2007 Colorado buck
a3dhunter
10/29/07 10:02pm
I just got back tonight from Colorado in a leftover unit we had five guys with tags and four got bucks. I took the biggest in our group and this is my biggest buck yet. I really enjoyed sharing the hunt with family, especially my Dad. A couple of bucks had circled us when going through some junipers, one guy made another pass through the trees while I waited and ambushed this buck coming out. This all happened on the 8th day of a 9 day season.
Here's some pics, more details to follow tomorrow.
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Here's some pics, more details to follow tomorrow.
13,527
;) ;) ;)
Again, great buck my friend!
On opening day we had good weather and were met by storms that evening, the wind picked up and that night it dumped about 6" of snow in our camp. I had plans on where I wanted to be come daylight so my Dad and I left camp about 1 hour before daylight in my truck. When daylight hit we were nowhere close because of how much the fresh snow slowed us down, so we hit the nearest road and found one vehicle had been on this road in the snow. Up the road we go and find a Chevy truck parked less than 100 yards up the road with 2 hunters looking ahead of them trying to decide whether to procede or not. They pulled out of the way and we went right past them. We led the way up the mountain, breaking trail the whole way with good traction in fresh snow. The guy behind us was slipping and sliding around trying to follow us. We hit the end of the road and didn't like what we were seeing or that these guys had followed us the whole way so we turned around to go to a different area.
On the way down we saw a guy coming in a lifted Dodge that was making a mess of the road, he was all over the place and had tore the road up real bad. Who would have thought that getting out would be worse than getting in there. We found a place to do some hunting and moved around a coulpe times during the day, not really seeing any deer but exploring some new country at least. While driving down one road I come around the corner and the mud was horrible. I decide to chain up the rears to keep the back end from slipping around. For those that don't know, I have a 2002 Chevy 2500HD 4X4 that I just bought and had brand new mud tires put on it while on this trip.
A little while later I come around a corner and find the road sloping towards a canyon about 15 degrees, I hit the brakes and the back end starts to come around. Nothing but 4" of mud with no traction for a little ways. I get back in the throttle and it finally straightens up, but I am comitted now. No chance to stop even though I was only doing about 10mph.
As we get past the place I think, "Man, I hope this road goes through all the way because that could be bad going back up!"
Sure enough, I find out a little later that we won't be able to make it out the road we are on. Coming in from the other side some guys almost lost a truck into a canyon and really tore up the road.
We turn around and head back out. As we get to the place that was real bad I decide to throw down my quad ramp in the worst part for some extra traction. I hang the front end up on the high side and going real slow I head up the mountain. The back starts slipping towards the edge and I keep going with my Dad spotting for me. At one point the back end really starts to slide and instinctlively I hit the throttle and right about that time the rear tires hit the quad ramp, this gave me enough forward traction to get me past the worst and I was able to make it through! :) :) :)
I made it off that road with only the bracket for the trailer light plug being bent, which of course broke the plastic light plug. At $40 this was a joy since I really thought I was losing the whole truck down into the canyon!
We laughed about that for awhile but the next road we were on trying to make it back to camp started to get a little off kilter and I immediately turned around and went back the way we came, come to find out this road was a good road and we could have went all the way through! Oh well, we went back the long way! We now had mud sticking everywhere and had spent 4 hours getting back out of the worst of it. Every 15 to 20 minutes my Dad would ask, "How's the hunting?" and I would just laugh! The four wheeling was so bad that hunting wasn't even a thought. We ended up back at camp around 5:30 pm and both of us were wore out. Between the weather and the mud we were done. We spent most of the next week hunting within a mile or two of camp, although we did have some more 4 wheeling, even throwing some mud 20' in the air, it was nothing like what we got into that second day!
I never thought I would be so glad to see trees or sagebrush on both sides of the road! (Instead of a canyon!)
We had already figured out that it would be a 20 miles ride on the quad to get someone from camp with a winch to come pull us out! Just to let ya'll know I had bought the truck 8 days before this happened!
What's hunting camp without some 4 wheeling?!!!
How about some more stories of killing that buck..... =D>
We knew that a big buck was hitting a hayfield in the evening and all around it was public land, so the next morning we hike in next to the hayfield and wait for daylight. Daylight hits and we are seeing nothing. We go on up themountain from the hayfield and push through a stand of junipers and then through a deep draw with me up top watching for any bucks. No luck so off the mountain we go at about 10am. We could see where the other guys from our group were setting all morning watching a hillside where we had seen a good buck and we headed over there. We made the plan to push the hillside they were watching to try to bump something out for a shot. We come down two draws and pop out onto a small sage flat and haven't seen any deer, so we meet up with the other guys and find out we busted some deer and theymoved across the mountain with two good bucks but didn't offer a shot.
Up the mountain I go and take a stand near where they entered, then one of our guys come up from the other side and starts pushing through. He runs up face to face with a big three pointer at 10 yards and the buck spins and takes off through the trees.
While I am waiting, I hear nothing! All of a sudden two bucks pop out of the junipers at 40 yards and running. As I bring my rifle up I see the first is a four point and the second one is just as big in height and width, but only a three point. I move back to the first one and squeze the trigger! This buck looked like a monster through a 4 power scope at 40 yards! He fell within sight and as we get to the buck, the guy who pushed him out (my cousins husband) says something about him being a three point??? I told him, "No, he a four", He had never seen this buck in there and thought there was only the three point. We pushed the trees again tryin to get the other buck to come out for my uncle but never saw the other buck again.
After this we had my Uncle stay at the bottom watching the hillside and the rest of us met at my buck for some pictures and celebrating. We then got the buck field dressed and back to the truck and then back to camp.
I bought my truck last year and took it out 2 days later on my Idaho Whitetail hunt. Shortly after dropping my deer it started to snow on us...HEAVY!. My son and I busted tail, got the deer dressed out and packed back to the truck, and headed out as quickly as possible to get out of the mess (I failed to plan accordingly and had no chains and very little wieght in the bed). Well, the old gravel road we were on was no problem at all and filled me with a false sense of safety so I picked up speed a bit. We made great time through the driving snow and were soon on the paved road again. Well, my dumb a** decided to hit the gas a little and PRESTO...the rear end kicked out from under me and we started to fish-tail wildly down the road. My son was frozen with fear while I frantically turned into each fishtail and prayed that I wouldn't wreck my new truck! Back and forth we went while I stubbornly wrestled for control of the truck. FINALLY, after what seemed like an eternity, I was able to straighten her out...and JUST in time! No sooner did I get her under control than a large logging truck came barreling over the next rise! He would have dusted us for sure! My son turned his ghostly white face towards me and asked in a rather shaky voice "Did you do that on purpose Dad?"...LOL. I gave him a nervous smile and a slightly shaking giggle but said nothing.
Well, I pulled over, threw some wood and rocks into the bed to wiegh her down a bit, and continued on at a slow crawl for the remaining two hour drive home.
I feel ya a3dhunter! It's great when you can laugh about it later...but it's no fun at the time!
I have jokingly told people that I am waiting for the new year to start all over with nine lives again, I swear I have used up 3-4 in the last month!