Had a pretty good rifle hunt up in New Mexico, though I must say, having only two days to get it done adds a little pressure into the equation.
Arrived a bit late on Friday evening, just in time to see a buck I hadn't yet seen courting 12 does. My first impression was that he wasn't the caliber buck I was hoping for. Come the next morning, that group was hiding up in the trees somewhere and I couldn't find them.
Here's a shot of the terrain.
But I did find this guy, whom I had seen on previous trips and had plenty of pics of. He stuck around long enough for a couple more pics.
I passed on him thinking that if he was hanging out alone, the other guy had to be a stud and I hadn't judged him properly. Well, the pics didn't turn out but he wasn't anywhere close. Must have been more than his horns the ladies were judging him on.
There weren't lots of lopes to look at on the property and when it came down to it, the flared out buck was the best around. Cursed myself for a few minutes when I couldn't find him and realized he was on the neighboring ranch, but my good luck and the bad luck of the hunters that chased him back my way helped the situation out. Still though, he headed for the trees. Later, about a mile back in the trees, and a half hour before dark, I came upon him and the decision was a quick one.
I got to enjoy the hunt with my dad, and taking a good antelope made it all the more enjoyable. He taped out at a tad over 76.
Arrived a bit late on Friday evening, just in time to see a buck I hadn't yet seen courting 12 does. My first impression was that he wasn't the caliber buck I was hoping for. Come the next morning, that group was hiding up in the trees somewhere and I couldn't find them.
Here's a shot of the terrain.
But I did find this guy, whom I had seen on previous trips and had plenty of pics of. He stuck around long enough for a couple more pics.
I passed on him thinking that if he was hanging out alone, the other guy had to be a stud and I hadn't judged him properly. Well, the pics didn't turn out but he wasn't anywhere close. Must have been more than his horns the ladies were judging him on.
There weren't lots of lopes to look at on the property and when it came down to it, the flared out buck was the best around. Cursed myself for a few minutes when I couldn't find him and realized he was on the neighboring ranch, but my good luck and the bad luck of the hunters that chased him back my way helped the situation out. Still though, he headed for the trees. Later, about a mile back in the trees, and a half hour before dark, I came upon him and the decision was a quick one.
I got to enjoy the hunt with my dad, and taking a good antelope made it all the more enjoyable. He taped out at a tad over 76.
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