NMPaul
Moderator
- Messages
- 8,105
As mentioned before, it was great to meet up with Jack (Cosmicowboy) in CO. They killed 2 great bucks on this hunt. The first morning we were there Jack and his daughter were glassing the same mountainside. Small world. 
I think us New Mexicans did pretty good.
I had Zach cash in his CO deer points I have been building for him. Right at the beginning of Basketball season, so with coaches approval we left after basketball practice on Thursday night and drove straight through. After a few miserable hours trying to sleep in the truck we hit the trail head.
One of the things I love about CO is that you may glass up 50 or more deer a day. We had about a 2 mile hike to the rim that we would be glassing off of. We got there and immediatelly started seeing deer. The best we saw was a nice 3x3 that would be a last day buck. We considered a last day buck to be a buck better than his previous bucks. We had 3 days to make it happen.
We got to a new mountain and almost immediately I spotted 2 big bucks going into the junipers. Zach whips out the spotting scope quicker than I can get my 15s set up and tells me the biggest one is behind the trees. I get set up and we are looking at a nice 4x5.
This is the first morning and Z is stumped. Cant decide if he wants to shoot it or not. He gets all laid out and ready on packs. I figure out the yardage with the very very steep angle. He could shoot that 4x5 for about 10 minutes, finally the pig comes out and he is huge except one entire antler is missing. It is broken off about 6" above his head.
This is just to much for a 16 year old to compute. First morning...... A buck he would be happy with...... a bigger buck with a missing antler....... Well he locked up and did not make a decision. He would regret it later. We actually packed up and got half way to the truck when he said "I better go back and shoot that 4x5".
Off we went, back up the mountain. We get up there and I know exactly where the broken horn buck went, but, not the 4x5. We glassed for almost 3 more hours. The broken horn came out and it had the biggest Azz I have ever seen on a buck. It had the big sway back, pot belly of a 100% mature mule deer buck. This is a 190" buck if he had both sides.
Z makes another decision he will regret. He does not pull the trigger on the broken horn and we never find the 4x5.. The wind picks up and we head off the mountain to go see Jacks buddy's buck and catch a nap in the truck.
We go back to the same mountain to find the 4x5, only find the broken horn buck and still Z passes. The wind is really whipping now, and we are getting snow flurries.
Day 2. We woke up to about 4" of snow which was awesome, but, 20-40 mph winds to go with it. No bueno. The morning was calm. Zach was now locked into this 4x5 that he had passed and regretted. He went back to the same spot, and I hiked off on my own to try to find another buck. We had radios and cell phones to keep in touch. Zach saw about 30-40 deer from his perch, and he saw a 4x4 that he was tempted to shoot, but, much smaller than the 4x5. Also, at this point he had decided to shoot the broken horn buck. Never saw either of those deer again.
I did a giant loop and glassed up some smaller bucks, but, saw nothing to get Z about. By late morning the winds were whipping hard.
Day 2 evening hunt. Now the winds were in that 40 mph range. Z is persistent and went back to the same spot to find those deer, and I went to some new country, but, all I managed was to spook deer and find small bucks. About 3:00 we called it. The wind was way to strong, snow flurries, and he was freezing because he was trying to sit in one spot and glass. Hiking around I stayed warm, but, the deer were hunkered down. We bailed off the mountain and went road hunting in a spot Jack had told us about. We never saw a deer that night. The wind was keeping everything down.
Day 3. This is the last day we have to hunt. This is Sunday, and Z has a mandatory practice on Monday. We know we can drive all night if necessary again, but, really want to close the deal in the morning. I can tell Zach is not to crazy about me going off and doing my own thing. We decide to stick together this morning. These are now perfect conditions. A cold front had just come through, snow on the ground, but, still a week from the rut firing up. We drive in seeing several groups of deer, but, nothing close to a shooter.
Zach insists on going to the same spot. We glass up a 4x4 about 1500 yards away that Z decides he would kill if we see nothing better. It is windy and cold and this spot is right in the face of the wind. There is no avoiding it. We decide to hike to another part of the mountain to see some new country and warm up. We get set up and start glassing. I am finding a few does and small bucks. Then Zach says, "Dad, you got to check this out, this buck looks dead". I get behind the spotting scope and am looking at a deer about 1.5 miles away sprawled out on the snow.
He is a big bodied buck with dark horns. He is not as good as the 4x5, but, he is the best buck we have seen since. This buck is not moving at all. His head is on the ground at a unnatural angle.
This hunt has all kinds of curve balls. We have now watched this buck for 20 minutes and he has not moved a bit. We are now discussing if he is willing to put his tag on a dead deer. Last morning Z says if he is dead, he will tag it as a dead deer.
