Just got back from high buck with my kids. Had success but the hot, dry, smokey conditions made things harder this year. Went into an area we had been watching/bear hunting as we had seen some nice bucks with one being an absolute giant I had seen on an early morning trail run. But, we didn’t see any of those deer during the 8 days we were back there. Of the bucks we were seeing, one was unique and I decided to make a move on him day 3. This year was interesting as smoke would roll in during the afternoon and get heavy. Watching the deer while conditions went from clear to smokey in a short timeframe was fascinating. Once the smoke hit a certain level the deer would get up and move about quickly, very nervous like and bed in areas you wouldn’t normally see them utilize. On the morning of day 3, I spotted the buck we wanted at 6:20am and started the longest stalk of my deer hunting career. Each morning would begin with a 5am wake up, roll out of the tent, shoulder the pack and begin a straight up 45 minute hike to our glassing point. So this stalk began with a drop of all that elevation I had gained just 30 minutes prior. From the drainage bottom I had a very steep and long hike up the other side. Taking a slightly longer route than I wanted due to rising thermals and swirling winds, at noon I was above him about 300yds. I dropped my pack, went down to socks and crept down the remaining distance closing to within 40yds. And there I sat….for hours in the blazing sun on a rock ledge. The deer bedded in a spot so tight and thick I couldn’t get a clean shot when he stood and readjusted throughout the day. At 4pm I was kicking myself for not brining a water bottle with me but I had expected this to be over hours prior. The smoke started rolling in and the buck got up quickly and trotted across an open finger towards a narrow thick alder filled drainage. I knew what he was going to do and so I made a quick move across the rocks to get into a clean shot position. He caught my movement at one point and decided to get out of the country. I shouldered the rifle, gave a quick grunt and he stopped for a brief second to look back, slightly quartered away downhill at 70yds. I sent round into him and he made it about 20yds before rolling downhill. This was my son in laws first backcountry deer trip and he got to watch the whole thing play out. He took a pic of me in the afternoon on the rock ledge with the deer 40yds below in the brush. I think it was harder for him to watch all day than for me to do the stalk, I know how that feels having three kids who all hunt. Anyway, we had a great time, another great high hunt and look forward to next year.
