The SpongeROB Chronicles: The 2024 Elk and Deer 🦌 Hunt with the Avery’s and Cash

[Tanya Avery]

Is that Tanya's rifle or did they play a trick on you?

I know two folks in the last four years who had to make that, "I shot two bulls on one carcass tag" call to CPW due to dropping #1 where he stood. Glad you had two tags.

I actually just set my gun down to help. Then took a few pics before I saw it in the background and moved it. That would have been funny though!

 

[robby denning]

For sure, I think going the cover up route there's a likely additional 2-3 violations and probably ends up exceeding the nts available before long term revocation.

Do you feel more accomplished sticking a buck like that when you have scouted him and have days' of effort into the result? Or when (like this one) you bank on your experience/knowledge to hunt habitat and kill an unknown?

Well I'd have to say the pre-scouted bucks are best and often bigger, but since the hard winter of 16/17, then all the NR tag reductions, I'm thankful for what I can get anyway I can get it if you know what I mean. At the end of the day it's all buck hunting and enjoyable! (most days anyway lol)

 

[sndmn11]

I actually just set my gun down to help. Then took a few pics before I saw it in the background and moved it. That would have been funny though!

Probably start a new game for yourself and see how frequently HOG can photobomb.

 

[Tanya Avery]

Probably start a new game for yourself and see how frequently HOG can photobomb.

I love this idea!


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[sndmn11]

I love this idea!


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Is it HOG or The HOG? I'm unfamiliar with proper grammar.

 

[Tanya Avery]

Is it HOG or The HOG? I'm unfamiliar with proper grammar.

The H.O.G. (Hand of god)


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[robby denning]

The H.O.G. (Hand of god)


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gonna name mine The F.O.G (finger of God, more precise that way lol)

 

[mtwarden]

Well, sounds like it worked out.

I’d rather throw myself at their mercy than commit another violation trying to cover up the first one.

What say @mtwarden ?

I think all wardens when a violation is uncovered and the individual(s) are honest about it, will get treated better than those who lie, try to cover up, etc.

I don’t think wardens though are telling folks that they can’t plead not guilty though. Everyone has that opportunity.

 

[robby denning]

Well tonight is last night and Ryan and Tanya are out on their own, it’s almost the end of legal shooting light,

I’m either going to get a text that says “your operation sucks. We will never be back, Rokslide & Google review inbound”

or

“come up and help us get this giant heavy smelly elk out in the dark”.

Honestly, I don’t know which one would be worse.

 

[terrytheluddite]

Buck(s) story:

I'd scouted these properties we are hunting about 4 times this summer but didn't see any good bucks, but I've learned to have a deer tag during the combined elk/deer season because you never know.

So I had my resident tag and had picked up a turnback tag because again you never know.

Ryan and Tanya both had deer tags too. We were seeing deer every day but just does and small bucks, but you never know.

So Saturday, the 5th day, Ryan and Tanya knew the ranch well and and had been hunting on their own just fine (actually seeing more elk than Cash and me.).

James had already got his bull and David knows the ranches better than I do, having hunted with us for 8 years.

Cash was tired and just wanted to hunt the evening hunt, so I was free to scout some evening elk for him and check a bucky spot that hadn't been hunted right.

I parked the truck a mile back and glassed the first minutes of legal light to sunrise. I found some elk in a new spot and thought maybe Cash could hunt them starting in the afternoon.

I left the truck and walked in on a two track a half mile right as the sun rose behind me.
I got to the place where I've seen a few good bucks over the years. It's tall serviceberry mixed in with bitterbrush and sage, It's got some W/NW aspect so can hold bucks a little longer in the morning than the E facing stuff. It's probably less than 10 acres.

I slowed way down and still-hunted a little rise that let's me see above the brush. I wasn't moving super slow and had covered about 150 yards in 30 minutes, just taking a few steps and looking around or maybe glassing ahead and below with the 8x. I cleared some brush on the rise in front of me slowly and there they were...

...a nice looking non-typical upper 20s wide and an OK 4 pt, less than 90 yards.

Even though I'd moved slowly, they pegged me and were preparing for launch. I had a neck shot at the bigger buck so I quickly took it. After ,the recoil, I saw both bucks turn and bolt left.

"Missed?!! Arggg!!!"

I sprinted about 10 yards to my left and they both jammed on the brakes in a shooting lane in the brush. I could see the bigger buck on the right and the smaller on the left. This time I had his shoulder and I quickly took the shot. He piled up and started kicking.

"Woot!!!!!!"

I put another catridge in the mag so I had two ready, because you never know.

I slowly walk down and there lies a decent 4 pt buck, but no non-typical points.

"WTH?!!, No way! I know I saw a hook cheater non-typical! Did I shoot the wrong buck?!!!!"

I was really confused for a few seconds then got some clarity and backtracked 30 yards to where I'd first seen them staring at me...

and there lies there the non-typical, neck shot, DOA, but I'm thinking:

"But when I shot the 2nd time, he'd been 30 yard down the hill with the other buck?!!!"

It took a few minutes to sort out what happened.

I finally realized there had been 3 bucks. When I shot the non-typ, he fell and there was a third buck—a smaller buck,—but probably a 4 pt, below him.

So when I saw two bucks bolting away I thought I'd missed.

Then when those two bucks hit the brakes, one was bigger (I think it was the original 4 pt with the biggest buck) and one smaller so I thought I was shooting at the big buck again.

Thank GOD I had two tags! or that would have been one uncomfortable call to the game warden (ask my friends, I would have called!).

It took a few more minutes to get over the nervousneess of what had just happened but then I got excited.

Heck ya I'd rather have let that 4 pt grow up, but that's not what happened. So anyway, to the best of my understanding in the heat of the moment, that is what happened.

Here they are:

View attachment 779890
View attachment 779891
View attachment 779892

Praise the Lord, eh?

Even if you've scouted an area a few times, never assume you've seen them all, like this story proves. And don't be too judgy until you've been in the fray, things get confusing in the heat of the moment.

Tanya and Ryan made there way over to me and we got both bucks out within a few hours. They are both at the meat locker and I paid for 14-day hang to get a good dry-age on them.

I pulled the front bottom teeth for lab aging. The non-typ was noticeably bigger in the body, but we'll see what the lab says.

I'll euro the skulls.

What a great story. I guess you just never know.

 

[Tanya Avery]

Well tonight is last night and Ryan and Tanya are out on their own, it’s almost the end of legal shooting light,

I’m either going to get a text that says “your operation sucks. We will never be back, Rokslide & Google review inbound”

or

“come up and help us get this giant heavy smelly elk out in the dark”.

Honestly, I don’t know which one would be worse.

Well, unfortunately for me, we spotted a bull about 10 min. Before legal shooting light, and by the time we got the the area I could get a shot, it was too dark. It was a great hunt, and I'd do it again for sure.