C
claallen
Guest
I had three different deer in mind and could have harvested any of the three opening morning. There Was a wide, a heavy and a 190" typ without eyeguards. I really did not like the 190 after he shed his velvet. So my options were the heavy or the wide. After looking through the pictures of them all I noticed that the wide was by far the largest bodied deer of them all which made me think he was probally the oldest. After watching them for 3 more days the wide still had his velvet and I had always wanted a velvet buck. The heavy was a 7X8 that had tons of mass and palminated and bladed. On the night before opening morning I watched the bucks until dark and had made up my mind. If the wide still had velvet in the morning I would try to harvest him. As the sun came up the first buck I saw was the 190" buck without eyeguards. I ranged him at just over 300 yrds. I sat glassing for another ten minutes and as the basin floor started to lighten up I found the wide buck with all his velvet still intact. A few minutes later I spotted the heavy buck bedded about 30 yrds behind the wide. I started getting concerned that someone else was going to push into the basin and blow the deer out of there so I made a quick hike around to the easiest access to the deer. As I made my way around the hill I noticed the wide and the heavy were up feeding. At this point I lost all rationality and sat down and ranged the buck. He was at 480yrds. Now I do practice at 500 yrds all the time but not at a 80 degree slope. Long story short I missed not once but three times. I did not take the angle into concideration. While I regained my rational thinking I watched the buck disappear into the timber and down further in the basin. I gave it about 15 minutes and went to the last place I seen him. I stayed above the cliffs and just inched my way through the timber. I started noticing a few does and fawns feeding so I started glassing after every step. I went over a small knoll and noticed a big velvet rack feeding away from me at 70 yrds. I picked up my riffle and confirmed that it was the buck I was looking for and shot. Before the buck hit the ground I put an insurance shot into him. When I started moving him around to take pictures he went another 20yrds down the mountain. Then when I started caping him he went another 20 yrds down the mountain. 4 hours later he was caped and boned and back at camp. Then a 4 hour hike the next morning he was at the truck. Which one would you have taken?
Here is the 190" buck
http://inlinethumb56.webshots.com/46967/2005672340045296783S425x425Q85.jpg[/IMG][/URL]
http://inlinethumb06.webshots.com/16837/2523578760045296783S425x425Q85.jpg[/IMG][/URL]
Here is Mr. Heavy
http://inlinethumb01.webshots.com/46976/2376902230045296783S425x425Q85.jpg[/IMG][/URL]
http://inlinethumb20.webshots.com/19411/2175625780045296783S425x425Q85.jpg[/IMG][/URL]
http://inlinethumb41.webshots.com/39656/2657722610045296783S425x425Q85.jpg[/IMG][/URL]
And Wide Willie
http://inlinethumb52.webshots.com/11571/2139404980045296783S425x425Q85.jpg[/IMG][/URL]
http://inlinethumb02.webshots.com/44097/2180557060045296783S425x425Q85.jpg[/IMG][/URL]
http://inlinethumb11.webshots.com/4042/2432402260045296783S425x425Q85.jpg[/IMG][/URL]
http://inlinethumb09.webshots.com/46472/2437168170045296783S425x425Q85.jpg[/IMG][/URL]
http://inlinethumb24.webshots.com/46871/2455106320045296783S425x425Q85.jpg[/IMG][/URL]
http://inlinethumb62.webshots.com/38141/2379741520045296783S425x425Q85.jpg[/IMG][/URL]
http://inlinethumb50.webshots.com/38513/2771812070045296783S425x425Q85.jpg[/IMG][/URL]
http://inlinethumb10.webshots.com/48073/2161100290045296783S425x425Q85.jpg[/IMG][/URL]
Here is the 190" buck
http://inlinethumb56.webshots.com/46967/2005672340045296783S425x425Q85.jpg[/IMG][/URL]
http://inlinethumb06.webshots.com/16837/2523578760045296783S425x425Q85.jpg[/IMG][/URL]
Here is Mr. Heavy
http://inlinethumb01.webshots.com/46976/2376902230045296783S425x425Q85.jpg[/IMG][/URL]
http://inlinethumb20.webshots.com/19411/2175625780045296783S425x425Q85.jpg[/IMG][/URL]
http://inlinethumb41.webshots.com/39656/2657722610045296783S425x425Q85.jpg[/IMG][/URL]
And Wide Willie
http://inlinethumb52.webshots.com/11571/2139404980045296783S425x425Q85.jpg[/IMG][/URL]
http://inlinethumb02.webshots.com/44097/2180557060045296783S425x425Q85.jpg[/IMG][/URL]
http://inlinethumb11.webshots.com/4042/2432402260045296783S425x425Q85.jpg[/IMG][/URL]
http://inlinethumb09.webshots.com/46472/2437168170045296783S425x425Q85.jpg[/IMG][/URL]
http://inlinethumb24.webshots.com/46871/2455106320045296783S425x425Q85.jpg[/IMG][/URL]
http://inlinethumb62.webshots.com/38141/2379741520045296783S425x425Q85.jpg[/IMG][/URL]
http://inlinethumb50.webshots.com/38513/2771812070045296783S425x425Q85.jpg[/IMG][/URL]
http://inlinethumb10.webshots.com/48073/2161100290045296783S425x425Q85.jpg[/IMG][/URL]