Father and son first archery bucks

J

jgalantine

Guest
Well this was our third consecutive year hunting the ruby mountains. The first two years we were unsuccessful. We hiked in on Thursday afternoon to our hunting spot and set up camp. Opening morning my dad and I setup a little ways away from each other and said we would sit untill at least 10am. At about 7:30 a group of 7 bucks came down the hill towards the tree my dad was sitting next to. I couldn't see him but I knew the bucks would pass by him fairly close. I waited 10 minutes after I figured the bucks should have passed him and I stood up and walked a few yards till I could see my dad walking around in circles. I got down there and he said the whole group passed him at 30 yards. He picked out the one that looked the biggest and let it fly. The shot ended up going through the front leg, grazed the heart and tore up the lungs. For some reason there was no blood at all near where he was hit. We searched for 30 minutes for blood untill we picked up some blood crossing the creek about 100 yards from where the buck was shot. Still there was very little blood but we were able to follow the tracks in the dirt for another 100 yards untill my dad looked up and saw half the rack sticking up in the grass. This is his first archery buck ever.
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We got the buck all cleaned up and I continued my hunt. I went the next 4 days without getting in range of any bucks. On the fifth day of the hunt I decided to try some different areas a little higher than we had been hiking to. I had been into bucks all morning and had been following a group of what started out as 16 bucks when I came up on a 3x4 at 63 yards. The shot went just under him and off he went. Later in the afternoon, after eating lunch I decided to still hunt this ridge down to the lake. I made it 100 yards down the ridge when I spotted a big rack in the grass just below me( it was a 2x4 old buck I figured at 28 inches). I ducked down and ranged the tree he was laying next to and came up with 38 yards. I drew back, stood up and made a perfect fieldgoal shot through his antlers. I have no idea what happened but I figured buck fever got the best of me AGAIN! I was pretty frustrated with myself and just felt like going back to camp and sulking. After a small pep talk with my self I decided to try to sit on the hillside where we would see them feed out to fairly regularly. I didn't make it to my spot before I caught a buck a little up the hill from me getting ready to feed into a different area they would feed into. I got into as good of position as I could and began the wait. After waiting awhile I only had 30 minutes of shooting time left so I decided to try and sneak in for a shot. I closed the gap to 40 yards from this buck and has my last shot of my season. My dad came up the hill and helped me bone it out and took it back to camp. Both of these bucks were my dad and I's first archery bucks ever. We could not of been happier. This is a very physically demanding hunt and it really feels good to finally get it done after 3 years.
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Congratulations to you and your Dad for a successful hunt and memories of a lifetime. Great to read about you gettin' 'er done and not afraid to share even the moments of "buck fever". I especially liked the "field goal shot". I can remember making a shot like that at least twice over 40+ years of hunting ...and with a rifle! Somehow, looking at that rack must interfere with the shot! :) Thanks for posting.
 
Awesome adventure and nice archery bucks to boot! Congratulations on a fun and successful trip to the Silver State.

BOHNTR )))---------->
 
Congratulations to both of you and thanks for sharing.

"If a nation expects to be ignorant and free... it expects what never has and never will be." -Thomas Jefferson
 
LAST EDITED ON Aug-18-13 AT 08:20PM (MST)[p]I have been back in the rubies 6 miles deep before with my brother, I got a buck on day 5 and my bro got his on the 6th day and we headed out.what did you guys do with your dads deer between the time he got his and yours?were you guys day tripping in? Or did you pack it out and go back up in?
 
You guys make awesome father and son team, Congrats on a couple of good bucks.

"I have found if you go the extra mile it's Never crowded".
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We hiked in and stayed. We hung the quarters in pillow cases. And he packed them out on Wednesday morning. That was the day I got my buck.
 
Congrats on an awesome experience with your Dad-doesn't get any better than that!!

I am itching to get out myself this year on a Wyoming elk hunt with my Dad - sure appreciate stories like this one to get me through until it is my turn!
 
Very cool story. Congratulations to both of you!


"The problem with quotes on Internet Forums is that it is often difficult to verify their authenticity." - Abraham Lincoln
 
way to hang in there and make it happen. You and your dad will talk of this all year in preps for next season. thanks for the great story with the pics
 
Sounds like a very exciting, fun hunt. Good for you guys. Thanks for posting up the pics and story.

Brian Latturner
MonsterMuleys.com
 

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