LAST EDITED ON Nov-09-12 AT 02:58PM (MST)[p]LAST EDITED ON Nov-09-12 AT 02:30?PM (MST)
LAST EDITED ON Nov-09-12 AT 02:29?PM (MST)
LAST EDITED ON Nov-09-12 AT 02:28?PM (MST)
LAST EDITED ON Nov-09-12 AT 12:59?PM (MST)
LAST EDITED ON Nov-09-12 AT 12:57?PM (MST)
On Friday morning I dropped the kids off at school, picked up my buddy from the airport and we packed up the rig with all our gear. We made a stop for fuel and groceries. By the time we left ABQ it was 2 pm. We arrived at one of my favorite camping sites and to my surprise it was not taken. With 450 permits it seems every inch of that place was inhabited. With the kids in soccer scouting was out of the question. I know the area quite well since my Dad took me there many times (this was back in the day when it was over the counter) and the fact I have drawn the bow hunt a time or two. We figured if we didn't see many bucks the plan was to go into the canyons that are far from the road.
So, Friday night came and went. We woke up Saturday morning and I gave my buddy Norm a game plan and he was up for it. We were going to park on a gate and head into the canyon to spot then try a stalk. Well we saw about a half dozen trucks passed our camp and when we headed to our spot there were two trucks, one with two lil hunters and their dad. We didn't want to impose since they were there first so we let them be. My buddy remembered that he had not grabbed his DL so we were going to have to go back to camp. We weren't far so it wasn?t that big a deal; however, the sun was getting close to coming up so I was definitely getting antsy. When we got to camp we figured we would just walk from there. I had him go to one of my favorite areas, as he was my guest and helped me pack out my elk from the Gila this past year so I felt I owed it to him. He didn't know the area so I thought it would be a good place for him to get a start. I headed out of camp and walked about a mile and started glassing the meadows that I have hunted in the past. I saw deer in several spots on a hill. There were about a dozen or so. Does with a couple of forks. A couple of does and a fork busted out from behind me and joined the ones I was glassing. Down in a canyon I saw a deer walking with its head low. The way a deer with a big rack walks. I never got a good look as he was about 500 yds. out. He was about a half mile from another road and heading away from it. I formulated a plan to try and cut him off but in order to do so I had to skirt around the does and forks I was glassing. I was not 100% sure that the deer I was glassing didn't have a nice buck in it as I could only see about half of the deer?s heads. The other deer were in the trees and you could only see parts of them. With the weather being what it was I was pretty sure there wouldn't be a big buck hanging out with all those does. So I proceeded with the plan to go around and see if I could get a better look at the buck I saw from 500 yards. As I went around the deer I was previously glassing I spooked a fork and two does. I watched as they ran a few hundred yards and stopped and starred back at me. I watched them for about ten minutes and decided to head off in another direction. I then looked down below the hill and to my surprise was a buck 30 yds from me that I had a split second to make a decision to shoot or not. I shot my Wetherby with the Barnes TSX and the deer ran about 80 yards and stopped on edge of an arroyo. He didn't want to drop down into it as it was a 20ft drop straight down which ultimately was drop I had to take to pack him out. He paced back and forth till he couldn't go anymore and that's where I found him. I had to quarter him because he was about 2 miles from the nearest road and there was no way to get my game cart in. I tried packing the four quarters, backstrap, tenderloins and cape on my Badlands pack but it was a bit too much for me. I hung the front quarters and took the rest with me on the 20ft sled ride down to the bottom of the arroyo. Those who have hunted 2B know what I am talking about. After about a half mile of waking in the sand and over boulders I decided to drop a hind quarter so I hung it from a tree and gps?d it. I walked another half mile and dropped the last quarter. After making it to the road I still had a two mile hike back to camp. I was starting to tire by this time and was hoping for a ride. Not a single truck went by (Not a single road hunter) RARE. I dropped the pack on the side of the road and walked to camp with my rifle. I jumped in the truck and went back for the pack. I took the pack with the meat and put it on ice. My buddy showed up at this time and we grabbed the frame pack and headed out of camp to get the rest of the quarters out.
