# How'd your opening day go?



## outdoorser

I realize that many of you are camping and aren't able to be on the internet, (and even if you could, you probably wouldn't be wasting time on here anyway) but for those of us that just hunted for the day, how did you're opening day archery hunting go? 
I'll start off with mine (buck deer):
I passed up shots on a spike buck and a small 2x2, hoping to be able to find something bigger on the land I can hunt on. A few weeks ago I saw a couple wide 2x2's on land I could hunt, and the past few evenings I've seen a bigger 2x3 on private, posted land. I hope he'll wander onto the stuff I can hunt. Anyway, how bout you guys? Any tags filled? yet?


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## twinkielk15

I'm after elk. I didn't see a single animal all day except for one being hung in one lucky family's camp. I had to work this morning so I wasn't on the mountain until almost three. The first couple hours were all rain and wind with nothing moving around. I used that time to hike out to my spot hoping it would clear up. It did. Turned into a beautiful evening. Next week I have a couple days off and I'll "get serious". Good luck on your deer.


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## lifeisgood

Crappy I could not get out this weekend and it was killing me (wifes car broke and had to fix it today). I will go next weekend and hunt hard. Nice to see you had oppertunities to keep you excited, good luck on a bigger deer.


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## Westernhunter

I did great. 4x4 25" wide 22"tall. It was taken on some family land out of a blind. I had my 11 yr old son with me. That was the best part. It did make for a long night.


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## bowhunt3r4l1f3

Westernhunter said:


> I did great. 4x4 25" wide 22"tall. It was taken on some family land out of a blind. I had my 11 yr old son with me. That was the best part. It did make for a long night.


Throw up some pics!


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## dmaestas

Who's gonna be the first to show their buck off??


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## ridgetop

I found yesterday a huge success. We went into an area I've never been before. It looked real good on Google Earth but things can really change once you get up on the mnt. We backpacked in and only saw a couple does and fawns before dark. We had a heck of a time trying to find a semi flat spot to pitch the tents. I'm really glad I brought a tent because the bugs and spiders were horrible. Anyway, the next morning we climbed 1,000' elevation in the dark and was looking into a great looking canyon at first light. After almost an hour, we had only seen two does with four fawns. Part of me wanted to move on to the next canyon over but this one just looked too good to leave so early. So we kept glassing. About 20 minutes later, I spotted a big buck, then a few minutes laters another two bucks, with one being really good. I was able to get some pictures of the first buck but the sun came through the trees and the glare was too bad for any more pictures. In the next hour, I was able to spot about 10 more small bucks. So I concider the day a huge success. See my "am I crazy" post for pictures of the first big buck I saw that morning.


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## JuddCT

Very successful, without notching the tag. I saw about 25 bucks from sun up til about 2:00 when I started to get hail, lightning and thunder. I blew two stalks on shooter bucks, but didn't bump them too bad so they will be back. There will be a lot of younger bucks taken this year in my opinion. Should be a great fall.


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## swbuckmaster

We had two bucks hung on opening day.


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## Dunkem

just got a call from my nephew,he has a 2 point down and coming home out of the heat.His first bowhunt.Guess Ill be doing a little deer cutting teaching


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## Springville Shooter

swbuckmaster said:


> We had two bucks hung on opening day.


How did your daughters opening weekend turn out? We are all rooting for her.---SS


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## outdoorser

Pictures anyone?


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## swbuckmaster

Im putting a clip together and will post it when its all done


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## JuddCT

swbuckmaster said:


> Im putting a clip together and will post it when its all done


I gotta admit I cheated and watched already on YouTube. Will probably be my favorite dead buck pic for the entire season. Way to let her track it as well. What a trophy! Congrats to the little lady!


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## katorade

Missed the biggest buck of my life.:-(


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## outdoorser

katorade said:


> Missed the biggest buck of my life.:-(


Like literally missed with the arrow? or messed up a stalk or something?


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## swbuckmaster

JuddCT said:


> I gotta admit I cheated and watched already on YouTube. Will probably be my favorite dead buck pic for the entire season. Way to let her track it as well. What a trophy! Congrats to the little lady!


Thanks it was as fun for me as any buck I've killed.

Lol when I got home I asked lindsays younger sister if she was going to shoot a better first buck. She said "yup because I'm going to scout all summer and besides its not hard to shoot a buck that big". Lol 
You gota love competition between siblings!


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## droptine801

saw alot of small bucks 2 pt and spikes missed a shot at a real nice 4 pt


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## Westernhunter

Here he is. Nicest buck I have ever gotten.


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## Westernhunter

Sorry for the bad pic.


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## bowhunt3r4l1f3

Good looking buck Westernhunter! Congrats on the kill! What unit?


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## outdoorser

Thats awesome westernhunter! Yeah, what unit were you on?


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## swbuckmaster

Awesome buck westernhunter


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## silverkitten73

Hope this picture works. This is a picture of my son with not only his first buck - but he took it with a bow! He was very proud of this buck and so am I.