We huddle up and come up with a game plan. Z is gonna have about a 2 mile hike to get above this buck for maybe a 400 yard shot. He has to burn the land marks into his mind. I am gonna stay back and watch through the 15s.
So, now the plan is in place. Zach is gonna drop off his extra weight at the bottom of the mountain and try to get the next mountain and come in above it. Zach is gone about 20 minutes and I notice that the head is in a different position. I get Z on the radio and let him know "IT'S ALIVE!!!!!!!" It has almost been an hour and this deer has only moved his head a bit.
I got nothing better to do than theorize on why this deer is sprawled out. It is possible that he had been rutting hard all night and was just pooped. It was possible he was in a fight and wounded. It was possible that he had been shot and had made it to this mountain and was wiped out. Finally the deer picked up his head. Then he very very stiffly got up and sniffed his bed for awhile, kicked at it, turned around in a hopping fashion and laid down again with his head up alert.
Z was on his own and did not need to know any of this. He knew the buck was alive and I knew he felt a lot better about being able to shoot it rather than tagging a dead buck. Z had been gone now about 50 minutes and I could follow him in my binocs about 70% of the time. I could see him getting in position and knew he was getting ready to shoot.
Later I would find out the buck was at about 370 yards, but, with the angle compensation it would be around 300 yards. I have my 15s tuned in and am watching the deer intently.
I see snow kick up right next to the buck... he missed...... 3 seconds later i hear the boom...... the buck is up.
It is super cool to watch this through the 15s. Another shot..... Now the buck is running.
Zach has missed (later I would find out why)... He had gotten snow on the rangefinder lenses and either got a bad reading or made a bad shot???
Zach has missed both times and the deer is running. Its back leg is literally spinning like a pin wheel when it runs. It is grotesque watching the hoofed foot swinging over his back over and over as he is running.
He stops after about 200 yards. The deer has no idea where the shots came from. He is looking all the wrong directions unaware that Z is above him. 5 minutes pass. I can tell Zach cannot find him.
I am watching intently. All of a sudden it looks like the buck is picked up and thrown down the hill. My first thought is that he finally killed over from his wound, but, seconds later I hear the boom.
Did I mention that watching all this through my 15s was incredible. What a rush...
I get Z on the radio and congratulate him. He has his land marks set, and I tell him I will see him in about an hour. I drop off my heavy stuff and head out. Now for the pics.
I think us New Mexicans did pretty good.
I had Zach cash in his CO deer points I have been building for him. Right at the beginning of Basketball season, so with coaches approval we left after basketball practice on Thursday night and drove straight through. After a few miserable hours trying to sleep in the truck we hit the trail head.
One of the things I love about CO is that you may glass up 50 or more deer a day. We had about a 2 mile hike to the rim that we would be glassing off of. We got there and immediatelly started seeing deer. The best we saw was a nice 3x3 that would be a last day buck. We considered a last day buck to be a buck better than his previous bucks. We had 3 days to make it happen.
We got to a new mountain and almost immediately I spotted 2 big bucks going into the junipers. Zach whips out the spotting scope quicker than I can get my 15s set up and tells me the biggest one is behind the trees. I get set up and we are looking at a nice 4x5.
This is the first morning and Z is stumped. Cant decide if he wants to shoot it or not. He gets all laid out and ready on packs. I figure out the yardage with the very very steep angle. He could shoot that 4x5 for about 10 minutes, finally the pig comes out and he is huge except one entire antler is missing. It is broken off about 6" above his head.
This is just to much for a 16 year old to compute. First morning...... A buck he would be happy with...... a bigger buck with a missing antler....... Well he locked up and did not make a decision. He would regret it later. We actually packed up and got half way to the truck when he said "I better go back and shoot that 4x5".
Off we went, back up the mountain. We get up there and I know exactly where the broken horn buck went, but, not the 4x5. We glassed for almost 3 more hours. The broken horn came out and it had the biggest Azz I have ever seen on a buck. It had the big sway back, pot belly of a 100% mature mule deer buck. This is a 190" buck if he had both sides.
Z makes another decision he will regret. He does not pull the trigger on the broken horn and we never find the 4x5.. The wind picks up and we head off the mountain to go see Jacks buddy's buck and catch a nap in the truck.
We go back to the same mountain to find the 4x5, only find the broken horn buck and still Z passes. The wind is really whipping now, and we are getting snow flurries.
