Opening Day Archery Success in South Dakota

WiscoKid

Active Member
Messages
314
Well the trip I was looking forward to the most this year was over and done pretty quickly. This is my 4th year in a row hunting south dakota and this is my 4th buck I have taken. This is my best one to date, so I thought I'd share! We arrived before light early Friday morning and we were going to spend the entire day scouting the area I typically hunt as well as a plan B and C as I figured the early opener would have hunting pressure up. We turned this buck up early Friday morning at about 8:30 with a few of his friends. We watched them feed and got some pretty good pictures of him and left him in the canyon that we found him in. We walked all over some BLM and walk in access areas and did turn up a few 160 bucks but thought our best bet was to hang with the area I knew best, that held this buck and two or three other shooters (for us anyway). Opening morning was pretty exciting with a few bachelor groups of good bucks feeding and moving together but always staying out of range about 75-150 yards. We scoured a few canyons and just after lunch, in 45-50 mph winds I peaked off a canyon ledge and found this wide guy bedded with his back to the cliff wall and his face to a boulder the size of a 3/4 ton pick up truck. He was about 25 feet below me and thought he was completely hidden out of the wind.

I ranged him below me, and it was 16 yards, shoot for 12. I drew back on him as he lay in his bed, but with the angle of the deer and the 45 mph wind, there was no way I could hold my pins steady. I didnt want to risk single lunging a bedded deer, so i decided to wait him out. An hour and a half passed, where I didnt take my eyes off the bedded buck. I watched him fall asleep, and jolt himself awake like an old man in an easy chair. Finally, as fell asleep, his antlers started to tilt down toward the ground as he passed out, when his antlers finally touched the dirt, he jolted awake and sat upright. A few seconds later he rose to his feet to stretch, I drew back and anchored the pin low on his heart. I squeezed the trigger into the wind and I zipped a full metal jacket 400 through both lungs, he tore out of his bed, bright red blood running down both sides of his body, he only ran about 75 yards before stopping, looking back and flopping over dead. It was a highly anticipatory shot that I was super thankful it worked out. He's my best mule deer with a bow and I couldn't be happier with him. The second best part is I didnt even have to use any vacation from work, because I'm back home in Wisconsin, ready to go back to work on Tuesday...if I want to :)

9947820180831073316.jpg


5473020180831073119.jpg


91008img20180901134722.jpg


87373img20180901134252.jpg


59177img20180901134735.jpg


74701img20180902103118.jpg


38128img20180903094716.jpg
 
I forgot to mention, I didn't realize it was the same buck, as he had shed his velvet in less than 24 hours, and definitely threw me for a loop. He was the only hard horned buck we saw the whole trip.
 
Congrats Wisco. The waiting game can be tough.

Looks like the young man can't wait to get out there with you!
 
I hope you like company because we will all be hunting in South Dakota next year. Thanks for the tip. ;-) joking of course.
 
Nice job! Way to represent Wisconsin with a nice muley! ( I'm from Wi too) Like that pic of your boy with the rack, does he want it in his room!? My 5 year old always says he wants my mounts in his room
 
>Nice job! Way to represent Wisconsin
>with a nice muley! (
>I'm from Wi too) Like
>that pic of your boy
>with the rack, does he
>want it in his room!?
>My 5 year old always
>says he wants my mounts
>in his room


Yup! He asked that exact thing and he's been telling everyone it's going in his room
 
Good for you WiscoKid! You did great!

Brian Latturner
MonsterMuleys.com
@mm_founder on Instagram
LIKE MonsterMuleys.com
on Facebook!
 
Great buck, and a fun hunt too..!! I remember waiting out a buck with my bow in hand in 2007. He was a tall 4x5. Sitting, waiting for him to move was both thrilling and exhausting. Unfortunately for me, my buck had a little brother with him that I didn't see and he saw me and took off, taking what I thought was going to be my first trophy buck with him...

I'm glad yours worked out better than mine. Thanks for sharing.!!


"Therefore, wo be unto him that is at ease in Zion!" 2 Ne. 28: 24
 
Dan that's a awesome buck. I love the herd picture. I guess I'm Going to start calling you DAN THE MAN.
Maybe next year I will come back and hunt them Muley's with you.

"I have found if you go the extra mile it's Never crowded".
>[Font][Font color = "green"]Life member of
>the MM green signature club.[font/]
 

Click-a-Pic ... Details & Bigger Photos
Back
Top Bottom