Nice! Expand on this please, it sounds like the beginning of a great story. I take it you didn't grow up hunting. I didn't either, my friends got me started then I became obsessed and they don't even hunt anymore lol.
I grew up fishing and it wasn't until about 5 years ago I went along with a friend who was hunting that I got the rush and was hooked. But he isn't a very good hunter and so I had to learn on my own. Every time I got a chance I asked questions from other hunters I met, but most everything I learned the slow hard way. By simply going hunting and trying. The first 2 seasons I saw over 100 deer but 0 legal bucks. Disappointing for sure, but every trip made me more determined to go back and try again. I couldn't find anything, but I know people shoot bucks in California, so they must exist. The third year I got lucky and on the first try drew a premium tag. Oh yeah, it was going to happen for sure! Then I broke my ankle. That sucked. But I talked a friend into tagging along and he held my rifle while I hobbled around on crutches. Even though it was a "great zone" I didn't see many bucks and ended up shooting a forked horn near a dirt road. Finally got my first buck and it felt great! If it's possible to strut while on crutches, I was doing it! Next season I got 2 tags to zones with something like 5% and 6-7% success rates. This was when I was trying to start backpacking and hiking in more than before. I ended up filling both tags on the opening days of both zones. The bucks weren't big, but most family and friends couldn't believe that the guy who never gets a buck ended up with two bucks. Then last season I did even more backpacking in and saw some
really nice bucks. But they all gave me the slip and I settled for a 3x3, my best yet. 4 shots made, 4 bucks total.
It's all part of the journey and I'll get that big guy some day.
The guy who took me hunting the first time still has yet to shoot his first buck, and I go hunting way more often than he does now. Something I never understood until this year was that it's not about the kill, it's about the hunt. And I enjoy the hunt!
