dk17hmr
09-21-2016, 02:03 PM
I know it's not with a cast bullet but I get PMs once in awhile about my hunting out here in Wyoming so here is a recent hunt.
I finally got some time to head to the mountains for a couple of days to look for deer and elk. Friday morning I was at my favorite trailhead at 0615 with no other truck there and heard a elk bugle right after I shut my truck door, it doesn't get any better than that. I spent all of Friday trying to get into Range of a bull, even though they were talking and I could get close the dark timber was making it tough. I jumped several cows but couldn't get them to stop with a clear shot, I am primarily a meat hunter and any legal elk that gives me an opportunity I'll take it.
Saturday morning my allergies were kicking my butt and I laid in my tent way to long, next thing I knew there was another truck at the trail head and it was 0830. When I decided it was time to get moving four deer came through my camp, three does and a fork horn. I figured Saturday was going to be a deer hunt. I had no interest in the forky so let the group go on there way while I got my gear and headed the other direction to a pine thicket that always seems to hold deer. Right away I jumped a buck that needed a couple of years to finish growing up, but that was a good sign. I slowed down and started still hunting my way through the pines towards a water hole I had planned on sitting at.
I told myself if I draw on anything it has to be at least a good 4 point because one of my really good friends has a 180" mulie found that he says is mine if I want him and I did but we were going to wait until rifle season because of his location. As I got to the edge of the pines I could see the grey body of a mule deer feeding its way towards the water hole, he picked his head up and I counted 4 on his right side when he went back to feeding I closed the distance as quickly as I could. At about 40 yards I could see he was head up and coming into the pines I did some quick ranging on likely paths and nocked an arrow. As quick as he appeared he disappeared, and another buck slightly large stepped out and than continued on his way offering no shot. I looked up hill and saw what pushed them, 6 Cowboys on horse back were pushing some of their cows out of the hills.
Disappointed I stood there for about five minutes trying to figure out if I wanted to break camp and head to another area where it's tougher country and less people. Movement caught my eye from the area I originally saw the 4 point that moved passed me a few minutes earlier. I threw up my binoculars saw this one met my personal 4 point requirement and I started to move down hill to cut him off as he was heading towards the water. I found a clear shooting lane from the edge of the pines across a dry creek to a blown down burn area where he was likely to come out, as luck would have it he stopped in the lane I had picked and looked back at the Cowboys. I ranged him moved my slider sight to the appropriate yardage and drew back. He was slightly quartering away my pin settled on his last rib everything felt right and I released. I watched the lighted nock on my arrow arc up and disappear into the bucks chest, he mule kicked and took off, he made it about 50 yards down hill, stop got really sick and fell over. The distance of the shot was far enough that I knew better, well inside the ranges I practice, but still close enough that my 520gr arrow moving at 290fps with a 100gr Magnus stinger buzz cut with bleeders punched completely through him and 8 inches into the dirt behind him.
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f208/dk17hmr/Mobile%20Uploads/KIMG1232_zpsixvo8hhv.jpg (http://s48.photobucket.com/user/dk17hmr/media/Mobile%20Uploads/KIMG1232_zpsixvo8hhv.jpg.html)
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f208/dk17hmr/Mobile%20Uploads/KIMG1233_zpsiiuetcec.jpg (http://s48.photobucket.com/user/dk17hmr/media/Mobile%20Uploads/KIMG1233_zpsiiuetcec.jpg.html)
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f208/dk17hmr/Mobile%20Uploads/KIMG1234_zpsnbyyu6hp.jpg (http://s48.photobucket.com/user/dk17hmr/media/Mobile%20Uploads/KIMG1234_zpsnbyyu6hp.jpg.html)
4x4 plus eye guards 24 1/2" spread. My arrow is 31" tip to tip for reference.
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f208/dk17hmr/Mobile%20Uploads/KIMG1243_zps7e7hyobh.jpg (http://s48.photobucket.com/user/dk17hmr/media/Mobile%20Uploads/KIMG1243_zps7e7hyobh.jpg.html)
My best buck so far pushing 160". I brought him out on my back after quartering and deboneing. It took two trips to do it but if I hunted with my pack frame on it would have only taken one. First trip was the backstraps, inner loins, trim meat, the head and all my gear. Second trip was boned out shoulders and rear quarters.
I broke camp headed into town got the meat on ice and headed home. Today my allergies have swollen my eyes pretty bad and Benadryl isn't kicking it, I'll be calling my doctor in the morning and getting a steroid shot.......worth it 100 times over.
