1st public land buck!

T

taylorce1

New member
I posted this on another forum first, that the guys I hunt with frequent more often. I had to break it up as well as TFL only allows a few pictures per post and I had a bunch of them.

Another deer hunting season has come and gone and not like planned that is for sure.

It was hopefully going to be a combo deer and elk hunt but I didn’t get the elk tag I had planned on so I was stuck being the only guy in camp with a deer tag and not hunting elk. I told myself I’d only shoot a big deer as I didn’t really need the meat, until it got to the end of third season which was 10 days long and covered two weekends.

It was really hot on Friday last week before opening day and I got up to the camping site early to set up my GP small tent. Was able to get it up by myself which I had never tried before but wasn’t too hard and got seven cots put together by the time Snellstrom showed up to help me. Snell was elk hunting along with his son and brother, Graybird was along as well and his Father was coming up on Thursday both had elk tags as well. Trick was supposed to join us as well but his wife had to have her appendix out right before season so he didn’t get to come out to fill his elk tag.

I didn’t get to hunt opening day either as my wife was flying in from AZ. So as soon as camp was set up it was back down the hill pick up the kid from daycare and wait on a plane to arrive around 2 p.m. opening day. If the daughter’s leg wasn’t in a cast I would have drug her along for the first morning of hunting and went back down to pick up the wife.

I got back to camp Saturday night and settled in so I could hunt Sunday morning. Where we were hunting is some really rugged and steep country in the old Haymen burn area. I tried to get some pictures of the country to show it but they just don’t do the place any justice. These pictures were all taken on the walk out from my first morning hunt.

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There were a lot of deer around and a few big bucks but they were out of camera range, as well as stalking range. Or my skills just weren’t there to close the gap on them before they slipped away. I did get a few pictures of a doe that wanted to follow me and try to figure out what I was on my first evening hunt.

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Anyway I had to skip the next day of hunting as I had to come back down the hill to wait on a repair man to show up to do some work on the house. I wasn’t the only one however as Graybird, Snellstrom, and Snell’s son all had to come back down as well for work and school. I figured no big deal as I’d only missed two days of a ten day season.

The next morning I was up and at it again. Found several does and a few non-shooter bucks, and again I couldn’t put the sneak on some big boys that were way off. I was hoping the weather would change and bring the bigger bucks to me as we were expecting snow that night.

Even though I wasn’t hunting on a landowner tag like some of the party, I was the only one available on Tuesday to hook up with the landowner and get the lay of the land. On my way over to his place I took the pictures of what would be the highlight of my hunting trip. A nice Bighorn Ram and his harem of ewes were crossing the road. Time like these makes me wish I’d steal the wife’s Nikon D40, as my pack camera just can’t cut it at times.

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Anyway I’d got to the landowners place a little late to hook up with him but I did do a little scouting of the property and he has some nice river bottom land where I’d imagine deer and elk like to feed. Plus his property backs up to the National Forrest and there were a couple of pretty good bowls up there that I’d imagine hide deer and elk quite nicely. I even tried to get a pick of the first snow flurry of the day as it came in from the West.

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I did an evening hunt in a different area hoping to find some good deer. Found a ton of ATV tracks, no fresh deer or elk sign. Wasn’t a total wash as I had a nice hike, and found a three point shed to bring home to the daughter.
 
So we got snow last night as promised, sort of. It never amounted to much except a lot of wind and flurry or two. The snow was really dry so it didn’t even stop the leaves and grass from crunching as you walked. Worst thing of all my old Super Duty wouldn’t start! Couldn’t figure out for the life of me why it wouldn’t start, it has new batteries but it was acting like they were dead. Well that put a nix on my idea for where I wanted to hunt as without the truck it just wasn’t possible to get there and set up in time for a pre dawn sneak into the hunting area. Plus with my truck busted and everyone else hunting elk I’d just be a burden to them. So I decided I’d shoot the first legal buck I saw and end my hunt early.

Well after walking about a half mile out of camp I came across a few does so I sat down and watched them. One doe kept looking back as she was working down the adjacent spur from where I was sitting. I was hoping she was looking back at a big buck. About that time there were four real close gunshots and the does took off.

I stayed and watched the area still hoping more deer would move through. Well it didn’t take long and a little fork horn moved into the clearing. I was able to put one shot from my .25-06 into the rib cage which dropped him where he stood. I was a little high and still below the spine. Upon the autopsy the 120 grain Sierra GK had entered fragmented took out the lungs and the spine, and didn’t exit.

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My little fork horn wound up being a three point, and I got to thinking he was my first public land buck ever. I’ve been kind of spoiled as I’ve always hunted deer on dad’s property on the plains. But with needing a minimum of 4 preference points to draw now for either land owner or general draw I have to hunt elsewhere if I want to deer hunt.

