Cut it close but got it done!

ElkManDan

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LAST EDITED ON Nov-30-17 AT 01:08PM (MST)[p]With the Utah archery extended season coming to a close, I decided to take Tuesday off and give it another go. I've spent about a dozen days up there looking for a good buck to shoot but had been unable to get in on a big one. Earlier in the month I found a really nice buck that had large hook cheaters off both G2s, I had gotten within 80 yards of him twice one day but hadn't been able to locate him after that.

Tuesday morning I headed up in the dark and just as first light hit I came out of a patch of brush and found myself 80 yards from a group of does. I sat to watch them and make sure there weren't any bucks with them, after about 10 min, I decided that there wasn't a buck and moved back and around them. I came over the ridge and spotted some deer on the opposite hillside about 200 yards away. I didn't need my binos to tell that one of them was a great buck. I sat to watch them to try and formulate a plan. The area I hunt consists of steep, rolling grassy hillsides and thick patches of oak brush... not exactly prime archery terrain. As I was watching them I also spotted a couple coyotes come up above the deer. They started howling and the deer decided they weren't going to stick around. They headed down the opposite hillside away from me. Just before they were going to head over the far ridge they decided to turn downhill and cut down and across the ridge I was on. I headed down the ridge as fast as I could but they had crossed in front of me and were already on the next ridge over about 300 yards away. Once they dropped over that ridge I hustled over there as quick as I could hoping to catch them within range as I popped over the ridge. I got to the ridge and slowly crept over. I caught movement going into the brush about 70 yards away so I just stopped and watched. Suddenly I heard a bow go off, I looked downhill to see another bow hunter about 70 yards from me. The buck and does headed up the hill, he was unscathed, the guy had missed. I don't know if he saw me or not but I dropped off the back of the hillside and busted it up the ridge just in case the buck headed up instead of around the hillside. I didn't see him up the hill so I decided that I was just going to head straight up the mountain a couple more miles and get away from other hunter and let him have his shot at the buck. I got about 3/4 of a mile up the mountain and stopped to look back. On the edge of an opening about a quarter mile away I saw a dark spot, I pulled up my binos and sure enough it was that buck again. I sat and watched him for a bit, I saw that same hunter step out onto the same ridge about 400 yards below the buck. I watched as he looked around for a bit, he glassed into the ravine for a while and then turned and walked back over the ridge. From where he was standing he could not see the buck. After watching him for a bit longer I could tell that he was going to stay in that area for a bit so I decided that I would drop back down there and try and make another move on him. I got within 100 yards but the only way to get to where he was, was to go through some thick brush. I tried to move through quietly but that was impossible. When I finally came out into the opening I caught him and a doe moving out on the opposite hillside about 100 yards away, going into thick brush. I decided it was now or never, when they disappeared into the thick brush I ran down onto the trail they went down. I quickly trailed them and after 100 yards I popped out into an opening out of the thick brush. He was there, I quickly got a range and took the shot. He went down quick and I put another arrow into him to finish him off. I never did see the other hunter again.... for all I know he might still be up there looking for this buck!



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Good for you on getting it done. I think that's the same buck I chased arond all day on the Saturday when we got all the snow. Had him at 10 yards and couldn't get an arrow through the thick oakbrush. Had him again at 12 yards, same thing. It seems I would remember though the single long eyeguard, but don't. But the one I chased did have the same frame and a shorter left g2 (long range pic below).
A couple days later (same day you were up there it sounds) I also saw the hooked cheater buck. I thought he had two hooked cheaters on the one side and a single on the other..?? You get any pics of him? I didn't.

Congratulations to you. Man, I wanted badly to get one of those two bucks. It looks like you found that 4x4 lower than where I saw him and where I was hunting everyday. I should be up there today, but need to get work done.

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Brian Latturner
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From that picture it looks like he definitely could be the same buck. One thing that surprised me when I got him home is that he measured just over 29 inches on his outside spread. He has such big ears that it made him look narrower to me.

