11/11/2025
A fun time in the West. .loes32 and I spent countless time at the range this summer and fall. Shooting daily, finding ways to make shots challenging, and battling mosquitoes. We stretched the distances, ending nights shooting at 120 yards just to make the close shots seem impossible to miss. We enjoyed the time practicing and just shooting but it was also leading towards an adventure.
We decided to chase mule deer. We tried early season and near triple digit temps keeping us and the deer inactive. Fast forward two months we decide to sneak out again. This time wind advisories and rain and sleet met us. But our luck changed.
A plan was made and a plan executed. Spotted a buck, got out in front of him while he was cruising. Relocated the buck and watched him bed down. Repositioned to get the wind right and the stalk was on. The buck was bedded next to a cut bank. This allowed us to sneak in right above the buck and presented a straight down shot as the buck had no idea we were above. So the weeks of stretching the bow out to 120 yards brought us to a shot at less than 5 yards. The practice led to a perfectly placed arrow that found its way to the buck’s vitals and heart, and a quick harvest with the buck expiring in seconds.
In the wind and rain, we stood in the empty prairie, tumbleweeds watching us, and celebrated with each other like a superbowl had been won. It doesn’t get much better than moments like that in the field. Great times with great people. A new core memory made.
