Search the Community

I'm going to try and keep the words short and let the pictures tell the story. My cousin John and I drew late tags for a unit we both know really well. The work and anticipation started back in August when we got our trail cams out and continued on through all of the early hunts right up to the end of the year. Camp was set and would be home off and on from October through December as we had friends and family with early season tags as well. Before we knew it our hunt was upon us as well as the crummy weather. Along with a blown tire. We still found some deer though. John and I had to go back to work for a couple of days but our dads kept looking for bucks that would be worthy of our tags. As it turns out both found shooter bucks in opposite ends of the unit so a plan was made to hunt each for a few days before Christmas. We were able to locate one of the bucks that John's dad had found and decided that John would put a stalk on him....game on! After a 2.5 hour stalk John was set up 144 yards away. I was nervously watching through the spotter as he made a super shot on the bedded buck. We headed into town for dinner and to take care of John's buck. The next day I was out solo and passed up several nice bucks when I spotted a good solid buck. With light fading fast I dropped off of my ridge top and closed the distance to 507 yards. A quick glance through the binos to locate the big buck and the spike feeding across the canyon, I then got set up for the shot and squeezed the trigger. The bullet went right over the buck's back so I readjusted and sent another accubond on it's way....buck down! I loaded my gear and looked through the binos one more time to get a land mark when I realized the mistake I had just made. There looking at my dead buck was the spike and the big buck I thought I had been shooting at. Sometime during my stalk the two had picked up a third buck of which I had just taken. Oh well, mental note made, good eating on the ground, and no regrets. Sorry for the pictures of my buck but it was dark and I was a long ways from camp still. All in all it was a great journey with friends, family, and the great outdoors! It was so awesome to spend time with John, his dad, and my dad doing what we all love so much. Worst part of the entire thing was breaking camp but I still have Mexico in a couple weeks to look forward to!