2014 Utah Muzzy Buck Down
- Thread starter tallbuck1
- Start date
L
LongRangeBangin
Guest
Awesome! Let's hear the story!
trophymuley
Active Member
- Messages
- 441
Good for you. By the look on your face I would say you had some fun!
S
SoutherBowhunter
Guest
Great looking buck. I like those dark antlers.
Sorry I haven't had a minute with catching up from work to jot down the story behind this buck.
It all started this year as me and my buddy decided to put in for muzzy this year and give it a try. We put if for a unit here in northern utah. The unit is close to my home and I have been in the hills since I was a boy so I know where the bucks like to hide. I have killed deer with my bow and rifle in this same unit.
Well opening day found me Hiking up a different ridge to get to the spot I wanted. I saw lots of does and small 2 points but this tag I was bound to eat unless I found a mature buck to put my tag on. So after 9 miles in the high country and glassing every ridge I called it a day.
I couldn't make it back up till saturday, so I asked my friend if he was cool to hunt in the rain as I told him rain would not keep me off the mountain. He agreed and came with me. This time we choose a different route into the same drainage. After 2 miles into some rough country he wanted to go and sit and watch a meadow / ridge> I told him that I was going to the highest point above us and told him I would see him in a couple hours. When I reached to high point over looking the vast open high county I broke out the binos and water. After 15 minutes I found a great 4 point buck that was huge. I watched him walking away from me out to another ridge 1200 yards away were he and another buck met up. Through the binos I could tell both these bucks were big and met my expectations. I started my sneak on them and after 40 minutes and watching them spar with each other a couple times I found myself just out of position for the 100 yard shot as they were just walking over the next ridge in the rocks. Defeated I slowly walked back to the first ridge in the downpour of rain. On the way I jumped a doe as she then popped over the ridge into the deep pines. I followed her and soon found myself in the middle of some grouse on the ground. Not wanting to spook the grouse too much as I wanted to push down the ridge of the pines to see if I could just a deer hiding out from the ridge. Well just as I was sneaking past the last grouse at 5 yards I noticed a buck feeding under neath a pine at 30 yards. I shouldered my muzzy and pulled my hammer back... he was a 26" 4 point that had not noticed me. I sighted in on him and pulled the trigger.... NOTHING happened... I opened up my gun and noticed that the primer had a dent in it so I figured it was wet and placed a second one in. Well by that time the buck was bounding down the steep embankment to who knows were. So I went back to my friend and found him shivering and cold under a tree so we hiked back out.
Well after feeling heart sick I begged my boss to let me have one more day off so I could hunt the last day of the hunt. My dad and I went back into the same area and were on the first ridge by 07:30. I asked him to walk one side of the canyon and I would work the other hoping that another set of eyes could spot any deer below or above me. Well it wasn't needed. I came over the top of the ridge and to my surprise the deer were up and feeding in a small meadow. As I started to eye what deer there were I found a small two point and a three point. Being the last day I decided to take the three point. Just as I was beginning to shoulder my gun I noticed another buck coming out of the trees to the middle of the meadow. He was a four point and considerably bigger than the three. I pulled the hammer back on my gun and settled the iron sights on his chest and pulled the trigger. After the smoke cleared I found he went only 65 yards and piled up.
well there's the story of my first muzzy hunt!
Thanks again guys for all the great comments!
Tallbuck1
It all started this year as me and my buddy decided to put in for muzzy this year and give it a try. We put if for a unit here in northern utah. The unit is close to my home and I have been in the hills since I was a boy so I know where the bucks like to hide. I have killed deer with my bow and rifle in this same unit.
Well opening day found me Hiking up a different ridge to get to the spot I wanted. I saw lots of does and small 2 points but this tag I was bound to eat unless I found a mature buck to put my tag on. So after 9 miles in the high country and glassing every ridge I called it a day.
I couldn't make it back up till saturday, so I asked my friend if he was cool to hunt in the rain as I told him rain would not keep me off the mountain. He agreed and came with me. This time we choose a different route into the same drainage. After 2 miles into some rough country he wanted to go and sit and watch a meadow / ridge> I told him that I was going to the highest point above us and told him I would see him in a couple hours. When I reached to high point over looking the vast open high county I broke out the binos and water. After 15 minutes I found a great 4 point buck that was huge. I watched him walking away from me out to another ridge 1200 yards away were he and another buck met up. Through the binos I could tell both these bucks were big and met my expectations. I started my sneak on them and after 40 minutes and watching them spar with each other a couple times I found myself just out of position for the 100 yard shot as they were just walking over the next ridge in the rocks. Defeated I slowly walked back to the first ridge in the downpour of rain. On the way I jumped a doe as she then popped over the ridge into the deep pines. I followed her and soon found myself in the middle of some grouse on the ground. Not wanting to spook the grouse too much as I wanted to push down the ridge of the pines to see if I could just a deer hiding out from the ridge. Well just as I was sneaking past the last grouse at 5 yards I noticed a buck feeding under neath a pine at 30 yards. I shouldered my muzzy and pulled my hammer back... he was a 26" 4 point that had not noticed me. I sighted in on him and pulled the trigger.... NOTHING happened... I opened up my gun and noticed that the primer had a dent in it so I figured it was wet and placed a second one in. Well by that time the buck was bounding down the steep embankment to who knows were. So I went back to my friend and found him shivering and cold under a tree so we hiked back out.
Well after feeling heart sick I begged my boss to let me have one more day off so I could hunt the last day of the hunt. My dad and I went back into the same area and were on the first ridge by 07:30. I asked him to walk one side of the canyon and I would work the other hoping that another set of eyes could spot any deer below or above me. Well it wasn't needed. I came over the top of the ridge and to my surprise the deer were up and feeding in a small meadow. As I started to eye what deer there were I found a small two point and a three point. Being the last day I decided to take the three point. Just as I was beginning to shoulder my gun I noticed another buck coming out of the trees to the middle of the meadow. He was a four point and considerably bigger than the three. I pulled the hammer back on my gun and settled the iron sights on his chest and pulled the trigger. After the smoke cleared I found he went only 65 yards and piled up.
well there's the story of my first muzzy hunt!
Thanks again guys for all the great comments!
Tallbuck1
E
elkun
Guest
great buck. that's what real hunting is all about......
