High Country Muzzleloader Buck - 10/14/15
My good buddy and I Chris got back about 2 weeks ago from this hunt but have been too busy to post some pictures until now.
Chris drew a hard to get muzzleloader tag and we started to plan the hunt many months ago. Never having set foot in the unit, we did lots of Google Earthing and had some pretty good areas picked out.
Our first night we setup camp right at treeline at 12,500 feet or so on a spine where we we could glass both basins on either side of us the next day, opening day.
![[Linked Image]](http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f311/GmoneyTLU/IMG_4878_zps2ptugnrp.jpg)
We started seeing bucks right away the next morning although none large enough for us to want to take a closer look at. Tons of mountain goats all over the place too. And bears.
We spent two days in this upper basin and decided we had seen most of the deer in it and while containing lots of bucks, no shooter bucks for us were located. So, we deathhiked camp back down to 10,000 feet at the truck and drove 5 miles to another trailhead to hopefully get camp setup before dark at our new location.
We greatly underestimated the hike in to this next camp. We were about done going up and down 1,500 feet at a time with over 60 pounds on our backs. The mountain we had chosen to setup camp was so steep we had trouble finding a spot to setup a tent. I finally found an area with a logjam right below a scree slope that was basically a pile of fir needles. We excavated a corner of the hill to setup our tent, which we did. It was an epic few nights here.
![[Linked Image]](http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f311/GmoneyTLU/IMG_4904_zpsfrkh8579.jpg)
We were already dead and at the top of this peak, 1,800 feet up was our glassing point. Camp ended up being under the last set of firs near the top of the peak.
![[Linked Image]](http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f311/GmoneyTLU/IMG_4920_zpso2cucsvq.jpg)
We ascended 700 feet from camp to glass a huge set of basins for the next few days. We saw numerous bucks in the 150's and 160's over the next few days but no giant.
We had watched a buck go to bed the exact same way two mornings in a row, which we named the white-horned buck as he had the awkward white glow of freshly rubbed velvet.
We were running out of time and if we killed the buck where he was, it would have taken two brutal, brutal days to get both camp and the buck back to truck. We decided to go after this buck and needed to be at the edge of the trees overlooking a little meadow 10+ bucks had been feeding and sparring in the last few mornings at first light.
To save a day, we packed up camp and hiked back to the truck and drove to another trailhead. This was over 3 miles from the buck, but our packout would be downhill and on trails most of the time.
Coming from glassing to packup camp.
![[Linked Image]](http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f311/GmoneyTLU/IMG_4918_zpshyxxysen.jpg)
So, up at 2 AM, a 3 mile hike in while gaining 2,000 feet put us at the bottom of the slope. So, through scree, a 45 degree slope, and crunchy aspen leaves we got into position and the whitehorned buck cooperated with us.
At 150 yards Chris drilled him with the first but we didn't know it. The buck stood there at the shot. It was so steep as the bullet exited the deer, I saw dirt spash above where the deer was standing. So Chris hit him again and the buck trotted downhill for a few steps and then started rolling. His first shot was a perfect double lung, his second was directly through the heart.
Shot was from here.
![[Linked Image]](http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f311/GmoneyTLU/IMG_4938_zpsbuth0qjk.jpg)
Although not as big as we had hoped for, for a new area we will take him. He was a large deer, we carried 132 pounds of boned out meat back to the truck with us later weighed.
Brutal, brutal hunt but worth every minute.
Chris drew a hard to get muzzleloader tag and we started to plan the hunt many months ago. Never having set foot in the unit, we did lots of Google Earthing and had some pretty good areas picked out.
Our first night we setup camp right at treeline at 12,500 feet or so on a spine where we we could glass both basins on either side of us the next day, opening day.
![[Linked Image]](http://s50.photobucket.com/user/GmoneyTLU/media/IMG_4878_zps2ptugnrp.jpg.html)
We started seeing bucks right away the next morning although none large enough for us to want to take a closer look at. Tons of mountain goats all over the place too. And bears.
We spent two days in this upper basin and decided we had seen most of the deer in it and while containing lots of bucks, no shooter bucks for us were located. So, we deathhiked camp back down to 10,000 feet at the truck and drove 5 miles to another trailhead to hopefully get camp setup before dark at our new location.
We greatly underestimated the hike in to this next camp. We were about done going up and down 1,500 feet at a time with over 60 pounds on our backs. The mountain we had chosen to setup camp was so steep we had trouble finding a spot to setup a tent. I finally found an area with a logjam right below a scree slope that was basically a pile of fir needles. We excavated a corner of the hill to setup our tent, which we did. It was an epic few nights here.
![[Linked Image]](http://s50.photobucket.com/user/GmoneyTLU/media/IMG_4904_zpsfrkh8579.jpg.html)
We were already dead and at the top of this peak, 1,800 feet up was our glassing point. Camp ended up being under the last set of firs near the top of the peak.
![[Linked Image]](http://s50.photobucket.com/user/GmoneyTLU/media/IMG_4920_zpso2cucsvq.jpg.html)
We ascended 700 feet from camp to glass a huge set of basins for the next few days. We saw numerous bucks in the 150's and 160's over the next few days but no giant.
We had watched a buck go to bed the exact same way two mornings in a row, which we named the white-horned buck as he had the awkward white glow of freshly rubbed velvet.
We were running out of time and if we killed the buck where he was, it would have taken two brutal, brutal days to get both camp and the buck back to truck. We decided to go after this buck and needed to be at the edge of the trees overlooking a little meadow 10+ bucks had been feeding and sparring in the last few mornings at first light.
To save a day, we packed up camp and hiked back to the truck and drove to another trailhead. This was over 3 miles from the buck, but our packout would be downhill and on trails most of the time.
Coming from glassing to packup camp.
![[Linked Image]](http://s50.photobucket.com/user/GmoneyTLU/media/IMG_4918_zpshyxxysen.jpg.html)
So, up at 2 AM, a 3 mile hike in while gaining 2,000 feet put us at the bottom of the slope. So, through scree, a 45 degree slope, and crunchy aspen leaves we got into position and the whitehorned buck cooperated with us.
At 150 yards Chris drilled him with the first but we didn't know it. The buck stood there at the shot. It was so steep as the bullet exited the deer, I saw dirt spash above where the deer was standing. So Chris hit him again and the buck trotted downhill for a few steps and then started rolling. His first shot was a perfect double lung, his second was directly through the heart.
Shot was from here.
![[Linked Image]](http://s50.photobucket.com/user/GmoneyTLU/media/IMG_4938_zpsbuth0qjk.jpg.html)
Although not as big as we had hoped for, for a new area we will take him. He was a large deer, we carried 132 pounds of boned out meat back to the truck with us later weighed.
Brutal, brutal hunt but worth every minute.
![[Linked Image]](http://s50.photobucket.com/user/GmoneyTLU/media/DSC00741_zpsqmjodyt7.jpg.html)
![[Linked Image]](http://s50.photobucket.com/user/GmoneyTLU/media/1DSC00774_zps2fbiuyd4.jpg.html)
![[Linked Image]](http://s50.photobucket.com/user/GmoneyTLU/media/1DSC00743_zpss8vjhntq.jpg.html)
