Well, its been a tough and frustrating general hunt in SE Idaho. Multiple scouting trips yielded a few bucks, but nothing of any size. The season was spent hiking and glassing and only seeing a few little bucks. Some days I didn't even see a deer. On Oct. 24th, the general hunts around my home closed. I put my rifle away. Last weekend, a couple of my buddies talked me into going for a couple hour drive Sunday morning (10/30) to try a unit that was still open. I decided to give it one more try.
We got to the spot just as it was getting light and there was another rig already there. We spent some time looking around and turned up another pickup. It appeared that everyone was just driving around the many roads. We got out and headed in different directions hoping to bump something from the sage. About 10am my buddy bumped a forked horn and tagged him. The rest of us set out to hunt another area while he took care of his deer.
I wished there was more to the story, but after a couple hours of hiking I heard the thump of a deer. I turned and saw this dude boiling out of a sagebrush about 60 yards away. I had a going away shot at a flat out running buck, that was slightly quartering to the left. My first shot went in just in front of the last rib and pounded his lungs/chest. My second shot hit thin air
Just as I lost sight of him over a slight rise I saw his back end start to wobble. I moved forward and could see a sagebrush moving as he was kicking. A sweet sight.
He's not the biggest buck on the mountain, but given that it was noon on the last day I could hunt, on heavily roaded/heavily hunted public land with a general season tag, I couldn't be happier. He was the only live deer I saw Sunday and the biggest buck I have seen all year. It was about a mile drag and it was brutal. We also left the cameras at home so you get to see my front yard.
We got to the spot just as it was getting light and there was another rig already there. We spent some time looking around and turned up another pickup. It appeared that everyone was just driving around the many roads. We got out and headed in different directions hoping to bump something from the sage. About 10am my buddy bumped a forked horn and tagged him. The rest of us set out to hunt another area while he took care of his deer.
I wished there was more to the story, but after a couple hours of hiking I heard the thump of a deer. I turned and saw this dude boiling out of a sagebrush about 60 yards away. I had a going away shot at a flat out running buck, that was slightly quartering to the left. My first shot went in just in front of the last rib and pounded his lungs/chest. My second shot hit thin air
Just as I lost sight of him over a slight rise I saw his back end start to wobble. I moved forward and could see a sagebrush moving as he was kicking. A sweet sight.He's not the biggest buck on the mountain, but given that it was noon on the last day I could hunt, on heavily roaded/heavily hunted public land with a general season tag, I couldn't be happier. He was the only live deer I saw Sunday and the biggest buck I have seen all year. It was about a mile drag and it was brutal. We also left the cameras at home so you get to see my front yard.
