D
DeerKing
Guest
Another September has passed signally the start of hunting season for most people. For me the bulk of my big game hunting is now complete with the end of muzzleloader season here in Colorado. My hunts had a bad start as the Thursday before opening Saturday found me sick with the stomach flu or food poisoning. I hadn't been sick in 15-20 years so I couldn't believe what was happening. Friday morning I figured I wouldn't be backpacking into my area that afternoon, a couch potato for opening weekend was actually sounding good considering my condition. But its amazing how much better you can talk yourself into feeling after you know you are leaving work behind for a week. Driving home I convinced myself to at least try to pack in as I'd just as well be sick in some high mountain basin as laid up in bed at home. So I ended up making the walk in, but it took me more than an hour longer than it usually does. I arrived at camp to bulls bugling all around me around 6:00 pm. A storm was moving in quickly so I set up my tent next to my brothers near a small grove of pine trees about the size of a 2 car garage. Within minutes we were engulfed in a severe lightning, rain, ground shaking thunder and snow so we waited it out in my brothers tent. The color of the sunset afterwards was amazing, and the sudden drop in temperature really got the bulls cranked up even more. I had mostly come to hunt deer but with all the bugling I was curious as to what some of these bulls would look like the next morning. That night we had bulls clashing antlers, rubbing trees and bugling within 50 yards of camp. It lasted all night with very little break. Needless to say I got very little sleep that night. Opening morning I stalked to within 80 yards of the bull I eventually ended up taking but decided to pass on him. I passed on a few other bulls that morning including a couple small 5?s and 6?s. I also passed on 15 bucks as none of them were the ones I had scouted previously. And all them critters within 1/2 mile of camp, I was to weak and sick to make it further than that so stayed close. Sunday night was a repeat of the previous, minus the bad weather, with my bull and several others bugling very close to camp. I decided if I was going to get any sleep on Monday night I needed to whack that bull with the raspy bugle Sunday morning 
. So right on cue as we were eating breakfast the bull bugled again, pinpointing his location. A short walk up the hill and a challenging little stalk and I was within easy range. At the shot the bull ran about 75 yards, stopped and dropped. The Omega loaded with a 245 grain Powerbelt Areotip back by 105 grains of Triple 7 had done the job. Now I just realized I was going to waste 2 days of potentially good deer hunting because it would take us that long to pack the elk out. It did. Next year I'm going to get on Ebay and see about purchasing the services of a sherpa, I'm getting way to old for this. Monday night I slept at home, got up at 3:00 am and hiked back into where camp was set up. Ate a quick breakfast of delightful oatmeal and went to my glassing spot. From 1.5 miles away I quickly found my buck in the back of a basin covered with pockets of 5-6 foot high, windblown scrub pines where I had seen him twice previously during the late summer. I watched him and a small 3 point bed down and took careful note of where they were at. I played cat and mouse with the fickle wind thermals and other deer in the area and worked my way closer. After what seemed like an eternity I was finally within smokepole range of where the deer were. The 3 point alertly emerged and knew something was up. Then my buck suddenly walked out of the scrub, headed for an opening between some thick scrub pines 10 yards away but he didn't make it. At 60 yards the shot was good, the smoke cleared and the buck was laying where he stood just a few seconds earlier. 2 long trips that day to get the deer out and the mountain portion of my hunt was complete. Next came the antelope hunt out on the eastern plains of Colorado, boy was I looking forward to some flat land hunting! I had drawn a rifle tag but as usual elected to use the muzz. Something about shooting an antelope with a rifle just doesn't seem fair. I passed up a handful of 14 inchers in the first 2 hours then found the buck I called Twister. Got within 120 yards, put down the bipod and proceeded to miss what is normally an easy shot. Yeah I missed! A little bummed but not down, I continued my pursuit of the buck. About an hour later and with a little luck I was able to close the distance again and got some redemption. At the shot he turned and stumbled 10 feet and expired.
I couldn't post some of the better pictures due to other commitments for their use but have attached a few. Thanks for looking
After the storm...
Some other bulls in the area...
Muley: 29x25, 19.5 G2's, 12+ G3's
The antelope (Twister)
. So right on cue as we were eating breakfast the bull bugled again, pinpointing his location. A short walk up the hill and a challenging little stalk and I was within easy range. At the shot the bull ran about 75 yards, stopped and dropped. The Omega loaded with a 245 grain Powerbelt Areotip back by 105 grains of Triple 7 had done the job. Now I just realized I was going to waste 2 days of potentially good deer hunting because it would take us that long to pack the elk out. It did. Next year I'm going to get on Ebay and see about purchasing the services of a sherpa, I'm getting way to old for this. Monday night I slept at home, got up at 3:00 am and hiked back into where camp was set up. Ate a quick breakfast of delightful oatmeal and went to my glassing spot. From 1.5 miles away I quickly found my buck in the back of a basin covered with pockets of 5-6 foot high, windblown scrub pines where I had seen him twice previously during the late summer. I watched him and a small 3 point bed down and took careful note of where they were at. I played cat and mouse with the fickle wind thermals and other deer in the area and worked my way closer. After what seemed like an eternity I was finally within smokepole range of where the deer were. The 3 point alertly emerged and knew something was up. Then my buck suddenly walked out of the scrub, headed for an opening between some thick scrub pines 10 yards away but he didn't make it. At 60 yards the shot was good, the smoke cleared and the buck was laying where he stood just a few seconds earlier. 2 long trips that day to get the deer out and the mountain portion of my hunt was complete. Next came the antelope hunt out on the eastern plains of Colorado, boy was I looking forward to some flat land hunting! I had drawn a rifle tag but as usual elected to use the muzz. Something about shooting an antelope with a rifle just doesn't seem fair. I passed up a handful of 14 inchers in the first 2 hours then found the buck I called Twister. Got within 120 yards, put down the bipod and proceeded to miss what is normally an easy shot. Yeah I missed! A little bummed but not down, I continued my pursuit of the buck. About an hour later and with a little luck I was able to close the distance again and got some redemption. At the shot he turned and stumbled 10 feet and expired. I couldn't post some of the better pictures due to other commitments for their use but have attached a few. Thanks for looking
After the storm...
Some other bulls in the area...
Muley: 29x25, 19.5 G2's, 12+ G3's
The antelope (Twister)
