Hunt4more
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July 11th 2015 kicked off with high hopes of putting down a mature Columbian Blacktail in northern CA. The first morning found me on a glassing point, right where I wanted to be at first light, but the thick fog had other plans. I seen some bucks that morning but they had seen me first.
Later that afternoon I hiked back up to my vantage. When I arrived at my location, I bumped a buck right where I was glassing from earlier that morning, that was bedded. I could glass a couple different possible locations where bucks would appear from and settled in for the evening.
Out of no where a buck appears in a small pine opening at about 400 yards. I quickly go get my bow and pack (10 yards away) and come back to glass up the buck. When I throw the glasses up, the buck is gone. Damn!! I peel all the bushes back and finally find the buck bedded in some tall grass. There looks to be a good approach if I circle the buck and come over a little rise that should be me in bow range.
I start my descent across an open field. As I cross the field I notice a deer moving a 100 yards away on the other side of the drainage. A buck. Two, Three, four bucks.... One is a toad 4x3 about 24" with big mass and great forks. The problem is the wind is blowing right to them and I am out in the middle of an opening. Finally one of the small bucks gets my scent and the deer down the drainage. The deer did move on but were not very spooked as the young buck was the only one who got my scent.
Back to plan A, the bedded buck. I crossed over the drainage, came through a saddle and up the little rise. I found the pine that I knew the buck was bedded next to. I peeled the grass back with my swaro's, blade by blade. Finally, I find the tips of the horns. I range a tree, 42 yards, I range a log 55 yards. I am guessing he is 45 yards buck cannot hit him with my laser in the grass. It's 6:15pm and I know this buck will get up and some point as the weather is cool and the moon phase is perfect. I wait, get into a good shooting stance, and every couple minutes slowly move my bino's up to check on the buck. About one hour later, the buck finally rears his head and and starts to get up. I tell myself, "do not pull back immediately", let him survey the area and then go to feeding.
The buck slowly gets up, looks around and then takes a couple steps looking away from me at a countering away angle. I draw my Hoyt and release a optimistic arrow. I watch the buck bolt, run about 30 yards, I could see his legs under the tree, after about 20 seconds, the legs get wobbly, and then feet up and upside down. about 600 yards downhill to the road and the truck.
Later that afternoon I hiked back up to my vantage. When I arrived at my location, I bumped a buck right where I was glassing from earlier that morning, that was bedded. I could glass a couple different possible locations where bucks would appear from and settled in for the evening.
Out of no where a buck appears in a small pine opening at about 400 yards. I quickly go get my bow and pack (10 yards away) and come back to glass up the buck. When I throw the glasses up, the buck is gone. Damn!! I peel all the bushes back and finally find the buck bedded in some tall grass. There looks to be a good approach if I circle the buck and come over a little rise that should be me in bow range.
I start my descent across an open field. As I cross the field I notice a deer moving a 100 yards away on the other side of the drainage. A buck. Two, Three, four bucks.... One is a toad 4x3 about 24" with big mass and great forks. The problem is the wind is blowing right to them and I am out in the middle of an opening. Finally one of the small bucks gets my scent and the deer down the drainage. The deer did move on but were not very spooked as the young buck was the only one who got my scent.
Back to plan A, the bedded buck. I crossed over the drainage, came through a saddle and up the little rise. I found the pine that I knew the buck was bedded next to. I peeled the grass back with my swaro's, blade by blade. Finally, I find the tips of the horns. I range a tree, 42 yards, I range a log 55 yards. I am guessing he is 45 yards buck cannot hit him with my laser in the grass. It's 6:15pm and I know this buck will get up and some point as the weather is cool and the moon phase is perfect. I wait, get into a good shooting stance, and every couple minutes slowly move my bino's up to check on the buck. About one hour later, the buck finally rears his head and and starts to get up. I tell myself, "do not pull back immediately", let him survey the area and then go to feeding.
The buck slowly gets up, looks around and then takes a couple steps looking away from me at a countering away angle. I draw my Hoyt and release a optimistic arrow. I watch the buck bolt, run about 30 yards, I could see his legs under the tree, after about 20 seconds, the legs get wobbly, and then feet up and upside down. about 600 yards downhill to the road and the truck.
