09/26/2024
After 17 years of saving points, my dad and I went in as partners this year in Wyoming. There was a huge die-off a couple years ago so this was risky, but my dad is 74 and we don't know how many years he has left. I decided hunting with my dad was more important than trying to get an 86" buck. Then after I did such a nice thing for him, he and my mom booked a three-week trip to Europe during the month of September. I didn't wait around for him. I scouted for the two weeks previous and found and watched this buck the whole time. He was living very close to a main road so I felt like someone else would see him, but it still seemed like I might have him to myself 24 hours ahead. Watching him 200 yds off the road, I yelled and danced around until he ran over the ridge.
I slept about a half-mile from him the night before season and was in his bedroom at sunrise on opener. I drove through very slowly but couldn't find him, then I turned around and saw him. Everything in my truck was ready so I grabbed it and just as I was headed towards him, I saw a truck coming. I moved as quickly as I could and fortunately never heard a shot. But the buck was moving quickly away so when he went out of sight I hauled ass until I rounded an edge and he was standing there with another buck at 250 yards. I was using (for the first time) a gun clamp on my tripod so I set that up and felt very good about my shot. He jumped, stumbled, and was dead within a few seconds.
The guys in the truck came out to congratulate me and say that they had seen the buck the previous day and were going to kill him if I didn't.
I don't know the score, I've heard guesses from 78-82". I'll let you know someday.
Immediately after the kill I had to run him to a processor then drive back to Montana to work on Saturday. Then I came back down to scout for my dad this past week. The rut is fully on so it's been quite fun and there are a lot more big bucks out now. My dad will be here this Sunday and we'll get to do it again.
I'm having a ton of trouble with Instagram and can't login on my computer so for now you only get this cell picture.
