Two Couse Down

[khaller]

"This buck was with in 600 yards from were we had spotted him the previous year" I was amazed to see that he had survived so many hunts through the year on public land! However I was not surprised to find him with in the same proximity of were he had given us the slip last season. I am a firm believer as to how territorial Coues white tail deer really are! We had the early October hunt and only had a couple of days to get it done due to work and school schedules. We had three tags and a short time to hunt, I knew it would be a challenge to fill three tags in such a short time and compete with all the hunters that would be in this area. Years ago when we first discovered this particular area of canyons we named it after one of our competitive hunting cousins whom we never shared hunting hot spots with, "Donny Don’t Know Canyon" Now we just call it, "Every Body Knows Canyon" Except for Donny LOL! The first day we arrived at the entrance to the set of canyons we were planning to hunt the two days only to find that no matter how early we would have got up, it wouldn’t have been early enough to get ahead of the other hunters. We had a group on the trail right in front of us; we spotted a hunter already up the ridge to the North of us, and a camp with hunters up the canyon hunting the ridges to the South of us! I would have been really discouraged if I wasn’t already expecting this. But keeping a positive attitude and knowing the area quite well the hunters that were in ahead of us had made one crucial mistake, they over looked what I call the middle canyons and we had them to our selves! So we quickly geared up and started up the canyon, immediately we started glassing up deer, mostly does with fawns which I was glad to see a good out crop of fawns knowing that there must be a good buck in the area that was impregnating all these does with fawns we were seeing. Later that after noon after passing up on a few spikes we had also seen, my oldest son Austin spotted this nice little two point that he decided to take. I quickly ranged him at 308 yards and Austin from shooting sticks drilled him!

 

Austin with his buck

 

Day two we hunted up the next canyon over and figured it hadn’t been buggered up yet, we weren’t seeing the deer we saw the first day and were already a quarter of the way up. We decided to sit and eat a little snack. As we rested I glassed up ahead near the top along the sky line and low and behold “There he was” bedded under the left side of a juniper! Alls I could see was the top half of his head and antlers. Thanks to my trusty 18 power Canon Image Stabilizers, I love those things! I ranged him at 879 yards and quickly started to put a plan together as to how we could manage to cut the distance more than half. We picked our shooting spot that happen to be a juniper tree slightly down and across a draw on the opposite ridge he was on.

 

Buck is bedded under the juniper on the sky line

 

We had made our stock to our desired shooting location with out being detected and got set up for the shot; Austin who had already tagged out was on the left of me on the binoculars ready to call out the bullet placement. Jesse was on the right of me and set up on his sticks and ready to take the shot. I was in the middle and the plan was when the buck stood up, Jesse was going to take the shot.

 

 

Now the time of day was nearing 3pm and sitting in the shady side of the tree we were under waiting for the buck to stand up seemed to be for ever, as we could still only see the top of his head and antlers we studied him closely and did determine he was indeed the same buck that gave us the slip last year! My experience in the past has been that if I didn’t have the buck on the ground and cleaned and on my back headed down the ridge by this late in the day, we would be coming out in the dark with head lights! Not my favorite thing to do. We were starting to shiver a little sitting in the shade and I decided we had better try and take him while bedded. A couple of times he reached back and groomed him self painting a picture of what direction his body was lying. Jesse was packing his 25-06 with a 3 x 9 variable scope. I was packing my 7 mag with a 4.5 x 14 variable scope and felt confident that I could make the shot. Only because I believe I could see him better in my higher powered scope. So here we go I said, as I started to squeeze the trigger I quickly let off due to I noticed the cross hairs slightly bouncing with the beat of my heart LOL! Took aim again this time controlling my breathing and heart rate, BOOM said the sound of my 7 mag! I quickly jacked another round into the chamber expecting to have to take another shot when simultaneously both Austin and Jesse said “YOU SMOKED HIM”

 

 

The bullet found its way right through a perfect heart and lung shot! I'll take some credit for knowing my gun and scope along with a whole lot of luck and help from the Lord above! This was one of the best times spent with my two sons and I want to thank both of them for a hunt that I will never forget.

 

These Two Young Bucks Even Packed Him Out For Me

 

 

 

[AZCouesManiac]

Sounds like you guys had a fun hunt congrats on your bucks!

[trophyhnter]

Great story! Congrats on your bucks! Great shooting!

[CouesWhitetail]

Way to go!! Don't forget to enter the bucks in the coues contest....

 

http://www.coueswhitetail.com/forums/topic/34667-2012-coues-buck-contest/

[cramerhunts]

Congratulations on a successful hunt! Nice to have the boys there to help on the pack out! Nice shooting as well.

[200"mulie]

congrats !!

[Pine Donkey]

Very nice bucks, congratulations!

[Chef]

Congratulations on the success!

[Couzer]

Nice job!

[Apatkelley]

Way to get it done!! It sure is fun hunting with your kids......and they are great pack mules. I'm just glad I'm not one of the banished cousins

[Snapshot]

NIce!

[randyolson]

Way to get er done!! Congratulations!!