Quest for My Personal Best!

LAST EDITED ON Jul-13-10 AT 01:29PM (MST) by Founder (admin)[p][p align=right]Thread Views Counter....[/p]

For as long as I can remember I have had a goal of a 180"+ buck or a 30" wide Mule Deer. This last year the stakes went up "A Lot" when my wife out did me and all my friends and was first to take a 30" wide mule deer. It was actually 32 1/2 to be exact.

[IMG]http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d168/cowslayer/Beckys32inchbuck2009-03.jpg




So this year pride is on the line and I need to step up my game. My largest buck to date was a 2003 Wyoming Region G buck that was 168 5X7 with an outside spread of 25". My buck is on the right.



I have 3 tags in my pocket this year that should give me plenty of time and opportunity on my Quest for My Personal Best Mule Deer!!!

I have a High Country Wyoming Deer Tag, A Dedicated Southern Utah Deer Tag, and a 3rd Season Colorado Deer Tag.

Join me on my Quest... for my personal Best.


"Helping turn good tags, into great ones." - www.vipoptics.com[/img]

Spent a little time at the Range testing a new load for the .300 RUM (AKA: Bazooka Bob).

http://s35.photobucket.com/albums/d168/cowslayer/?action=view?t=M2U00031.mp4



The bullet/powder combination shot well and very accurate at the range. 180 grain accubonds with RL22 powder... they pack a punch, yet maintain accuracy!

Here is how they shoot at 25 yards through the chronograph.


After making 2 adjustments, I was able to zero the rifle at 1" high at 100 yards.



After taking the time to chronograph 4 different shots, the average Muzzle Velocity was 3248...





Now knowing the Muzzle Velocity and having sighted in Bazooka Bob at 1" high at 100 yards I am ready to create my ballistic drop chart. Using the Iphone App Ballistic FTE I will be able to create my drop chart customized to my load.

Here are some pictures from the outing. T - 2 months and counting. On to the next stage... Scouting!!!

"Helping turn good tags, into great ones." - www.vipoptics.com

Here are 2 quick video clips.

This video was taken Through a Vortex Razor Spotting Scope at @ 800 yards using a "Scope Cam Adapter" with the little HD Sony video camera. Love the easy on setup... for digiscoping makes for quick on and off.

I've Nick Named him Fluffy... and set "him" aside for my brother in law ;-)


This next video was taken with the same set-up above but at close to 1 mile. Here is a buck that IS on my "Hit List"! I will shoot him if given the opportunity... and I will be working for that chance.

http://s35.photobucket.com/albums/d168/cowslayer/?action=view?t=Lefty.mp4

"Helping turn good tags, into great ones." - www.vipoptics.com

The link above didn't work... I will be using "Monster Hunt Clips" to upload video going forward... much improved and very fast... Hopefully I will be sharing the kill shot on this buck shortly ;-).

The howling was a wolf that got really close to me while I was filming the buck...

I don't know if this buck will go 180... but I believe with his mass he would be my best buck.

http://www.monsterhuntclips.com/video/973/Quest-for-My-Personal-Best

CS

"Helping turn good tags, into great ones." - www.vipoptics.com

Well... I keep up with this about as good as my personal journal. LOL

When I posted the title of this post as "Quest for My Personal Best!" I didn't realize that it would turn out to be one of the funnest and most fulfilling hunting seasons to date. I will walk you through my learnings, some of the lows and all of the highs.

I think I learned more about big buck habits and tendencies this year then most of the prior years combined.

CS

"Helping turn good tags, into great ones." - www.vipoptics.com

Well after hiking into the back country of Wyoming 6 miles trying to find solitude. The hunt was upon us. I spent 2 days scouting prior to the opener. I couldn't turn up the big velvet buck in the video footage... but had seen several other candidates. The funny thing was that the majority of the bucks had bumped up about a 1000 feet in elevation. I think that some forbes or brush were coming on that they liked. The green forage lower on the hill had all dried up.

As opening morning arrived it was fun yet frustrating hearing the shots and seeing the bachelor herds of bucks get bumped back and forth. Lot's of action and no shots. 1 close call but ended up bumping a 170 class buck into another lucky group that killed him.

2nd morning as we were getting ready to leave camp, we bumped a herd of deer right out of camp and waited as it got light enough to shoot. As it got light enough, CSO decided that this tall deep forked buck fit his bill and with 1 shot from his .300 RUM topped with a 6.5 - 20 X 50 Viper rifle scope took his biggest buck at 225 with a perfect 1 shot kill.



Who said you can't shoot good bucks from camp? I actually said that the day before as I was leaving for the evening hunt.

Well after looking at numerous bucks, Thursday evening I saw "Blast Off" (I later named him this for reasons that you will soon be privy to) a buck I saw the day before the season opened. I was intrigued by his 10 inch inline point and decent mass. He wasn't wide but he had character. After sneaking in Thursday and sharing a near death experience with him as he slowly drifted into the pines and then came back out right at dark, I passed the shot and decided to come back the next morning. After talking with everyone at camp, the only X-Factor was... how wide was this buck? Well everyone said we could put a tape on him the next morning after I took him.

