"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

Friday, October 27, 2023

Molly's Nipple Buck


     For several years we have been trying to kill a buck up on the Nipple. A few years back, I made a blunder on a big tall mature 3x3 and I will never forget the big 28" 4x4 that Brody had a muzzleloader malfunction with. On the second weekend of this year's rifle season, Brody decided to hike up on the Nipple by himself for a solo hunt.
    Around noon while I was at work, he called to tell me he saw this buck with a group of does down off the south side deep in the aspens. He got into position and took a long shot off the rim down at him. He thought he probably missed him but when he got down to where the buck was standing he was surprised to find some small drops of blood. I told him I would skip out and come up and help him track it.
     I asked his friend Hunter Higgs if he wanted to join us. Brody built a fire and waited for us to hike in. When we got there most of the morning's fresh snow had all but melted. Brody should have taken up the trail instead of waiting for us. We quickly lost all sign of blood, but I stayed on his track and could tell he wanted to get out of the open aspen and into the thick pines on a bench to hide out. I had a hunch he wasn't wounded very badly. Brody was going to need some luck.
     I had hunter go high under the cliffs. I took the middle and Brody stayed below us both thinking he would hook down around us. Hunter and I jumped some does and a herd of elk on our first pass. I am guessing we also jumped the buck too but he must of been out a little too far for any of us to see him. We turned around and drop another level. We made four switchbacks and was one our fifth when both Brody and I saw him standing there out in front of us looking back over his shoulder in the open aspen.
     I watch Brody bring his rifle to his shoulder and knock the buck down with my .270 wsm. He hit him high in the back. The buck got to his feet and took off. Brody took off running after him and 200 yards later caught up to him and put him down for good. We got down to him and had some high fives. 
he is a nice big bodied buck. We looked him over curious as to where he was first hit and learned it was only in his front left hoof. I was happy for Brody. He has hiked the Nipple many times and finally picked off one of these crafty bucks.    




                                                                         
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