roosiebull
WKR
- Joined
- Aug 23, 2014
- Location
- oregon coast
My day started in a unique way seeing an American Marten in the dark driving… first for me, and I guess a good omen.
the spot I was hunting was a place I have spent some time in but not a ton, and it really lacked deer sign on top, and I don’t see many deer there, but it’s beautiful, and I know low deer density spots in good habitat hold good bucks… I was intrigued by the lack of activity. It’s also just shy of 5 miles in there to the beginning, and I don’t see any foot traffic in there which is another thing I liked.
I got in there and waited for daylight a couple hundred yards from my glassing point, not sure what the wind was doing exactly, I didn’t want to get in there too early and bump anything.
I sat there with my binos on the tripod trying to pick anything out, fog was moving in and out of the bottom, so I would glass what I could, when I could… nothing moving and cold.
I was freezing up there with the light breeze, but I was waiting it out until the sun hit everything for awhile… waiting for the sun to hit me, haha.
the sun finally started warming things up, but I was glassing to the East, so the whole right side of the unit was hard to see detail through the glare.
after awhile, through the glare on a little dirt road going through the cut across canyon I pick up movement with my naked eye, and see it’s a deer, put my binos on it and see it’s a little 2yr old forky, walking with purpose.
I watched him, he looked like he knew where he was going, and he was alone, but at least I had something to watch now. He got about half way through the cut, stops, looks up the hill, and started marching up this vertical hillside… now I’m really wondering what he’s doing… he’s looking for something, but not randomly… he was being weird.
I watch him just steadily climb this steep hill without pause, then he gets on a little ledge and turns right, as I’m following him, I pan into another deer… good buck!
i’m watching them, the little forky hackles up, squared off with the big buck and just attacks him! What?! It’s not just playing, I can hear it from 315yds, they are going for it! I get a couple more good looks at the bigger buck and decide I need to get things going, this buck is a good one.
I get my gun set up, get a range and get him in the crosshairs just in time for them to collide a second time… I couldn’t believe what I was watching, what was the little buck thinking?
they finally break up, the big buck pushed the forky up the hill, so now he’s quartered away, and facing steep uphill.. I held high back of shoulder and shot, and he went rolling down the hill, luckily getting his antlers hung up in the brush, and there he is, hooves up, head stuck in the grass, and white belly showing… instantly the realization sets in, I no longer have a tag… pretty bittersweet this year killing one before it gets good… but I think I have a good buck dead across the canyon.
I had to go around a mile to loop around to him (easier than going across that particular canyon) which took me about a half hour to gather my stuff and get over there. I climbed up that cliff and found the buck, and slowly worked him down to the dirt road below.
I get my buck down there and catch movement… here comes mr forky walking to me and his dead battle buddy.
he came to probably 70yds and stood there with his ears back giving me the stink eye for probably 5 minutes… I called my wife and he stayed the whole time I was on the phone… finally the bully forky walked off.
pretty crazy lead up to my buck this morning. I really wonder what that little buck was thinking hunting that big buck down and attacking him without hesitation… never know what you’ll see in the woods.
bummed out I’m done hunting myself, but super happy with the buck I got, and now I can focus on getting my wife in front of a good buck. Really healthy big body buck… it was a heavy trip out of there
the spot I was hunting was a place I have spent some time in but not a ton, and it really lacked deer sign on top, and I don’t see many deer there, but it’s beautiful, and I know low deer density spots in good habitat hold good bucks… I was intrigued by the lack of activity. It’s also just shy of 5 miles in there to the beginning, and I don’t see any foot traffic in there which is another thing I liked.
I got in there and waited for daylight a couple hundred yards from my glassing point, not sure what the wind was doing exactly, I didn’t want to get in there too early and bump anything.
I sat there with my binos on the tripod trying to pick anything out, fog was moving in and out of the bottom, so I would glass what I could, when I could… nothing moving and cold.
I was freezing up there with the light breeze, but I was waiting it out until the sun hit everything for awhile… waiting for the sun to hit me, haha.
the sun finally started warming things up, but I was glassing to the East, so the whole right side of the unit was hard to see detail through the glare.
after awhile, through the glare on a little dirt road going through the cut across canyon I pick up movement with my naked eye, and see it’s a deer, put my binos on it and see it’s a little 2yr old forky, walking with purpose.
I watched him, he looked like he knew where he was going, and he was alone, but at least I had something to watch now. He got about half way through the cut, stops, looks up the hill, and started marching up this vertical hillside… now I’m really wondering what he’s doing… he’s looking for something, but not randomly… he was being weird.
I watch him just steadily climb this steep hill without pause, then he gets on a little ledge and turns right, as I’m following him, I pan into another deer… good buck!
i’m watching them, the little forky hackles up, squared off with the big buck and just attacks him! What?! It’s not just playing, I can hear it from 315yds, they are going for it! I get a couple more good looks at the bigger buck and decide I need to get things going, this buck is a good one.
I get my gun set up, get a range and get him in the crosshairs just in time for them to collide a second time… I couldn’t believe what I was watching, what was the little buck thinking?
they finally break up, the big buck pushed the forky up the hill, so now he’s quartered away, and facing steep uphill.. I held high back of shoulder and shot, and he went rolling down the hill, luckily getting his antlers hung up in the brush, and there he is, hooves up, head stuck in the grass, and white belly showing… instantly the realization sets in, I no longer have a tag… pretty bittersweet this year killing one before it gets good… but I think I have a good buck dead across the canyon.
I had to go around a mile to loop around to him (easier than going across that particular canyon) which took me about a half hour to gather my stuff and get over there. I climbed up that cliff and found the buck, and slowly worked him down to the dirt road below.
I get my buck down there and catch movement… here comes mr forky walking to me and his dead battle buddy.
he came to probably 70yds and stood there with his ears back giving me the stink eye for probably 5 minutes… I called my wife and he stayed the whole time I was on the phone… finally the bully forky walked off.
pretty crazy lead up to my buck this morning. I really wonder what that little buck was thinking hunting that big buck down and attacking him without hesitation… never know what you’ll see in the woods.
bummed out I’m done hunting myself, but super happy with the buck I got, and now I can focus on getting my wife in front of a good buck. Really healthy big body buck… it was a heavy trip out of there
