Shot a little 12” buck this morning at about 10:30 with the 444. Drove out to my hunting area at about 6:45 into the fog and spitting rain. Soon however, the fog lifted, but the rain continued. I’m not too keen on getting my rifles wet, so I perched atop a ridge in my Tacoma and glasses through my wet windshield at various small bunches of goats, seeing a lot of does and fawns but only one buck that was interesting. Drove around a little and did the same thing, mostly glassing. At about 9:30, the drizzle stopped, but the pregame was on the radio for the Wyoming/Bowling Green game and consequently an internal debate erupted about whether I should listen to the game or chase a few goats.
The goats won, so I donned all my hunting gear and just started walking. The area I hunt is pretty broken up with rocky ridges and sagebrush draws, so you walk across the draws and then up the ridges and peek over. The peeking over part is pretty dumb really, because antelope see movement really well and most likely you’ll be busted. One should crawl over so just the very top of one’s head is above the ridge, just enough to see over. But I’m a slow learner. After two unsuccessful stalks on average bucks (they really have excellent eyesight), I glassed back toward my truck, which I couldn’t see as it was several ridges back, and spotted a small bunch of antelope with what I would consider a decent buck feeding over a ridge toward me. I ducked down into a draw and up the incline toward the top of the ridge closest to me, but still a ridge away from the goats.. It sounds close but it took close to twenty minutes to approach the top of the ridge. Got down on hands and knees about 20 yards from the crest and then as I approached the top I belly crawled the last few feet with my backpack out in front of me. The top of the ridge was rocky with a dark shale kind of rock arranged almost vertically. Placed my Handi on top of the daypack and peek over it.
Saw some does about 300 yards out laying down in some short sagebrush. Inched my way forward to look over the edge closer to me and about 100 yards away were more does feeding in the tall sagebrush. Still couldn’t see the whole area below me as there were other rocks in the way and the steepness of the decline. Couldn’t move any farther forward or the closer does would have busted me, so I keep glassing and waiting, and waiting and glassing. Other does moved in and out of my vision; finally saw the buck at about 100 yards but he was just visible; I worried that the bullet would smack the rocks just in front of me on its way to the buck. He browsed from left to right out of sight behind some rocks in front of me. More waiting. When he emerged from behind the rocks, he was broadside at about 75 yards. At the shot, he crumpled, but struggled to get up. I hopped up (as well a 53 year old can hop) and made my way down to him. By the time I walked up to him, he had stopped struggling and was very dead. The shot had gone a little high in the shoulder. The spine also appeared to be damaged. Field dressed him and when I got back to my truck Wyoming was behind 14-7 at halftime, but went on to win the game luckily on a blocked PAT with two seconds left.
I’ll try to get a pic before Monday.
