LAST EDITED ON Nov-03-11 AT 03:52PM (MST)[p]Just got back from a hunt that I will never forget for more reasons then one..... It all started back in February when my buddy and I decided to put in for a tag we at least thought we would have a decent chance at drawing and sure enough we got it. Then came the fun part of buying all the maps and looking at them everyday for the next 5 months figuring out where to hunt. I also got some great advise from some follow monster muley members. A big thanks goes out to Paul, Josh, and Aaron for the infomation you game me that led to a successful and fun trip.
On to the hunt... As luck would have it my buddy that was going with me had a close friend pass away before the trip so rather then both heading over together I left a few days before him so he could take care of some family obligations.
I hit the road for the 8 1/2hour drive.
Finally get there late in the afternoon and see a few does on the way up to camp...
Get camp set up and ready to go.
The first morning I head out a closed road I been told held a big buck. After glassing for about an hour I had not seen a thing, I headed out the road to the draw the buck was last seen. As I came around the hill the wind was perfectly wrong, "oh well" I think "its a big draw, what are the chances of something being right there anyway". About that time I hear hooves as 25 head of elk scamper across the hill side. Not exactly what I was hoping for. I spot another heard of elk in the bottom of the draw. They run as well. No deer. I continue out the road climbing to the top of the mountain where I can look for miles. All I spot is more elk. Are you kidding me? By this time I have seen close to 70 head in what looks like perfect muley deer country and no deer. Its now close to 11am and I spot a deer off the road in the timber... 1 turns into 6 with two bucks. One is nice buck... just a 3pt but forks on oppisite tines. I got a good video of him but can get it to upload. Here is a pic.
Day one was a let down.. Not how I thought my hunt would be going but thats ok. I know where another nice buck was early in the year, he cant be far.
Day 2... 50 head of elk... and 8 deer with two little bucks.
My buddy rolls into camp at about 1am on Saturday expecting to hear about this epic hunting and I could tell he was let down like I was at this point once I told him what I had seen.
Day 3 we head out to where I had spotted some deer the night before... We saw a couple of decent bucks but nothing worth shooting and more elk... this day was epic over a 100 head of elk. We do see more deer close to 30 but still nothhing to get excited about.
I start thinking, I should have shot the ugly deer the first day at least he was a nice buck.
Day 4 we split up and go our own direction. I decide to go back to the day 1 spot to see if I could find that buck I had been told was out there. I sit and wait for daylight in the rain on the closed road. It gets light and I start glassing the hill sides. Nothing, so I get moving pretty fast and hit the draw the elk were in. Look down in the flat and here is a nice buck feeding. Put the spotting scope on him and decide he is a shooter. Only problem is he is at least 1500 vertical feet below. He feeds over this little hill into a draw... I think "game on" and start my decent. Finally make it down to where I last seen him and sneak over the ridge... I start glassing and glassing nothing. He must have bed down. So I start walking across the draw through the thickets expecting him to jump up. Nothing. I throw rocks down the hill... Nothing. WTF where did he go. Its now 1030 and I'm at least 2000 feet below the truck. I'm not going to hike up that. I will just go around the hill then drop down and hit the road. hitch hike back. Walk arond the hill and look up to see a doe. Put up the glasses and there he is right on her trail. Range it. 375... farther then I want to shoot. Run up the hill and now the doe's are on to me. Range 325. Drop the bipod down and think "dont forget to aim" first shot finds home and he runs around the hill. I run around to see him stopped below a big bluff. Second round on the way. hits high. He bails into the next draw. I follow to see the two does running across the top but no buck. Where did he go? I hike up to where I last saw him and he jumps up out of the draw. 2 more bullets find their mark and he is down. Then he starts to roll and roll. Finally after 150 yards he gets wrapped up in a tree.
No ground shrinkage on this one.
Get him all quartered up and ready to go except the head is still attached to the carcass. My knife slips and goes right into my wrist.... blood everywhere. I instantly grab the last game bag and wrap it around my wrist as tight as I can to stop the bleeding. After taking a personal time out to compose myself I got the first aid kit out, fixed it up and cut the head off and put in on the pack.
Hit the main road and just praying someone comes by. First rig is coming the wrong direction and it pulling a boat. They see the deer and my arm and ask if they can help. In 5 minutes they had went around the corner, unhooked the boat and were taking me up to my truck. Could not have asked for nicer guys.
Get to my truck and finally get my buddy on the radio. He meets me and gets my deer and starts heading up for the meat as I hit the road the the hour and half drive to McCall hospital.
Seven stitches later. I'm good to go.
The next day my buddy gets his buck.
We end the day with a few beers and some appetizers.