The buck with the hook cheaters could have had another on one side. He was all over the place chasing does the day I was on him. I thought about trying to get some pictures but I barely even spent any time looking at him through the binos, I chased him and the does all the way to the top of the mountain. Afterwards I was really wishing I had gotten some pictures.
 
Yes, I guessed that buck I was after at right about 30 inches wide and mid-180's. I never really looked at him close. I spotted him coming down and jumped on his tracks. Tracked until I saw him lay, then slipped in to 10 yards. Was affraid to get closer, so I drew my bow and grunted. He didn't get up, so I let up. Then drew and tried again. Same result. Then tried a 3rd time and added a whistle. I thought he stand up and give me 3 seconds. No good. So I let up the 3rd time and right after that he stood up and walked away through oak too thick to get a shot off. Tracked another 4 hours, seen him numerous times, but couldn't get a shot.

The hook cheater buck I was the same as you, I saw him with about 45 minutes of light left and scrambled. Got to 100 yards and a hiker scared them.

I never saw either buck again, of course you killed the 4-point. Not sure of the cheater buck. He was sure cool on the back, but I didn't think his front end was too good.

Brian Latturner
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Great buck, congrats. You guys from Utah are better men than me. I don't think I could hunt, especially archery, with all those other people around.
 
Very cool story. Awesome Buck.

"I have found if you go the extra mile it's Never crowded".
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Congrats! What a great buck! I'm pretty sure I have a couple years of sheds off your buck. He had that unmistakable G2 and I also recognize the scar on his face. I couldn't find him last year and thought he might be dead. Congrats again! I'd really like to know his age if you ever find out.
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LAST EDITED ON Dec-01-17 AT 12:25PM (MST)[p]You always get the job done ElkManDan! Congrats on a nice buck with a kool story. Sounds like you shot him right out from under Founder, and he never even knew it! :D :D
 
I know, how dare anyone else be in my area! ha ha ha ha

It looks by the pics that the deer moved down the mountain a bit from where I saw him. When I first saw him and tracked him, he was on the move, migrating, I believe. He actually wanted to continue down while I was on his tracks, but I think he caught people on the ridge ahead of him and it was several hours after light, so he turned back and bedded. He probably pressed on down the mountain after dark.

ElkManDan got it done big time in my opinion. Big bucks in the extended unit are hard to get. It might seem like they should be easy during the rut, but not so. It takes serious time, effort and some luck to arrow an old buck like this one. I could tell as I tracked him that he'd played that game for many years. I was only 120 yards behind him for hours. He never ran, would just walk away through the absolute thickest oakbrush he could bury himself in. In one spot, he was 20 yards away and I honestly didn't think he was going to be able to get his antlers through the mess. It was that thick!!! Chasing, tracking that buck for hours and hours was one of the funnest, and most educational, days of hunting I've ever had.

Based on my guessing that the buck was far below my elevation, I would've probably never seen him again anyway.

Brian Latturner
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LAST EDITED ON Dec-01-17 AT 08:17PM (MST)[p]Founder, I'm pretty sure I know where he was the day you were chasing him, I shot him about 1.5 miles down the hill and 2500' elevation drop from where you found him. Another individual that was up there probably the same day you were was kind enough to send me some pictures that he got of the buck up there in the snow.

You nailed it saying that to get a buck like that takes a lot of time and a little luck. That buck must have been very skilled to get away from you! I'm not too proud to admit that I got lucky once again.

-Dan
 
>Congrats! What a great buck! I'm
>pretty sure I have a
>couple years of sheds off
>your buck. He had that
>unmistakable G2 and I also
>recognize the scar on his
>face. I couldn't find him
>last year and thought he
>might be dead. Congrats again!
>I'd really like to know
>his age if you ever
>find out.
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Those are some very nice sets of antlers, looks like they could be his but being that he is pretty typical I think it would be hard to determine for sure unless we knew that you found them somewhere around where I shot him but I'm guessing neither of us wants to broadcast where that is. I tossed his bottom jaw, didn't even think to pull teeth for aging. Looking at them they were not too worn but I didn't look at them very closely.
 
Great story and it's cool to hear both yours and Founder's stories of chasing him. It seems all those big Bucks have a sixth sense when being hunted.
 

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