quest
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I don't make it a habit to miss opening day but when I got off work to pack my things I happened to look at my tag and realized that opening day had already taken place and my stepson and I would be arriving one day late! Man, were we disappointed! Prior to my hunt I had been checking out Monster Muley?s Forum Website and had posted a help message with any one willing to offer assistance with Unit 18b. I received some really good info from Fugitive and 264x300. I had purchased a $50 map (You?d think it was made of gold for that price) only to find out after the fact, it was missing the area of interest?thank goodness the place of purchase made good on it later and gave me the missing puzzle piece. Fugitive offered to get together to help me with my Quest. He told me to bring my map so we could go over the area. Prior to my meeting with Fugitive, my wife and I had done some scouting. We covered a lot of ground and actually got lost in the process on some back roads. We had a lot of fun seeing the country. We saw one Antelope, a few Donkeys and only six Does. Needless to say, we weren't feeling real excited about this Unit! 264x300 told me not to worry because the Bucks do come down during hunting season. So, I later made a third trip to the area to visit Fugitive. During the course of our conversation, I mentioned certain areas in the lower part of the Unit that looked good. He agreed with me and suggested I couldn't go wrong to focus in that area. He did point out there would definitely be a lot of Deer and Elk hunters on top of the unit.
So, we packed up our things and headed out. We arrived to the spot I had wanted to hunt and then we took off and arrived to the area of interest overlooking a small canyon. We sat there waiting for the sun to come up. Finally it became light enough to do some serious glassing. I lifted up my ?Minox? 15x58 binoculars and placed them on my shooting sticks, did a quick sweep of the area and slowly began checking things out. My stepson waited patiently (this being his very first hunt). There was a plateau off to my right, with some scattered trees on it. It dropped right off into the canyon in front of me. Where the plateau and canyon meet there was also some rim rock country. I thought to myself, ?man, this sure looks good!? While glassing back at the top of the plateau where the trees were, off to my right, about a thousand yards away, I could see some deer walking and eating toward the canyon wall in the trees. As far as I could tell, they were just does. So I continued to look to my left to check out the other side, but saw nothing. I decided to go back and re-check the does I had spotted earlier. All of a sudden I saw a buck there between the does! He was making his way toward the canyon. I put my binoculars down and told my step-son there's a nice buck over there, let's go get him! I could tell he was very excited so off we went through the cactus and rocks! I pointed to him where I thought we should stop to take a better look. We arrived to that area and once again began to glass. As I was looking?the does came out first and were heading down a draw into the canyon just below the rim rocks. A few minutes later, out came that buck! I couldn't believe my eyes! His horns were way past his ears! I dropped my glasses and informed my stepson, ?I've got to kill that buck!? I could see the disappointment on my stepson?s face. At that moment I began to realize how privileged I have been to have taken some pretty big bucks in my day?.so I began to convince myself this one was maybe no more than a 24 inch buck and said to my stepson, ?Ok, go ahead and take this buck but I'll probably regret it later.? I pulled out my Leica Range Finder and ranged him at 760 yards. I told my stepson?we are just too far and have to get closer! I ranged an area in front of us at 400 yards and told him we have to reach that point in order to be in shooting range. We made it to the spot and situated ourselves under a Juniper tree. By then the buck had made his way down the draw, below the rim rocks on the side of the canyon- wall facing us and there he stood broadside. I ranged him this time at 350 yards. I asked my stepson if he could see him. He said, ?I can't see him!? While pointing in that direction, I replied, ?He?s standing broadside between two big oak bushes!?. My stepson then informed me he'd forgotten his prescription eye glasses and therefore could not get that buck in focus. I then said, ?You?ve got to be kidding me!? My stepson then replied, ?I'm serious, so?.You Shoot That Buck!? So I anxiously took my shooting sticks out, loaded my rifle and put it on safety. By now the buck was turned facing directly at me. All I had was a chest shot. I put the buck in between my 300 