I’ve learned nearly 600 miles on I-94 is a long time to be on one road, and I was hoping to make the trip worth every mile. With a little help from Mountain time, I arrived in western North Dakota an hour earlier than anticipated. Still the clock read 3:00a.m.
This was my second, and last, trip out to the badlands to try and seal the deal for 2013. The first trip was muddled by teenagers using our hunting land as a party spot along the river which severely stifled deer movement. We were able to get eyes on a few little bucks but my fears were confirmed when the trail camera only had one shooter buck in the last two weeks at 3:50am.
Our plans changed as we left the river valley and headed up to some of the higher ground. I didn’t know how I felt about this, as I only had a Whitetail tag and we were going to be deep in Muley country. I knew there were some good whitetail bucks hanging around but in far less densities than down in the bottom lands.
The first morning only brought pouring rain and driving wind, which revealed does and a few small Muley bucks. The rain quit for the afternoon and the winds settled, I knew something was going to happen…and it did!
I sat on a south facing slope in a small cut up in the hill glassing the thicker & brushy North facing slope. I spotted a buck on the far slope and he made his way cross hill and up a cut with larger trees. He was commanded by a doe, he wasn’t soon going to leave!
Light was waning but I knew I needed to give it a shot. I snuck down from my vantage point 300 yards up the steep face of the hillside and into position. The buck wouldn’t leave the doe and she kept out of range at 85 yards.
I didn’t try to pursue as what little light was left faded.
From experience, morning would come soon, and sleep would be fleeting. I woke up to a brisk landscape, covered in white frost, as I imagined the grass and sagebrush panorama endlessly sprawling out in darkness. There is no place I would rather have been.
This morning was my chance as I set up in similar fashion and sure enough the buck followed the same doe on the exact path. Again it looked like the buck was going to follow his lady staying outside of the red zone.
I knew I needed to do something, as I let out a guttural snort wheeze. He didn’t like it at all! Not one bit! He tensed up and side stepped 30 yards into 35 yards, as the arrow left my rest and connected with the lungs.
The next part kind of shocked me! He looked dazed! All he could muster was 10 yards backwards before he piled up!
To watch a buck follow the same doe around for a day was a true testament to the powers of the rut, and the routine of the first lady was just enough for me to tag out on my 1st NoDak buck!
Darn nice buck! Great photos again
