Pines_N_Tines
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Monster Muley friends, I think I just had the most amazing archery hunt of my life ... and I didn't have a tag. It's long but you don't have to read it unless you want to.
This was another year of the dreaded "UNSUCCESSFUL" notice. We didn't draw any of the 10 tags that I put in for my family. I had read about youth archery tags but didn't really want to bite the bullet and buy a new bow and tackle for my son. My best friend and hunting buddy had an archery tag for him and his 13 and 15 year olds. I decided to get a youth archery tag that was available OTC for the same unit he was hunting. I had to give up my hardly used bow to my 15-year-old son. I'm glad I did. After adjustments for draw length and weight, new-shorter arrows, and broad-heads the bow is now his. Darn now I "have" to get a new one for me next time I have an archery tag.
Because the youth tags don't get sold until the second week of July, there wasn't a lot of time to get my son ready. I told him to try to shoot every day. The week before the hunt found my son shooting so much that he pulled or tore a muscle between his shoulder blades. It made it very painful for him to draw back his bow.
With a couple days off from shooting we found ourselves in camp the night before the opener. He shot several arrows and said it hurt but was bearable. On opening morning we put my buddies two boys and my son about 80 yards apart on a wooded hill side. We have learned this spot to be the prime escape route for most deer in the valley. My buddy stayed with the boys and I did about a 1.5 mile loop to push deer their way.
I had no tag, but had a nice deep fork 4 point at 10 yards, broadside looking away from me. On the push, I saw 20 bucks including 5 four points. This is a general unit and the deer seem to be rebounding. Our strategy worked, sort of. My son was lowest on the hill. He had a tall heavy 3 point at 70 yards. My buddies sons were above him watching as my son tried to close the distance for a shot. They were too intent to notice the 4 point that had wandered up to 14 yards behind them. They couldn't turn, draw or get a shot off before he busted out of there.
In the mean time my son drew back on the three point and felt the muscle in his back tweak. As he let the bow off, the buck busted out of there. We all sat for a couple hours and had a two point and a spike wander in. The thirteen-year-old was the buck virgin in the group so we tried to get him to stock and shoot, but no dice. Super fun to watch though.
On our way back to camp for lunch we blew two more 4 points and a two point from their beds. We were all ecstatic about the potential for the afternoon hunt.
At camp as we were eating lunch, my 73-year-old father drove into camp. We had no idea he would come. The last time he came into camp unannounced, I shot a 196 5/8 5x6 buck. He is now a good luck charm and must show up unannounced on all hunts.
After lunch, and a rest until 3:00pm we decided to have my buddy take his boys back to the escape crossing. This time I would take my son with me on the push route, but he couldn't draw his bow back. We practiced a few times with me supporting his forearm and pulling his elbow back. He could hold the bow with let-off and still shoot accurately. After several shots, my father drove us up to a high point to save some hiking.
Not too far into the push we kicked up two bedded does. Another hundred yards into the aspens we kicked up a third bedded doe. I whispered to my son, "be ready, I know there are more deer bedded in here". Fifteen yards farther and my son and I both saw antler tips at the same time. I had a large aspen partially blocking my view, but I could see the four point side of his buck which was sleeping in a deer bed. As my son put the range finder down (31 yards) the buck stood up. Adrenalin kicked in and I didn't have to help him draw his bow back. His arrow flew and the buck dropped in his bed without taking a step. We saw the bushes thrashing for about 45 seconds then nothing. I told him with archery you need to wait to be sure the buck is dead before go after it. We didn't have to wait but 2 minutes until we could see the antlers still as can be, and knew the buck was dead.
Here's my son and his buck.
As I gutted and began the quartering/caping job, my son hiked out to the four wheeler and went down to camp for meat packs and grandpa. Grandpa came into the kill site and we got to share a special moment as I completed the cleaning/packing. Here's the pack out.
Here's me and my son at the four wheeler.
