Wachsmann
Well-Known Member
Startinghunting season off rough but ending a dry spell since 2011.
Leading upto my hunting trip it was somewhat rough to say the least. After getting mycamper almost ready (5th wheel) and placing it back at my storage unit I gotout of sync with the usual things I do and happen to leave the tailgate up onmy truck; when pulling away I totally wrecked the tailgate. Next thing was, 2 nights before I got offwork for my hunt, I was going over my reloads and my rifle and found my scoperail mount loose. I had to go back out and shoot my rifle on the 19thto check zero. Also had to recheck some distance shots to proof the accuracy ofthe gun to make sure it was good to go. The gun/loads were doing what wasexpected. Deer season started on Saturday the 22nd here in Utah. Feeling thecrunch, me and the wife finally got the rest of the packing in the camper donea little later on Thursday which we left out with our 2 little onelate Thursday afternoon. Found a spot up in the mountains near Strawberry reservoirand settled in. Well by opening morning I had a nasty head and chest cold and alot of head pressure with little to no interest of going out. Really feelinglike poop. Opening morning I just drove around looking down and up some areas. Isaw some does and a small group of elk of about 10 with one 5 point bull. Cameback to camp with no real interest or expectation of shooting anything thisseason. I just wanted to get some meds and go to sleep. Well, about 3pm after about 5 hours of sleep,I was feeling a little better. I went to a canyon that I always wanted toexplore. I started in with another groupof hunters hitting the same canyon. The canyon forked and they went right and Iwent to the left which went through a bottom for about 2000 yards and then wrappingaround and leading up through to some higher mountain. Both areas had smallcreeks and willow bottoms. After spooking several does going through anotherfork off the first bottom I came back down to where the forks met and setup onthe hill side hoping for a buck to show. Well about 5:15pm some does came downin front in the first bottom I had walked up through. All were about 500yards.Not paying a lot attention to them at first, there was a small buck in thebunch. After glassing 6 other does on oneof the side hill I looked over the bunch that was in the first bottom that Ihad came through. One was a legal buck to my suprise. I started doing theranging and trying to get setup. Got outmy phone (shooter app), my kestrel, and went to collecting data getting readyfor a shot. Finally getting in a highly less than desirable position but stablethe buck was now at 760 yards and quartering away. Not the best shot for thistype of distance either but it was stopped and eating. Check range, and windonce more. Dialed 10MOA in the scope but never corrected for wind. Squeezed oneoff and it seem the buck just disappeared on me. The does all ran to the sideof the hill and was looking across like the buck may had went the other way. SoI started questioning if I had made the shot. Only thing that seem to make methink the shot was good was that distinctive wop of bullet hitting an animal. Iset and waited about 30 mins letting the does clear out. By now it was almost6:00pm. I went down and started looking around trying to find the deer. Lightwas almost gone and it was getting cold. Also the bottom was a willow typebottom so I was jumping across small little creek runners and there was a fewtimes I fell or stepped off into water myself. After searching for about anhour I hiked out very depressed and wet second guessing everything I had done. I've been practicing out to 1000 yards almostevery other week for the last year so I was prepared to make a shot at somereasonable distance. Not a lot of sleep thatnight to say the least. The next morning I went back to see if I could find thebuck to make sure it was either a clean miss or if I had wounded the animalwhich I would try to find. I didn't even take my rifle with me. I started off bytaking my range finder and ranging back to where I was setting and startedlooking at the distance of the shot. Well needless to say I foundthe buck where I had shot him. Shot was not the best, it was back in the ribsprobably due to the lack of wind hold but he was dead to say the least. Windhold would have been for a 5mph wind. Also the small buck turned out to be an 18inch3x4. I thought he was just a 3x3. I was only able to make out the major forkingon the antlers. For a young buck he had some good weight to him. The drag outwas about a mile and I did 2/3 by myself. Another hunter that was headed out helpedthe rest of the way…god bless… As for the rest of the week me and the wife andkids just had fun bouncing around in the mountains on some of the trailsexploring a little more of the Utah back country.
