2nd season grind with a perfect ending.

[Rabid_Chihuahua]

Congrats to both, well done! Thanks for the pics and write up!

 

[mdcrossbow]

Congratulations, nothing better than making memories with family.

 

[S_fontinalis]

Awesome deer. Congrats

 

[Moose 360]

My son and I wrapped up our hunt Sunday morning. I’m feeling particularly blessed right now. This is the first time in a few years that I’ve felt healthy and strong (the “Big C” took me down a rough road since 2019), and this was the demanding hunt I’ve really been needing to feel whole again.

We easily clocked 50 miles on the boots in 9 days. The long pack-outs felt great too.

Set up a little camp and enjoyed our time. It was sure nice to have it, even though it was only about 30 miles from our house. Ha!



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On day four, after a long morning, we took a lunch break on a ridge. We had seen a little forkey come in and lay down in this valley earlier, and I decided I needed to see if I could find him in his bead.

I took my rifle and walked a bit glassing all the likely looking areas. I never did find him, but I did find another buck!! Shot him in his bead after crawling in to about 150 yards.
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Fast-forward to day nine and my son had endured the frustrations of zigging instead of zagging, sitting in the wrong spot, and missing a great buck with the aplomb of a seasoned pro.

The weather turned and the glassing game was tough, so we took to driving and glassing ridge-to-ridge. I spotted a few more does bedded, and despite my heart telling me it was just a few more lone girls, I got out the binos and did my scan to see if any fellas were around.

Holy crap, there’s a nice buck right there bedded in the snow! A mini fire drill ensued as we both came flying out of our down moods, and got our numb fingers and toes going again.

We had to move a reposition a few times, as the buck got up and moved during our approach, but we were able to close the distance and my son was able to seal the deal!
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This was an absolute brute of a buck. Definitely the biggest bodied deer I’ve ever seen.

We both decided that this is exactly how we’d want it to go down: challenges, disappointments, and triumphs. With the people we love the most. Don’t take anything for granted.

Nice bucks!

 

[FamilyMan]

Wonderful. Glad to hear that you are on the mend. Don't recognize any of those areas specifically, but have probably been near some of them as I have hunted the Meeker area many times. Love your part of the world.

 

[cc93cruiser]

That's a dandy buck.