Erin Bittner

For all of you who don't know me, I am the lucky guy that killed this buck. To show my appreciation and share my perspective, I thought I would join this blog for the first time. Have you ever taken a deer or elk and shortly after the post shot "man hug" and photos, you call the kill "a community deer or bull"? This adventure met that criteria. One thing Gino left out of the initial story is that I was the worst hunting companion a guy could have this year. With family obligations this Holiday season, along with my son's unexpected hernia operation and a chest and head cold that almost put me out of the game, I can honestly say I had my doubts I was going to kill anything other than another box of Kleenex. I was unable to execute the typical three hour epic hikes I am used to for harvesting these deer in our 'edge of the earth' spot. Amidst all these obstacles, I am glad we kept plugging away... Although I am still paying for it. As Gino mentioned, I really did not want to hunt alone this year. I have taken two Coues deer by myself in the past. Although personally gratifying to walk in alone and walk out with a buck over your sholder "Rgggg!", the real trophies to me are ones shared by others... Just look at the expressions on the faces of three amigos in Gino's attachments. Given how fast our children are growing and the current state of the economy, I place a very high value on the costs people incur as they volunteer time away from their families and jobs. Several times I felt guilty knowing that Gino, Stuffy, Tige and Goff were assisting without expectation from me for several days on end. They willingly wanted to participate and help. They gave me more time than I have ever given them. For that effort, I am forever grateful. No, I am not crying right now. (Gino is, however). I also spent more than a few days earlier in the season with the Nelson brothers (Cody and Wade) trying to locate a 'toad' and going over gear options for a potential assault on the mountain. As for the story, it went down exactly as Gino mentioned, right down to the gracious tip from "B-dog". In addition, I thought I would volunteer that I used a Barnes 100 grain triple shock bullet in my 257 Weatherby for this hunt. We have taken 12 big game animals with this combination. All were one-shot kills ranging from javalina at 200 yds, elk at 300 yds to Coues deer as far as 460 yds. I most like the fact that the bullet trajectory matches very closely with the reticals on my 18 power Swarovski TDX scope. Yes, you can argue a preference of another bullet, but I know exactly where this one hits... That peace of mind comes in handy. As we ran(coughing/sneezing) toward this buck with a rifle in one hand and a range finder in the other, I felt very comfortable with the shooting distance as we quickly drew under 450 yards, but was not sure if I could locate the buck considering how fast he was working the hillside. The rest I finally chose, looked like a dead manzanita/cedar 'thing' that I quickly climbed into. I took a sharp branch in the ear while climbing in and probably resembled a really poorly-done Christmas ornament. I don't even think I had both feet on the ground when I finally put the bead on him. An uphill, quartering away shot makes a very nice landing pad for swift flying bullet. Good thing, considering it would have been my last... I was able to pull off the shot just as he was heading behind an obstruction in my view and I would not have had time to reposition for another shot before he topped the hill. So, as in all cases, I whispered the customary "take this!"... closed both eyes and jerked the trigger with two fingers.. Direct hit... I only wish I could have seen it. (I hope you appreciate the humor in that.) I really missed the thrill of locating a buck during scouting season and obsessing over the effort to locate and kill that particular buck. I envy Cody Coff, who did just that in the October hunt. He killed a huge buck with character that screams for a shoulder mount. Since we did not see such a trophy, I was aimless and sometimes feeling without mission. One thing that made all the difference was the team. Gino and crew kept saying "He is in there... I promise you... He is just bedded... Keep glassing." They were right. Thanks again to all who participated in this "community deer". Erin