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## swbuckmaster

Nice buck. His first is about the same as my first


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## outdoorser

That's also about the same as my first WITH ARCHERY is probably going to look. I almost took a tall 2x1 this morning, but I just couldn't bring myself to end my hunt this soon. I'm hoping i'll put the tag on a bigger deer tomorrow a.m.

There are definitely a butt load of smaller bucks this year. Multiple spikes, 2x1's and 2x2's. Last year around rifle season, I saw mostly 4x4's and 3x3's (including the 3x3 I harvested.) KEEP THE POSTS COMING!!!


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## Westernhunter

bowhunt3r4l1f3 said:


> Good looking buck Westernhunter! Congrats on the kill! What unit?


Thanks,I was hunting some private family owned land on the Oquirrh Stansbury unit.


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## xxxxxxBirdDogger

Day 1
I had a thrilling heartbreaker of an opening morning. I managed to call a herd of elk right up the mountain to me. They started at close to 1,000 yards. The lead cow stopped at 188 yards, put her nose in the air for a solid ten minutes, maybe more. She just sniffed and sniffed and sniffed and sniffed, nose in the air. Then she turned the herd away from my draw and straight up and over the mountain. A little calf came running in to my call as if she were on a string. I had her at 22 yards and we hung out the whole time the elk were in the area.

Day 2 
I passed on 2 two point deer and two spikes. I drew back on a three point, but did not let the arrow fly. Did not see the elk.

Day 3
I was able to successfully call the elk to our neighborhood again. This time they came in right below where my cousin was perched. As the elk moved away my cousin moved in from above and missed a 330-350 class 6 point bull from 60 yards. His arrow deflected on a bare branch just before it was about to hit the bull. :doh:

I did not get in range of the elk, but watched them take off running after the missed shot. I passed on a two point deer again.


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## lunkerjunker

Wow! That sounds like a great weekend! Were you cow calling or bugling? I tried a little cow calling but to no avail. 

My weekend was good in that I saw quite a few elk with 2 seperate groups at less than 30 yds with one at 5 yds only they were all cows. If I didnt have an LE tag I would be done.

Hunting the Wasatch unit I had heard about the masses of cow, spike and deer hunters that you have to compete with and that was very true. In fact a camp spot we had to ourselves all summer was taken with 5 hunters and another group come up friday evening to do some glassing. All cow and spike hunters.

As it turned out everyone was coopertive in trying to give each other room and it was not a problem as we all saw elk (no bulls though). Just had to adjust the plans a little. 

Had a 4pt buck at 35 yds but no deer tag. Wouldve been a tough shot anyway.


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## xxxxxxBirdDogger

> Wow! That sounds like a great weekend! Were you cow calling or bugling? I tried a little cow calling but to no avail.


Lunker, I did not even bring a grunt tube along and don't bother unless they're rutting. I was using a reed and going very lightly on it (just soft chirps and mews, nothing whiny or insistent). I called a little bit more on day one, perhaps six or seven times in the hour that I could see the elk. On day three I only called twice in three hours of sitting. I could not see the elk and it really surprised me when they came running up the hill. When calling elk, I think that less is more this time of year on public land hunts.


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## archeryobsession

Sorry for the Delay ive been hauling out and butchering meat all by myself but it was worth it! Here is what i got opening morning on OTC public tag....If these pics dont work then i dont know how to download them....anyone wanna help me out??


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## outdoorser

Pics didn't work archery obesession, do this:
click "post reply", then type what you want, just so it'll post, and go down to "manage attactchments. Click "browse" and find your picture'(s) then click "upload"


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## archeryobsession

Ok I can only get one pic to load at a time but thanks outdoorser....I'm a outdoorsman not a computer person


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## archeryobsession

Head pic


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## outdoorser

Good looking deer!


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## archeryobsession

Me n my buck


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## archeryobsession

Last one...score of 179


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## kzkammo

nice buck


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## JDub17

Great looking buck... Man he has a potbelly.


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## xbow

day1) got stuck at work so my older bro and his family could go hunting made it for Saturday night didn't see or here a thing

day2) went back down the hole that's what I call my death canyon in the morning still didn't see or here anything went back to camp. That evening around 530 hiked back down the hole went to the wallow sat there for 30 min and here what I thought was a bugle started to do a few lite cow calls another 30 to 45 min go by now there are to bulls screaming at each other then I here the cows start to talk then a cow walks out into the wallow then another but they where at the 2 wallow about 100 yards away then I here a scream right in the tree line the cows kind of run off and then a bull comes charging out I can here him huffing and puffing he jumps in the wallow he is a huge 5x5 or 5x6 next then he turns around the way he came and chased off another bull that I didn't get a look at so the cows where gone nothing talking but just over the hill I could here the two bulls fighting it was amazing most exciting thing ive ever had happen to bad its a spike/cow only area

day3) went back down to the wallow in the morning nothing happened ended up need to be to work so left by noon


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## Old Fudd

Boulders.RAIN RAIN and more RAIN.Returned home last night.. Passed on a bunch of small 2 points..I'll get back this Thursday. hoping the weather will cut us some slack.What we did see were Lions. not one or two. anyone else run into the Cats?


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