That evening I decided to head high again. I went to a spot that I could glass for miles. Not 15 minutes into my glassing session I spotted a nice 4 point by far the best of the trip. He was in a nasty hole and would be hard to get to without being seen. I had nothing to lose and dropped in after him. I made it to 400 yards of his hiding hole and waited him out. He was in the quakies and oaks and I could only see bits and pieces of him as he would walk through the mess. It never happened that night and I left dissappointed. I did glass up 10 does not far from the buck so I was hoping he would be with them in the morning.
Morning found me in the same spot glassing high above his hiding hole. I had found the same deer from the previous night but the buck wasn't with them. So much for the cool weather to start the rut and the migration, I kept glassing and found the buck not 50 yards from where I had left him the night before. He was in the oaks and I had to sneak down a different area from the night before. I was on a very steep canyon top and had to sneak down a crack to make it down towards him. This picture doesn't do the steepness justice as it was very touch and go. At one point I had to jump off a 6 foot cliff and slide down the mountain. I made it but it took me 1.5 hours to get within 425 yards of his last location.
I started glassing and could find no sign of any deer. The last I had seen him was 2.5 hours ago and he was hanging with one doe. Another hour had gone by and I was absolutley freezing. I started my stalk when it was 5 degrees and now sitting for 2 hours had made me shake uncontrollably. I had to move and decided to head higher up my side of the mountain to get a better look into his livingroom. With a little warmth now in my body I sat to glass again. Not finding anything with my bino's I switched to the spotter and started picking the area apart. Bingo I found an ear. For 10 minutes I watched the deer feed and finally could tell it was a doe. Thinking ok this is the doe that my buck was with just keep looking. Bingo there he is. Nope another doe. WTF. I had now spotted a group of 4 does.
I watched the herd feed through the thick brush in hopes the buck would show himself. I had just about decided to head out and look over more country as I only had 1 full day left and didn't want to waste another evening in the hole when... I spotted movement about 100 yards above the does. I could see a tree was getting destroyed. I watched intently as I could see the buck moving through the brush. I watched for an hour as the buck would feed and rub his horns. I had no shots and could only see him through the spotter. He was heading to a more open area and I readied for an opportunity if it presented itself.
It was the most nerve racking situation I had ever been in. He would present a shot then be gone. That lasted for what seemed like an eternity. Coupled with the cold setting in again and my nerves on pins and needles I started to shake again. I tried my best to keep calm and waited for the next opportunity that was coming fast. I put the spotter down and pulled up the rifle. I followed the buck as he walked through small openings. I swung in front of a foot wide opening and when he entered it I took the shot. The bullet travelled the 425 yards fast and I heard the distinct whack of a hit. The buck ran but stopped 50 yards from where I had shot. I could tell right away it was less then an ideal shot and watched as the buck bed down. I worked my way through the brush trying to find an opening and finally did 350 yards away through a small opening in the quakies. Found a rest and touched one off. Nothing.... He laid there unaware of anything. WTF??? I steadied again and boom...Whack. He laid motionless. My ordeal had ended and I was ready to lay my hands on my Colorado buck.
I made it over to my buck and happened to look up and see what happened to my second shot. I was to the left more and the buck to the right. My opening was about 6" wide and right smack in the middle of the quakie was where I hit.
Here is my Colorado buck.
In 8 days of hunting I saw a grand total of 18 bucks with 4 of them being 4 points or better. To say the hunting was slow would be an understatement. I hunted hard every day and never took a break. Each afternoon was spent walking all the mesa's looking for fresh sign and new areas. For what ever reason the deer just didn't seem to be there. For my 9 year wait I was a little dissappointed but still happy with the outcome. He isn't the 200" buck I had hoped for but by far the best buck I had found on that trip.
I had also talked with the local Fish and game officer on day 6 and he couldn't believe how tough the hunt was. He had only checked 2 deer so far one 2 point and one 3 point that had only one horn.