Snell’s brother and I were able to get my truck started shortly before noon so I came down the hill again and my truck now sits in the repair shop. This might turn out to be an expensive deer season. I’ll head back up as soon as my trucks out of the shop to help the boys look for elk if I can.
 
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The pictures.....so different from what we hunt.....

It's so FLAT and green here than unless there is a chop or a easement/road of some sort you just never see more than a couple of acres at a time.

And I'd guess, never having hunted in a area like yours, that whereas here your ears are VERY important that there the eyes are the whole banana.

I mean with the exception of hearing elk you don't hear deer before you see them very often??
 
Taylor, is the 25-06 and the Yugo one in the same?:rolleyes: Anyway buddy, you are truly blessed to hunt beautiful country!!!:D Maybe one day after I win the lottery you can guide me to a big muley buck.;) Anyway the Talorce1 family will eat very well this winter!!! CONGRATS DUDE!!!!:D:D
 
Taylor, is the 25-06 and the Yugo one in the same? Anyway buddy, you are truly blessed to hunt beautiful country!!! Maybe one day after I win the lottery you can guide me to a big muley buck. Anyway the Talorce1 family will eat very well this winter!!! CONGRATS DUDE!!!!
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One in the same rifle, and I'll never hunt this country again with it. It is just to darn heavy to lug around on a hike looking for game. Just round up some buddies and come on out and hunt, a hunting party of around four people is a good size and helps to defray the costs.

I'll sure have a variety of meat to choose from this winter now, I've got half a beef, half a pork, a pronghorn and now this deer in the freezer. Lots of protien for the winter that is for sure and a buddy has threatened to take me ice fishing this winter as well.
 
This is what I'll be eating this winter!!!! Used my new Weatherby 7mm, Rem mag!:) only a thirty yard shot though:rolleyes: OH and Public land is the only land we can hunt right now!!:D
 
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Good to see someone that darn "UGLY" can still kill a deer! ;)

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My deer was only at 125 yards, not really a problem for the rifle I was using.

My question is why did you take off the camo PJ's to hunt?

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Best of luck to you, my big game hunting is now officially over. I just have some coyotes now that I can hunt to tide me over this winter.

:D:D
 
That picture of me in my sweats is when I was still in bad health,:( This hunting pic is after I have been working again and lost a few lbs and my health is good once again!!! yea!:)hehehe I'm still purdier n you!!!:p And we still have 4 tags left to fill so I should have more pics later. ;)
 
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Good Luck filling them tags! I still say the rifle is the most attractive thing in the pictures is the rifle (and I don't like 7mm Mags), then the doe, can't say much for the guy holding either!:eek: Hope the good health and work continues.
 
That's some Fine looking land you're hunting ;) I hunt swamps & sypress pounds, Both a little dry :rolleyes: Congrats on the fine deer :) We can harvest (2) bucks a day with NO season limits :eek: Though I'm not that greedy, Freezer is FULL :D
Y/D
 
Thank you for posting this! I truly appreciate your story along with the pics. The pics really bring an authentic touch to the story, and almost makes me feel like I was there. I am from the northeast and have always dreamed of seeing that kind of country, not to mention hunting it. Congrats on a successful hunt, and thanks so much for sharing!
 
This is Mary's buck, (one of those 4 tags filled) she shot it with her .243 Rossi single -shot rifle at about 75 yds. No real blood trail to follow, but we found him about 100 yds over the hill from us, the top half of his heart was shreaded!!!!;) A very well placed round, as he came directly at us, but he wasn't going to stick around, he stopped, and at that instant she hammered him. I'm proud of that whole scenario, I think she'll be a real provider for the rest of her life....:) Oh and I almost forgot , my oldest son shot a small doe for the fry- sausage effort!!! only two tags left!!!:D ( i just noticed I need to set the date up on my camera)
 
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Congratulations, You have a nice buck there, You have every right to be proud.
Thanks for sharing the pictures from your hunt, they are beautifull, That sure looked like a nice hunting trip.
Congrats on the doe too, she is a big one.
 
Thanks guys, I do enjoy hunting Colorado. However I do wish that it was easier at times to get multiple tags, about the most you'll ever get is 2 for the same species here. You can only have one buck/bull tag, unless you win another through auction or raffle, and you can usually get a doe/cow tag to accompany your buck, or at least two doe tags if you don't have any other tags for that species.

Plus getting any deer or elk on public land is tough. Sometimes the ones you pass on might be the only legal animals you see that sesaon. Last year I hunted cow elk during 4th season. Had fresh snow three out of five days of hunting and never once cut a fresh elk track, but saw plenty of deer.

If you have access to private land the hunting is usually a little easier with better results. These are my two best bucks I've taken off of my famlies land out on the Eastern plains of Colorado.

Here is the first deer I ever shot:
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Here is the buck I got in 06 and the only deer I've mounted:
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