el matador
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Jul 30, 2008
- Messages
- 647
While out hunting elk this year I came across a pretty good buck. He was a 3x3 with good mass and around 28" wide. Kind of a low, sweeping rack that had big front forks. So on the deer opener I was packing my 270 WSM with 150 grain Ballistic Tips and I headed down to a ridge overlooking his stompin grounds. Hunters were everywhere. I saw a few bucks that morning, including one that I thought might be my buck. After putting glass on him I could tell it was a different buck with crabby forks. Around 8:30 a shot rang out just 500 yards away. Some hunters had shot at a 2 point and began searching the canyon for him. Then I heard a deer coming toward me through the oak brush, and a good buck emerged at only 50 yards! All I had was a side view and I wasn't sure if this was my 3 point or not. I waited for a positive ID. I thought I had plenty of time but this old boy made a quick left turn and went out of sight for good. As he turned I knew it was the wide 3x3 I had scouted. So I was a little bummed, but the season was just starting.
A friend of mine was hunting just 1/2 mile away and told me he had seen a good 4 point heading in my direction. I didn't see him that morning but I was optimistic with 2 good bucks in the area. It began to rain that afternoon and all the hunters went home, presumably to watch football and sip hot beverages. I stayed in the area and when the storm lifted at 6pm I was back in action.
I didn't see another soul on the mountain where there had been 20 hunters that morning. It was beautiful, clear, and all the deer were out! While making my way out to the spot I had hunted earlier I glassed a few deer down in a different canyon. One was a good buck. I thought it was probably the 4 point my buddy had seen and I decided to try for a shot. He was 1200+ yards down in the bottom and I had a hard time deciding on a game plan. Eventually I theorized I could get down the ridge for a mid-range shot and I made my move. When I got there I tried to range the deer but a tiny fog bank had moved in. I could see just fine, but my rangefinder wouldn't give me a good reading! Luckily it cleared off before too long and I got a reading of 563 yards.
Getting set up was another challenge since this small clearing had tall brush on the other side. A prone shot put me too low to see the deer. So I set up my tripod near a tree and eventually found a position where I could get fairly steady. I dialed for 525 yards due to the down hill angle and took a minute to get relaxed. Meanwhile the buck had moved from quartering away to a nice broadside position and was facing uphill feeding.
I squeezed the trigger. The shot felt good but just a little high. I put another round in, and now the buck had turned toward me. I sent another bullet that hit him square in the chest. He was still on his feet so I sent a 3rd round which I really yanked low and missed. By the time I got on him again he was down. That first shot had hit him high in the shoulder and probably would have been fatal, but my second shot sealed the deal.
Packing him out was a bit of an ordeal since all my friends had gone home already. I boned him out and headed up the hill with 95 lbs of meat, antler, and hunting gear. I thought about making 2 trips, but with the storm moving back in and church the next day I told myself to just go for it.
He's not a monster but he's just what I was hoping for this year. A mature buck that'll keep me fed through the winter. My favorite part was having the confidence and equipment to cleanly take him at that distance.
A friend of mine was hunting just 1/2 mile away and told me he had seen a good 4 point heading in my direction. I didn't see him that morning but I was optimistic with 2 good bucks in the area. It began to rain that afternoon and all the hunters went home, presumably to watch football and sip hot beverages. I stayed in the area and when the storm lifted at 6pm I was back in action.
I didn't see another soul on the mountain where there had been 20 hunters that morning. It was beautiful, clear, and all the deer were out! While making my way out to the spot I had hunted earlier I glassed a few deer down in a different canyon. One was a good buck. I thought it was probably the 4 point my buddy had seen and I decided to try for a shot. He was 1200+ yards down in the bottom and I had a hard time deciding on a game plan. Eventually I theorized I could get down the ridge for a mid-range shot and I made my move. When I got there I tried to range the deer but a tiny fog bank had moved in. I could see just fine, but my rangefinder wouldn't give me a good reading! Luckily it cleared off before too long and I got a reading of 563 yards.
Getting set up was another challenge since this small clearing had tall brush on the other side. A prone shot put me too low to see the deer. So I set up my tripod near a tree and eventually found a position where I could get fairly steady. I dialed for 525 yards due to the down hill angle and took a minute to get relaxed. Meanwhile the buck had moved from quartering away to a nice broadside position and was facing uphill feeding.
I squeezed the trigger. The shot felt good but just a little high. I put another round in, and now the buck had turned toward me. I sent another bullet that hit him square in the chest. He was still on his feet so I sent a 3rd round which I really yanked low and missed. By the time I got on him again he was down. That first shot had hit him high in the shoulder and probably would have been fatal, but my second shot sealed the deal.
Packing him out was a bit of an ordeal since all my friends had gone home already. I boned him out and headed up the hill with 95 lbs of meat, antler, and hunting gear. I thought about making 2 trips, but with the storm moving back in and church the next day I told myself to just go for it.
He's not a monster but he's just what I was hoping for this year. A mature buck that'll keep me fed through the winter. My favorite part was having the confidence and equipment to cleanly take him at that distance.
