T Bone
Well-known member
Just returned from a great 3rd season hunt. I had a buck tag, one friend had a bull tag, and the other guy is there to help and offer moral support.
There are a lot of good elk in the unit, few deer, but what deer there are, they get big.
Saturday we enjoyed watching many good bulls, and we settled on a bachelor group of 3 large 6 points. None of them small, two of them large to very large. Rob and Greg set off on a long elaborate stalk, while I watch, hunt deer and chase squirrels. At the moment of truth, there was some thick excitement. It was so thick that Rob lost his mind and killed the second biggest bull!
Insert Rob's bull here....Greg, you want to post that?
Saturday night at camp was festive. We pillow fought.
Sunday morning Rob and Greg go to get the rest of the bull out. I go to try and find a large buck.
Late morning I cut a set of tracks that look to be a large buck. I follow. I think to myself, "I should look ahead and glass". I look. There he is. A very large, wide buck looking at me. We locked eyes for 6 seconds. I silently wish I was shooting instead of glassing....and then he squirts out the canyon with his tail on fire.
Sunday afternoon Rob and Greg leave for their homes. I scheme on where the buck will resurface.
I go and wait....and wait....and wait.
With light fading, he pops up, exactly where he was supposed to. I quickly set up for an easy 200 yard shot. The rifle cracks, I hear a thwack and the buck takes off on a rubber legged sprint....right toward the cliffs he just emerged from. And he disappears over the edge!
I stand there, in disbelief. Did that just happen?
I hurry over to the edge....holy flying squirrels. If the Hornady didn't kill him, the fall will. I quickly see where the first impact was. It was similar to the "Bugs Bunny and Road Runner" show. The crater was quite obvious. But he was not there....he must have bounced over the next ledge.
It took me 15 minutes to figure a safe route to the 1st ledge. I spied him! Only 30 feet down on a wide bench! Another 10 minutes later I found my way to him.
He seemed to missing something.
I franticly scan the area with my head light to find the other side to the biggest buck I've ever killed.....nothing! I was really excited but slightly concerned. To me, this was a great buck! I take the best pictures I can.
I took pictures, and set to work getting it quartered and in bags. I grabbed the antler to reposition, and pop! The other side came off! Peachy. The impact must have really rang his bell.
I have no clue how that deer made it to the edge...80 yards or so.
Sleep didn't come easy....I was glad I had the buck. But I really wanted to find the other side.
Monday morning I spent 6 hours looking for the lost antler with no luck. It must have gone flying into space on either the 1st or second impact. With all the meat on ice, I broke camp and headed home....
Dropped by my favorite taxidermist here in Montrose (Southwest Taxidermy) and he agrees that it's a big buck...The skull was broken. I sold him the cape...
It was a good hunt, with excellent friends, and I did indeed kill my best buck so far.
If anyone happens to find my antler, I'll buy them anything on the menu at Blondies Diner in Naturita. It's a mirror image of the one in the pics.
There are a lot of good elk in the unit, few deer, but what deer there are, they get big.
Saturday we enjoyed watching many good bulls, and we settled on a bachelor group of 3 large 6 points. None of them small, two of them large to very large. Rob and Greg set off on a long elaborate stalk, while I watch, hunt deer and chase squirrels. At the moment of truth, there was some thick excitement. It was so thick that Rob lost his mind and killed the second biggest bull!
Insert Rob's bull here....Greg, you want to post that?
Saturday night at camp was festive. We pillow fought.
Sunday morning Rob and Greg go to get the rest of the bull out. I go to try and find a large buck.
Late morning I cut a set of tracks that look to be a large buck. I follow. I think to myself, "I should look ahead and glass". I look. There he is. A very large, wide buck looking at me. We locked eyes for 6 seconds. I silently wish I was shooting instead of glassing....and then he squirts out the canyon with his tail on fire.
Sunday afternoon Rob and Greg leave for their homes. I scheme on where the buck will resurface.
I go and wait....and wait....and wait.
With light fading, he pops up, exactly where he was supposed to. I quickly set up for an easy 200 yard shot. The rifle cracks, I hear a thwack and the buck takes off on a rubber legged sprint....right toward the cliffs he just emerged from. And he disappears over the edge!
I stand there, in disbelief. Did that just happen?
I hurry over to the edge....holy flying squirrels. If the Hornady didn't kill him, the fall will. I quickly see where the first impact was. It was similar to the "Bugs Bunny and Road Runner" show. The crater was quite obvious. But he was not there....he must have bounced over the next ledge.
It took me 15 minutes to figure a safe route to the 1st ledge. I spied him! Only 30 feet down on a wide bench! Another 10 minutes later I found my way to him.
He seemed to missing something.
I franticly scan the area with my head light to find the other side to the biggest buck I've ever killed.....nothing! I was really excited but slightly concerned. To me, this was a great buck! I take the best pictures I can.
I took pictures, and set to work getting it quartered and in bags. I grabbed the antler to reposition, and pop! The other side came off! Peachy. The impact must have really rang his bell.
I have no clue how that deer made it to the edge...80 yards or so.
Sleep didn't come easy....I was glad I had the buck. But I really wanted to find the other side.
Monday morning I spent 6 hours looking for the lost antler with no luck. It must have gone flying into space on either the 1st or second impact. With all the meat on ice, I broke camp and headed home....
Dropped by my favorite taxidermist here in Montrose (Southwest Taxidermy) and he agrees that it's a big buck...The skull was broken. I sold him the cape...
It was a good hunt, with excellent friends, and I did indeed kill my best buck so far.
If anyone happens to find my antler, I'll buy them anything on the menu at Blondies Diner in Naturita. It's a mirror image of the one in the pics.