Leading upto my hunting trip it was somewhat rough to say the least. After getting mycamper almost ready (5th wheel) and placing it back at my storage unit I gotout of sync with the usual things I do and happen to leave the tailgate up onmy truck; when pulling away I totally wrecked the tailgate. Next thing was, 2 nights before I got offwork for my hunt, I was going over my reloads and my rifle and found my scoperail mount loose. I had to go back out and shoot my rifle on the 19thto check zero. Also had to recheck some distance shots to proof the accuracy ofthe gun to make sure it was good to go. The gun/loads were doing what wasexpected. Deer season started on Saturday the 22nd here in Utah. Feeling thecrunch, me and the wife finally got the rest of the packing in the camper donea little later on Thursday which we left out with our 2 little onelate Thursday afternoon. Found a spot up in the mountains near Strawberry reservoirand settled in. Well by opening morning I had a nasty head and chest cold and alot of head pressure with little to no interest of going out. Really feelinglike poop. Opening morning I just drove around looking down and up some areas. Isaw some does and a small group of elk of about 10 with one 5 point bull. Cameback to camp with no real interest or expectation of shooting anything thisseason. I just wanted to get some meds and go to sleep. Well, about 3pm after about 5 hours of sleep,I was feeling a little better. I went to a canyon that I always wanted toexplore. I started in with another groupof hunters hitting the same canyon. The canyon forked and they went right and Iwent to the left which went through a bottom for about 2000 yards and then wrappingaround and leading up through to some higher mountain. Both areas had smallcreeks and willow bottoms. After spooking several does going through anotherfork off the first bottom I came back down to where the forks met and setup onthe hill side hoping for a buck to show. Well about 5:15pm some does came downin front in the first bottom I had walked up through. All were about 500yards.Not paying a lot attention to them at first, there was a small buck in thebunch. After glassing 6 other does on oneof the side hill I looked over the bunch that was in the first bottom that Ihad came through. One was a legal buck to my suprise. I started doing theranging and trying to get setup. Got outmy phone (shooter app), my kestrel, and went to collecting data getting readyfor a shot. Finally getting in a highly less than desirable position but stablethe buck was now at 760 yards and quartering away. Not the best shot for thistype of distance either but it was stopped and eating. Check range, and windonce more. Dialed 10MOA in the scope but never corrected for wind. Squeezed oneoff and it seem the buck just disappeared on me. The does all ran to the sideof the hill and was looking across like the buck may had went the other way. SoI started questioning if I had made the shot. Only thing that seem to make methink the shot was good was that distinctive wop of bullet hitting an animal. Iset and waited about 30 mins letting the does clear out. By now it was almost6:00pm. I went down and started looking around trying to find the deer. Lightwas almost gone and it was getting cold. Also the bottom was a willow typebottom so I was jumping across small little creek runners and there was a fewtimes I fell or stepped off into water myself. After searching for about anhour I hiked out very depressed and wet second guessing everything I had done. I've been practicing out to 1000 yards almostevery other week for the last year so I was prepared to make a shot at somereasonable distance. Not a lot of sleep thatnight to say the least. The next morning I went back to see if I could find thebuck to make sure it was either a clean miss or if I had wounded the animalwhich I would try to find. I didn't even take my rifle with me. I started off bytaking my range finder and ranging back to where I was setting and startedlooking at the distance of the shot. Well needless to say I foundthe buck where I had shot him. Shot was not the best, it was back in the ribsprobably due to the lack of wind hold but he was dead to say the least. Windhold would have been for a 5mph wind. Also the small buck turned out to be an 18inch3x4. I thought he was just a 3x3. I was only able to make out the major forkingon the antlers. For a young buck he had some good weight to him. The drag outwas about a mile and I did 2/3 by myself. Another hunter that was headed out helpedthe rest of the way…god bless… As for the rest of the week me and the wife andkids just had fun bouncing around in the mountains on some of the trailsexploring a little more of the Utah back country.
