Opening Day Buck

Guy

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 5, 2018
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442
Well doggone it, my son had to work and couldn't hunt with me. I was 61 and in reasonable shape, despite the usual injuries from an active life. Drove to a familiar chunk of BLM land, not far from home. Got to what I thought was a good glassing spot, and waited in the chilly darkness for light.

After a bit, I figured out that I'd stopped one ridge short of where I should have been! Other hunters were about, and they'd scored on some bucks, out ahead of me a bit, farther from the road. Okay. Point taken. I hunted on foot that day, found plenty of deer sign, but no deer. As the sun sank lower, I resolutely ascended the low ridge, which I should have done earlier in the day, and parked myself on the edge of the sagebrush.

It was a good setup for a rifleman. Behind me was a lot of thick sage and bitterbrush. In front of me was a long grassy slope, then a deep, brushy draw and beyond that, a fresh green wheatfield, almost sure to draw the deer!

I hadn't been in place all that long, less than an hour and I heard deer coming from behind! Two nearly identical bucks passed to my right, not 30' away! I didn't dare move, and was glad the wind was in my favor. Then they headed down the long grassy slope.

The crosshairs steadied on one buck, and at a tad over 200 yards a 115 gr Nosler Ballistic Tip from my 25-06 dropped him!
ETBfmmhl.jpg


Slowly walked down to the buck. Looked around, saw that the sun was nearly down. Thought about the long walk I had ahead of me to get back to my parked Jeep, then set to quartering the buck. He wasn't a monster, just a healthy 3x3. The meat smelled terrific! Using my headlamp for illumination, I got the hide off and had him quartered up, then stuffed into my pack. That warm, heavy pack pressed against my back as I slowly trudged uphill through the blackness, across that same low ridge...

It was a long walk back to the Jeep, but I felt good. I'd hunted the buck alone, on public land, taken him well, and had brought the meat and antlers back to my Jeep in the dark, on my own. That felt real good, and I smiled.

The antlers became doggie chew toys. The delicious meat filled the freezer. It was a good hunt. Another good hunt on top of many.

Guy
 
Nice right up . Their is deffinity something special bout a good time out in the woods
 
Thanks for sharing your hunt. I too am a bit older. I still like hunting alone, finding the game, harvesting and hauling it out by myself.
 
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