Caribou Gear

Live "FRO" New Mexico!

OK.. OK.... I just wrote the story. I'll continue it here. We have a lot of Video that will be about a week out since Bugler has the Video camera and just left again to help his dad get a buck.
 
First off, When Bryce and I drew this tag the first person I called was Browtine. I knew I was going to get my biggest buck ever and wanted him to be there. He was with me for my Biggest Elk ever so what could be more fitting. Not only did he commit right away he offered his house as a staging point to break up the long trip.

Like most of you guys, Bryce and I had work and family commitments so we couldn’t get out when we wanted. 7PM finally rolled around on Wed. As we were driving down we knew Browtine was getting off work at 2AM so we should time it about right with a few stops.

4 other friends drew the tag the season prior to us and they were driving back that night. We stopped just outside of SLC to see the trophies they got.

We headed to Browtine’s and got there just before he did. We made ourselves at home and I felt like the 3 little bears. I laid down in the hideaway bed to try it out and I think I had too many Donuts that night…

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Browtine came home in work uniform and put me in my place for breaking private property :

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So 3AM rolls around and we finally settle down with the stories. 6AM came quick and we were on the road again. I had to make an appearance at the first McDonalds we came to. I was PIMPIN’ in a Jacket so I ordered first

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I’m not sure what they ewre selling but I think this sign was a misprint :

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We had radio’s and talked from Truck to Truck. I was talking a little smack to BT so he finally told me to pull over and play a friendly game of hoops to 21. I won’t tell you the score but I didn’t fair well :

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So back on the road again. This was out view for 14 hours :

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We stopped along the way to change, buy some funny props and pick up last mi9n items. With me packing I always seem to loose or forget things. Usually loose items.

I wanted to fit in at Moab with the Bike riding Wacko’s so I got to the back of the truck to find my Yuppie shirt. I fortunately didn’t have one :

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With BT no coming his hair in the morning it gave us a good idea for our hair.

Live “FRO” New Mexico, Here we come !!!

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We scouted one day before the season. I didn’t take and pictures of bucks but we seen several. My scouting and glassing abilities let me find the typical der I usually find :

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We hit the dense trees and brush to look for sheds and check out fresh tracks. We spent a lot of time behind the glass looking across canyons and drainages:

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IDBugler had the best eyes and spotted Sheds instantly. Browtine was a close second and they both blew me away. I’ve always thought of myself as being able to find game right away but I was a 3.5 compaired to them being a 10.

Here’s one that was spotted, by "WE" I mean not me :

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The trip was hot. Very hot. I’m sure it got into the 70’s every day but we pushed on. Sometimes we pushed our boots to the limit, other times we pushed our bikes up hills :

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If Bugler was napping and sweating, you know it was hot :

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Bieing so hot the bugs and spiders were out. We saw 4 different tarantulas and spent time goofing with each one :

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Hey.. I can't upload any more pictures here.... Uhhhhhhh... am I limited on Pictures ? Seriously ?!?! I'm a picture guy and tying to get a story up :D :D

More later.............
 
OK.. Photo Bucket it is.... Con't :

.....

Here is a picture of me looking for my phone. Remember when I said I Loose a lot of things ? Well, Most of the time I just “Misplace them”.

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Even hunting. I was walking, glassing, etc and we got down the trail after a while and I realized I put my gun up against the tree and needed to hike back to get it :

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As the days went on we tried different places. We figured there would be a few deer by the lake. And so did others I guess. Here is a picture of 4 guys in a flat boat with guns over their lap.

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I’m sure they seen us. They started up the boat and moved on. So we stopped to glass some more. We saw a lot of doe’s and little bucks. While I was taking pictures IDBugler was a “trophy” 2 point :

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Like I said before , we glassed a lot.

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And if you glass enough, you keep spotting sheds. Here are some we spotted. By “we” I mean IDBugler and Browtine :

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Here is one that was found just as the picture looks. It was hanging in a bush. I can picture the buck late winter going in for a snack and his antler catching and falling off right there. As we hiked many many miles going up mountains and down draws you think of a lot of things.

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One area we saw a big white thing. We didn’t know what it was till we walked up to it. It was a BIG ‘Shroom. Looks like some local critters have been eating on it a little too :

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Here is a couple more Shed pictures :

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As the days and nights went on, we slept less and less. Mornings were harder to get up and we usually were asleep by the time our heads hit the pillow. Early mornings got us in a little farther and put us in place for the sun to come up. I like silhouette pictures when the sun comes up and goes down and here are a couple :

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Can you see what’s in this one ?

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Several places we went seemed to have more Elk in there then deer. We saw over a dozen elk and all were 5 point or better.

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Covering that much ground you get to see a lot of critters. Sometimes the wrong one (for them) steps out in front of you.

