After spotting Big Hank, things go from chill to frantic in a hurry.
Brain is thinking fast, gotta move into position, get a range. I figure if I get to the next big rock outcrop which you can see in the last shot, I'd be closer with no obstructions.
I get on it, throw the pack down, try to get a rest and range him... 320 yards downhill. ouch!
My longest shot so far in the field was a quick 80 yarder last year with a dead blowdown branch as a rest. It did the job.
300 yard shots I've practiced somewhat at the range and I feel ok depending on the day, and that's with ideal conditions.
Now the scope cover comes off, scope magnification goes to 10x, I jack one in the pipe and look through the scope.
I see him alright but the cross-hairs are wandering too much, not good enough. I'm half sideways prone and my body is not stable at all.
I pull out my tripod and try using it as a rest. I set up the legs, sit my butt close to it and c-grip the top.
I look through the scope again. The cross-hairs are still wandering too much for my liking due to my body movements.
During this minute which seems like forever, the two bucks are feeding up and away.
I range them again... 335 yards and they're slowly moving further.
This is me at that very moment.
I finally decide that I'm not going to take this shot, it doesn't feel right. I tell myself "Don't rush this. It's only day 2."
So I un-chamber the round and we closely watch the two bucks feed their way up.
They eventually leave the meadow and get onto the shale slope where they climb up a chute and vanish out of sight.
It's about 9am and time to make a plan.
We decide to descend into the valley to get a better look, and maybe climb up the other side, to get the best angle to see where these deer went. As we descend the steep slope, our viewing angle gets better and better and so I'm constantly checking through the binos the chute the bucks went up. Well lo and behold! I spot the 3-point buck bedded below a bush in that chute! We're only half way down to the valley bottom and have a good view of the chute now so no need to go any further.
We set up the spotting scope and have lunch. Remember to always eat while glassing!
Here's what I see
So this 3-point I'm almost certain is also the same sentinel buck from last year. For sure Big Hank is nearby but can I manage to find him?
Here's a good example why I appreciate good glass.
That horizontal line in the shadows looks a bit suspicious. So I stare at it for a while. And then I get confirmation. Big Hank eventually moved his head and I catch a glimpse of his antlers moving through the brush. Great, now I know where he is! Now let's wait and see.
Again as Mike E. mentions in his book, bucks will sometimes bed in a secondary location before moving to a prime location to check their back trail.
Sure enough after 20 minutes or so, the 3-point gets up and starts feeding. He slowly moves up and to the right, behind a rock wall and is out of sight.
Excellent, now there's one less deer to spot us. It's one on one.
I tell my wife to keep an eye on Big Hank while I go scout the terrain for a stalk. I walk up to a knoll, trying to keep out of sight, and scan the mountain face with my binos looking at gullies, tree islands, anything that would make a stealthy stalk. I spot this one tree island that in my mind, if we can get to it, would put us in perfect position.
I feel like they're going to stay bedded for while so I tell my wife, let's make a move. Let's see if we can into position carefully but quickly.
We get our gear on and start the approach. As we get closer I range the deer... 890 yards.
We're crossing streams, using gullies to climb, moving from tree island to tree island.
Sometimes we use one tall tree between the deer and us to hide our approach.
Whenever we're out in the open, we move strategically very slowly to the next tree. We even try to manage our shadows on the ground. Once hidden again we move faster.
The closer we get the more critical our every move becomes.
Finally, we are at the tree island I was aiming for!
I slowly look over the edge and take range measurement... oh boy! I look at my wife and show her my fingers: one.. five...zero yards. Her eyes light up!
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Originally Posted by Wentrot