So well before light the next morning we were in position with the packs down, rifles readied and spotters ready to spot. As it was getting light enough to see I looked down the hill from us about 100 yards and saw a good looking buck. Our good friend Shane without hesitation said he liked that buck and dropped him in his tracks. As we were looking at a dandy buck down we decided to stay there and keep glassing where the inline buck was supposed to be. At the same time my buddies said there he is and after looking at him quickly through the spotter I decided I was going to take him. The shot was a longer than average shot(I learned a valuable lesson as you will see). Looking back, I should have passed the shot and set-up closer taking the buck cleanly that evening or the next morning. However I felt confident and took the shot hitting the buck a little far back... he ran into the pines and out of site. I was confident that I would find my buck just inside the pines. After giving the buck a while to wind down and hopefully die, I started in on the blood trail. I found good blood right off and thought that I would quickly find the buck... but after 100 yards he gained a little elevation and the blood started to become more sparce. After slowing down and losing his tracks and blood once, I slowed down to a snails pace and really took my time. As I was analyzing the trail and blood it all happened so fast. I heard him stand up and start moving down the trail ahead of me. Fearing that I would lose this buck and that this would be my last chance at him, I took the shot he gave me as I side stepped the trail. On the report of the rifle, I saw his right antler, the one with the cool inline, rocket 15 - 20 feet in the air and the buck disappear. I chambered another round and ran up to where I last seen him. In the trail was the rocket antler and as I turned to look down the hill this is where he lay. I wasn't sure if I just blew the antler off so, I put another one in his chest just for insurance. In disbelief at what I had just done, I grabbed the rocket inline and threw it in front of my buck. Here is the pic of my buck... "Blast Off".

Warning this picture is ugly, bloody and gory(sp).



Width on this buck was estimated at 33". Beating my wifes buck by 1". Not really... but I think that's the story I told her.

CS

"Helping turn good tags, into great ones." - www.vipoptics.com

UTAH>>>

Well my Utah Dedicated Hunter Tag will be turned back in a week to hopefully be drawn out this spring for a Limited Entry Tag. Scouting and hunting during the Archery, Muzzleloader and Rifle hunts, I couldn't turn up a buck that got my blood pumping. I thinks I spread myself to thin this fall... a day here and there in Southern Utah, just wasn't enough to find the big ones here in Utah...

With all of the current ideas and focus on Utah's Mule Deer herd, I am sure that in the next couple years we will be able to turn the Deer Herd around here in Utah!

COLORADO>>>>

Well on to my 3rd season tag in Colorado. This hunt I would share with 3 close friends.

After a slow start to the hunt in Colorado, Day 3 I passed a solid 160 + 4 pt. After reviewing the footage with my brother in law and my buddy, they both expressed interest in this buck... but we couldn't turn him back up.

Day 3 in the evening and all Day 4 we couldn't turn up the type of bucks we were hoping for.

Day 5 in the evening my good buddy Mathias tagged out on a beautiful buck that would break the 160 Mark. His biggest buck and a great looking deer.



Day 6 a storm moved in and dumped a light dusting of Snow that really livened things up! From about 1000 yards away my brother in law glassed up a group of does and just as I was getting them in the binos, he got excited and said... big buck! As those words left his lips, he was off and running. Well maybe not running, but he was a man on a mission. He told me, we are going to kill that buck. After the buck had gone over the ridge, we knew their wasn't a whole lot of places he could go and hide. As we got on their trail things seemed to be going to good... I was waiting for these deer to give us the slip. As we closed in, we attached the snipepods. As we were easing over the ridge, two does were standing there about 50 yards away!!! Game on... as they turned and ran down the hill they picked up 5 or so more does and the big buck. Jeff got to the edge where he could get a good shot and as the buck ran up the hillside someone mewed at it and stopped him broadside. Boom! Jeff connected. The buck was dead on the hoof. As he dropped, we hooped and hollered and took it all in celebrated another great buck down!






Jeff's buck is super tall beautiful 160 class buck.

Well after the long pack out we were wiped out tired.



I think I mentioned let's just skip the evening hunt and relax! My buddies would have none of that... Let's go and get you a buck!

That's exactly what we did! We went up to an area we hadn't spent a lot of time looking at since there was a lot of pressure in this area earlier in the hunt... but it looked like it had great potential. As we were glassing the hills I noticed 2 deer and one looked like a buck. They were about a mile away and the wind was so strong on the ridge that we were on, that we had to cut the distance in half just to see what type of buck he was. As we worked our way into 800 yards, I could see that he was a tall good looking buck! As we were looking at him through the spotter, we were shocked to see that 2 four wheelers were on the ridge above them and that they had stopped the four-wheelers to glass. Because of the roll of the hill the deer were about 2-300 yards below the road and were undetected by the hunters. As we repositioned, we passed the four wheelers and watched as they headed off the mountain. As we passed them, we snuck off the top of the hill and could not turn up the buck or does. As we snuck down the hill a little further, we could tell that we had passed the little swell that the deer were hiding in out of the wind. As we realized this, we snuck over to the swell and almost immediately started spotting deer. I attached the snipepod and with my buddies behind me, we closed the distance to about 150 yards. As the does spotted us, they began to bail and the buck was going with them. As they came out of the ravine/swell, I took one last look at the width, heigth and overall look of the buck. He was a good looking buck and he was going home with me. With one well placed shot he dropped on impact.





What a fun hunt!



What great friends and family!

My quest for the best turned into one of the Best Hunting Seasons with family and friends that I've ever been a part of.

Yeah... my wifes still has bragging rights... That is until next year!!!

CS

"Helping turn good tags, into great ones." - www.vipoptics.com