It was a hunt I will never forget. Thanks again to the guys on here who gave my nothing but great infomation that lead to a successful hunt and thanks to my buddy Casey for packing out my deer. It was only a half mile from the truck. But it was also 1500 vertical feet up! Its great friends like him that make these types of hunts a blast regardless if you kill something.
On to the hunt... As luck would have it my buddy that was going with me had a close friend pass away before the trip so rather then both heading over together I left a few days before him so he could take care of some family obligations.
I hit the road for the 8 1/2hour drive.
Finally get there late in the afternoon and see a few does on the way up to camp...
Get camp set up and ready to go.
The first morning I head out a closed road I been told held a big buck. After glassing for about an hour I had not seen a thing, I headed out the road to the draw the buck was last seen. As I came around the hill the wind was perfectly wrong, "oh well" I think "its a big draw, what are the chances of something being right there anyway". About that time I hear hooves as 25 head of elk scamper across the hill side. Not exactly what I was hoping for. I spot another heard of elk in the bottom of the draw. They run as well. No deer. I continue out the road climbing to the top of the mountain where I can look for miles. All I spot is more elk. Are you kidding me? By this time I have seen close to 70 head in what looks like perfect muley deer country and no deer. Its now close to 11am and I spot a deer off the road in the timber... 1 turns into 6 with two bucks. One is nice buck... just a 3pt but forks on oppisite tines. I got a good video of him but can get it to upload. Here is a pic.
Day one was a let down.. Not how I thought my hunt would be going but thats ok. I know where another nice buck was early in the year, he cant be far.
Day 2... 50 head of elk... and 8 deer with two little bucks.
My buddy rolls into camp at about 1am on Saturday expecting to hear about this epic hunting and I could tell he was let down like I was at this point once I told him what I had seen.
Day 3 we head out to where I had spotted some deer the night before... We saw a couple of decent bucks but nothing worth shooting and more elk... this day was epic over a 100 head of elk. We do see more deer close to 30 but still nothhing to get excited about.
I start thinking, I should have shot the ugly deer the first day at least he was a nice buck.
Day 4 we split up and go our own direction. I decide to go back to the day 1 spot to see if I could find that buck I had been told was out there. I sit and wait for daylight in the rain on the closed road. It gets light and I start glassing the hill sides. Nothing, so I get moving pretty fast and hit the draw the elk were in. Look down in the flat and here is a nice buck feeding. Put the spotting scope on him and decide he is a shooter. Only problem is he is at least 1500 vertical feet below. He feeds over this little hill into a draw... I think "game on" and start my decent. Finally make it down to where I last seen him and sneak over the ridge... I start glassing and glassing nothing. He must have bed down. So I start walking across the draw through the thickets expecting him to jump up. Nothing. I throw rocks down the hill... Nothing. WTF where did he go. Its now 1030 and I'm at least 2000 feet below the truck. I'm not going to hike up that. I will just go around the hill then drop down and hit the road. hitch hike back. Walk arond the hill and look up to see a doe. Put up the glasses and there he is right on her trail. Range it. 375... farther then I want to shoot. Run up the hill and now the doe's are on to me. Range 325. Drop the bipod down and think "dont forget to aim" first shot finds home and he runs around the hill. I run around to see him stopped below a big bluff. Second round on the way. hits high. He bails into the next draw. I follow to see the two does running across the top but no buck. Where did he go? I hike up to where I last saw him and he jumps up out of the draw. 2 more bullets find their mark and he is down. Then he starts to roll and roll. Finally after 150 yards he gets wrapped up in a tree.
No ground shrinkage on this one.
Get him all quartered up and ready to go except the head is still attached to the carcass. My knife slips and goes right into my wrist.... blood everywhere. I instantly grab the last game bag and wrap it around my wrist as tight as I can to stop the bleeding. After taking a personal time out to compose myself I got the first aid kit out, fixed it up and cut the head off and put in on the pack.
Hit the main road and just praying someone comes by. First rig is coming the wrong direction and it pulling a boat. They see the deer and my arm and ask if they can help. In 5 minutes they had went around the corner, unhooked the boat and were taking me up to my truck. Could not have asked for nicer guys.
Get to my truck and finally get my buddy on the radio. He meets me and gets my deer and starts heading up for the meat as I hit the road the the hour and half drive to McCall hospital.
Seven stitches later. I'm good to go.
The next day my buddy gets his buck.
We end the day with a few beers and some appetizers.
It was a hunt I will never forget. Thanks again to the guys on here who gave my nothing but great infomation that lead to a successful hunt and thanks to my buddy Casey for packing out my deer. It was only a half mile from the truck. But it was also 1500 vertical feet up! Its great friends like him that make these types of hunts a blast regardless if you kill something.
