# 2010 pauns archery hunt



## wyoming2utah (Sep 12, 2007)

Since today is the last day of the archery hunt, I thought I would share the story of my hunt....
...It began 3 days before the archery opener when I received a call and was offered the premium tag after another hunter decided to turn his tag in because there were "no big bucks down there this year." Anyways, after deciding to take the tag after some inward debate, I headed down to the pauns on the thursday before the hunt started to try and scout as much as I possibly could before hunting.

After taking a full day to scout for deer and only seeing 7 deer and 3 bucks--1 spike, 1 2-point, and a mediocre 3x4--I was at the very least worried about how good my hunt was going to be. But, after some discussion with some other hunters I know, I was given some good information on where I could find a lot of decent bucks. So, opening weekend I headed down to the Hatch side of the Pauns and decided to hunt the Hatch bench on the opening weekend.

Opening morning rolled around and I was excited but worried about what I would find...I shouldn't have been. Before the sun's rays ever hit the ground on the opener, I had seen more than 20 bucks--most of which were mature 3 and 4 points. The only negative at this point that morning was that another truck was just ahead of us on the same dirt road and I was worried about having to compete with other hunters in the area. But, after glassing numerous bucks and not wanting to jump the gun on 23-25 inch 4 points, we got busy glassing a hillside literally covered with deer.

After glassing for a short time, we spotted a real stud--a buck we figured to be close to 30 inches and really tall. I would have been absolutely ecstatic to shoot this buck or even something slightly smaller. But, knowing that other hunters were glassing the same hillside, I didn't want to ruin someone else's hunt, so I just watched the buck. After watching him for quite a while, I decided to talk to the other hunters. After talking to them for a bit and discussing what their plans were, it became obvious that they were hoping to shoot something bigger. In their words, they were looking for a 200-inch buck. So, I asked what they estimated the big 4-point to be and they figured he was in the 180-inch area and around 28 inches wide. More talk with them and it became evident that they had some connection with Doyle Moss and Mossback which might have explained their desire to find a 200-inch buck. 

Despite the rumors I have read on this site and others and despite the rumors I have perpetuated from sources I considered to be very reliable, my experiences with these guys and Doyle Moss himself on this hunt were nothing but rosy. In fact, the two young men who were glassing the same buck I was offered to even help me shoot the buck if he crossed a fence and moved on to public land which he never did that opening morning. So, I simply continued to look at different bucks and hope the big guy would cross and give me an opportunity. Sadly, the big guy stayed on private land all of opening weekend and I never got the chance to stalk him.

Opening weekend passed and I passed on numerous very nice bucks including a whacky cactus buck with a 2x2 frame that had lots of extras poking out from its eyeguards and two weird kickers that dropped from its mainframe. As I left to go home after that opening weekend, I immediately started to wonder if I had made a mistake in passing any one of the 4x4s, 3x4s, or even the goofy buck that presented easy opportunities. After all, there was no way for me to know if such opportunities would come about again.

The following weekend consisted of much of the same even though I had decided to lower my standards and not get too hyped up about the big buck we watched on the opener. So, I spent time trying to stalk different 4 points and even the occasional 3x4 or 3x3...all of which I would consider trophies even though they probably wouldn't have scored exceptionally high. Though I am not a good estimator of size and/or inches, I figured many of the nice bucks I was chasing to be in the 23-25 inch category and certainly tall heavy-horned deer. But, as luck would have it, I took no shots.

Several times over the course of the hunt I was really close to getting the opportunity I was looking for but, for some reason or another, things just didn't work out. Several times smaller bucks busted me when the buck I wanted had no idea I was close, several times deer spooked when I was simply seated and seemingly well-concealed downwind, and several times I flat goofed up on stalks and scared deer away. But, as many of you know, bowhunting is an exercise in patience and a battle of persistence...and I knew my chance would come.

My last weekend of hunting came as did my last Saturday and Sunday without my tag being filled. Then, on this past Monday and my last chance to hunt, I saw the opportunity I was looking for. I watched three bucks feed down a hillside, break up, and then bed down. Amazingly, the biggest of the three bucks bedded with his back facing downhill and his head looking uphill. Also amazingly and to my luck, was the fact that this 4x4 was next to a deep ravine that would give me ample cover to stalk with the wind in my face.

So, I made several phone calls and finally found a good helper to keep me aware of the buck's movements. And, I began my stalk at around 12:30 PM. About 1 hour later, I had moved into a position approximately thirty yards from the buck but could move no further. So, I began to wait the deer out in hopes it would move into the open where I could get a clean shot.

An hour after I begain waiting, the deer stood and began to move to better shade. So, I slowly drew back, put my pin behind his front shoulder, and let my arrow fly. The arrow flew straight until it skipped through some brush I was sure I would miss before striking the deer squarely high in the front shoulder. The deer ran wildly up hill about 20 yards, jumped a fence, and then ran back down hill through the fence, and down the mountain. The whole time I could see my arrow clearly sticking out of his shoulder.

