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By dawn, Dave, Parker, and I had spotted approximately 20 bucks. I put a stalk on two bucks, a big 3x3 and a high, but smaller 4x4. A group of does moved in but I moved up a draw out of sight and got within 100 yards of the whole herd. Up on the mountain, 600 or so yards away, I spotted a pronghorn buck that I knew would see me if I tried to move. But since he was so far from the deer - I didn't think anything of it. As soon as I moved, that pronghorn ran down to the deer - snorting the entire way. The deer herded up, and ran out of the valley. That pronghorn stayed there, snorting, the entire time. I was really starting to dislike pronghorns.
On the opposite side of the hill, Dave was looking for a group of six bucks. He never found them and we soon met up at the truck. We went to a draw to see if we could find some deer and practically ran into a nice 4x4 in velvet - tucked in the shadows. It was Dave's turn to stalk. Dave dropped down out of sight and downwind of the unsuspecting mulie. He crept up to the hole the deer was in, drew, but the mule deer spotted him and busted out. It was close!
Moving in for the kill
The deer is in that dark shadow in front of Dave
The buck caught Dave and busted out.We continued on up another draw when we spotted two does feeding on the hillside. We moved on higher in the draw when Parker said "horns." There was a buck tucked in the shadows with a small doe. It was my turn to stalk but I decided to hold out and give the stalk to Dave. He moved quietly downwind of the two deer until he was directly on top of them. Suddenly the doe got up and fed a few yards from Dave. Parker and I watched from a distance, filming the sequence.
In the left of that shadow are the buck's horns, the doe is visible in the centerView video of Dave as he shoots (1.4mb) As if a gift from heaven was delivered to Dave, the doe turned just as he drew on the buck. He shot and missed the buck who was bedded at an extreme angle directly underneath him. The buck sprung from his bed and stopped 30 yards from Dave to see what had spooked him. That turned out to be the wrong decision - Dave was already at full draw with his second arrow. The sharp broadhead went completely through the vitals of the deer - a perfect shot. Parker and I were so excited we were shaking, and whooping it up on the hill. Dave and I had hunted hard all week and he deserved this deer.
Dave's 'Last Day" buck.After the congratulations and the chores associated with a downed animal, we went right out again to try for my deer. While working a draw we jumped 4 bucks with one awesome 4x4 that was about 25." The four bucks ran up to the head of the valley and I went after them. I climbed to the top of a small hill and peered down just in time to see the four bucks walking underneath me, 70 yards away. They moved up a hill and bedded in the sagebrush. I moved down into a dry river bed to move quickly uphill and out of sight. Now level with the bedded bucks, I crawled to a clump of evergreens. They were situated perfectly, 70 yards from the deer. My goal was to hang out in those trees until the bucks got up and started feeding. They stayed bedded longer than I thought - about two and a half hours. My legs and knees were stiff but luckily I was able to move around and keep them from falling asleep. Finally the deer got up and fed into a flat sagebrush meadow before heading down to a waterhole. There was no way I could stalk them.
Parker, Dave and I headed up to the South Ridge section of the ranch. I spotted a big 5x5 with 5 other bucks. It was getting late but I tried the stalk anyway and blew the deer out of the valley. It was a heck of a day!
Fifth Day's Harvest George Zanoni, IL
Dave Canfield, PA
