elkfanatic
Active Member
- Messages
- 154
After drawing a unit last year by accident, I thought I had found a place I could hunt consistently every year. Boy was I wrong. We went back this year to our spot and all the deer were scattered way away from the road and we only saw two bucks of any size compared to last year when we saw 11 in one canyon over 5 days. Well I switched up areas and hunted the Bosque Del Apache yesterday and it turned out to be a great decision. I started out the morning with a short hike to a glassing point where I saw nothing but birds and people watching those birds. I decided to start sidehilling along and just go glassing point to glassing point. Well when I went into a small canyon I found a pretty fresh lone buck track in the snow. I had a back and forth argument with myself on whether or not to follow it or continue with my original plan. I decided to follow it and about an hour later and about a mile from there I was right on top of him. There was still dry dirt in his tracks and I saw a place where he did his business. I decided to walk up the adjacent hill and see if I could spot him walking in the ravine. When I got to the top I did a quick scan of the ravine bottom and did see him so I continued to glass farther away. Almost immediately I spotted a spike and a doe standing right on the fence line about 10 yards inside the Apache. Soon a buck came up pushing another doe and then a forky. I watched them for a minute until all the deer went into the ravine and high-tailed it over there. I set my pack down and marked a waypoint on the gps and began my stalk. I made it all the way to the top of the adjacent ridge, but I couldn't see them. I started crawling again when out of no where the forky comes up ten yards away and blows out. I stood up and ranged him but his fork way so small I wasn't sure he was legal so I took two steps to the right and the big guy blew out and stopped across the ravine. I ranged him and dialed the sight, drew back and shot. I didn't see the arrow hit him but I knew it was a good shot because of the mule kick he did. I waited about 15 minutes and walked over to where I last saw him and he jumped up about 20 yards away but his shoulder was broken so he ran about 20 yards and bedded back down. I pulled out another arrow and hit him again to make it fast. After making sure he was dead I walked up the ridge to call my dad. He brought my brother and my step-mom and they helped with the 1.16 mile pack out.