Here's my son and his grandpa. What an awesome experience that was able to be shared by three generations.
This was another year of the dreaded "UNSUCCESSFUL" notice. We didn't draw any of the 10 tags that I put in for my family. I had read about youth archery tags but didn't really want to bite the bullet and buy a new bow and tackle for my son. My best friend and hunting buddy had an archery tag for him and his 13 and 15 year olds. I decided to get a youth archery tag that was available OTC for the same unit he was hunting. I had to give up my hardly used bow to my 15-year-old son. I'm glad I did. After adjustments for draw length and weight, new-shorter arrows, and broad-heads the bow is now his. Darn now I "have" to get a new one for me next time I have an archery tag.
Because the youth tags don't get sold until the second week of July, there wasn't a lot of time to get my son ready. I told him to try to shoot every day. The week before the hunt found my son shooting so much that he pulled or tore a muscle between his shoulder blades. It made it very painful for him to draw back his bow.
With a couple days off from shooting we found ourselves in camp the night before the opener. He shot several arrows and said it hurt but was bearable. On opening morning we put my buddies two boys and my son about 80 yards apart on a wooded hill side. We have learned this spot to be the prime escape route for most deer in the valley. My buddy stayed with the boys and I did about a 1.5 mile loop to push deer their way.
I had no tag, but had a nice deep fork 4 point at 10 yards, broadside looking away from me. On the push, I saw 20 bucks including 5 four points. This is a general unit and the deer seem to be rebounding. Our strategy worked, sort of. My son was lowest on the hill. He had a tall heavy 3 point at 70 yards. My buddies sons were above him watching as my son tried to close the distance for a shot. They were too intent to notice the 4 point that had wandered up to 14 yards behind them. They couldn't turn, draw or get a shot off before he busted out of there.
In the mean time my son drew back on the three point and felt the muscle in his back tweak. As he let the bow off, the buck busted out of there. We all sat for a couple hours and had a two point and a spike wander in. The thirteen-year-old was the buck virgin in the group so we tried to get him to stock and shoot, but no dice. Super fun to watch though.
On our way back to camp for lunch we blew two more 4 points and a two point from their beds. We were all ecstatic about the potential for the afternoon hunt.
At camp as we were eating lunch, my 73-year-old father drove into camp. We had no idea he would come. The last time he came into camp unannounced, I shot a 196 5/8 5x6 buck. He is now a good luck charm and must show up unannounced on all hunts.
After lunch, and a rest until 3:00pm we decided to have my buddy take his boys back to the escape crossing. This time I would take my son with me on the push route, but he couldn't draw his bow back. We practiced a few times with me supporting his forearm and pulling his elbow back. He could hold the bow with let-off and still shoot accurately. After several shots, my father drove us up to a high point to save some hiking.
Not too far into the push we kicked up two bedded does. Another hundred yards into the aspens we kicked up a third bedded doe. I whispered to my son, "be ready, I know there are more deer bedded in here". Fifteen yards farther and my son and I both saw antler tips at the same time. I had a large aspen partially blocking my view, but I could see the four point side of his buck which was sleeping in a deer bed. As my son put the range finder down (31 yards) the buck stood up. Adrenalin kicked in and I didn't have to help him draw his bow back. His arrow flew and the buck dropped in his bed without taking a step. We saw the bushes thrashing for about 45 seconds then nothing. I told him with archery you need to wait to be sure the buck is dead before go after it. We didn't have to wait but 2 minutes until we could see the antlers still as can be, and knew the buck was dead.
Here's my son and his buck.
As I gutted and began the quartering/caping job, my son hiked out to the four wheeler and went down to camp for meat packs and grandpa. Grandpa came into the kill site and we got to share a special moment as I completed the cleaning/packing. Here's the pack out.
Here's me and my son at the four wheeler.
Here's my son and his grandpa. What an awesome experience that was able to be shared by three generations.
