We mad a trip in October, December, and mid January. Each time with similar results...not much to get excited about. It didn't help that each time we were there was horrible weather with very high winds. Matt and I have seen a lot of coues deer country in our time of growing up and hunting in Arizona and this country looked phenomenal so we were dumbfounded as to why we were seeing so little. However we also new that much can change when the rut kicks in especially on this type of ranch so we kept at it. Well something did happen to give me a little hope on that first January trip. I was out glassing by myself as Matt caught a serious 24 hr flu bug. The morning proved to be uneventful with just a couple small bucks so I decided to head back to truck to get Matt back stateside when all of a sudden I almost stepped on these!
I couldn't believe what laid before me and I made Matt hike to where I was even though he could barely move. This was a very exciting moment for us as like most of you we are shed addicts. I realized the rarity of this find and was very grateful however I couldn't help but think that between the lions and the locked bucks I was fighting an uphill battle..LOL! We took the heads back to the ranch house to add to the already impressive collection.
Well I went home only to return again for the actual hunt on the 23rd of January. I had chosen that start date based on prior experience in Mexico along with the moon phase even though it meant Matt would be taking two hunters in there the week before me. One of the two hunters ended up harvesting a typical with mass galore which taped out at 117". For the hunt it would be myself and good friend Eric H. hunting. The first day was spent in the area where I had found the locked bucks. The day was slow with only a couple small bucks and does spotted. At the end of the day I ended up glassing up a very large buck. He was on top of a plateau across the way but moved out enough to get a good look. HUGE. I had the cross hairs on the buck following his every move on The Claw. The only problem is the buck was over 600 yds away and he never even for a split second stopped running that doe before he slipped back out of view. Very frustrating but still I made a good ethical decision. The next day I hiked into the backside of where that buck appeared to discover the honey hole. That afternoon as I glassed I started to find doe after doe appear in the thick country when all of a sudden a buck appeared head on at 350 yds as he stood up from a nap. I saw a mature frame and not willing to risk another missed opportunity and knowing I had 2 tags to fill I quickly swapped out my Leica Duovids for The Claw and rifle. Without a hesitation I let the air out of the buck at 348 yds. Although the buck was not the 120+" buck from the day before I was not disappointed at all. He is a beautiful 3 X 4 which scores into the mid 100's.
The next day was Eric's last unfortunately as he had to get back to the office. We decided to give the area where I shot my buck a rest figuring we buggered it up enough the night before. Boy was that a mistake. As we glassed an area we had found does, Matt took some time to glass the area I shot my buck. To his amazement, right out in a grassy opening on the plateau was One of the largest framed deer we had ever seen running does around like mad! We couldn't believe our luck. We waited to see where they would move which was right into the Palo Verde thicket where the bigger buck from the first day came from. Nothing came out that afternoon but while I was glassing down into the surrounding low country I just about lost it as I cught a glimpse of another giant buck. I sent Matt and Eric down only to have them see the buck just long enough to know it was the largest deer they had seen on the hoof but not long enough to get the shot. Did I say this country was tough hunting?! The next day we took a day off while we took Eric back stateside. On the way back down Matt and I said "it's time to put one of these bombers on the ground!" The next day we started the hike up into the area where I had shot my buck and where the hot doe was keeping the good bucks. Unfortunately, they moved down ridge and we bumped them. We got a glimpse of two BIG framed bucks. One disappeared into the Palo Verde thicket before a good look but the other I noticed was a HUGE framed buck and a drop tine of some nature. He disappeared over the saddle and into the pocket where I shot my buck 2 days before. We snuck up to the rocky knob overlooking the pocket. We picked up the does immediately so I instantly set up my tripod and Claw system. The does were in the 550-650 yd range. I told Matt I am putting the smackdown on whichever of those two bucks that comes out first. Sure enough I caught movement of my buck running out of the Palo Verde thicket towards the does. he stopped behind a thick Grey thorn and I asked Matt for the range. "640 yds" he replied. I clicked in the MOA and settled in for the shot. With the Claw that actually means lightening my grip and support and relaxing all my muscles. All I could see now was his front shoulder but that was all I needed and was not about to watch the buck of my dreams run a doe out of sight for a second time. So I gently squeezed the shot off. At first Matt thought I had missed but then the buck started stumbling and he dropped to the ground. Amazingly, he found a way to get up again where I proceeded to put another two bullets in him. One was farther back as he walked but the other was on the front shoulder again. In fact the first shot was perfect up/down but 2" forward taking out the shoulder muscle but missing the shoulder barely. You can see both shots in the pics. The other shoulder shot put him down for good. As we walked up on the buck we were amazed at the uniqueness and size of his frame. We didn't know exactly what he would score with the weak G-3's and didn't care as we knew we were looking at a buck of a lifetime. he has double drop main beams. The right beam is 20" on the button and the left 18.5". His G-2's are 9.5" and his frame shoots straight up. He even has a 14" spread and above average mass to go with it which is deceiving because of how tall he is. Score definitely does not do this buck justice because of his lacking G-3's (3 and 4" respectively). Even so he scores in the low teens.
As He Lay
I shot both deer from the same rock on the same rock knob. I told Matt it is now dubbed, "Cade's Point" as I have a date with the "Picket Fence" buck next year. I am including a pic of me minutes after the 640 yd shot on my buck. Notice the front tripod leg on the ground and the other two legs on the rock. This was literally the ONLY place from which to effectively shoot from that distance. It was impossible to get prone anywhere on that knob and the knob was the only elevation high enough to see into the plateau the deer inhabited. I can honestly say I don't know how I would have killed my once in a lifetime buck without great tested shooting equipment and aid from The Claw. Take that for what it's worth. I know I am biased but it is the truth.
Shot Set up
the point in background is where i shot from
I had a trip of a lifetime, full of ups and downs, ending with a buck I will never forget. It reminds me of why we hunt in the first place. The memory I will have of all the hard work put in experienced with lifelong friends is priceless. I want to thank Matt again of Borderland Adventures for a true high quality Sonora Mexico Coues deer hunt. Hopefully next year I will be posting pictures of the "picket fence" buck!
