Long winded first archery buck story...

[MichaelJ]

If ya like just skip to the pics! Been awhile since I posted anything on here...

Showed up thursday night and we hit the hills. My hunting partner's wife was scheduled to be induced for their first child saturday so he only had thursday/friday to hunt. I got him on a few bucks from across the canyon using hand signals thursday night, but we just didn't have enough daylight.

Friday morning we seen a lot of deer, but no real shooters. The total was 26 bucks for that morning, but all were younger than 4 ? with the majority of them being little 2 ? or 3 ? yr olds. This unit has unreal genetics with a lot of the 3 ? yr old deer being 20-23? wide, tall with good forks. Can?t wait for them to start growing up! One 3x4 I was planning on stalking but a tractor/spray was up in the fields and busted the rest of the deer out for the morning.

We hit up another canyon and then wound our way back for the friday evening hunt. While working our way through the dried up garbonzo bean field (IE: SUPER NOISY!) we spotted a nice 2x2 that was 21? or so wide with tall forks on him. Al decided to try and stalk him. We used the topography, strong wind, and Al?s parascope (yes, you read that right, and they are AWESOME!) to sneak in to 58 yds from this bedded buck in the middle of the field?
We sat there for about 35 minutes when a hunter walked over the ridge to our right and the buck was getting nervous. We tried to wave him off but he just kept right on coming. Buck stood up, Al rushed a shot and cut hair off his back! So close!!!

You can see the bucks frame sticking up just to the left of Al...

On the way out that night we saw 4 NICE mature bucks cross the road right in front of us in the dark heading into the field. My plan was to get on them in the morning. We also came upon the hunter who busted our buck walking the road. We stopped and offered him a ride and what do you know?. It's Rocky Jacobsen! He was real apologetic and we sat and chatted with him for awhile before going on our way. How many people can say they've been screwed up on a hunt by a hunting celebrity??

Next morning (Saturday) I was up at 3:15 again and headed to the hills solo to try and get on those 4 bucks we saw the night before?.

 

[MichaelJ]

Got into the field at first light, and immediately started seeing deer. It was tough going as there were deer everywhere and the walking was very noisy. I kept noticing one of the neighbor?s dogs barking where I'd parked my truck but hadn't thought much about it. About 20 minutes into it I figured something was up so I turned and threw my binos up. What do you know??? There?s 2 wolves about 150 yds from the house up on a knoll just staring and pacing at the barking dog. I range them at 850 yds, contemplate slinging an arrow, forget about deer hunting and start sprinting for my truck which is about 600 yds away and has my 280 ackley long gun in the back seat. They are only 200 yds off the road and easily killable. I get about 150 yds from my truck when they decide to get outta dodge and trot off into a very knarly canyon. With my first precious moments of daylight left to catch those 4 big bucks I get back in my truck and drive up the road and catch them already across the road and heading to a big canyon and their beds at 5:58 AM with still very little light. Could?ve sat in the road and smoked one instead of trying to walk through that field!

I head after them and watch them feed on the edge of their canyon for awhile before heading down the draw to bed down. They have been doing this routine for awhile and so I form a game plan for the evening and head back to town to take a needed nap and cook a pizza.
That afternoon I was in position to intercept the bucks. I saw one coming across out of the timber but I was in a bad position for the wind so I backed out, relocated and never saw them again. Wind was tricky that evening so I think they winded me and never came out. That night I got a call from another buddy and ended going steelhead fishing from 10PM to midnight and we caught four right there by the Potlatch plant!
Sunday morning I overslept (woke up with my phone shoved under my pillow and norecollection of how it got there lol). Went out that evening with a friend and we spotted the big 4 point that I posted pictures of from scouting. We?d stayed in the field too long and only with 35 minutes of daylight left went to the edge and glassed the canyons when we spotted him. He was in a PERFECT position. 30 yds from the ridge line looking downhill with wind coming up the draw. I beat feet to put on a stalk but he was gone by the time I got to the head of the draw. My buddy said he walked up the draw probably 2 minutes before I got there? :bash: Another close call!

Monday morning was my last chance to pull it together. I knew that if I didn't find one of the bigger bucks I'd settle for one of the smaller basket bucks we'd been seeing as I've yet to arrow anything with antlers!