Day 2. We woke up to about 4" of snow which was awesome, but, 20-40 mph winds to go with it. No bueno. The morning was calm. Zach was now locked into this 4x5 that he had passed and regretted. He went back to the same spot, and I hiked off on my own to try to find another buck. We had radios and cell phones to keep in touch. Zach saw about 30-40 deer from his perch, and he saw a 4x4 that he was tempted to shoot, but, much smaller than the 4x5. Also, at this point he had decided to shoot the broken horn buck. Never saw either of those deer again.
I did a giant loop and glassed up some smaller bucks, but, saw nothing to get Z about. By late morning the winds were whipping hard.
Day 2 evening hunt. Now the winds were in that 40 mph range. Z is persistent and went back to the same spot to find those deer, and I went to some new country, but, all I managed was to spook deer and find small bucks. About 3:00 we called it. The wind was way to strong, snow flurries, and he was freezing because he was trying to sit in one spot and glass. Hiking around I stayed warm, but, the deer were hunkered down. We bailed off the mountain and went road hunting in a spot Jack had told us about. We never saw a deer that night. The wind was keeping everything down.
Day 3. This is the last day we have to hunt. This is Sunday, and Z has a mandatory practice on Monday. We know we can drive all night if necessary again, but, really want to close the deal in the morning. I can tell Zach is not to crazy about me going off and doing my own thing. We decide to stick together this morning. These are now perfect conditions. A cold front had just come through, snow on the ground, but, still a week from the rut firing up. We drive in seeing several groups of deer, but, nothing close to a shooter.
Zach insists on going to the same spot. We glass up a 4x4 about 1500 yards away that Z decides he would kill if we see nothing better. It is windy and cold and this spot is right in the face of the wind. There is no avoiding it. We decide to hike to another part of the mountain to see some new country and warm up. We get set up and start glassing. I am finding a few does and small bucks. Then Zach says, "Dad, you got to check this out, this buck looks dead". I get behind the spotting scope and am looking at a deer about 1.5 miles away sprawled out on the snow.
He is a big bodied buck with dark horns. He is not as good as the 4x5, but, he is the best buck we have seen since. This buck is not moving at all. His head is on the ground at a unnatural angle.
This hunt has all kinds of curve balls. We have now watched this buck for 20 minutes and he has not moved a bit. We are now discussing if he is willing to put his tag on a dead deer. Last morning Z says if he is dead, he will tag it as a dead deer.
We huddle up and come up with a game plan. Z is gonna have about a 2 mile hike to get above this buck for maybe a 400 yard shot. He has to burn the land marks into his mind. I am gonna stay back and watch through the 15s.
So, now the plan is in place. Zach is gonna drop off his extra weight at the bottom of the mountain and try to get the next mountain and come in above it. Zach is gone about 20 minutes and I notice that the head is in a different position. I get Z on the radio and let him know "IT'S ALIVE!!!!!!!" It has almost been an hour and this deer has only moved his head a bit.
I got nothing better to do than theorize on why this deer is sprawled out. It is possible that he had been rutting hard all night and was just pooped. It was possible he was in a fight and wounded. It was possible that he had been shot and had made it to this mountain and was wiped out. Finally the deer picked up his head. Then he very very stiffly got up and sniffed his bed for awhile, kicked at it, turned around in a hopping fashion and laid down again with his head up alert.
Z was on his own and did not need to know any of this. He knew the buck was alive and I knew he felt a lot better about being able to shoot it rather than tagging a dead buck. Z had been gone now about 50 minutes and I could follow him in my binocs about 70% of the time. I could see him getting in position and knew he was getting ready to shoot.
Later I would find out the buck was at about 370 yards, but, with the angle compensation it would be around 300 yards. I have my 15s tuned in and am watching the deer intently.
I see snow kick up right next to the buck... he missed...... 3 seconds later i hear the boom...... the buck is up.
It is super cool to watch this through the 15s. Another shot..... Now the buck is running.
Zach has missed (later I would find out why)... He had gotten snow on the rangefinder lenses and either got a bad reading or made a bad shot???
Zach has missed both times and the deer is running. Its back leg is literally spinning like a pin wheel when it runs. It is grotesque watching the hoofed foot swinging over his back over and over as he is running.
He stops after about 200 yards. The deer has no idea where the shots came from. He is looking all the wrong directions unaware that Z is above him. 5 minutes pass. I can tell Zach cannot find him.
I am watching intently. All of a sudden it looks like the buck is picked up and thrown down the hill. My first thought is that he finally killed over from his wound, but, seconds later I hear the boom.
Did I mention that watching all this through my 15s was incredible. What a rush...
I get Z on the radio and congratulate him. He has his land marks set, and I tell him I will see him in about an hour. I drop off my heavy stuff and head out. Now for the pics.