and 400 yard dot on my scope and jerked the trigger! Thank Goodness the Safety was on! After I regained my composure, I pushed the safety off and squeezed the trigger. After the shot fired?the buck walked right over to a tree and began to rake his horns against a tree as if to fight with it! I threw in another round, took aim and fired! This time I heard the WACK! I could see he was limping on his left front leg. He turned, limped down this hill a short distance, stopped again and was looking straight at me. I threw in another round and fired at him again! I could hear the WACK again as he plowed down through some rocks! I lost sight of him but I was sure he was down for the count! My stepson spotted him lying down near some cactus below a Juniper tree. I began to glass the area and at that moment I couldn't believe my eyes?standing there in almost the exact spot where I had just shot my buck was a Large Forky with tall horns! I said to my stepson, ?There?s another buck standing in the same spot! Can you see him?? He said, ?No.? Then all of a sudden while we were talking this new buck began walking around the side of the canyon wall away from us. I said, ?Let's go?we can cut him off on the other side and we'll look for my buck as we come back around.? So we headed out attempting to get ahead of where we thought the buck might be. I had my stepson walk in front of me so he could fill his tag. Next, we had to drop down over some rim rocks to the canyon wall. As we made our way back around where we thought my buck might be, my stepson said, ?I think your buck is laying down right about there?. I got my range finder out, ranged the area and found it was 450 yards from where I first took the shot so I knew we had to walk another 100 yards. We made it to the spot where I thought I had hit the buck. We found blood leading down the canyon wall. As I looked down below I could see his horns sticking up in a cactus plant. Just then, as I turned around to look at my stepson, I caught a glimpse of that other buck running along side of the canyon wall with a doe. I yelled to my stepson, ?There goes that buck, SHOOT HIM!? That buck was trotting along when my stepson fired but just missed him (dead center but low). He tried two more times but he was just too far out . Just then my stepson looked down at my buck and commented, ?That buck of yours is still alive!? I said, ?No Way!? I looked closer and realized his horns were actually moving. I then, threw another round in my rifle and gave him a final goodbye. As we walked down the hill to check him out?his horns kept on getting bigger and bigger. He now went from a 3 point to a 4 point and upon our final arrival we found him to be a whopping 5 point! I picked up his beautiful head and about had a heart attack! I started shaking and tears came into my eyes! This is the widest buck I've ever killed! I remembered I had a tape measure in my fanny pack. Straight across he measured to be almost 30 inches. My stepson and I shook hands and started yelling. After I had calmed down, I tagged him, taught my stepson how to cape him out, de bone him and I packed him out. After looking back?everything just seem to fall into place with a lot of luck!
So, we packed up our things and headed out. We arrived to the spot I had wanted to hunt and then we took off and arrived to the area of interest overlooking a small canyon. We sat there waiting for the sun to come up. Finally it became light enough to do some serious glassing. I lifted up my ?Minox? 15x58 binoculars and placed them on my shooting sticks, did a quick sweep of the area and slowly began checking things out. My stepson waited patiently (this being his very first hunt). There was a plateau off to my right, with some scattered trees on it. It dropped right off into the canyon in front of me. Where the plateau and canyon meet there was also some rim rock country. I thought to myself, ?man, this sure looks good!? While glassing back at the top of the plateau where the trees were, off to my right, about a thousand yards away, I could see some deer walking and eating toward the canyon wall in the trees. As far as I could tell, they were just does. So I continued to look to my left to check out the other side, but saw nothing. I decided to go back and re-check the does I had spotted earlier. All of a sudden I saw a buck there between the does! He was making his way toward the canyon. I put my binoculars down and told my step-son there's a nice buck over there, let's go get him! I could tell he was very excited so off we went through the cactus and rocks! I pointed to him where I thought we should stop to take a better look. We arrived to that area and once again began to glass. As I was looking?the does came out first and were heading down a draw into the canyon just below