Sixty Minute Buck

Every now and again hunting can be a funny thing. Most of the time we wait until the last half, if not the last day of the trip or season to fill a tag. This may happen for a number of reasons: we never want to take the first animal we see in hopes of finding a better one; we want the hunting trip or season to last longer; we have planned to only take a new "World Record" or in my case, it could be the last minute before I even see one at all. Some of my hunting trips and seasons have even ended with not a shot fired due to the fact that I did not see an animal that met the requirements I was hoping for. At the start of my hunting career, my father taught me not to harvest an animal just for the sake of saying I did. It is better to go home empty handed than with a small buck that needed another year or two to mature. The only way that any buck is going to develop into a real trophy is to let him walk his early years.

But my hunt to Newcastle, Wyoming this past October would not have any of these problems. Donald Workman, Mike Hale and I had booked our mule deer and antelope combo hunt the year before with Rocky Niles, Rocky Outfitters (406-747-5051). Rocky is based out of Fairview, Montana where he hunts whitetail during the Montana season but also is a licensed outfitter in Wyoming and Kansas. After checking via the Internet that we had drawn tags, all the final plans for the hunt were made by the end of July. We had flown out one day early to do some scouting and a little sightseeing. But due to the fact that all the hunters the week before us had tagged out early, Rocky had made arrangements for us to be picked up at the Rapid City, South Dakota airport the afternoon we arrived. We were met by Mike Niles and John Anderson, who along with Rocky, would be our guides during the hunt. The hour and a half ride to the ranch and wooden two-story house we would call home carried us through some very scenic parts of the Black Hills National Park. Rocky was waiting at the house and asked us to first store our gear then check the zero on our rifles. He then looked at us and said, "Lets go hunting." With two other hunters due in the next night, we would each have our own guide that afternoon and the next morning. So, still in the same clothes we flew out with plus an orange vest, we were off. Little did I know that what would happen in the first hour would prevent the need for me to rise so early the rest of the trip.

After a short ride up in the mountains, Rocky spotted the first mule deer buck watching us as we climbed the hill. He said that he would be a shooter maybe next season but was not what we were looking for this year. We continued up to an old log house that was beside a 30 feet deep ravine when a 4 x 4 mule deer with a spread as wide as his ears and very tall came up from the bottom. At first we thought that this was a good one to take. But after looking at him, Rocky decided we could find him another day later in the week should we need to if we did not pressure him now. We walked to the edge of a steep drop-off and made a quick look around then decided to go back down to the area where we had seen the tall buck. As we got back down close to the log house, Rocky stopped me by grabbing my shoulder and pointing to the other side of the ravine saying "There is a shooter!" Standing beside the tall buck was one that even I did not have to take a second look at. Only one hour and with one shot from my Winchester Model 70 .300 Weatherby, my mule deer hunt had ended. Some may question that I should have waited and looked around for a few days but when my outfitter said that he was a great buck, I listened. It took a couple of minutes for it to sink in because everything happened so fast. Only after we had walked over to where the deer dropped, did I see how beautiful the buck was. This nice 5 x 4 with a 29" spread ranks as a true trophy to me. For a hunter from North Carolina who had only seen a grand total of three mule deer, all in less than an hour, this truly was a case of beginner´s luck on my part. The real story is that I had a great outfitter who had done his homework and put forth his best effort for his client. We had to hurry to take some pictures and get him field dressed before it got dark. On the way back to camp, we stopped to show the rancher and his son-in-law the big buck. I received congratulations, handshakes and a pat on the back for my good fortune, then we continued back to the house. Each of my hunting partners had seen antelope and mule deer the same afternoon but I was the only one to pull the trigger. Rocky was quick to remind me that I still had an antelope tag to fill and not to think that I would get that lucky again!

The next day we finished caping my deer and preparing it to take to the meat processor in town. I joined up with Mike and Mike mid-morning so Rocky could go to the airport to get the other two hunters. That afternoon, I got a good lesson on hunting antelope the hard way. We had stalked two different groups only for Mike to decide not to take the buck in each group. These stalks may take several hours and can cover more miles than I want to remember. The first thing I learned was that if you take that long and walk that far then elect not to shoot, it is the same distance and time to get back to the truck. Antelopes are very alert animals; if they see you, they are history. I now know why they carry the nickname of "speed goats." But later that afternoon, Mike was able to take a very good 15" antelope at 285 yards with his Remington .7mm STW. Due to the hour of the day, it was now time to start looking for the mule deer on the move. We found a good place to sit up on top of some hills to watch them travel to the fields to feed. We were able to spot four different bucks in the tall brush so the two Mikes had to get in closer to take a better look. I stayed behind so as not to risk spoiling their stalk. Besides, it was only about a half-mile from the truck and they had to go the other way. Once they were in position about 200 yards away, I spotted a heavy 4 x 4 that I was sure they had set their sights on. What better way to end the day than watching a plan come together. The only thing I did not see was a very tall buck to the right that Mike shot. At first I thought he had missed because I was looking at the wrong one, then I saw the movement out the corner of my binoculars. The tall 4 x 4 went down in some very high grass behind a hill blocked from their view. I started the long walk to the deer after watching them search for him for about fifteen minutes with no success. And to no surprise, I was within 300 yards when they located it. Donald and John came by just in time and helped load the deer. We then spotted horns sticking above the top of the truck bed and discovered Donald had taken a very heavy 5 x 7 27" mule deer himself. His adventure started from over a mile away and ended with a great freehanded shot at 75 yards. He and John had taken about an hour and a half using the hills, ravines and ditches to close the gap only to round a corner and come face to face with the giant buck. Some quick thinking, good nerves and a steady shot were then required to take the big mulie.

