OutdoorDude15
New Member
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- 4
This was my 2017 buck on an OTC open hunt. I know he is not the biggest deer in the forest but my first buck. I had found a group of good bucks during the archery season looking for elk earlier in the season. I knew I wanted to go back in there once rifle season opened to try and find the group again. My dad and I started hiking before dark along a ridge toward the canyon I wanted to get into. However right up the draw below us rushed three other hunters with headlamps we could see heading to the meadow below we were going to cross. I decided we would just change our plans and work side hill into the canyon til we were able to see in better. We finally reached a spot just at dawn to sit and glass the opposite ridge as well as the into the canyon. My dad spotted two deer about 3 saddles over which we could tell were bucks. The deer dropped just over the next saddle and we decided to work over that way to see if we could get on top of them. Once we got there the deer were no where to be found. After eating our lunch we decided to work toward the top and just move along that ridge line. We had gone about 20 yards up when I saw two bucks grazing right near the top at about 250-300 yards. I alerted my dad who was about 10 steps in front of me and we were able to hunker down below a lone pine tree on the hillside. After catching up to my dad he told me set up on his back while he was on all fours. He was returning the favor as I had done the same for him with his cow the previous year. Once I found the deer in my scope I wasn't sure which was the bigger one until this one lifted his head. He was grazing just behind some brush before he presented a shot. When he did I took my first shot which was a solid hit that turned the deer around before a second one put him down right on the ridge top. It was a pretty good pack out but well worth it. I finally got my buck.
