Sagebrush and Bucks
By; Joel Johnson
You’ve got to be kidding me, eight trips to Wyoming in the last two years, heavy
extended periods of rain on all eight. Then on four occasions there was hail damage to
my truck and gear and the high winds of course are a given. When and wherever I travel
there will be bumper crops for the season. All joking aside I love the outdoor adventures
that I find myself involved in.
As I headed south out of Wright, Wyoming the visibility was just a few yards and if I
actually used my head for a change I would have stayed at the Motel until things cleared
and the roads had a chance to dry out. But no! I was going to get to my camp site and get
set up today hell
or high water.
As I struggled
the last fifteen
miles or so in
four wheel drive
and at a snails
pace, praying I
would not slide
off or meet an
oncoming other
vehicle on that
muddy greasy
road. The Gods
must have been
looking down
on me because I
made it to my
camp site which was the same patch of cactus and sagebrush I used the year before. It
does not look like much but it was to be my home for the next ten or so days.
I threw my yellow rain slicker on and in no time I had camp set up. My propane heater
was glowing, wet cloths and gear hung to dry and a pot of stew was on the cook stove.
Life is good when things are working smoothly which is not normally the case so I sat
back relaxed, looked over my maps and prepared to start my scouting and glassing in the
morning. With a full stomach and fresh pot of coffee ready to perk on the stove in the
morning, this guy shut down the lantern and hit that cot like a ton of bricks.
The wind whipped and battered the tent all night long but as the moon was setting and
the sun was rising all was calm and it looked like it was going to be a beautiful day. The
coffee pot started perking as I rifled through my gear. I threw together a thermos of
coffee, donuts, a couple of sandwiches and snacks for the day. I jumped into the truck
pulled onto the
muddy road and
headed out for a
couple of new
spots to glass. I
looked over a
lot of sagebrush
and bucks that
day
both
antelope as well
as mule deer
and had a plan
formulated for
the opener the
following
morning.
Long before sunrise I was up, the coffee pot was going and I ate a light breakfast. I
loaded my gear into the truck and headed out hoping to get into position on a rocky knoll
overlooking a brushy draw the antelope used to reach a large open area of prairie I
watched them use to feed and bed the day before. I was not there for more then a few
minutes when the small silhouettes started working their way through the draw. Does,
fawns and average bucks slipped by within seventy five yards. Normally I don’t waste
any time and would have taken best buck out of the group. I however had over a week
then to wait for deer to open. There were a couple of fourteen inch bucks in the group and
figured I could nock around a few days looking for something better although they were
good enough for me.
I
watched
many hundreds
of antelope in
the next few
days and made
many of stalks
on good bucks.
I slipped back
into position on
the rock pile on
day five and
waited for them
to slip through
the draw with
the hope that a
nice buck was
among
the
masses. Now there was a bit more aggressive behavior out of the bucks. Sparing, fighting
and chasing each other as well as corralling the does and fawns. I noticed the herd stop
and all their attention to the east of my position. Within a few seconds a nice buck
strolled into view a mere fifty yards to my left, with a light crosswind and the sun at it’s
back I took the opportunity he had given me. I settled the Ruger 77 in 257 Roberts on the
buck’s right shoulder as he was slightly quartering towards me and squeezed off the shot.
At the shot he spun around and headed directly at me, and dropped about 10 yards from
ambush point. The rest of the herd just milled around for awhile not knowing where the
shot game from. I was only a couple of hundred yards from where I left the truck so I
picked out a dry doe for my parents and dropped her.
It was warming up now that the sun was up so I took a few photos, dressed the
antelope
and
headed
for
Douglas to have
them butchered
and stored in
their
freezers
until I headed
for
Colorado
after I take a
mule deer. A
spent the rest of
that day and
next in camp
relaxing
and
preparing
for
the deer opener.
I had a couple
fellow hunters I
met the year before whom were up from Texas stop in for a cup of coffee some extra
sugar if I could spare and some jawing. I returned the favor by stopping in the next day
for a soda and some more jawing at there camp a couple of miles up the road.
For the deer opener I had chosen a small by western standards 640 acre section of
BLM Land to focus on. I walked the perimeter of this section the year before noting that
the west was bound by a road, the north and south lines of the section were delineated by
fence lines and the east line of the section was open. I had plugged the coordinates for the
boundary into my Garmin GPS unit so there would be little question were I was
especially when I got close to the east line of the section; I did not want to drift onto
private property without permission. This was a peace of heaven with water in the creek,
cottonwoods and willow brush chocking the bottom and high cut banks on either side,
opening up into a large bowl east of the section.