I finally got some time to head to the mountains for a couple of days to look for deer and elk. Friday morning I was at my favorite trailhead at 0615 with no other truck there and heard a elk bugle right after I shut my truck door, it doesn't get any better than that. I spent all of Friday trying to get into Range of a bull, even though they were talking and I could get close the dark timber was making it tough. I jumped several cows but couldn't get them to stop with a clear shot, I am primarily a meat hunter and any legal elk that gives me an opportunity I'll take it.
Saturday morning my allergies were kicking my butt and I laid in my tent way to long, next thing I knew there was another truck at the trail head and it was 0830. When I decided it was time to get moving four deer came through my camp, three does and a fork horn. I figured Saturday was going to be a deer hunt. I had no interest in the forky so let the group go on there way while I got my gear and headed the other direction to a pine thicket that always seems to hold deer. Right away I jumped a buck that needed a couple of years to finish growing up, but that was a good sign. I slowed down and started still hunting my way through the pines towards a water hole I had planned on sitting at.
I told myself if I draw on anything it has to be at least a good 4 point because one of my really good friends has a 180" mulie found that he says is mine if I want him and I did but we were going to wait until rifle season because of his location. As I got to the edge of the pines I could see the grey body of a mule deer feeding its way towards the water hole, he picked his head up and I counted 4 on his right side when he went back to feeding I closed the distance as quickly as I could. At about 40 yards I could see he was head up and coming into the pines I did some quick ranging on likely paths and nocked an arrow. As quick as he appeared he disappeared, and another buck slightly large stepped out and than continued on his way offering no shot. I looked up hill and saw what pushed them, 6 Cowboys on horse back were pushing some of their cows out of the hills.
Disappointed I stood there for about five minutes trying to figure out if I wanted to break camp and head to another area where it's tougher country and less people. Movement caught my eye from the area I originally saw the 4 point that moved passed me a few minutes earlier. I threw up my binoculars saw this one met my personal 4 point requirement and I started to move down hill to cut him off as he was heading towards the water. I found a clear shooting lane from the edge of the pines across a dry creek to a blown down burn area where he was likely to come out, as luck would have it he stopped in the lane I had picked and looked back at the Cowboys. I ranged him moved my slider sight to the appropriate yardage and drew back. He was slightly quartering away my pin settled on his last rib everything felt right and I released. I watched the lighted nock on my arrow arc up and disappear into the bucks chest, he mule kicked and took off, he made it about 50 yards down hill, stop got really sick and fell over. The distance of the shot was far enough that I knew better, well inside the ranges I practice, but still close enough that my 520gr arrow moving at 290fps with a 100gr Magnus stinger buzz cut with bleeders punched completely through him and 8 inches into the dirt behind him.
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f208/dk17hmr/Mobile%20Uploads/KIMG1232_zpsixvo8hhv.jpg (http://s48.photobucket.com/user/dk17hmr/media/Mobile%20Uploads/KIMG1232_zpsixvo8hhv.jpg.html)
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f208/dk17hmr/Mobile%20Uploads/KIMG1233_zpsiiuetcec.jpg (http://s48.photobucket.com/user/dk17hmr/media/Mobile%20Uploads/KIMG1233_zpsiiuetcec.jpg.html)
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f208/dk17hmr/Mobile%20Uploads/KIMG1234_zpsnbyyu6hp.jpg (http://s48.photobucket.com/user/dk17hmr/media/Mobile%20Uploads/KIMG1234_zpsnbyyu6hp.jpg.html)
4x4 plus eye guards 24 1/2" spread. My arrow is 31" tip to tip for reference.
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f208/dk17hmr/Mobile%20Uploads/KIMG1243_zps7e7hyobh.jpg (http://s48.photobucket.com/user/dk17hmr/media/Mobile%20Uploads/KIMG1243_zps7e7hyobh.jpg.html)
My best buck so far pushing 160". I brought him out on my back after quartering and deboneing. It took two trips to do it but if I hunted with my pack frame on it would have only taken one. First trip was the backstraps, inner loins, trim meat, the head and all my gear. Second trip was boned out shoulders and rear quarters.
I broke camp headed into town got the meat on ice and headed home. Today my allergies have swollen my eyes pretty bad and Benadryl isn't kicking it, I'll be calling my doctor in the morning and getting a steroid shot.......worth it 100 times over.