Well, me and JJensen set out around 10pm for a long drive to southern Alberta. The following morning we arrived and with our hunter host, Dave, started scouting some areas he though some good bucks lived around. After seeing a number of younger whitetails and mulies, we spotted a very deep forked and heavy typical mule deer. As by this point it was last light, we watched him chase a hot doe into some river cooleys and disappear. The land he was on was private, and the owner had the weekend booked with hunters, so all we could do about this buck was wait and see if they other hunters cancelled.
The next day the season was open - I had a mule deer and whitetail tag, JJensen had a whitetail tag. We started the morning scouting some open hunting property, and getting permission from a number of other property owners. The evening was spent glassing some river breaks when JJensen spotted a heavy tined 4 point in the flat below us. Deciding I would put on a stalk, we repositioned ourselves on another knob above the river flat. Now looking down I noticed another two bucks with 8 or 9 does has emerged below us, undetected. I told JJensen I was going to go down and put on a stalk. Moving quickly down the break, I was spotted and the deer moved closer to the river. The bucks continued to run the does. Once getting to the river flat, I noticed that the bucks were pushing the does away from JJensen. I sprinted to the river in an attempt to lead them off from what I believed to be their escape route. Needless to say they heard me this time and ran closer to the river again - JJensen watched them run, and through his glasses thought he saw another deer running to join them. Hard to explain, but because JJensen was about 75 meters above me on a ridge, he could see what I couldn’t. That deer running to join them was me lol. So anyways after moving through some buck brush for about a half hour it was dark, and I couldn’t find the deer. JJensen on the other hand watched a number of other bucks join up with those does, and saw another typical and heavy 4x4 sky lined on the river.
The third day brought -15 temperatures, and some light snow. Me and JJensen found ourselves glassing the same river flat. After seeing a number of small bucks, JJensen decided he would do a drive of the trees and heavy bush surrounding the river. Immediately upon him starting the push some young 3 and 4 points started emerging. When I positioned myself on a small knob, I didn’t realize it but I was directly above the main escape route. Throughout his push about 10 bucks funneled right beside me, including one massive 3x3 that clearly wasn’t going to grow anymore points. He was at least 32" wide. A few bucks did use an escape route further up river into a different cooley. When JJensen returned we decided to push some cooleys and see if we would run into these bucks.
Sure enough, about four cooleys up we pushed a nice buck non typical out. He was about 300 yards away, but I couldn’t decide if he was a shooter as he was moving away from us. We pursued him, but quickly lost him in the mass of river breaks. Later that day we returned only to find him, 3 small bucks, and many does bedded in a break. I decided he was a shooter for me, and put on a stalk. After about a 10 minute hike I was on a ridge above where I thought they were. They had moved. I worked my way uphill to where they were now, but jumped 4 mulie does with a whitetail buck. With two quick snorts, the mulie doe sent her group, with my buck in another group of 15 does running away. I set up and waited for them to emerge on the far side of the canyon. They were about 400 yards away when I saw them again, and after taking a number of shots at him, I missed then all. I went to where they were afterwards - no blood. I was quite disappointed, and had a sore nose from scope bite on that last shot
The final morning me and JJensen were in the same spot. I was disappointed about my previous day’s miss, so I decided that if they huge 3 point came out I would take him. He would be a great trophy. JJensen started his drive again, only to push way more does out today. They congregated in the middle of the river flat looking nervous. From about 2km up river, I noticed a big bodied deer hastily moving towards the does. I put my spotting scope on him and in disbelief realized it was the buck I missed the night before. I repositioned myself to prone, and waited for him to come in. He stopped with the does at around 400 yards. He was milling around, when I saw JJensen emerge from his push. I knew I didn’t have long to get this buck on the ground, and two of his does ran to an escape route far up from me. I thought I had lost him there, but he remained. Although I missed at 400 yards the day before, I was in a much better shooting position today. I lined him up as he was quartering towards me sniffing a doe to his left. Bang. I looked through my scope to see him fall to his haunches. He started sniffing the does again. I couldn’t figure what happened, but as the does got nervous they started jogging towards me. Bang. I put another one right in the vitals, but he kept coming. Bang. Finally my last shot - a poor one in his back knee put him down. He was dead from the shot to the vitals when I got to him.
Pictures are below, but he is a non typical 7x5 with a very heavy left side. Defiantly the character buck I was after.
The remainder of the trip was spent chasing whitetails for JJensen - needless to say he didn’t connect, but not without any chances
Ill leave that story for him to tell.
Pics are coming. Photobucket isnt working for me atm!
Reply With Quote
400 yard shots are extremely tough to make and I wouldn't recommend it for most hunters.
congrats on your sucess by the way 
Originally Posted by agaucher