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Here is probably one of the best pictures. Although Browtine and me were chompin’ at the bit to be this close, it took hours of coaxing our homo phobic friend IdBugler to get into the picture...... :D

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Although you may think we go hunting just to goof off and look for funny pictures we actually like to pull the trigger. Opening day was the hardest for me. We passed up several good bucks. We saw 13 bucks and 5 Mature bucks. There was a good 3 point, 27-28” wide and after looking at it through the spotter at 200 yards I wanted to let loose. But, having 2 trophy hunters with me I had to wait.

We put a Smoker buck to bed. Our plan was to get in the area early morning and pull the trigger. Everything was going as plan. As daylight came by we saw the buck running through the trees to catch up with a doe and a smaller buck that was with him the night before.

Unfortunately it cut in front of us with us just catching the legs and snuck out back to the road. Some road hunter that was “late getting up” and not really road hunting held the gun out the window and BANG, our buck was dead.

Such is life though. Being in the right place at the right time and working hard or just getting lucky. It’s how it goes.

I’ll get a picture of that buck up later in the post.

All of us being bummed we split up to try some new stuff. After getting back together Browtine said he spotted a great buck going up a canyon. This canyon had hunters in it. And not just one or two. But the buck seemed to be going by them unnoticed.

We snuck in and went to the obvious area we thought this buck and his does were at. Browtine and me split left to check out some does that were sneaking out and Bugler went right. We started back to IDBugler and realized he was Whistling and was looking through his scope. Now, I’ve hunted with Bugler a long time. HE never puts the crosshairs on an animal unless there is a HIGH chance he’s gunna pull the trigger.

He saw us coming and yelled for me to shoot it. I tried to set up as the Buck was running off. I took 2 shots at it and it was gone.

Now, this is where a range of emotions come in. Browtine was so pissed that Bugeler didn’t shoot. He had the deer at 160 yd shot still broadside for a small eternity. After he looked it over though, he wanted something just a little better. Me, on the other hand, wanted the buck dead :~)

We went to the buck’s last spot and started to track it. My shot, let’s just say, wasn’t what most would call a Fatal shot… or even a good shot. OK, OK, It was a Crappy shot, but sometimes things happen so fast you do what you can.

We tracked the buck over some flats. Now up on the flats, we could see 3 hunters behind us, 1 lo the Left, 4 more to the Left on another plateau, and one jumping in a truck to get in front of us. The guy that got in front of us to over look the canyon we knew the buck was in SHOT his gun. Once again, a range of emotions. Is he just putting my buck down ? Is he going to claim it. How do I react ?

So Browtine and me headed that way, He climbed up on the flats and was Pumped !! He just killed a buck. Now I walk over with a little attitude, I might say, and Asked if he just put “MY” buck down. An that we were tracking him over here. I know good and well that if he killed it that it was his and I’d at least get to take a picture of it.

He said he got a “3 point” and held his hands out to about 18-20”s . I was relieved at that point and knew it was a different buck. Browtine found the buck and looked back at me. I walked up to it and it had a 6” spike on one side and a 8” fork on the other…. I guess that was a “3-point” …….

We went back to tracking my buck and it was pooling blood now, we knew it wasn’t going to be far. I snuck to the left and they kept tracking it. I wanted to be in front for the shot.

Apparently it doubled back to the left and I saw it running up the canyon. I soot a offand shot and missed. I then pulled out the shooting sticks and followed it hoping it would pause and it did just that, right behind a brushy tree. I knew it was all I had so I shot and it went down. I knew it wasn’t the best shot again but I was hooping and hollering like a kid…. That’s how I roll !!

Anyways, Enough with the typing already, here is my buck :

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Here is the Far back, look how big I can make it look *smile*

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But we didn’t need to do that, It was a good one :

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Here we are “Live “FRO” New Mexico” , just me and the Hommies :

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We had a couple days left and put in some very long days and many miles on the truck as well as the boots and Sneakers. IDBugler had many more chances to lay the hammer down but never found just the perfect buck to fill his tag.

It all came down the last evening and although it didn’t end with him a buck he wanted, it made for a great couple pictures to a great week long hunt !!!

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Nice looking buck moosie. Sounds like a good time was had also sounds like you were sharing the unit with some "great" people.
 
Congrats, Mooseman! That's a good looking buck. Looks like you had a great time.

How does IB eat cheeseburgers and fries all the time and still look like that?

Shed hunters must not hit it really hard down there, eh?
 
Fantastic Buck Moosie! Looks like a great time had by all. Your sunset photos were great, almost "Soulful" as that seems to be the theme of this years Hunt.:D John
 
Great pics and writeup Moosie. Looks like you guys had a great time and worked your tails off. Bummer that IDB didn't find quite what he was looking for but your buck is a stud. Congrats!
 
I have a bunch to add but I needed to get this pic up. The hilarious thing is Bryce was the one setting the camera on the tripod... he was looking at Oscar and I crying laughing, and just snapping pictures of us while we waited for him to jump up on the rock.. HAHA.....
 

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