TheJason
Well-known member
- Joined
- Oct 21, 2024
- Messages
- 18,589
I like to change things up hunting wise. I enjoy the challenges, and I think it helps one stay fresh and expands one’s abilities as a hunter. I’ve spent the last two seasons hunting mule deer in the canyons. I decided to change the pace and hunt mountain whitetails in the pre rut.
Camp
Sign
Scenery
Artifacts
Hunting buddy
Barista rifle
Mountain whitetail guys know what I speak of with the witching hour. It’s the time when an area that seemed devoid of deer is suddenly alive. The challenge is where do you spend it? You have a very narrow window of time. The previous three days had yielded little in the way of bucks. Time for a change.
I’d found this bench during the three days I’d spent in this area. I decided I was going to still hunt my way out to it in the morning, then sit there all afternoon, which I don’t really sit in one spot all that well.
I worked some small bucks in the morning, then about noon arrived at the grassy knoll.
I resisted several very compelling urges to go look off nearby ridges. Stay put I told myself, and trust what you’ve seen and learned about the area. This is a solid plan, stick with it.
I learned the hard way a couple of years ago about dawdling around with mountain bucks. You need your shit squared away because stuff can happen FAST. Today was no different.
After dozing through the early afternoon, the weather became increasingly unsettled. I moved a little higher up the ridge and into the timber so I could see better into the benches to my right.
All of a sudden, I saw two deer bail off the ridge top. A quick glance through binos confirmed one was a buck. I threw my pack in front, proned over it, quickly estimated range at 250 yards, put the crosshairs at the last rib and pressed off the shot. The deer lurched forward in a stiff legged run over a small crest, and I knew he wouldn’t go far.
Finn and I approached and this is what we found.
It began raining harder. One hour later and we had things loaded.
400 yards later and I decided to split the load so I could walk tomorrow. Three hours later and it was time for Doritos and a PBR.
The End.
Camp
Sign
Scenery
Artifacts
Hunting buddy
Barista rifle
Mountain whitetail guys know what I speak of with the witching hour. It’s the time when an area that seemed devoid of deer is suddenly alive. The challenge is where do you spend it? You have a very narrow window of time. The previous three days had yielded little in the way of bucks. Time for a change.
I’d found this bench during the three days I’d spent in this area. I decided I was going to still hunt my way out to it in the morning, then sit there all afternoon, which I don’t really sit in one spot all that well.
I worked some small bucks in the morning, then about noon arrived at the grassy knoll.
I resisted several very compelling urges to go look off nearby ridges. Stay put I told myself, and trust what you’ve seen and learned about the area. This is a solid plan, stick with it.
I learned the hard way a couple of years ago about dawdling around with mountain bucks. You need your shit squared away because stuff can happen FAST. Today was no different.
After dozing through the early afternoon, the weather became increasingly unsettled. I moved a little higher up the ridge and into the timber so I could see better into the benches to my right.
All of a sudden, I saw two deer bail off the ridge top. A quick glance through binos confirmed one was a buck. I threw my pack in front, proned over it, quickly estimated range at 250 yards, put the crosshairs at the last rib and pressed off the shot. The deer lurched forward in a stiff legged run over a small crest, and I knew he wouldn’t go far.
Finn and I approached and this is what we found.
It began raining harder. One hour later and we had things loaded.
400 yards later and I decided to split the load so I could walk tomorrow. Three hours later and it was time for Doritos and a PBR.
The End.
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