After five years of multiple trips scouting and spending hours in the blind, it finally all came together even though it was not as planned.
After a few trips to our spot this summer I quickly realized we were not going to be the only hunter in the area, as we have been for the last four years. There were four cameras and two blinds on the tank on Thursday before opening day. My hunting partner Shrek and I planned on trying to be the first one there, rolling out at 2am on Friday. We passed one hunter on the way that was headed to the waterhole, only to find a second truck with a flat bed trailer on the way, with no UTV. There was only one place he could have went and we confirmed he was ahead of us as we saw him about a half mile ahead near the waterhole. We can only assume he heard us coming as he did not take the time to put away his cot or sleeping bag.
If you drive a tan new model Ford F250/350 and slept in the back of your truck Thursday night, PM me, I would love to talk. We did confirm he killed as we saw the boned out body on Saturday.
With the main plan shot, we went to a waterhole I had mapped a few years prior. When we got there it had good water and the area looked great. Although the day was quiet with a bear and one doe coming in, Shrek was able to spot a mule deer coming in at 2:30 pm and made it quick work. Although not a giant we had a great time enjoying the success and relaxing.
The next morning we thought to ourselves, we got beat at 2am, so there is no way we will get beat at 1am. Well, we rolled out of our camp and hit the first turn only to find out the hunter on the corner had slept at the waterhole. Respecting the fact we got beat, we rolled back to the same waterhole from the day before. The morning started off early with a 6x6 bull coming in and watering for a bit, with a couple barks to wake us up. The bull had white antlers just rubbing off its velvet. Then it got real western at 10:00 am.
I stood up to use the restroom and when I turned around, I saw my buck next to the water and my buddy was telling me to stand still. Too late, the buck blew out. We must have moved at the same time for him to make it all the way to the water. After taking the punch Shrek told me he could see a mule deer walking around, so I crawled back to the blind. Shortly after Shrek told me the same buck was coming back in along with the mule deer. My buck got down to the water, I drew and was nearly on target, only to be busted by the mule deer buck walking over the hill from a different direction. I thought there was no way the deer would come back in until later in the day or the next. Well, about 10 minutes later Shrek tells me there was a doe coming in. I got set back up and she came down for a drink. After she reached the water Shrek told me my buck was coming in again. A quick shift of the wind blew the doe out and left the buck on the top of the hill to the water hill. Figuring it was my last chance and he was definitely not coming in it seemed, I drew, leaned out, and let one fly for the front shoulder from 40 yards. It was definitely not a comfortable position to shoot from but the pin was steady on his shoulder. We heard the watermelon pop and saw him go down about 60 yards later.
After a five year wait we walked up to a deer I would have been happy with on any rifle hunt, let alone my first archery deer. I have had many chances and close calls over the last five years, it just never seems to come together. As Shrek always says, many animals are alive by inches or seconds. Well, today was the day and he was a stud.
After some celebration we cleaned him up and got back to camp, enjoyed the night, and headed home. What a great trip!!
When we got home the taxidermist rough scored him at 111" without all the tenths, so he will probably be around 113", with most of his score coming from his mass. Even though he was a good deer, the biggest feel of accomplishment was when my two boys and daughter were so excited about the deer, both the size and finally getting a velvet buck in the house. Next year it will be my oldest boys turn at the archery wheel and hopefully he can enjoy the success, since he already has a couple of rifle deer in the books.
