an arrow in!!!
kh
Hunted this same little area pretty darn hard. I see bucks every evening after work. Last weekend, my wife, sitting across the draw, was almost in convusions watching me walk with 20 yards....twice....of a big P&Y 4x5 that was bedded in the sage and wouldn't move; he eventually snuck out afer my second trip by. The next night she hand-signalled me into a group of bucks, only for me to get over-anxious and come down on top of them, instead of the side, and I couldn't get a shot (at 15 yards). Really wanted to get a buck while she was here, that would've been awesome.
Big props to Sean Shea (theheadmaster.com). He gave me the advice to quit pushing in so close and get to an area and STAY PUT.
So, last night the wind was a tiny bit different, so I decided to come into the area from up the draw, rather than sidehilling like I have. I spotted quite a few does & fawns, bedded or feeding on the N slope of the sage draw. I spooked 2 does and a fawn from the east side of the draw; see those three almost daily, and they trotted away instead of blowing out. Made my way slowly up, glassing the opposite side almost every step.
Maybe 100 yds up the draw, after spotting another bedded doe and fawn, I snuck up over the next little hump in the bottom; and looked up on my side. Never seen a deer on my side; it faces west, and the deer stay off it in the sunlight. But, yesterday evening was the first cloudy period we've gotten in Reno in months. Hmmm...there's my does & fawn again...wait a minute, that one deer is pretty red...glasses up...nope....buck!!!
So, flopped down under a big sage, and this is what I saw through my spotting scope:
200 yards away. Wind perfect, right at me. Cut the distance to 80 yards, but could get no closer. Backtrack, and get right down in the bottom of the draw; what to do. Wind won't allow me to come from the top. Decision; go up the draw to parallel, move onto the ridge they're on, get within 60 yards of where they should be....and SIT DOWN.
So, worked my way up. Had good cover, but the wind really died, so I was #####-footing trying not to make a noise. Made it around a big brush pile, right where I wanted to be. Down on one knee...will they get up and feed into the wind, like they should?
After 5 minutes of being "in the pose", I'm hurting. I move my torso right and left, trying to stretch. On one move...antlers!! Buck is eating berries off the stunted juniper just above me. Waiting game begins. My hard-charging rifle hunter side wants to hop up and go at it...but I stayed put. One buck, two buck, three buck...and even four bucks; one more than I saw first. 2 4x4, one 3x3, and a fork. I don't dare move to range the distance; and all I can see is the heads anyway. Did I mention I've been in the same position for a while, and I'm starting to hurt?
They keep pounding on this bush. I'm looking through a sage, crouched down; I know if I try to stand up, I'll fall over. I can't move anywhere else, they'll hear me. The fork comes in the clear in a lane; nope, not going to take the shot. One of the 4x4's moves through. Gotta get this range. Pull out the rangefinder; won't range through the sage. Crud. Lean out to range it...and I'm BUSTED!! A buck is looking right at me. Now or never, big guy. I shrugged off being absolutely froze up..and stood. Still no range; guess 52-55. Uphill. 45 yard pin. I have the shoulder blade and neck to shoot at through the lane. Squeeze the trigger, "crack". Did I hit the sage? Sure sounded to loud for a body hit...but it felt like a good shot.
Off they run. I stand up; 3 bucks trot over to the little knoll just 60 yards to my right. Hmmmm...only 3, that's good. The fourth buck that I didn't see before....it's the BIG 4x5 from last weekend; he's 60 yards broadside, looking at me. Do I shoot? Just can't make myself draw. Then, I hear a clatter, like a deer running up a shale hill. Wait a minute, there's no shale hill around here. Could it be the thrashing of a wounded animal? Bow back down. I head up to where the buck was at the shot. No blood, good hoof print trail. Range back to the sage I was hiding behind; 54 yards (good guess). OK, I'll move to the edge of the hump and see what I see. Three bucks still standing there, now at 70 yards. I glance left....and there he is!! Laying right on top of a sage; in a nice open area. He didn't go 50 yards from where I hit him. The crack sound wasn't hitting the sage bush, but the sound of the Muzzy busting his shoulder, and then flying on through.
I did a little better job of posing for my self portraits on this one than I did on my antelope:
Gutted him out; now it's dark. About a 1/2 mile back to the ATV in a straight line down the draw; but I need to go out towards the road so I can find my way back in here with the rig. Of course, the batteries die in my light before I'm halfway back walking on the road. Moon is not up yet; it's pretty darn dark!! Oh, did I mention this area is crawling with cougars? There were 4 cats taken off this same hill in the last couple of years. And here I am walking down a dark ATV trail with no light, covered in blood from gutting a deer.
Obviously, I survived. Thank God for ATV's, saved my butt. Got it loaded and back down the hill to the truck. Skinned and boned it right on the ATV trailer. In the coolers and on ice by 11 pm.
Again, not the biggest of the bunch. After seeing all these big Nevada bucks posted here, I almost couldn't make myself share it! A very young deer, he had great potential. But after 3 weeks of pounding this hard, and lots of different blown chances, I've very proud of myself for pulling this off.
Now...it's time to find a bull elk in Oregon to stick an arrow in!!!
kh