I parked out on the road without opening the gate the first morning. I worked along the
tops on the north side of the drainage glassing and still hunting as I crept along at a snails
pace. I was encouraged that there were
does, fawns and younger bucks along
my entire route to the east line. To my
surprise I took notice of a very heavy
dark antlered buck bedded maybe fifty
yards or so east of the east line of the
section. He was bedded in the shade at
the base of the cut. I watched him for a
couple of hours to see if he would rise
and work his way west where I could
legally shoot. However he rose for his
bed stretched and moved easterly into
the thick cover of the bowl. I slipped
down the hill a hundred yards or so to
were a large cottonwood lay. I was
going to make a makeshift blind out of
the sticks and sage brush that was lying
around the stump of the fallen tree.
I spent the rest of the day watching
and glassing for the buck who did not
show, I slipped out just before dark and
planned to head back to the blind before
first light. After a good hot dinner and
small camp fire as it was a calm and
clear night I hit the hay with the
anticipation the next day would bring.
As the first rays of sun broke the eastern
skyline there was a raft of activity. I had
a herd of forty or fifty antelope feed
within one hundred yards of me with a
huge buck I would guess was sixteen
inches with very heavy beams. I noted
deer all through the draw and down in
the bowl. I caught movement out of the
right corner of my eye, it was the buck
from the day before headed westerly
and at about the same spot he was
bedded yesterday. Low and behold he laid down what appeared to be the exact spot he
bedded before.
I watched him for about an hour and formulated a plan to make a move on him. If I
waited him out he would probably head back to the east and I would be out of lick again.
I had a slight breeze in my face and with the antelope bedded below me I would work my
way back up and
out of the blind
thus working my
way westerly and
out of sight and
sent of the bedded
animals. I moved
about a half mile
to where I could
cross the bottom
and climb to the
top of the cut on
the south side of
the creek. Once on
top I was able to
stay out of sight
and
with
the
favorable
wind
was able to make
good time. Before
moving I was able
to pick out a
landmark
that
would mark the
bedded
buck’s
position. I turned
on my GPS unit
and quietly slipped
a cartridge into the
chamber. Safety on
I checked my
location, I was
within five yards
of the east line of
the section and
knew I need to get
that buck up on his
feet and out in the
open as well as
have him move
westerly to give
me the shot.
The antelope
were now up and
moving northwest
and towards the
crest of the hill I
watched
them
from earlier that
morning. I picked
up a couple of rocks and fired them to the far side of where I believe the buck was
bedded. Now the antelope were making tracks over the crest on the hill, whether they saw
me throw the rocks or more then likely winded me things were happing. Below and out in
front moving on the same path the antelope where on was a nice high racked young buck
with a terrible limb. I took a quick look at him through the binoculars and noticed his
right rear leg was broke completely in half about a foot above the hoof. At that point the
large buck bounded out past the injured buck and stood looking back at him. I swung the
rifle over and settled the crosshairs behind and high on the ribs. I looked back at the
smaller buck struggling to climb the bank to catch up with the old boy. It took him over a
minute to cover that short distance so after beating myself up over shooting the big buck
and letting the one dragging his leg, I swung over to the younger buck so when he finally
got to the top I sent a 117 grain Hornady bullet on its way. At shot the larger buck took
off on a run and the younger buck dropped out of sight.
I found a cattle path the made it an easy crossing for me as the cut banks were quite
steep. As I topped the other side I saw the buck had dropped in his tracks. He was a pretty
buck and was going to make great table fare as well. His leg was in bad shape and did not
look like a fresh wound. I dressed him out, took a couple of photos and then drug him
about two hundred yards to the two track where I could pick him up with the truck. Once
back at camp I hung him as it was overcast and much cooler then the week before. Early
the following morning I packed up camp and headed for Douglas. I needed to pick up ice
for my coolers and the cut, wrapped and frozen antelope from last week.
A full tank of fuel, coolers full of meat and I am headed south to Elk Camp in
Southwestern Colorado. It’s a wonderful life, it only took me about sixty years to arrive
but I am there.