Your Move, Episode 3

[WapitiTalk1]

Hunting journal: 22 September, Idaho archery hunt, early afternoon. You have both an elk tag (any bull) and a deer tag (any buck). This is the only time this year you'll hunt elk but will be back later in the year to hunt deer again. You're on the fourth day of your ten day hunt in the Idaho Panhandle, and, the hunting gods have blessed you with some early season, high country snow! The bulls have been very vocal and you've been into elk each morning for the past three days but no shot opportunities. As you sit on the game trail planning your evening hunt, you hear a bedded bull bugle on the far hillside, perhaps 300 yards away. The thermals are wrong to go directly at the bull (he's on the hillside) so you figure you'll head down the game trail a bit where you may have a place to use your optics to scan the bull's hillside and make a plan of attack. About the time you get ready to move, here comes this MD buck straight at you at around 30ish yards! From your position, thermals are flowing gently uphill into your snout. You have good cover to your back and are wearing you super cool snow camo pattern

Your move. Are you shooting, not shooting the MD, or, are you gonna continue with making a plan to go after the vocal bull? What is your move?

MD Buck.jpg (113.79 KiB) Viewed 7940 times

Reminder that if you save the picture to your desktop and open in MS Paint, you'll be able to place a spot, X, or whatever on the critter before you save it back to a jpg and add the marked up pic with your post (if you decide to shoot).

[easeup]

nice buck and great opportunity just standing there.
gotta pass though, as I came to get me a bull.

[razorback]

I'm here for one reason only! A bull

[under H2O hunter]

I am passing

[jmez]

Is there a question here? He's getting one from me. He'll be down in 30 seconds. Field dress and go after the elk. With snow on the ground he isn't going to spoil.

[msd1228]

I'm passing unless that buck grows about 95" in the next couple seconds

[chipick]

Take him, like jmez said he ain't gonna spoil and if I was worried I would pack it with snow and hang high

[Bow4me]

Bird in the hand.

[BrentLaBere]

Watch the buck pass by without spooking him, continue on with a game plan for the bull.

[ElkNut1]

Yes, there was a time that would have been my answer in years past but these days no way! I'm elk hunting & it would have to be a real bruiser to change my thoughts away from bugling bulls! I'd pass & wait for rifle deer season, it's too much fun to pass up! (grin)

ElkNut1

[Fridaythe13th]

30 yrds is a bet far for a frontal shot on a muley. Wait if I get a better shot take him. I don't have a muley on the wall, a good one to start with. If it don't work out go bull hunting.

[bowhunter04]

I would wait for him to get closer before I would take a frontal shot. He'd have to be under 20 yards for me to feel comfortable at that angle. If he gets to that range, I'm taking the shot.

[Rizzy]

For sure taking a broadside shot on that Buck if I get one! You will probably be right back into Elk the next morning if you want. May even put an arrow through an Elk while you are packing the deer out the next day. Go on another Elk hunt in lieu of your upcoming deer hunt, you can buy two Elk tags in Idaho

[ishy]

I'm passing...but thinking...how far from camp am I?

[Trumkin the Dwarf]

I'm passing. I get a huge kick out of chasing mule deer in the late season with my rifle. That buck would have to be at about 0-5 yards for me to consider killing him. At that point I'd feel obliged to remove his stupidity from the gene pool, but otherwise he's safe. I think. Maybe.

[twinkieman]

I'm passing, I'll hunt deer at another time. When I 'm elk hunting, I' hunting elk and elk only.

[elk-n-walleye]

I took that Mule Deer, well one just like him. There wasn't a bull in my scenario however. I was there for both elk and mule deer so I didn't have that mental obstacle. Just like JMEZ said, I watched him bolt to my right then back to the left and 20-30 seconds later heard him crash.

If there was a bull that I was actively chasing in my scenario I would likely have passed too, then again... Like a previous poster said "a bird in the hand."

[easeup]

now this is surprising so far the pass on it posts........

[Bowhunter]

I would pass on the deer. He is too far for me and I have elk on my mind.

[elkaholic]

Im passing. Nice buck but elk is my focus since I will be back later for MD.

[otcWill]

Call me crazy but I'd shoot the deer and the bull ! I'm young and I can handle it. I'd likely let the deer keep coming and let him have it at the best opp. though since I wouldn't be worried at all about him busting or me missing my chance at him.

[Swamp Buck]

No doubt I am trying for the doubler. Isn't that why you carry more than one arrow in your quiver?

Not very often an opportunity of a lifetime such as this comes along.
That could be a story your grand kids will be retelling years after you are gone.