BrianID
Very Active Member
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- 2,148
After scouting my hunt area and looking over 150+ different bucks, these are the two best bucks that I found. The area just doesn't have the genetics to consistantly produce big antlers.
Even though the top buck had more mass and I believe would score better, he was in an area with a small strip of private land and an area that would have many more hunters. I felt I would have a more enjoyable hunting experience going after the second buck.
On opening morning I didn't see any other hunters but was unable to relocate my target buck. At 9:30am I moved a half mile and glassed at a different angle I spotted him in his bed about a mile away. Hoping he wouldn't move I made a quick stalk and 45 minutes later I was 300 yards from where he was bedded but he was no longer there. However, there were 20+ other deer bedded 50-400 yards from where I was. I had a good view of the draw he was likely in and the wind was in my favor so I decided to wait him out knowing he would get up and stretch eventually. 3 hours later I had looked over 30+ deer that were within 400 yards of me including some decent bucks and had some does feeding as close as 30 yards from me but he still was nowhere to be seen. Around 2pm 2 coyotes came down the draw working as a team to hunt together. The coyotes passing through got the deer up and out of there beds and finally my b?ck stepped out.
He had moved a couple hundred yards from his original bed and bedded in a small draw that I couldn't see into all afternoon. After the shot I noticed a badger working the hillside in his direction but didn't think much about it until I walked up on my buck. I had to scare the badger off to claim the buck.
Even though the top buck had more mass and I believe would score better, he was in an area with a small strip of private land and an area that would have many more hunters. I felt I would have a more enjoyable hunting experience going after the second buck.
On opening morning I didn't see any other hunters but was unable to relocate my target buck. At 9:30am I moved a half mile and glassed at a different angle I spotted him in his bed about a mile away. Hoping he wouldn't move I made a quick stalk and 45 minutes later I was 300 yards from where he was bedded but he was no longer there. However, there were 20+ other deer bedded 50-400 yards from where I was. I had a good view of the draw he was likely in and the wind was in my favor so I decided to wait him out knowing he would get up and stretch eventually. 3 hours later I had looked over 30+ deer that were within 400 yards of me including some decent bucks and had some does feeding as close as 30 yards from me but he still was nowhere to be seen. Around 2pm 2 coyotes came down the draw working as a team to hunt together. The coyotes passing through got the deer up and out of there beds and finally my b?ck stepped out.
He had moved a couple hundred yards from his original bed and bedded in a small draw that I couldn't see into all afternoon. After the shot I noticed a badger working the hillside in his direction but didn't think much about it until I walked up on my buck. I had to scare the badger off to claim the buck.
