Home >> Hunting Diary >> Hunting Diary 2008 >> Whitetail Deer Hunting
The beginning of November is always a great time to be out in the woods. We hunted at home in Illinois for the first week and then off to Colorado we went! The unique thing about where we hunt in Colorado is that there are whitetails and mulies all right there in basically the same area.
We had gone out to Colorado back in July to set up some new stands and to check our other stands to make sure they were all good. Ralph didn’t get a deer in Colorado last year, so he was up first for the hunt and he knew exactly where he wanted to sit; in one of the new stands set up in the cottonwood right between the green field and the bedding area.
The first afternoon we had a bunch of does and a couple of small bucks come by us. Then at dark, just as we were getting ready to get down out of the Ameristep ladder stand, we had bucks running and grunting all around us. We had to sit up in the tree waiting for them to leave before we could climb down so that we wouldn’t mess the area up for the next day. We were able to see some awesome bucks chasing when we put up our Nikons, but it was dark!
The next morning we sat in the same location and saw some more does and small bucks. Late in the morning we saw a big ten point chasing a doe all over. Ralph tried grunting him over, but the ten was chasing the real thing, and wanted nothing to do with us.
That afternoon we had a nice ten point come by and make a scrape right by us. He gave Ralph a whole bunch of shot opportunities, but Ralph wanted to see if that big ten was going to come by, but he never did.
The second morning was slow and we didn’t see much. That afternoon we saw more does and that same ten point that Ralph passed up the afternoon before. Once again the buck gave Ralph all kinds of shot opportunities and Ralph passed on him again. Vicki told Ralph that when he was done hunting she wanted to come back and try for that buck.
Ralph decided to try a different stand the next morning to see if we could see different deer. The sun came up and we saw a bunch of deer out in the green field working their way towards us. There was even a few bucks chasing does! We saw a BIG eight point, missing one whole side of is rack, and it looked like it was cracked off right by his brow tine! Then Ralph spotted a buck out about 200 yards to the north of the stand and tried rattling him in. The buck changed directions and started heading towards us. As the buck came closer we realized that it was the same ten point that Ralph had already passed twice on! Well, three strikes and he’s out!! Ralph decided that obviously he was meant to take this buck, so he did! His shot was almost straight down maybe 7 yards. Ralph was shooting is Hoyt Vulcan set at 65# with a Beman Realtree MFX 400 tipped with a NAP Spitfire broadhead. The buck went right down!! Congrats Ralph!!
The next day we decided to go glass the south for a mule deer for Vicki. We saw some small mulie bucks and does, and then Ralph spotted a nice whitetail buck, which isn’t really normal to see whitetails in the south. We watched the buck and a doe he was with bed down in the tall dried wild sunflowers. We tried to keep an eye on where he bedded down and decided to head straight at towards him, trying to keep the wind in our favor. We had to cover a few hundred yards fast and somewhat quietly.
When we stalked to where we thought he had bedded down, he was no longer there. We saw the doe get up and move, but because of the little rolling hill, we didn’t see the buck move. We tried grunting and then we snort wheezed, the buck stood up about 80 yards away from us. We figured the game was over, but he was curios and we were between him and his doe, so he started walking towards us!
We kept the wind in our favor and tried to stalk closer to him, as he was walking closer to us on an angle. When the buck would stop walking we would stop, always keeping an eye on him. At forty yards Vicki drew her Hoyt Vectrix back and when he started to get nervous, she released her NAP HellRazor on him. The shot was not perfect, but we were able to keep an eye on him and get a second arrow in him.
This was not a guided hunt, it was done on private property and they do not outfit on it. We would like to thank Billy & Gayla again for everything especially the friendship!
Whitetail Deer Hunting - Colorado
Ralph with his "Three Strike" buck.
Fiery Colorado sunset.
Vicki's wiiiiddddee Colorado buck.
The beginning of November is always a great time to be out in the woods. We hunted at home in Illinois for the first week and then off to Colorado we went! The unique thing about where we hunt in Colorado is that there are whitetails and mulies all right there in basically the same area.
We had gone out to Colorado back in July to set up some new stands and to check our other stands to make sure they were all good. Ralph didn’t get a deer in Colorado last year, so he was up first for the hunt and he knew exactly where he wanted to sit; in one of the new stands set up in the cottonwood right between the green field and the bedding area.
The first afternoon we had a bunch of does and a couple of small bucks come by us. Then at dark, just as we were getting ready to get down out of the Ameristep ladder stand, we had bucks running and grunting all around us. We had to sit up in the tree waiting for them to leave before we could climb down so that we wouldn’t mess the area up for the next day. We were able to see some awesome bucks chasing when we put up our Nikons, but it was dark!
The next morning we sat in the same location and saw some more does and small bucks. Late in the morning we saw a big ten point chasing a doe all over. Ralph tried grunting him over, but the ten was chasing the real thing, and wanted nothing to do with us.
That afternoon we had a nice ten point come by and make a scrape right by us. He gave Ralph a whole bunch of shot opportunities, but Ralph wanted to see if that big ten was going to come by, but he never did.
The second morning was slow and we didn’t see much. That afternoon we saw more does and that same ten point that Ralph passed up the afternoon before. Once again the buck gave Ralph all kinds of shot opportunities and Ralph passed on him again. Vicki told Ralph that when he was done hunting she wanted to come back and try for that buck.
Ralph decided to try a different stand the next morning to see if we could see different deer. The sun came up and we saw a bunch of deer out in the green field working their way towards us. There was even a few bucks chasing does! We saw a BIG eight point, missing one whole side of is rack, and it looked like it was cracked off right by his brow tine! Then Ralph spotted a buck out about 200 yards to the north of the stand and tried rattling him in. The buck changed directions and started heading towards us. As the buck came closer we realized that it was the same ten point that Ralph had already passed twice on! Well, three strikes and he’s out!! Ralph decided that obviously he was meant to take this buck, so he did! His shot was almost straight down maybe 7 yards. Ralph was shooting is Hoyt Vulcan set at 65# with a Beman Realtree MFX 400 tipped with a NAP Spitfire broadhead. The buck went right down!! Congrats Ralph!!
The next day we decided to go glass the south for a mule deer for Vicki. We saw some small mulie bucks and does, and then Ralph spotted a nice whitetail buck, which isn’t really normal to see whitetails in the south. We watched the buck and a doe he was with bed down in the tall dried wild sunflowers. We tried to keep an eye on where he bedded down and decided to head straight at towards him, trying to keep the wind in our favor. We had to cover a few hundred yards fast and somewhat quietly.
When we stalked to where we thought he had bedded down, he was no longer there. We saw the doe get up and move, but because of the little rolling hill, we didn’t see the buck move. We tried grunting and then we snort wheezed, the buck stood up about 80 yards away from us. We figured the game was over, but he was curios and we were between him and his doe, so he started walking towards us!
We kept the wind in our favor and tried to stalk closer to him, as he was walking closer to us on an angle. When the buck would stop walking we would stop, always keeping an eye on him. At forty yards Vicki drew her Hoyt Vectrix back and when he started to get nervous, she released her NAP HellRazor on him. The shot was not perfect, but we were able to keep an eye on him and get a second arrow in him.
This was not a guided hunt, it was done on private property and they do not outfit on it. We would like to thank Billy & Gayla again for everything especially the friendship!