elks96
Long Time Member
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- 3,785
Last year was my fist year with a WY lope tag in hand. The hunt was the cash in of 13 nonresident points. With the season structure I began hunting on Aug. 15th and held out until the very end of the season killing my lope at last light on the last day, October 31st. Reflecting on that hunt it was a blast but also turned into a monotonous grind. Bucks all started to look the same, etc. After looking for a truly exceptional buck I shot the biggest one I could see at last light.
This year as a resident I drew the same area. Scouting showed up a few of the same bucks from last year. But I really did not scout much at all. Sunday the 15th th3 season opened. I had a new water hole I found with massive amounts of action. I was stuck at home for the opener (yard work).
So the second weekend arrived. On Thursday night we loaded the new to us camper up for our first trip out. (I will pause to say, this... For the last 20 years I have slept on the ground, in the truck bed under the stars, in the back seat of my truck, etc.) Have a camper is insanely nice...
Of course this last week the rains finally came. When we arrived to the unit the road in was muddy, there were puddles all over. The awesome water hole was not so awesome. We set up camp and took a trip to pull our trail camera cards. It was a sad state of affairs. The deer in the area have absolutely tanked. Numbers all way down, mature bucks nonexistent etc. In all we had no great bucks on camera and only a couple legal bucks.
Friday night ended with me not even getting my bow out of its case. But we did find a couple bucks that we named. Saturday we started out in the truck, still water around but it was drying up in some areas pretty fast (higher sandy areas). If it kept up Sunday would be a great day to sit the hole. Sunday morning we explored the area and ended up with a "hit list of bucks". Buster (a buck I passed on last year), Vader, Jesse, Hooker, Wish (wished he was on the other side of the fence), and Christopher.
So early morning I wake up and head out to do my business. Always nicer to be outside. It was chili and wet still from the rains. Sun was just barely up. I wander up to the sand dune behind our camp and find the spot. Look around and squat down. As I wrap up the work, I look over in the bush on my right and coiled up 3' away is this guy. Luckily he was cold and luckily my business was already done... He was one of 4 we would see this weekend...
At lunch we decided to explore way out into the desert into places where I have not explored despite being out there for over 15 years. Talk about a world away. We spent the day alone with out seeing another person, driving old 2 tracks that were water washes more than roads. Hours from the nearest paved roads...
Our
adventure eventually lead us to an old fort that was used and built by the military and eventually served as a stage stop on overland trail. The Rock house(s) were built with no windows and were occupied year round. Cant imagine how miserable a rock building with open windows would have been in WY winters...
Saturday night we were back around camp. We found one of my target bucks bedded in a perfect spot for a stalk. My son and I drove past snuck back. At 18 yards I went to full draw. Hoping the buck would stand. Like usual the buck teleported from his bed to a full sprint at 60 yards in the blink of an eye. Not a bad first stalk.
The weather was still dry winds were up a bit and even more water had disappeared. We set up the blind on the water while fighting a solid 20 mph. But clear skies had the hopes up.
Dinner that night was centered around an intense game of uno. K-bobs, chips, brauts...
Life in the camper is nice, almost too nice. The alarm was set for 4:00 am so we could have plenty of time to hit the blind. Weather said 10% chance of rain that night. At midnight the rain hit hard and the wind blew enough to shake the camper and force me to pull in the side. So the rest of the night was the same, high winds, thunder lightning, and rain... Needless to say at first light we slept, convinced the blind was victim to wind and rain.
This year as a resident I drew the same area. Scouting showed up a few of the same bucks from last year. But I really did not scout much at all. Sunday the 15th th3 season opened. I had a new water hole I found with massive amounts of action. I was stuck at home for the opener (yard work).
So the second weekend arrived. On Thursday night we loaded the new to us camper up for our first trip out. (I will pause to say, this... For the last 20 years I have slept on the ground, in the truck bed under the stars, in the back seat of my truck, etc.) Have a camper is insanely nice...
Of course this last week the rains finally came. When we arrived to the unit the road in was muddy, there were puddles all over. The awesome water hole was not so awesome. We set up camp and took a trip to pull our trail camera cards. It was a sad state of affairs. The deer in the area have absolutely tanked. Numbers all way down, mature bucks nonexistent etc. In all we had no great bucks on camera and only a couple legal bucks.
Friday night ended with me not even getting my bow out of its case. But we did find a couple bucks that we named. Saturday we started out in the truck, still water around but it was drying up in some areas pretty fast (higher sandy areas). If it kept up Sunday would be a great day to sit the hole. Sunday morning we explored the area and ended up with a "hit list of bucks". Buster (a buck I passed on last year), Vader, Jesse, Hooker, Wish (wished he was on the other side of the fence), and Christopher.
So early morning I wake up and head out to do my business. Always nicer to be outside. It was chili and wet still from the rains. Sun was just barely up. I wander up to the sand dune behind our camp and find the spot. Look around and squat down. As I wrap up the work, I look over in the bush on my right and coiled up 3' away is this guy. Luckily he was cold and luckily my business was already done... He was one of 4 we would see this weekend...
At lunch we decided to explore way out into the desert into places where I have not explored despite being out there for over 15 years. Talk about a world away. We spent the day alone with out seeing another person, driving old 2 tracks that were water washes more than roads. Hours from the nearest paved roads...
Our
Saturday night we were back around camp. We found one of my target bucks bedded in a perfect spot for a stalk. My son and I drove past snuck back. At 18 yards I went to full draw. Hoping the buck would stand. Like usual the buck teleported from his bed to a full sprint at 60 yards in the blink of an eye. Not a bad first stalk.
The weather was still dry winds were up a bit and even more water had disappeared. We set up the blind on the water while fighting a solid 20 mph. But clear skies had the hopes up.
Dinner that night was centered around an intense game of uno. K-bobs, chips, brauts...
![image000000(17)[28820].jpg](/xf/data/xfmg/thumbnail/41/41753-27bfe460fd1df8323cff289e72fef5e2.jpg?1704005826)