I then radioed up to my brother who was spotting for me and asked him to watch the deer. He exclaimed that the deer was covered in blood and thought the shot was good despite being high in the shoulder. He watched the deer run off the mountain, down a little valley, and out of sight before coming down and meeting me. Together we found the blood trail before I headed back to get my atv and meet him back on a road that my buck had crossed. Then, about 1 hour later we began to track the deer.

After tracking the deer for over a mile and searching for him until dark, we gave up and I never recovered the buck. After being struck, the deer ran hard for almost a mile before slowing to a walk and then going back up the same hill he had come down approximately 3/4 of a mile west of where he was shot. It appeared that my arrow missed vitals and did not penetrate the shoulder blade like other shots I had made on deer. It appeared as though the deer were wounded but not fatally wounded. I don't know.

After returning home that night and realizing with a sick feeling that the buck was lost, I viewed the film I had of the buck. Amazingly, it was the same buck I viewed opening morning...the biggest buck I had seen my entire hunt. And, somehow I blew it. Now, after 3 premium limited entry archery hunts without harvesting an animal, I seriously wonder if I should hang up my bow. This bad luck and feeling will probably haunt me forever.


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## JuddCT (Sep 7, 2007)

Sorry to hear about the buck (great story to read). Sometimes the hunting gods don't smile upon everyone of us.


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## fivexfive (Aug 21, 2010)

Great story with a sad ending. My advise is, don't be in to big of hurry to sale your bow on ksl. You may have used up all of your strikes on LM,s but it still a great sport, and a great time of year to enjoy the outdoors.


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## muleymadness (Jan 23, 2008)

Lets see pics/or video of your buck you shot. By the way I'm pretty sure I have video and pics myself of the exact same buck. Good pics and good video.

Sorry about the loss and not finding him, tough deal.


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## HOGAN (Sep 8, 2007)

Very nice story. Tough break, but it in a wierd way is what makes you an archer and not a rifle hunter. If you were a rifle hunter you could have kept shooting until the animal dropped. We like the solitude of it all and sometimes do question the trade, but never second guess yourself, you are an archer, and a **** good one. Peace brother.


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## middlefork (Nov 2, 2008)

HOGAN said:


> Very nice story. Tough break, but it in a wierd way is what makes you an archer and not a rifle hunter. If you were a rifle hunter you could have kept shooting until the animal dropped. We like the solitude of it all and sometimes do question the trade, but never second guess yourself, you are an archer, and a **** good one. Peace brother.


+1


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## wyoming2utah (Sep 12, 2007)

Just an interesting update to this story...
...I have replayed shooting this deer over and over in my mind and will probably do so many more times. In fact, I am sure that losing this deer will haunt me forever. Because of the size of the deer and the fact that it is probably bigger than anything I will ever again have a chance to shoot, I was very careful not to blow this opportunity. But, somehow it always seems that the harder I try not to screw up a bow hunting chance, I always do...and, in this case, a small bush in front of the deer was my undoing. I am pretty convinced that the bush my arrow deflected through altered the flight of my arrow just enough that it missed vitals or slowed down the arrow enough that it did not penetrate into the vitals.

Anyway, not to get too long-winded, after several email conversations with the landowner (after shooting the buck on public land, it crossed on to private property and I had to contact the landowner to seek permission to find the buck), it now appears as though the buck is still alive and doing quite well. The landowner has informed me that they have seen a very nice wounded 4x4 several times...and after comparing my video with his still pics, it seems pretty evident that the wounded buck he has been seeing and the buck I shot are the same. Amazingly, according to the landowner, the buck now appears quite healthy despite some soreness in its right front shoulder where I hit him.

Obviously, this news has both bothered me and made me feel a bit better--I am bothered because I still held out hopes of finding it dead and better because it is nice to know that this buck does not appear to be suffering greatly...


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## Bowdacious (Sep 16, 2007)

wyoming2utah said:


> Obviously, this news has both bothered me and made me feel a bit better--I am bothered because I still held out hopes of finding it dead and better because it is nice to know that this buck does not appear to be suffering greatly...


You may have been hoping to find it dead but what a waste that would have been. Think about it....a nice buck like that just laying out in the sun rotting away, its life meaning nothing as it rots and deteriorates into the dirt. Personally, I would have felt better that it was alive rather than wasting. Maybe you would have found his rack....but what a waste just for a set of horns. Be glad the buck lives and be happy that you have the experience to learn from.


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## xxxxxxBirdDogger (Mar 7, 2008)

> You may have been hoping to find it dead but what a waste that would have been. Think about it....a nice buck like that just laying out in the sun rotting away, its life meaning nothing as it rots and deteriorates into the dirt. Personally, I would have felt better that it was alive rather than wasting. Maybe you would have found his rack....but what a waste just for a set of horns. Be glad the buck lives and be happy that you have the experience to learn from.


+1, Well said.


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