Not that you can tell by looking at it, but mule deer has overtaken my favorite wild game option. I've got one more package left from my buck from last year. Too bad I won't be hunting them this year. Hopefully, I'll bring an elk home, though. Sent from my SM-S918U using Tapatalk
I’m back at the house. I saw exactly what I expected to see and it’s also the name of a popular cigarette lighter brand.
A little recap of yesterday. I shot the doe at 730am. I knew it was low and back on a quarting away shot 24 yards. I warched her for 60 yards and knew she was hurting. I had company arriving to my house at 10. A buddy wants to train his dog for tracking deer - nothing serious, just for friends and family. So, I hrried. I know with a liver shot I should have given her 3 hours. I gave her an hour and a half. There was lots of good blood at the start. We found a bed within the first 100 yards, but kept tracking - probably bumped her. Tracked her another 100+ yards and the blood was becoming less and less, so finally backed out at 940. I came back at 2pm. It took us a half hour to track her and find her another 50 yards. She probably died on the run when we jumped her in the morning. I'm not sure how many times I need to be taught to give deer time on questionable shots. Haste makes waste...I was taught once again. Maybe this time I'll learn?!?! Shooting deer in warm weather, not as fun. Hopefully you approve of my blood pictures.
I saw the 9 Doe and nothing else. That's it for me this trip. Headed back to VT in the AM. Hopefully next time the big boys show up.
This morning we drove nearly to the top of 'unnamed mountain' around 11,600. The plan to hunt near treeline. We worked from the west face slowly, giving themals time to change by the time we got to the north side. 2 cows chirps enough to get a lazy bugle below us and it was on. I was below my buddy and wild get glimpses of cows, calves, spikes. 50-60yds down hill in pretty dark timber. One spike wandered all over and took a keen interest in the bugles and cow calls we threw to bring the elk up. I caught a flash of antler tips, decent branch antlered bull bedded 80yds. A commercial-read the damn regs for your unit, especially if it's LE. The spike was within 28 yards of me twice. I'm used to otc units that have a 4 PT restriction. Eventually he gave my buddy a ~30 yd shot, but it turned out to be non lethal, breaking of a few inches of arrow...and the dumb spike circling back around...later wandering off. I got a brief look at the bull 5x or 6x, but never cane closer than 60 and no shot. The first 8 elk of the day. My buddy retrieved his broken arrow and eventually found a few dross of blood. We moved off to pursue and busted a huge bodied bull... A later calling chess match in some heavy blowdown, and we made the wrong move...too quick and from a dense area, that bull later blew out also. As we went to inspect the scene of the crime, 2 cows also moved out. So after seeing about 50 elk so far, we finally have shots fired. Tomorrow we do it again.
Ps. Evening hunt was a total bust. So dry and so cruchy. Earlier in the day, I also found the skull of a cow elk, which formerly, still had it's ivories... View attachment 168393
congrats to all the killers so far! Been working like a dog lately, but made it out Sat evening. Had a doe and a button buck come downwind and bust me. They circled around to about 80 yards and walked off. Not the best sit, but it was something LOL.
