"It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat." ---Theodore Roosevelt 1910

Saturday, November 21, 2015

Rocky Mtn High...Colorado

5x4    182"

For years I have wanted to hunt mule deer in Colorado and in 2015 I finally got my chance. With 10 points I finally drew a 4th season permit on a not so well known hunting unit #15. It is located just north of Gypsum, Co. It's mostly made up of private land. I was so excited to get to hunt the middle of Nov. during the rut in Colorado's high country with my new Remington .270wsm topped with a new turret Leupold scope.

I drove out there two days before it opened and set up my tent and began scouting. I saw lots of deer but no mature bucks. On the opener Todd Huntington showed up to help me for two days. On the second day I glassed this buck up with about fifteen does a long ways out. I got the spotting scope on him and looking from above I didn't think he was quite what I came to Colorado for so I passed on him. 

Todd had to go back to work and I continued to hunt alone. Nights and mornings were cold at -4. I decided to swing back to where I saw this buck and group of does. This time when I turned him up he was above me and much closer at 425 yds. I could tell he was a much bigger buck than I originally had thought. So I quickly set up to take him. I got on my pack and dialed in to 425 and hit him pretty hard but it was a little too far forward in the front shoulder. He went over a rise and I tried to get on his blood with no luck. It was getting late as I started to grid the tall sage out in front of me. He jumped up 100 yards ahead and my off-hand shot put him down for the count. I was very happy when I got my hands on his dark chocolate antlers. He had a great main beam with deep symmetrical tines and an extra inline on his back right. I couldn't help but hum to myself the chorus of John Denver's song Rocky Mountain High Colorado.











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