the rim rocks. A few minutes later, out came that buck! I couldn't believe my eyes! His horns were way past his ears! I dropped my glasses and informed my stepson, ?I've got to kill that buck!? I could see the disappointment on my stepson?s face. At that moment I began to realize how privileged I have been to have taken some pretty big bucks in my day?.so I began to convince myself this one was maybe no more than a 24 inch buck and said to my stepson, ?Ok, go ahead and take this buck but I'll probably regret it later.? I pulled out my Leica Range Finder and ranged him at 760 yards. I told my stepson?we are just too far and have to get closer! I ranged an area in front of us at 400 yards and told him we have to reach that point in order to be in shooting range. We made it to the spot and situated ourselves under a Juniper tree. By then the buck had made his way down the draw, below the rim rocks on the side of the canyon- wall facing us and there he stood broadside. I ranged him this time at 350 yards. I asked my stepson if he could see him. He said, ?I can't see him!? While pointing in that direction, I replied, ?He?s standing broadside between two big oak bushes!?. My stepson then informed me he'd forgotten his prescription eye glasses and therefore could not get that buck in focus. I then said, ?You?ve got to be kidding me!? My stepson then replied, ?I'm serious, so?.You Shoot That Buck!? So I anxiously took my shooting sticks out, loaded my rifle and put it on safety. By now the buck was turned facing directly at me. All I had was a chest shot. I put the buck in between my 300 and 400 yard dot on my scope and jerked the trigger! Thank Goodness the Safety was on! After I regained my composure, I pushed the safety off and squeezed the trigger. After the shot fired?the buck walked right over to a tree and began to rake his horns against a tree as if to fight with it! I threw in another round, took aim and fired! This time I heard the WACK! I could see he was limping on his left front leg. He turned, limped down this hill a short distance, stopped again and was looking straight at me. I threw in another round and fired at him again! I could hear the WACK again as he plowed down through some rocks! I lost sight of him but I was sure he was down for the count! My stepson spotted him lying down near some cactus below a Juniper tree. I began to glass the area and at that moment I couldn't believe my eyes?standing there in almost the exact spot where I had just shot my buck was a Large Forky with tall horns! I said to my stepson, ?There?s another buck standing in the same spot! Can you see him?? He said, ?No.? Then all of a sudden while we were talking this new buck began walking around the side of the canyon wall away from us. I said, ?Let's go?we can cut him off on the other side and we'll look for my buck as we come back around.? So we headed out attempting to get ahead of where we thought the buck might be. I had my stepson walk in front of me so he could fill his tag. Next, we had to drop down over some rim rocks to the canyon wall. As we made our way back around where we thought my buck might be, my stepson said, ?I think your buck is laying down right about there?. I got my range finder out, ranged the area and found it was 450 yards from where I first took the shot so I knew we had to walk another 100 yards. We made it to the spot where I thought I had hit the buck. We found blood leading down the canyon wall. As I looked down below I could see his horns sticking up in a cactus plant. Just then, as I turned around to look at my stepson, I caught a glimpse of that other buck running along side of the canyon wall with a doe. I yelled to my stepson, ?There goes that buck, SHOOT HIM!? That buck was trotting along when my stepson fired but just missed him (dead center but low). He tried two more times but he was just too far out . Just then my stepson looked down at my buck and commented, ?That buck of yours is still alive!? I said, ?No Way!? I looked closer and realized his horns were actually moving. I then, threw another round in my rifle and gave him a final goodbye. As we walked down the hill to check him out?his horns kept on getting bigger and bigger. He now went from a 3 point to a 4 point and upon our final arrival we found him to be a whopping 5 point! I picked up his beautiful head and about had a heart attack! I started shaking and tears came into my eyes! This is the widest buck I've ever killed! I remembered I had a tape measure in my fanny pack. Straight across he measured to be almost 30 inches. My stepson and I shook hands and started yelling. After I had calmed down, I tagged him, taught my stepson how to cape him out, de bone him and I packed him out. After looking back?everything just seem to fall into place with a lot of luck!
