mallardsx2
Veteran member
- Jul 8, 2015
- 3,932
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NW Colorado Archery / Muzzleloader 2018 Report
- Thread starter Slugz
- Start date
Alaskabound2016
Active Member
1998caxj
New Member
Thank You, Great story, and a great hunt!
Certainly helps me make it through my day as I sit in front on my at work, dreaming of my upcoming trip to NW Colorado this second season.
Certainly helps me make it through my day as I sit in front on my at work, dreaming of my upcoming trip to NW Colorado this second season.
Deer Story 2018.
After two previous attempts at filling an elk and deer tag in the same GMU.......I was at it again. Authors note: You will find posts of me saying dont try this. Animals are spread out in different types of geographical, altitude and forage areas.......but here we go again.
Packing out the elk took a toll on me but after eating a few tenderloins and a scotch or two it appeared I had 3 more hunts I could dedicate to deer. 2 am and a pm then I was gonna have to tear down camp and start heading home. Once again I beat the zipper and awoke to a warm tent this time thanks my self for remembering to load up a shovel full of coal in the stove.
The deer spot is completely opposite of where I elk hunt so it takes a 20 min ride in a quad/ranger to get to a parking spot then a 25 minute slow walk in to get to my glassing spot. Prep this year for the deer hunt consisted of putting in four trail cams mid July and pulling them 29 Aug to see what we had. Bears, porcupines, deer, sheep, cattle, cowboys, sheep dogs, moose and a bachelor herd of 6x6 and bigger bulls. What were the elk doing over here now ? I suspect the last few years of hot and dry weather has changed things around again. with my son getting his deer a week or so ago in velvet I figured all deer were beginning to rub it off.
Slow sneak into the glassing spot and I get settled in. Just before shooting light I hear an elk bugle below me and slightly east. Huh? They are still in here. Glassing turns up no deer in the normal spots but just as I am getting bored out pops a spike working his way up slope about 800 yards same altitude as me. Surely he wasn't the one bugling was he? He seems content head down feeding and moves along. Boredom begins to set in again when I find a cow now generally feeding in the same general direction a the spike. then #2 then #3 until 7 cows and a few calves join the party.....they are quiet and feeding....there has to be a bull with that large number of cows. Sure enough one of the big 6x6 bulls falls in line. Feeding like a mature herd bull he just follows the crowd knowing that if he keeps quiet he can lock up all these cows. The sun begins to tough the top of the mountain and they crest out in a wonderful grass lined sun filled meadow at the top. It was awesome to watch. I was content after that to just go back to camp and get some food and prep for an afternoon hunt.
Post the elk moving off I decide to check another small basin/creek area/march spot for lack of a better term. Short hike over and around the top and I look down to find a body in the aspen....is that a deer? Holy S---balls it is and he is a shooter. Wind check, good. Direction of feed, good. Now get a gameplan together. I find a small trail that Im gonna get on in the glass that should intercept where he is headed and off I go. Hes feeding on a steep slope in a aspen patch.....too steep to just go at him I need to get in position and let him feed to me. It works better than planned and after 1.5 hours he is at 30 yards and it looks like he is gonna feed to 25 yards broadside to me. I'm on a trail thats roughly a 45 degree up slope and he is below me on a steep slope when he looks up and stares me down through the tall grasses. I'm busted and better make it happen now and he turns and takes two steps directly up hill vice across me. Its now or never knucklehead I say to my self. I had previously ranged a tree at 25 so I still had that dialed in. Clip in, stand up and draw. Pin, bubble.....whoa whoa wheres the bubble....ok lean left.....the bubble still isn't between the lines....more ? dont doubt the equipment idiot lean more. I do, pin bubble and let one rip. I think he is generally broadside to slightly quartering to and I hear the arrow smack. No doubt a pass through. He bounds off directly away same altitude and across from me.
Holy s---, holy s---, holy s---. Said like the line in Animal House when the horse dies is what I was muttering to my self. I'm crazy wound up and have the 2 sense to sit down and take it in. My plan is to wait 40 min then start to track him. I go to the impact spot and find good blood but no arrow which surprised me.
40 min later I start off. Good blood every 10 yards, some on the ground, some high on grass, some high on trees. Good signs so far is what I'm thinking. Find the arrow at 60 yards from the shot, blood up to the fletching. Well that goes to crap after 70 yards. Now I'm down to drops of blood, hard to find and getting less. 120 yards into the track job I look ahead of me to see a deer butt. Drop down into the grass quick and pull out the glasses. Its him, hobbling hurt but I cant see any blood. His right rear is slowing him down to a hobble. 5 min later he crashes/lays down but is breathing heavy. The wind is good so I'm gonna get another in him. Sneak to 20 yards as he is bedding facing away from me and I slip one behind his shoulder. He's done.
I'm emotionally drained as this is my biggest deer ever. I kneel and pray thanking all for the past 20 some odd days I got to spend on the mountain.
The first shot he ended up being quartering to me more than I thought. The arrow entered just behind the shoulder, complete pass through and exited his opposite side rump roast/eye round. After the elk pack out I was thankful for a deer sized quarter and only 1.2 miles to the road where the ranger waited for me. Wow is all I have to say. Wow, I got it done.
