The Buck on Top of the World:

Arielle and I went hunting the weekend after the girls got their deer October 22nd. Mostly to just get out for another weekend. We pulled into a spot off the side of the road in No Tellin Creek and decided that it looked like a good spot but that we should continue on just in case another presented itself.  A quarter mile into the drive we stopped the truck and turned around, deciding the spot back there was it.

We climbed to the top of the world and found this 4 point sitting there. All we could see was his head, the rest of him was behind a rock. We were still 500 yards out and I didn't feel good about a shot. Arielle decided to stay put by a rock and "glass" while I continued to try and close the distance. Not being able to see the buck at several points, this proved to be intuitive of her as I could just keep glancing back in her direction to check for signals of the deer moving out. I took the shot at 300 yards and missed, much to my frustration. However, he repositioned to a nice side view and I took another shot. This time it appeared I got one placed. He stumbled and ran down into a patch of quakies. I walked in closer, began to work parallel to the trees. After about 20 yards, I saw him 40 yards out in the thicket. Not knowing if the last shot was effective enough, I pulled the gun up quickly and took another shot, this time nearly breaking the bridge of my nose in the process. I'm going to blame the effect on the new gun:). Through my tears of pain, I was able to see him drop.

I was so glad to have Arielle along with me that day. Not only is she a natural hunter, but she is strong. We dragged that buck a mile and a half thru the sage brush back to the truck.