# Happy thanksgiving! Front success!!



## 10yearquest (Oct 15, 2009)

[attachment=0:1yzefqf3]IMG_0618.JPG[/attachment:1yzefqf3]After nine years I finally got all the stars and planets to align and put an arrow in a wasatch front buck.

Went out yesterday for a quick hike. When we got to the trailhead and saw the lack of snow I though it would be just that, but luck had a different idea. Me and my brother franklin decided to go back to a small canyon where I had lost an arrow about a week ago and try to locate it again. Man those leaves are crunchy and loud when they dry out. I managed to find the arrow. I had barely missed the deer I shot at. Dang!! we climbed out of there to a higher observation point, thinking that it would just do us good to sit and glass for a little longer and then head home for the feast. After sitting for about fifteen minutes I spot a big three point moving fast out of a canyon straight ahead of us. He is coming in our direction but soon takes a sharp right and disapears into the scrub. We sit there and discuss strategy then out of the same canyon two more deer, a medium two point and a doe. They come out of the canyon and loop over to another and into the scrub they go. This is weird but wait: there comes out of the same canyon another deer and its a smaller two point! I tell franklin" we should get over there cause somethings going on there". This was at 10:00 am very strange after a morning of no movement. So we get to the mouth of this canyon and sit there for a bit. Whatever was going on was over. no more deer came out. We made the decision to follow the two points and the doe based on the terrain and wind. They had all gone into the next canyon to the north and as we got to the base of it we started seeing movement. The little two was halfway up and the bigger two came and pushed him away. The little guy went to the left and the bigger one came down towards us. Frank stayed there at the bottom and I started to move in. I had gone about 70 yards and to the right and got the feeling to be patient and sit. Then all the sudden here he came, the bigger two. From left to right at about forty yards. As he reaches a clearing I mount my bow. He catches the movement and turns to face me taking a little of the distance. I bracket the thirty and forty pin on his throat and let it fly. He whirls and I watch the arrow dissappear into his chest. Off he runs. I drilled him! Franklin joins me there and we wait. I replay it to him and I am pretty sure it was a good shot. After a mountian dew and some vitamin water we go looking. The arrow is close by where I shot and its not so good, dark blood and stomach -)O(- The angle must not have been what I thought. The blood trail confirms it. We debate on our next move, do we go back to the truck and get the frame pack or just wait awhile. We wait. The trail is followable but he's moving up hill: not good. He takes us nearly to the top of the canyon, across the width of it, and then down into the next on over. At least this one has snow in it to aid tracking. I send franklin up on the flank of it so he can get a better view and I follow the trail in the bottom. There is a ton of brush. Then i see something up ahead. In my binos I can see through the brush and its him! Hes still alive and franklin, above him, spooks him  I yell at frank to stop and come back down. No answer. I yell again. No comment. The third time he tells me "shut up I see him" Oh good. I work my way up to Franklin and the deer is about sixty yards from where I last saw him. He looks dead. Cautiously we get closer and we can see him breathing still. I have no clear shot. We move in more and he appears to be unconcious. I am close now and I find a clear shooting lane and hit him in the chest. He bounds up like a rocket and for a second I am scared but quickly I nock another arrow. He stops and I let it fly. He is dead. It is now 2:00 and dinner is at 4. We have no frame packs with us and franklin doesnt even have a day pack. Quickly we drag him to the bottom of the canyon in the snow. Its still a ways to the truck so we quarter him and put the quarters on a stout pole. On our shoulders goes the pole and we hike out. It sucked! I am not hunting the front without a frame pack any more. We were late to dinner but after expending so much energy in tracking and carrying the deer out it was the best thanksgiving dinner ever


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## Springville Shooter (Oct 15, 2010)

Congrats on your front success.---------SS


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## kailey29us (May 26, 2011)

Great looking buck, congrats!!


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## Rusty Shacklford (Oct 24, 2008)

Great story, good to hear about brothers hunting together. My and my brother were out on the front on Wednesday but things haven't come together for him yet. He's got two shooters picked out and we will give them another go this weekend. I always try to hunt with an empty pack frame on, they weigh next to nothing empty and as you found out there nice to have with you when you get your animal down. Again good shooitng and congrats on a fine deer.


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## JERRY (Sep 30, 2007)

Congrats!! Looks like good table fare to me. Turkey and venison. :lol:


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## middlefork (Nov 2, 2008)

Always good to see the smiles. Congrats!


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## PaleHorse1 (Jul 11, 2011)

I know how it feels to finally get one, I killed my first front buck this year. I have hunted it hard for 14 years! Great deer! Good on ya!


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

Wooo Hooo, way2go!


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## elkfromabove (Apr 20, 2008)

Great story and buck!


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## rdoggsilva (Apr 6, 2011)

Congrats not a bad looking buck. Thanks for the story.


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## lunkerjunker (Aug 8, 2011)

Good for you! We went out Thanksgiving morn as well and didn't see a single deer, only rifle hunters.


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