After two previous attempts at filling an elk and deer tag in the same GMU.......I was at it again. Authors note: You will find posts of me saying dont try this. Animals are spread out in different types of geographical, altitude and forage areas.......but here we go again.
Packing out the elk took a toll on me but after eating a few tenderloins and a scotch or two it appeared I had 3 more hunts I could dedicate to deer. 2 am and a pm then I was gonna have to tear down camp and start heading home. Once again I beat the zipper and awoke to a warm tent this time thanks my self for remembering to load up a shovel full of coal in the stove.
The deer spot is completely opposite of where I elk hunt so it takes a 20 min ride in a quad/ranger to get to a parking spot then a 25 minute slow walk in to get to my glassing spot. Prep this year for the deer hunt consisted of putting in four trail cams mid July and pulling them 29 Aug to see what we had. Bears, porcupines, deer, sheep, cattle, cowboys, sheep dogs, moose and a bachelor herd of 6x6 and bigger bulls. What were the elk doing over here now ? I suspect the last few years of hot and dry weather has changed things around again. with my son getting his deer a week or so ago in velvet I figured all deer were beginning to rub it off.
Slow sneak into the glassing spot and I get settled in. Just before shooting light I hear an elk bugle below me and slightly east. Huh? They are still in here. Glassing turns up no deer in the normal spots but just as I am getting bored out pops a spike working his way up slope about 800 yards same altitude as me. Surely he wasn't the one bugling was he? He seems content head down feeding and moves along. Boredom begins to set in again when I find a cow now generally feeding in the same general direction a the spike. then #2 then #3 until 7 cows and a few calves join the party.....they are quiet and feeding....there has to be a bull with that large number of cows. Sure enough one of the big 6x6 bulls falls in line. Feeding like a mature herd bull he just follows the crowd knowing that if he keeps quiet he can lock up all these cows. The sun begins to tough the top of the mountain and they crest out in a wonderful grass lined sun filled meadow at the top. It was awesome to watch. I was content after that to just go back to camp and get some food and prep for an afternoon hunt.
Post the elk moving off I decide to check another small basin/creek area/march spot for lack of a better term. Short hike over and around the top and I look down to find a body in the aspen....is that a deer? Holy S---balls it is and he is a shooter. Wind check, good. Direction of feed, good. Now get a gameplan together. I find a small trail that Im gonna get on in the glass that should intercept where he is headed and off I go. Hes feeding on a steep slope in a aspen patch.....too steep to just go at him I need to get in position and let him feed to me. It works better than planned and after 1.5 hours he is at 30 yards and it looks like he is gonna feed to 25 yards broadside to me. I'm on a trail thats roughly a 45 degree up slope and he is below me on a steep slope when he looks up and stares me down through the tall grasses. I'm busted and better make it happen now and he turns and takes two steps directly up hill vice across me. Its now or never knucklehead I say to my self. I had previously ranged a tree at 25 so I still had that dialed in. Clip in, stand up and draw. Pin, bubble.....whoa whoa wheres the bubble....ok lean left.....the bubble still isn't between the lines....more ? dont doubt the equipment idiot lean more. I do, pin bubble and let one rip. I think he is generally broadside to slightly quartering to and I hear the arrow smack. No doubt a pass through. He bounds off directly away same altitude and across from me.
Holy s---, holy s---, holy s---. Said like the line in Animal House when the horse dies is what I was muttering to my self. I'm crazy wound up and have the 2 sense to sit down and take it in. My plan is to wait 40 min then start to track him. I go to the impact spot and find good blood but no arrow which surprised me.
40 min later I start off. Good blood every 10 yards, some on the ground, some high on grass, some high on trees. Good signs so far is what I'm thinking. Find the arrow at 60 yards from the shot, blood up to the fletching. Well that goes to crap after 70 yards. Now I'm down to drops of blood, hard to find and getting less. 120 yards into the track job I look ahead of me to see a deer butt. Drop down into the grass quick and pull out the glasses. Its him, hobbling hurt but I cant see any blood. His right rear is slowing him down to a hobble. 5 min later he crashes/lays down but is breathing heavy. The wind is good so I'm gonna get another in him. Sneak to 20 yards as he is bedding facing away from me and I slip one behind his shoulder. He's done.
I'm emotionally drained as this is my biggest deer ever. I kneel and pray thanking all for the past 20 some odd days I got to spend on the mountain.
The first shot he ended up being quartering to me more than I thought. The arrow entered just behind the shoulder, complete pass through and exited his opposite side rump roast/eye round. After the elk pack out I was thankful for a deer sized quarter and only 1.2 miles to the road where the ranger waited for me. Wow is all I have to say. Wow, I got it done.
So you do work!
Reading through the thread I was impressed both with the hunt story and the shear accumulation of days hunting. On all accounts I am thinking this guy sure does it right. Congrats Slugz!!!
Thanks Kevin.....I sure trySo you do work!
I'm blessed to have a cool job that is 35 days on then 35 off....which = every September off because I make the schedule also 
Timr245
Very Active Member
