Buckmeister
10-13-2010, 08:32 PM
Alarm went off at 6:00 am. We gathered our things together and by 6:30 am we were on the quad and headed up the hill. We are pretty fortunate that we have a semi-private mountain in our backyard with our own private access. Junior says that he is ok with taking a smaller buck now, before he was holding out for a 4 point muley.
We reach the top of the mountain where there is some small cut blocks. We check each one but don't see a thing. We start heading down and recheck the blocks we passed on the way up. Still nothing. As we leave the last block we pass an access road that goes to a landing that is lower down on the last block we passed. I decided we should check it out. We drive down the road and up to the little landing. From that landing you can look down the hill which has a very steep grade (50% plus?) or you can look up the hill (35% to 50% grade depending on slope). The cut is pretty bare and a deer would stand out like a sore thumb. I see nothing. I turn the quad around and start to head out of the landing. I take a lazy glance up at the tree line and I see the silhouette of a muley head and ears. I check with the binos, yup, it's a buck. I ask Junior if he wants it and he says yes.
Ok, now what? the deer is up a 35% grade and is about 250 yards away. I tell Junior we need to get closer. Junior has only fired a few rounds out of his gun ever at close target distances, so I want to get him closer. I drive down the road a short distance and park the quad behind a large bank and out of sight. We scramble up the bank and start to close the gap. We are making a heck of a noise and the deer is still in the same spot watching us. I look for a shooting rest but there isn't a decent one that offers a view of the deer and there is a small slash pile right in front of us. The deer is poised as if he is going to walk over the ridge away from us.
Then, to my utter amazement, he does a 180 degree turn and starts to walk into the cut!!! The deer does not seem to care about us being there. There is a good rest to the left of the slash pile and the deer is coming in from the right, so I tell Junior to get into position and to get steady and ready and I will try to get the buck to stop. I doe call to him, nothing. I buck grunt, he stops for a few seconds then carries on. I yell, "HEY", nothing. He finally stops on his own accord, full broadside at about 100 to 110 yards to check us out again. Junior takes the shot. The buck arches his back but does not run. He lowers his head, tap dances with his front hooves, and downturns his quivering tail. I know he is hit. I say to Junior, "Reload", and he does. The deer starts to walk forward, he goes about 15 feet and turns right back around and goes back to the spot where he was hit. I tell Junior to wait. The buck keels over and takes a few rolls down the hill, he does not get up and he is not moving. YES, cheers and high 5's.
We start to head up the hill, it's a good climb. We get within 30 feet of the buck and he comes to life. He tries to get up and go but he only succeeds in rolling further down the hill past us to our left. He comes to a stop and junior gets a good rest from a stump and puts a finishing shot through his neck behind the ears. NOW the buck is done and the work starts. It turns out that his 1st shot entered in low and missed the lungs and heart but did enough damage to put him down. The buck may have small headgear but his neck was swelled up and he had impressive weight and size.
For his 1st ever deer, he remained calm and collected and safe the whole time. I am very proud of him. He is happy with his buck and wants to go hunt Whitetail now. He may not look too happy in the pictures, but he hates smiling and being in photos. :wink: WAY TO GO SON!!!
http://i362.photobucket.com/albums/o...01/buck001.jpg (http://i362.photobucket.com/albums/oo63/Buckmeister_01/buck001.jpg)
http://i362.photobucket.com/albums/o...01/buck002.jpg (http://i362.photobucket.com/albums/oo63/Buckmeister_01/buck002.jpg)
We reach the top of the mountain where there is some small cut blocks. We check each one but don't see a thing. We start heading down and recheck the blocks we passed on the way up. Still nothing. As we leave the last block we pass an access road that goes to a landing that is lower down on the last block we passed. I decided we should check it out. We drive down the road and up to the little landing. From that landing you can look down the hill which has a very steep grade (50% plus?) or you can look up the hill (35% to 50% grade depending on slope). The cut is pretty bare and a deer would stand out like a sore thumb. I see nothing. I turn the quad around and start to head out of the landing. I take a lazy glance up at the tree line and I see the silhouette of a muley head and ears. I check with the binos, yup, it's a buck. I ask Junior if he wants it and he says yes.
Ok, now what? the deer is up a 35% grade and is about 250 yards away. I tell Junior we need to get closer. Junior has only fired a few rounds out of his gun ever at close target distances, so I want to get him closer. I drive down the road a short distance and park the quad behind a large bank and out of sight. We scramble up the bank and start to close the gap. We are making a heck of a noise and the deer is still in the same spot watching us. I look for a shooting rest but there isn't a decent one that offers a view of the deer and there is a small slash pile right in front of us. The deer is poised as if he is going to walk over the ridge away from us.
Then, to my utter amazement, he does a 180 degree turn and starts to walk into the cut!!! The deer does not seem to care about us being there. There is a good rest to the left of the slash pile and the deer is coming in from the right, so I tell Junior to get into position and to get steady and ready and I will try to get the buck to stop. I doe call to him, nothing. I buck grunt, he stops for a few seconds then carries on. I yell, "HEY", nothing. He finally stops on his own accord, full broadside at about 100 to 110 yards to check us out again. Junior takes the shot. The buck arches his back but does not run. He lowers his head, tap dances with his front hooves, and downturns his quivering tail. I know he is hit. I say to Junior, "Reload", and he does. The deer starts to walk forward, he goes about 15 feet and turns right back around and goes back to the spot where he was hit. I tell Junior to wait. The buck keels over and takes a few rolls down the hill, he does not get up and he is not moving. YES, cheers and high 5's.
We start to head up the hill, it's a good climb. We get within 30 feet of the buck and he comes to life. He tries to get up and go but he only succeeds in rolling further down the hill past us to our left. He comes to a stop and junior gets a good rest from a stump and puts a finishing shot through his neck behind the ears. NOW the buck is done and the work starts. It turns out that his 1st shot entered in low and missed the lungs and heart but did enough damage to put him down. The buck may have small headgear but his neck was swelled up and he had impressive weight and size.
For his 1st ever deer, he remained calm and collected and safe the whole time. I am very proud of him. He is happy with his buck and wants to go hunt Whitetail now. He may not look too happy in the pictures, but he hates smiling and being in photos. :wink: WAY TO GO SON!!!
http://i362.photobucket.com/albums/o...01/buck001.jpg (http://i362.photobucket.com/albums/oo63/Buckmeister_01/buck001.jpg)
http://i362.photobucket.com/albums/o...01/buck002.jpg (http://i362.photobucket.com/albums/oo63/Buckmeister_01/buck002.jpg)