Well... We got our house on the market yesterday so I was able to sneak away to chase some deer today.
I went to the same spot I went last week to see if I could turn up the same buck. This time a buddy would be tagging along to spot and Per usual, we saw a lot of does everywhere we looked. Most of the groups of does had a spike or fork horned buck pestering then, but we didn't see any big bucks. We could hear rocks falling below us so we knew there were deer down there, and we also knew there was a lot of terrain we couldn't see from our vantage point.
It didn't take long before we saw the first 3x4. He had a harem of does around him and wasn't in a hunt-able spot. We decided it would be best to let the deer and the wind settle down before making any moves.
As we were getting up to move and check the next drainage, I looked up and saw a buck silhouetted on the adjacent ridgeline....
He obviously saw us too, and wanted nothing to do with it. He stood like a statue for about 5 minutes before a good looking doe walked in front of his nose. He curled his nose, tucked his head back, and followed her into the drainage he came from.
We sat for about an hour longer to let the deer get settled in so we weren't bumping them everywhere we went.
The young 3x4 bedded down within sight in a very hunt-able spot. I hate leaving deer to find deer, and since I'm really limited on time this year, I figured it would be worth going after the 3x4 instead of wandering around looking for the big buck. Either way, I needed to walk to the spot I'd last seen the big one to stalk the 3x4. Maybe we'd see him when we got there.
Well, we didn't see the big buck, but we did see a few other hunters walking down the drainage we assumed the big one was in. Since there weren't many escape routes out of that drainage due to the cliffs and rocks everywhere, we setup on the most likely option on our ridge with the best wind.
The deer didn't come our way and we didn't see the buck come out, but based on the fact that the hunters left and had the same number of arrows in their quivers we don't think they saw him either. So on to stalking the younger buck.
If the buck stayed where we last saw him, I'd have a steep, but easy 25-30 yard shot from the top of the rocks he was bedded below.
Too bad they made a smart move and relocated to the other side of the drainage. 115yds was the closest I could get without spooking any of the sentries.
We were going to take a peak into a different drainage when a random group of does crashed into the drainage where the young 3x4 was bedded. They must have been spooked by other hunters because it was obvious that sticking around was not on their agenda. This actually worked in our favor because all but 4 deer got up and left; a fawn, a doe (who never even stood up), a spike, and the 3x4.
The 3x4 looked like he was going to leave, but immediately turned around when the spike walked past the bedded doe. He pinned his ears back and walked stiff-legged back to the bottom of the drainage. After a 10 minute staredown and a couple near beatdowns, the more dominant buck bedded down in some rocks next to the doe.
It was pretty simple from here. All I had to do was walk back to the other side of the drainage (the same one we were on originally), climb down a few cliffs, conquer a boulder field, somehow quietly walk through a scree chute, tip-toe a narrow ledge, climb a few more rocks and.... boom, easy 20yd shot....
It was going perfectly, until I got 40 yards away and I rolled a rock right past the deer.
They stood up, walked a few yards... no shot... A few more yards... They didn't stop... They turned around... Bad angle, no shot. They walked toward me and behind some rocks. No shot. The buck wouldn't let the doe leave and he wouldn't stand still long enough for me to get a shot.
I climbed a boulder to get a better view. The doe stopped to pee, and the buck had to sniff it. He was perfectly quartered away. I ranged him, set my feet the best I could, drew back, settled the pin and released.
Textbook!
He walked 20 yards before rolling down the hill and stopped 5 yards from where I shot him.
I couldn't be more happy with how it all came together, I'm glad to have my first archery mule deer in the freezer, and I'm looking forward to spending some time with the kids before we move.
The only hunt left for me this year is my wife's elk hunt, and we're not sure if we'll have the time to get it done. We're just taking it all one day at a time right now.
"Never follow your passion, but always bring it with you." ~Mike Rowe
