270quest
WKR
Was another good year for us hunting the Central Idaho Backcountry on the General OTC Deer Hunt. I have hunted this area/unit for over 20 years and my family/friends that got me started have been hunting it for many many year longer than that. It always seems to produce and this year was no different.
We were able to hunt 17th-24th this year which was interesting as we experience snow and cold temps down to upper twenties, to warm sunny weather with daytime highs in the upper 60s and even some rain and fog. Weather never seemed to stay the same for more than a day at a time.
My 16 year old son started off the action by taking his largest buck so far - a solid 23" 4 point. We found him in a large basin trying to sneak off thru the timber. He made the mistake of stopping to check us out one last time, and my son made a great shot at about 125 yards dropping him. Up to this point, he had only seen a spike buck and a small 2 point in a couple days of hunting and was starting to get nervous/antsy he wouldn't get a shot at a good deer - it all worked out in the end.
He used his Tikka Superlite 6.5 creedmoor, 139 scenar (Killing Bullets), Leupold VX3I 3.5-10X40 and a Backcountry Banish Suppressor.
The next day it was time for my 13 year old daughter to hunt. She has killed a couple of does and a small spike so she just wanted to shoot any branched buck. Also, she is still learning how to really shoot and hunt so for the most part, I felt we would be limited to shots at 150 yards or less. We started hiking an old logging road I know that usually has deer and within 300 yards came around a bend to find a small group of 4 does and a small 2 point buck. We got her setup on the shooting sticks with the deer milling around about 75 yards away on the downhill side. She got on the buck and as it separated from the does, and shot it in the back of the lungs. The shot was a bit far back, right on the very back edge of the lungs/stomach area. The deer took a lunge and went on its death run about 200 yards before piling up dead. Because of that run, we had a bit more of a packout than I was anticipating and 1st time I ever had to quarter up a 2 point, but she was super excited and happy she was able to get a buck. Even though it was just a two point, her biggest deer to date.
She used a Tikka .243, custom purple “girly” laminate stock. Zeiss Conquest 3-9x40, Talley ringmounts, 95 grain Nosler Ballistic Tip.
After getting the kids their deer and helping a buddy find a spike bull to shoot, it basically left me two days of the season to find a deer of my own. The evening before we setup on a glassing spot and glassed a large canyon and finger ridges around it. There were deer and bucks everywhere. From our spot we were between 800-1500yards away and glassing till dark we probably found 10-12 different bucks. None of them the monster 190” deer we all dream of, but 3-4 where good solid mature deer and they all where within 2-3 ridges of each other – so the plan was made for the next day to go into that spot. The next morning I set up high on a rock that gave me a view of those 3 finger ridges. Deer started feeding out including a couple small 3x2 and 2x2 type deer. I slowly moved down from my spot about 200 yards to get a better view of one of the ridges and when I did that spotted my buck. He was feeding up to the spine of the ridge working towards the timber. I could see he had a good frame on him and was a very large bodied mature deer and decided he was good enough. I ranged him at 452 yards and luckily since it was still early in the morning the wind was next to non existent. I got setup and dialed my rifle to 450. Held steady and stoned him dead with one shot. He was dead before he hit the ground. He taped out at 25” wide and had good mass and some good forks. Just an old mature 3 point buck that was probably never going to be much more. Other than the long pack out with around 100 pounds on by back, it was a tremendous hunt.
I used the trusty old 7 mag once again – This is somewhere around the 25th or so big game animal it has taken. Tikka Superlite 7 rem mag, Zeiss Conquest 4-16x50, zeiss rings, McMillan Sako Classic stock, radial muzzle break, 150 grain scenars. (killing bullets)
Tremendous year for deer for our family as my wife was the only one who didn’t harvest but she didn’t even really hunt this year as the kids where the priority. All 4 of us still have late season southern Idaho desert cow elk tags between December and February, so we will give it a rest for a bit then go chase some elk this winter!
We were able to hunt 17th-24th this year which was interesting as we experience snow and cold temps down to upper twenties, to warm sunny weather with daytime highs in the upper 60s and even some rain and fog. Weather never seemed to stay the same for more than a day at a time.
My 16 year old son started off the action by taking his largest buck so far - a solid 23" 4 point. We found him in a large basin trying to sneak off thru the timber. He made the mistake of stopping to check us out one last time, and my son made a great shot at about 125 yards dropping him. Up to this point, he had only seen a spike buck and a small 2 point in a couple days of hunting and was starting to get nervous/antsy he wouldn't get a shot at a good deer - it all worked out in the end.
He used his Tikka Superlite 6.5 creedmoor, 139 scenar (Killing Bullets), Leupold VX3I 3.5-10X40 and a Backcountry Banish Suppressor.
The next day it was time for my 13 year old daughter to hunt. She has killed a couple of does and a small spike so she just wanted to shoot any branched buck. Also, she is still learning how to really shoot and hunt so for the most part, I felt we would be limited to shots at 150 yards or less. We started hiking an old logging road I know that usually has deer and within 300 yards came around a bend to find a small group of 4 does and a small 2 point buck. We got her setup on the shooting sticks with the deer milling around about 75 yards away on the downhill side. She got on the buck and as it separated from the does, and shot it in the back of the lungs. The shot was a bit far back, right on the very back edge of the lungs/stomach area. The deer took a lunge and went on its death run about 200 yards before piling up dead. Because of that run, we had a bit more of a packout than I was anticipating and 1st time I ever had to quarter up a 2 point, but she was super excited and happy she was able to get a buck. Even though it was just a two point, her biggest deer to date.
She used a Tikka .243, custom purple “girly” laminate stock. Zeiss Conquest 3-9x40, Talley ringmounts, 95 grain Nosler Ballistic Tip.
After getting the kids their deer and helping a buddy find a spike bull to shoot, it basically left me two days of the season to find a deer of my own. The evening before we setup on a glassing spot and glassed a large canyon and finger ridges around it. There were deer and bucks everywhere. From our spot we were between 800-1500yards away and glassing till dark we probably found 10-12 different bucks. None of them the monster 190” deer we all dream of, but 3-4 where good solid mature deer and they all where within 2-3 ridges of each other – so the plan was made for the next day to go into that spot. The next morning I set up high on a rock that gave me a view of those 3 finger ridges. Deer started feeding out including a couple small 3x2 and 2x2 type deer. I slowly moved down from my spot about 200 yards to get a better view of one of the ridges and when I did that spotted my buck. He was feeding up to the spine of the ridge working towards the timber. I could see he had a good frame on him and was a very large bodied mature deer and decided he was good enough. I ranged him at 452 yards and luckily since it was still early in the morning the wind was next to non existent. I got setup and dialed my rifle to 450. Held steady and stoned him dead with one shot. He was dead before he hit the ground. He taped out at 25” wide and had good mass and some good forks. Just an old mature 3 point buck that was probably never going to be much more. Other than the long pack out with around 100 pounds on by back, it was a tremendous hunt.
I used the trusty old 7 mag once again – This is somewhere around the 25th or so big game animal it has taken. Tikka Superlite 7 rem mag, Zeiss Conquest 4-16x50, zeiss rings, McMillan Sako Classic stock, radial muzzle break, 150 grain scenars. (killing bullets)
Tremendous year for deer for our family as my wife was the only one who didn’t harvest but she didn’t even really hunt this year as the kids where the priority. All 4 of us still have late season southern Idaho desert cow elk tags between December and February, so we will give it a rest for a bit then go chase some elk this winter!
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