 

[MichaelJ]

Up at 3:15 again and to the parking spot by 4:40. I made my way through the field, watched a nice tall 3x4 feed out of the field which I couldn't locate again and glassed up a lot of does and a few spikes throughout the morning. At this point I debated just heading back to the truck, as I hate the pressure of knowing I have a 4 hr drive ahead of me and the likelyhood of me arrowing something is pretty low. I gave myself a peptalk and kept hunting. I was working the edge of the fields glassing the canyons below when I spotted a nice 3x3 and 2x2 bedded underneath a 10? tall basalt cliff on the same ridgeline where the big 4x4 was bedded the night before. I told myself I'd sneak around to try and find the big 4x4 again and if I didn't then I'd sneak on the nice 3x3.

I came up on the ridge where I would?ve stalked the big 4x4 and could see his bed below me but no buck? it would?ve been perfect as I was 35 yds from it and would?ve easily been able to kill him?
You can see his bed below me at 35 yds:

 

[MichaelJ]

At this point I continued to sneak around the ridge point knowing I was gonna try to sneak up on the bedded 3x3. I had my facemask on and an arrow knocked?

I came around the corner and the two bucks were gone. I kept moving slowing and then spotted his front right fork sticking out behind the cliff. They?d moved into the shade farther and seemed content. I ranged the cliff at 46, just passed him at 57, and finally found a rock that was even with him and ranged it to 51 yds. I mentally prepared thinking ?ok, 51 yds downhill, 50 yd pin at bottom of body line? nice and smooth, don't get excited there'll be time to celebrate afterwards?. I took a step further and saw his rack swing my direction. It moved like he was getting ready to stand and I came to full draw. He and the other buck both stood quartering slightly to me. 50 yd pin settled where I wanted it and let it fly. Seeing that arrow head his direction was amazing. The THWACK and him running off told me I had a good hit. He ducked slightly the last few yds and the arrow his about 3? higher than I'd planned but still felt good?

I wait till they ran outta sight then ran to the ridge point and watched them continue on around the next draw. He had good blood on his exit wound at the back of his ribcage and with mouth hanging open you can tell he was hit hard. I went to retrieve my arrow...

You can see his bed clearly

Shot from the cliff in center of screen:

 

[MichaelJ]

I gave him 30 minutes, and went after him. Busted him out of his bed and watched as he labored the 120 yds to the point of the next ridge near the field edge and bedded underneath a big pine. I backed out and into the field and proceeded to watch him attempt to die 10-15 times over the next 90 minutes. His head would drop, and 10 seconds later would pop back up! He would stand, bed, stand, bed, stand, bed...etc then lay down like he would die, then pop back up again.

I knew he wasn't going anywhere so I headed back to the truck to give him more time and met my bud Corey there. He was on the edge of a very nasty steep canyon and the last thing I wanted to do was bust him out and into it again. We hungout had some food and headed back in. We arrived at about 3 1/2 hrs after the shot and he was still up and alert. I thought "Ok, I'm gonna put another stalk on him". from 400 yds to 60 yds in 20 minutes I was unlacing my boots for the final approach. I peeked around the bush to see him stand and then faceplant into the dirt with kicking legs in the air. FINALLY! :tup: I laced up my boots, kept an arrow knocked and walked right at him. 40 yds away he picks his head up and stares my direction... WTF!?!? :bash:

I wait till he turns, sneak in to 21 yds and send one into the bottom of his chest into a lung and cutting the jugular. It was finally over!!!

My original entry wound:

We quartered and dressed him out. My original shot centerpunched one lung and clipped the other... His esophagus was about 2/3 filled with coagulated blood. I don't know how he lived so long! Packout was the easiest I've ever had at about 25 minutes walking through the field and a few cold beers at the truck topped off an amazing weekend!

He's not the biggest, and I'd passed on stalking bucks like him the first few days... But the hunt turned out exactly as I'd hoped. Lot of hard hunting, pushing myself to get it done, got to experience the rediculous heart pounding adrenaline when you see a big buck heading your way, or think you hear one coming out of a draw into a shooting lane, goosebumps every morning on the drive in, and the thrill of seeing an arrow hit home on your first archery buck!

Sorry for being soo long winded, I know some people really enjoy the stories, for the others they can just skip the story and look at the pictures!

Mike

 

[YELUM]

Great read. Lots of exciting moments. Congrats on getting it done.

Yelum

 

[flyfishingak]

That's a great looking buck and nice story.

 

[kzkammo]

Cool story and nice buck

 

[Rem700]

I really love reading long stories on here. Nice job on getting it done.

 

[accubond]

Thanks for sharing, I enjoyed the whole thing.

"If a nation expects to be ignorant and free... it expects what never has and never will be." -Thomas Jefferson

 

[downhill]

Good job and a good read, nice buck, congrats.