Buckstomp!!!!!!!!

BUCKSPY

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I got a call from a close friend of mine last week telling me of a spectacular buck that he had been watching. He also said that there were in his words, "A whole pile of bucks in there." My curiosity got the best of me after his third conversation about it and I decided to take a run over to Grand Junction to check it out.

We slept out on the mountain under the stars that night and were up at first light with visions of monster bucks on our minds. Teased by does and small bucks darting across the road on the drive in, I couldn't wait to lay my eyes on this monarch.

A group of bucks were spotted on the skyline about 500 yards off the road silohetted against orange and blue sunrise. We kept spotting group after group of bucks ranging in number from singles all the way up to 12 in a bunch. The most impressive thing about the morning was representation throughout the age-classes from fork-in-horns to some serious studly monster bucks.

We spotted over fifty bucks that morning all within 1 square mile area! Lots of them over 170 gross. Several bucks were over the 180 mark and 4 would probably break 190 gross and one of those would have been over the 200"s mark .

I don't throw around scores lightly, like some, and it takes a heck of a buck to break 190 gross in my eyes. Whats even more amazing is we didn't see the biggest one they had been watching that morning and my two buddies who have taken atleast a half dozen gross 200 plus bucks between them said he blew all the other ones away. I'm definately going back soon to take a look again and hopefully be lucky enough to see him. The best buck we saw that morning was a heavy horned 30 plus incher with a good typical frame and a couple of inline extras and a loopy forked cheater on his right. Another was a 30-32 inch typical with an extra fork in each of his back forks about 3 inches long.

A few particulars about the area. Its within a 50 mile radius of Grand Junction. Its public land. Its aspen and oakbrush transition with sage hillsides and grassy meadows. Its a historical producer of great bucks and takes a point or two to draw. (I don't know why you still have ten points and haven't gone hunting yet) The area is overun with archers and gun hunters and yet the old bucks are there now but will probably dissapear the first weekend of archery season. There isn't enough info here to figure out were it is and I'm not telling.

It was absolutely, unequivocally AWESOME SIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anybody else have any buckstomp stories from this summer?
 
I know the area you're talking about Bucky. I've hunted it a few times with bow and arrow. I know a buckstomp like it and I've talked to you about it but sure don't have much to say here about it. I'm still trying to get a tag there. Takes more and more points every year. I'd like to see some photos of the monster you're looking for. Good luck, Steve
 
Truely amazing story. I havent found that place in my travels but just knowing its out there is enough to keep searching. Thanks for the story BUCKSPY.
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Later, Brandon
 
Sounds like an awesome sight! Kind of makes you wonder though, with all the pressure if a spot with a smaller pocket of bucks that doesent get chased around that much would be better come opening day of hunting season. A big group like that has to garner a lot of attention from a lot of people... maybe not though, if you go about it right.

I know the feeling though... I had the same kind of deal last summer soaking in the high country sights, seeing some little to middling ones here and there, then boom, finding a place where I could see 30 bucks in several groups, within 2 miles of this one spot.. Didn't see any forkys there, though... :) . I was just bopping around, not really expect stumbling onto a muley summer range nirvana. It was enough to send me over the edge, and all but drain my little hunting fund, by investing in a better spotting scope. Pretty bummed about not being able to go back there this summer to see the latest developments, see who was still around, and seehow much bigger the bign's got this year. Even more bummed about not going on any out of state big game trips this year too. Cry me a river.
 
Come on Buckspy, give us some of the eye candy. We know you have pics, maybe just post one of the "Non-Commercial" pics.

The only way I'll ever get a fork cheater buck will be to glue a 2 point antler on one of my Typicals.
 
Times like that don't come along often but when they do its magical and something you'll never forget. The best morning I ever had of scouting was several years ago on public land in central Colorado. Sitting on a ridge glassing out into a big sage flat. First I see one buck, then another, and another. When the counting was done there were 38 deer in one small bowl, all bucks. There were 3-4 book deer in the group including the biggest deer I've ever seen alive that was pushing 270! A few MM guys know the deer I'm talking about as he was somewhat of a local legend in that area.

Also 2 weeks ago I was up in the area I am hunting this year and found 34 bucks in 2 hours time, including 2 definite keepers... yes I have pics :)
 
Most of the bucks we watched were between 600-1000 yards away and I didn't take any photos. My buddy has some bigger glass than I do(800mm 5.6 with a 1.4 teleconvertor= roughly 22 power glass) and he got some shots of one nice buck. I didn't want to disturb them and try to get closer for a shot because he might be trying to bowhunt them in a couple weeks and we all agreed that they vacate the area come the archery opener. They didn't get that big by not knowing when the times up. THere are times when a guy should just take a "there he is" type photoand not worry about quality and I should have in retrospect, just to have something to look back on. And yes. I am going back for another look-see.

NBJBSKEPTICALHUNTERMAN-Its not that hard to believe if you consider the source. I've seen a nice buck or two in the past and have no alterior motives for story fabrication. Plus the only skill involved in me seeing those deer was not getting in an accident on the drive over. My buddies found them not me.
 
Now I am skeptical of the story.ha Buckspy not taking pictures?? That is just as odd as if Cass showed up WITH pictures.

