Just got in! After putting in 14 days of hunting in Colorado and Wyoming, the first thing I did when I got home was put the tape on the Colorado buck. I came up with 183, or so, in the velvet! I was expecting around 190. How could I miss judge him that bad? I mean he had 6.5 inch bases and the other two mass measurements where 5.5 each. So I thought I was getting old and needed to wear my glasses all the time. Then as I was driving to the dump yesterday I began thinking about this low 180 buck. When I spotted him, I figured he would be pushing the 190 gross mark, but my measurements came out to only 17.5 inch of mass to a side. Then like a bolt of lighting it hit me. (You probably already figured it out.) I forgot the fourth mass measurement! I raced home in the old Ranger and through the tape on that sucker again. Voila! The old boy’s 4th mass measurement is 4.75 inches giving him over 22 inches of mass!!! That puts him right at 191, or so, and if you wanted to add the two extra points off his burr, he grosses 194 plus or minus. That made my day! The old buck was about to strip his velvet off. It isn’t soft, but more like dried on the antlers. However, the taxidermist was able to save it. Oh by the way, this is the first velvet buck I’ve harvested since the 70’s, so I’m mounting him.
While in southwestern Wyoming, I took a cheater buck in the low 180 gross with a 27″ spread. Ike, my son, was along and harvested an old, old buck that still had some velvet on some of his points. He really likes the old boy; it’s not your standard trophy buck. Of course, he is wider then mine and has bigger bases. So Ike teases me that my buck fits inside his, and his also has 5-inch bases. Saw several mid 180 gross bucks during the hunt. On the first day I saw one pushing the 190’s, but the old boy give me the slip. Fun stuff hunting with your son!
The knee surgery didn’t take and the doctor says I need a knee replacement. I wish he had told me before he went in and ground on it.
Wyoming got caught with a heavy snowstorms and the temperature dipped down into the teens. In the high country they must have got a couple of feet. It’s been snowing up here at the house all week and is down in the 0 degree mark this week.
The last three days we’ve had a grizzly hanging around the house. He went up to my wife’s truck and smelled around it. Got the shoot gun handy!
I have a great high country bull elk tag, but afraid the herds have migrated out to the winter ranges. Next week I’m heading for my Wyoming antelope unit for the last few days of the season. Three weeks ago I spotted a good buck! We’ll see if I can find him again. This unit was my second choice, but still found many high 70 B&C bucks! And the one I’m after, I think, will go over that 82 mark. This strategy of a second choice tag is out lined in my new book “Hunting Antelope On Public Land. You can order it from our web sit.
Looking forward to my Arizona mule deer hunt the end of November. Hope they get some snow. I will keep you posted on the hunts. It’s winding down for me.
Until next time, Mike Eastman