LAST EDITED ON Nov-09-12 AT 02:29?PM (MST)
LAST EDITED ON Nov-09-12 AT 02:28?PM (MST)
LAST EDITED ON Nov-09-12 AT 12:59?PM (MST)
LAST EDITED ON Nov-09-12 AT 12:57?PM (MST)
On Friday morning I dropped the kids off at school, picked up my buddy from the airport and we packed up the rig with all our gear. We made a stop for fuel and groceries. By the time we left ABQ it was 2 pm. We arrived at one of my favorite camping sites and to my surprise it was not taken. With 450 permits it seems every inch of that place was inhabited. With the kids in soccer scouting was out of the question. I know the area quite well since my Dad took me there many times (this was back in the day when it was over the counter) and the fact I have drawn the bow hunt a time or two. We figured if we didn't see many bucks the plan was to go into the canyons that are far from the road.
So, Friday night came and went. We woke up Saturday morning and I gave my buddy Norm a game plan and he was up for it. We were going to park on a gate and head into the canyon to spot then try a stalk. Well we saw about a half dozen trucks passed our camp and when we headed to our spot there were two trucks, one with two lil hunters and their dad. We didn't want to impose since they were there first so we let them be. My buddy remembered that he had not grabbed his DL so we were going to have to go back to camp. We weren't far so it wasn?t that big a deal; however, the sun was getting close to coming up so I was definitely getting antsy. When we got to camp we figured we would just walk from there. I had him go to one of my favorite areas, as he was my guest and helped me pack out my elk from the Gila this past year so I felt I owed it to him. He didn't know the area so I thought it would be a good place for him to get a start. I headed out of camp and walked about a mile and started glassing the meadows that I have hunted in the past. I saw deer in several spots on a hill. There were about a dozen or so. Does with a couple of forks. A couple of does and a fork busted out from behind me and joined the ones I was glassing. Down in a canyon I saw a deer walking with its head low. The way a deer with a big rack walks. I never got a good look as he was about 500 yds. out. He was about a half mile from another road and heading away from it. I formulated a plan to try and cut him off but in order to do so I had to skirt around the does and forks I was glassing. I was not 100% sure that the deer I was glassing didn't have a nice buck in it as I could only see about half of the deer?s heads. The other deer were in the trees and you could only see parts of them. With the weather being what it was I was pretty sure there wouldn't be a big buck hanging out with all those does. So I proceeded with the plan to go around and see if I could get a better look at the buck I saw from 500 yards. As I went around the deer I was previously glassing I spooked a fork and two does. I watched as they ran a few hundred yards and stopped and starred back at me. I watched them for about ten minutes and decided to head off in another direction. I then looked down below the hill and to my surprise was a buck 30 yds from me that I had a split second to make a decision to shoot or not. I shot my Wetherby with the Barnes TSX and the deer ran about 80 yards and stopped on edge of an arroyo. He didn't want to drop down into it as it was a 20ft drop straight down which ultimately was drop I had to take to pack him out. He paced back and forth till he couldn't go anymore and that's where I found him. I had to quarter him because he was about 2 miles from the nearest road and there was no way to get my game cart in. I tried packing the four quarters, backstrap, tenderloins and cape on my Badlands pack but it was a bit too much for me. I hung the front quarters and took the rest with me on the 20ft sled ride down to the bottom of the arroyo. Those who have hunted 2B know what I am talking about. After about a half mile of waking in the sand and over boulders I decided to drop a hind quarter so I hung it from a tree and gps?d it. I walked another half mile and dropped the last quarter. After making it to the road I still had a two mile hike back to camp. I was starting to tire by this time and was hoping for a ride. Not a single truck went by (Not a single road hunter) RARE. I dropped the pack on the side of the road and walked to camp with my rifle. I jumped in the truck and went back for the pack. I took the pack with the meat and put it on ice. My buddy showed up at this time and we grabbed the frame pack and headed out of camp to get the rest of the quarters out.
