The country is very dry and very low density. We glassed miles and miles of country and found very few deer. On this day we found a big group feeding on the high peak. Saw them from a mile or two out. There were 4 bucks and 7 does iirc. The buck I harvested was the biggest one in the group, and the biggest deer we saw in a week of hunting. There were too many spoilers, but fortunately, something spooked the herd and the group fragmented. All the deer but 2 bucks spooked out of our country.

The 2 bucks fed down the canyon towards me and eventually bedded in an ideal situation, under a lone bush in wide open sage, about 80 yards from the top of a ridgeline. I waited a few hours to make sure they were down for the day. I stalked to my shooting position, a bush that was about 70 yards from the deer bed. If I have a shot at a bedded deer Ill take it, but I didnt have a clear shot and Im uncomfortable much outside of 60 yards. I decided to wait him out.

I thought the bush obstructed the deers view, but apparently not. The buck saw me moving as I was trying to find a shooting position and got up from their beds. I had an 80-90 yard shot but Im not gonna take that, so I watched them feed over the ridge. My dad watched them lay down and helped me locate them again. I identified their bed and found a possible shooting position. Right as a got into position, my the bigger buck stood up to feed. I had a little window I ranged him at 65 yards. He looked down, I drew, but he saw the motiin and looked up at me. I was holding, using the 60 yard pin because I was shooting downhill. I let go an knew immediately I had made a good shot. Sometimes you just feel it. I watched the arrow enter right in heart/lung territory. He sprinted downhill, started trotting, slow to a walk, then dissapeared behind a bush.

I shot up part of the right front quarter. The left front was intact, as the exit wound was a little farther back. We got him cut up by 10 and got back to camp arounf midnight. Gross score of 151 with 3" of deductions. He is my best buck, and one Im really proud of considering the low densities of our area and the fact that is a very low point unit.

A few more pics of the country.