Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting 2020 Dead Deer Thread

There have been some inquiries from some members about this hunt. I hunted out of a ranch that bordered public land that a good college buddy's family owns and I have been invited there every year for about 20 years, but due to work and other hunting activities hunted there 1/2 dozen times.

Typically, I have shot some respectable bucks on the ranch or just into the foothills. The last couple of hunts there my buddy got some great bucks on trail cams at night, not during the day. Bucks that we never seen during the day, so this year I took my backpack equipment to hunt and camp up in a drainage at a higher elevation. My buddy does not backpack so I went solo. Hiked up into the drainage, setup camp and glassed until dark. Saw a couple decent bucks, but too late to stalk. Next day at daybreak hiked back to where I saw the bucks, but nowhere to be found so thinking they moved into the next drainage I moved there and glassed until 1:00pm, nothing.

Headed back to the drainage where my camp was and as I dropped down into it I stopped to glass. Spent an hour glassing and spotted a shooter and lo and behold he was laying on a switchback in the direction of camp. Rangefinder read 625 yards. Wind direction necessitated a longer approach rather than straight on him. After peaking at him from time to time, my best Indian sneak got me to within 320 yards, then luck would have it he got up and started meandering towards me in and out of trees. Got my pack on a boulder with the rifle settled in and he disappears momentarily and when he emerges he is broadside and I sent a 154 gr Hornady Interlock. Down and thought I saw his feet up in the air and then out of sight. I hold my position and the dang deer bursts out the trees off to the right and I pull up on it....wait it is not the same buck, nice one, though. WTF.

I went to investigate and found where the buck went down and rolled, followed the blood trail and came up on a flat spot where he lay. Double lung shot. I went back to where he went down and ranged the boulder I used for a rest - 245 yards. Night was upon me and I quickly quartered him, hung two in a tree, stuffed two in my pack and headed for camp. The next morning capped the buck and packed it, the quarters and rack to camp, ate breakfast, broke camp and spent the rest of the day packing everything down to the truck.