I have never been in an open area where there was that quantity and quality. I have seen over 50 bucks in one open area in a day but the biggest was maybe 180 (beleive it or not that was in Utah). I was on the Henry Mountains in 1999, the year before it opened. That was an amazing experience. Multiple 200" deer and tons of mature 150-180 bucks. It was like going to a zoo.
 
You guys (BS & DK in particular) certainly are blessed to be able to see critters like that close to home, and even more so this close to the season. Zero in on em and lets see some whacked pics in a month or two, OK? I'll try to do my part when I get there, but scouting is something I'll only have a day or two to do. Go git em..
 
DeerKing, You're Killing Me! I haven't had my horn porn satisfaction in a while!
BTW: Is this the area that you and Myke and I think one other guy are SmokePole hunting this year? I've been talking a lot w/ Myke on email, hope his knee gets better!

Michael~All Gods creatures welcome... right next to the mashed potatoes and gravy.
 
Myke hopes his knee gets better, too. Thanks for the kind wishes.

Unfortunately, I won't have the pleasure of deer hunting this year with mountain billys like DK, but it sure sounds to me like there's more than one place in Colorado that has buckets of bucks running together. Good news!!!!!!
 
MichaelJ
Neither me or BS are hunting either of the areas where I saw the 270 buck or where BS viewed all the big deer. I'll be heading back to the ol standby place where I saw the 34 2 weeks ago, the same place that has been very good to me for many years. Best of luck on your deer quest.
 
i'm glad to hear such a place still exists even in Colorado, I've never had the blessing of seeing so many bucks let alone onsters in one place....you guys are truely blessed...I'm driving 1400 miles this year in hope's to see a buckstomp for myself, whish me God's speed you lucky muley nuts...
 
Jeff, I sent you an email. Best of luck this year!

Michael~All Gods creatures welcome... right next to the mashed potatoes and gravy.
 
No buck stompings here, but a moose stomping all most occured last Sun. to make a short story shorter it was hot, walking on a trail, trail went by beaver pond, dog went to lay down in pond, a one horned moose came charging out of willows, dog being used to livestock didn't move until moose was right about to stomp him, moose reclaims pond and lays down.

Buckspy, shouldn't you be spending your time looking for some other type of horned animals.

NJMB, If BS says he seen a SL of bucks its probally not BS.
 
Like what? A desert ram? Its too damn hot down there in the summer and I'm a real puss when it gets over 80 degrees.

You sure have your share of dog stories, eh?
 
Yea, he's really got into a bad luck streak in the past year. He's getting old fast and only has a couple seasons left, hopefully he'll make it until his replacement is ready to take over the bird finding dutys. Oct. can't get here soon enough the heat sucks.
 
The closest thing that I have witnessed to a "buckstomp" like you all have desribed took place 2 years ago on the winter range.There was a dusting of snow the night before and I knew that the deer would be holed up on one of the lower ridges,so my brother and I headed out early the next morning to go and set up and glass the ridge.Sure enough when we got to our glassing point we started seeing bucks everywhere.It seemed like there was a buck or two under every oak tree on the ridge.At one time there were 23 bucks in the field of view through my spotting scope.

None of theme were of the caliber like BuckSpy has described but there were a few keepers in there that were 24",still awesome bucks for central California.
 
my honey hole is a sage brush draw that has produced all my biggest bucks i've hunted this 1/4 mile long draw for 17 yrs now and it has had 7 bucks every year tell now this year there are only 6.
the draw got wiped out last year during rifle season the bucks that i let pass with my bow got shot by rifles.
there was a beutyful 6x6 that stood in front of me at 30 yards for a half hour but he was young and thin horned i decided to let him grow and kept after the 180" typical i had been seeing.
the 6x6 was taken opening day of the gun season and the 180 was taken by a 14 yr old kid the second day.
this year the buck we called two forks and a spoon is back but his good side has not gotten good this year and the spoon side is a fork that hangs down below his head.
i could have shot that buck down in salt and pepper canyon on opening day of rifle season but didn't due to the drag out. if he was good on both sides i would have shot him. this year he really gotten a pot belly and a sway back he needs taken befor he dies of old age.
the biggest buck this year is about 27 or 8 wide and tall but is crab forked on the fronts. there is anouther 5x5 that looks good and heavy but not real tall or wide.
i'm not as excited as most years due to not getting my elk tag and not seeing any bucks that trip my trigger.
for the first time in 20 yrs i'm scouting new teratory looking for a 170 or better buck. i know of a 32"3x3 that i might get after if i can get on the privete land.
hope you guys all have better luck then i've had so far this year
 
Sounds like a great place. I'm glad to hear stories like that. It makes me think that maybe we are in a cycle and the big muleys are back on the upswing. I belive what you say BUCKSPY and know that DK doesn't blow smoke either.

We have a place like that on public lands in Wyoming. You can easily see 15+ bucks just driving around in August and several will be solid. The bucks get run off in bow season, and come rifle season, there are a few dumb (and soon dead) yearlings.

I've seen 50+ bucks in a day, but not with the quality you are talking about. And it is always on private lands.

I'll hope to see some pics of archery kills in a few weeks.
 
Don't kid yourself... DK blows smoke! It is just the first hour of the CO Mule Deer Muzz season each year! :)

Theodore Roosevelt once said, "The nation behaves well if it treats the natural resources as assets which it must turn over to the next generation, INCREASED and NOT IMPAIRED in value."
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