With our first full day of hunting behind us, we had three mule deer and one antelope hanging in the meat shed before the other two hunters from Florida arrived in camp that night. Gus and Gilbert had flown in from Miami and were welcomed with good hunting stories and great food. Phyllis, the camp cook, made sure that nobody went away hungry. In fact, I am pretty sure we all gained a little weight that week because the food was great. After supper, we spent some time telling old hunting tales and watching the baseball playoffs on digital satellite TV. Most hunting camps that I have stayed in up till now did not have the accommodations we were greeted with on this trip. Each meal had all the hunters and guides sitting together replaying the events from the day and mapping a game plan for the next day´s hunt. Before bedtime and weather permitting (it gets pretty cold after sunset) we would sit on the deck and light up a good cigar, courtesy of Gil. But breakfast came at 05:15am so sleep soon became the main thing on everyone´s mind.

The hunting gods were on our side this trip; we only had a little rain one night and light snow two nights in the higher elevations. Rocky, Gus and Gil even got caught out in some hail one morning while looking for mule deer. Wyoming is a beautiful state with all the rolling plains to the west and mountains back to the east of us. Most ranches are not only miles apart traveling down the main highway but sit back off the road sometimes farther than that. The main things one would see moving were cows, horses, antelope, deer and tumbleweeds. With hardly any trees to block it, the wind blows most of the time. With this in mind, it was easy to see how the landscape could have been carved out the way it did over time. Wyoming is said to have more antelope than people, which would make it a great place to live as well as hunt.

Over the next two days, Donald and I both got our antelope. Donald and Eagle-eyed John spotted a good buck off in the distance and with a single shot from his Remington .7mm Ultra Mag at 380 yards his hunt was over. The following day had me with guide Mike, spotter Donald and rangefinder Mike all assisting with my final animal. I guess they all thought I could use the help because I had missed two the day before. After a short stalk, we had positioned ourselves on a hilltop overlooking a group of antelope about 300 yards away. We all agreed that the buck was a nice one, the range had been determined, and a crosswind had been factored in to it. Now the only thing left was for me to complete the perfect scenario. Lots of things were playing around in my head while I waited for the antelope to turn broadside. My right heel hurt because of the huge blister on it from all the walking, my left knee was right in the middle of a cactus and now there were more people to laugh at me if I missed again. But this plan worked out just the way it had been drawn up and my first Wyoming hunt had also come to an end. Gil and Gus each tagged out later during the trip making the hunt a 100% success.

Unable to rebook our airline ticket to leave earlier, we now had some time to do that sightseeing we had planned for the first day. With Mount Rushmore, Custer National Park, Deadwood, Spearfish Canyon, Sturgis, the Badlands and Devil´s Tower all within a short driving distance, we rented a van and acted like real tourists. We even drove four and a half hours one way to Sydney, Nebraska to do a little shopping at Cabela´s and see all the mounts throughout the store. We then got to do a little prairie dog hunting the last day to cap off a great, great week! It is impossible to thank Rocky, Mike, John and Phyllis enough for an outstanding trip and super hunt. I just hope to be able to return some day because I have a sneaking feeling it could get even better the second time around. But right now, we are already making plans for our bear hunt to British Columbia, Canada this coming May!

Author's Equipment

Rifle Winchester Model 70 .300 Weatherby
Ammo Remington 190gr Pointed Soft Point Boat Tail
Binoculars Swarovskis10 x 42 SLC w/ Crooked Horn Bino System
Scope Swarovskis 3 x 12 x 50 TDS
Spotting scope Simmons 20 x 60
Rangefinders Brushnell Yardage Pro 800
Camo Realtree Advantage

Outfitter´s Information

Rocky Niles
Rocky Outfitters
Route 2 Box 2930
Fairview, MT 59221
406-747-5051
www.montanawyomingdeerhunts.com

Author´s Information

Don Eason E. D. Parker Corporation
180 Hawley Road PO Box 638 / 804 South Market Street
Dunn, NC 28334 Benson, NC 27054

Home 910-892-1462
Fax 910-891-1750
Work 919-894-2182
Mobile 919-894-0300
Pager 919-507-7836
E-mail eason@intrstar.net

Hunting Tips

Go prepared for all types of weather to happen the same day
Start an exercise plan long before your trip and stick with it
Practice all types of shooting situation before your trip
Know your rifle and have confidences in your ability
Wear good hiking waterproof boots
Carry great optics
MAIN ONE: Listen to and trust your guides, they want you to do your best and work hard to give you that opportunity