Gazelle- Luckily the buck didn't really give me time to get shook up. I was back-packed in that week about 4 miles from the trailhead and hunting solo out of a little base camp at 9000 ft. That morning I was sneak-hunting up a timbered drainage following the edge of a small creek.
As I neared one particular area where I'd seen good bucks in the past, I was trying to slip along very slow and stay alert for movement. I eased across a small open park containing only a few little spruce trees for cover. I'd made it most of the way across the park and had just paused behind a small spruce when I caught movement from above and to the right. With the first fleeting glimpses of some big headgear passing thru the trees, I thought "elk". But quickly realized that a real good buck was slipping down the timbered edge of the park. He quickly strolled down the side of the mountain and crossed directly in front of me at about 30 yards. By some sweet good fortune he paused perfectly broadside in an opening directly in front of me, and just as I'd come to full draw. I didn't even have time to throw off my day-pack or range him at all. And he had no idea I was there.
The double-lung shot placement was good and he made it only about 100 yards before expiring. That was a fortuitous location for an early season kill too (August 30th), being right next to an ice-cold creek. This gave me a great set-up to hang the meat and cape to keep it fresh. The packout the next day was a little rugged, but eventually I got both my camp and the buck off the mountain in two trips. One of my best hunting memories for sure!
By the way, thanks for giving me an excuse to relive that hunt!