L
love2hunt16
Guest
I shot this guy October 10, 2010 on public land in Northern Utah. I drew a buck/bull combo tag this year and was fortunate enough to have my brother with me on the hunt. I had done some preseason scouting in this area and knew there were some good bucks, but with pressure from the elk hunters it took me a lot of hours and hiking miles to finally come across this guy.
Our morning started off at 5:00 a.m. where we started up the canyon we had decided on the night before. After arriving at our chosen spot just before light we sat and waited watching a couple draws below us and big bowl to our left. When light hit we glassed and glassed without spotting a thing. A little discouraged with grabbed our things and headed up the ridgeline. I stopped in a saddle and glassed a hill side about 600+ yards away. I spotted to fairly nice 4x4's sparring a bit. We tried to hussle up the ridgeline and over to a different ridge where we had last ween the two bucks. When we arrived the bucks were gone. We hiked down to the last spot we had seen them. We expected to see them in the bottom of that draw or on the opposing hillside. After 45 minutes of watching, waiting and listening we figured the bucks were either bedded up tight or long gone. So we turned around to head back to the canyon we had come from. My brother and I were both quite discouraged and slowly making our way back. When I topped a ridge looking into a small draw I noticed a couple deer standing broadside 175 yards away. I turned around, motioning my brother to duck down. After glassing I could tell the back of the two bucks was at least a decent three point as all I could see was the forks on his back tines. I turned and told my brother I was going to take him. I hadn't shot at a deer in three years and I felt like it was my first year again. Buck fever set in and I was shaking and breathing hard. Having said that I lowered my gun, put the cross hairs on him and pulled the trigger. Nothing happened. I initially thought I shot and dropped him. Nothing had moved as the deer had no clue we were on the ridge just across from them. I looked back through my scope to see the buck standing in the exact place he was when I shot. Frantically thinking he was going to take off I pulled down on him again and pulled the trigger, he dropped like a sack of bricks and the rest is history. Three years after shooting my last buck and holding out this year for a big one I was thrilled with the result. He's a solid 21" wide solid 4x4. It took my brother and I 4+ hours to get him down.
This is me with my buck.
My little brother. He was a trooper this weekend. I hiked the kid to death. He enjoyed it though, especially with the result.
Our morning started off at 5:00 a.m. where we started up the canyon we had decided on the night before. After arriving at our chosen spot just before light we sat and waited watching a couple draws below us and big bowl to our left. When light hit we glassed and glassed without spotting a thing. A little discouraged with grabbed our things and headed up the ridgeline. I stopped in a saddle and glassed a hill side about 600+ yards away. I spotted to fairly nice 4x4's sparring a bit. We tried to hussle up the ridgeline and over to a different ridge where we had last ween the two bucks. When we arrived the bucks were gone. We hiked down to the last spot we had seen them. We expected to see them in the bottom of that draw or on the opposing hillside. After 45 minutes of watching, waiting and listening we figured the bucks were either bedded up tight or long gone. So we turned around to head back to the canyon we had come from. My brother and I were both quite discouraged and slowly making our way back. When I topped a ridge looking into a small draw I noticed a couple deer standing broadside 175 yards away. I turned around, motioning my brother to duck down. After glassing I could tell the back of the two bucks was at least a decent three point as all I could see was the forks on his back tines. I turned and told my brother I was going to take him. I hadn't shot at a deer in three years and I felt like it was my first year again. Buck fever set in and I was shaking and breathing hard. Having said that I lowered my gun, put the cross hairs on him and pulled the trigger. Nothing happened. I initially thought I shot and dropped him. Nothing had moved as the deer had no clue we were on the ridge just across from them. I looked back through my scope to see the buck standing in the exact place he was when I shot. Frantically thinking he was going to take off I pulled down on him again and pulled the trigger, he dropped like a sack of bricks and the rest is history. Three years after shooting my last buck and holding out this year for a big one I was thrilled with the result. He's a solid 21" wide solid 4x4. It took my brother and I 4+ hours to get him down.
This is me with my buck.
My little brother. He was a trooper this weekend. I hiked the kid to death. He enjoyed it though, especially with the result.