Doug in Idaho
Member
Headed back out this last weekend for one last try at deer. I'd seen quite a few bucks during the season and passed one up the prior weekend that left me kicking myself all week long. Friday we saw a lot of deer and I actually missed a real nice buck first thing in the morning. I was pretty bummed but hunted the rest of the day hoping for the best. We set up where we could glass a couple huge canyons for the evening. Around 6 o'clock my dad says he was tired and headed back to camp. I told him i'd glass till dark and then walk down the mountain. A short while later a buck came out on the opposite ridge and I could tell he was a buck. I went up the ridge a short ways to get a better look but when I got 500 yards away I could tell he was only a 3 point. Since this was my last evening to hunt I considered taking a shot but I had passed up too many bucks bigger than that throughout the season and I still had the next morning to hunt. I was literally 30 seconds from heading down the mountain back to camp when I took one last look up towards the top of the mountain and I could see buck out in the open. A quick look told me he was a good buck. I ranged him real quick and was around 800 yards away. By this time it was 6:45 and getting close to too dark to shoot. There was a big rock outcropping between him and me that thought if I could get to quickly i'd have a shot. I flew up the mountain as fast as I could and when I got to the rocks tried to range the buck. 296 yards! Much closer than I thought it would be. I threw my pack down on a rock and touched a shot off. I could hear the hit but couldn't see anything in the scope. When put up the binoculars however I could see thrashing in the brush. It was pitch black by the time I got up to him but he was laying right there where he was supposed to be thankfully. Had some cool features and some good mass.
I had enough juice in my radio to call Dad and tell him I was a long way from camp and had a deer down and then my batteries went dead. (I blame this on Dad since they were his radios!) I tried to get some pictures but that was quite the ordeal. Self-timer worked ok but you couldn't see anything in the viewfinder so i'd take a picture and hope that both myself and the deer were actually in the photo. Finally got a few to work (other than that crazy look in my eye in the 2nd picture). Packed everything out in my pack and got back to camp late. Dad was kind enough to have the wood stove cranked and the light on when I strolled into camp.
Took a picture with the old man. He makes a pretty good camp cook, not really into hunting anymore with his health but likes to be in the hills.
I had a pretty good year. One i'll have a hard time ever topping. Here's the elk I shot earlier in the month.
I had enough juice in my radio to call Dad and tell him I was a long way from camp and had a deer down and then my batteries went dead. (I blame this on Dad since they were his radios!) I tried to get some pictures but that was quite the ordeal. Self-timer worked ok but you couldn't see anything in the viewfinder so i'd take a picture and hope that both myself and the deer were actually in the photo. Finally got a few to work (other than that crazy look in my eye in the 2nd picture). Packed everything out in my pack and got back to camp late. Dad was kind enough to have the wood stove cranked and the light on when I strolled into camp.
Took a picture with the old man. He makes a pretty good camp cook, not really into hunting anymore with his health but likes to be in the hills.
I had a pretty good year. One i'll have a hard time ever topping. Here's the elk I shot earlier in the month.
