Salmon River Controlled Hunt - Mule Deer

Candace (my 12 year old daughter) drew a controlled hunt this year - mule deer buck - Salmon River breaks, Idaho.

We headed up [Deleted] Creek - what in the heck had I gotten us into? ... no trail ... the creek bottom was like a dungeon (brush soaked with recent rain), the creek itself wasn't good (no waders), the side-hill wasn't good (steep, wet brush and mud), and the ridge wasn't good (dangerous cliffs) ... Once we broke onto the ridge - it was just getting light enough to see that what little vegetation that clung to the terrain was poison sumac.  And once out of the sumac - the cliffs in the terrain made it too dangerous ... so we backed up and kept looking for a way up.

 ... finally we broke onto some game / migration trails on the back side of the open hillsides.

 ... 1000 vertical feet later we were able to peer, finally, onto the open faces of the Salmon River Breaks.

A big lone mule deer buck bounded out from below us, and ran around the side of the draw and out of sight before Candace could get off a shot. 

The buck appeared again, on an adjacent hillside, several hundred yards away.  I gave Candace my pack for a rest, and gave her the option ... if she felt she could get a good shot - to take it.  The first shot missed left.  The buck reacted by bounding our way, unable to distinguish the source of the danger or commotion.  Three more shots also missed.

 ... (pic) we spotted the buck again - who is already watching us, 200 plus yards uphill - only head and neck exposed.  Pic is just a second before her shot. (Buck in sunlight again shade backdrop.)

 
The buck worked his way up the draw toward and above us and out of sight.  We angled up to see if we could get another shot. We wouldn't be able to climb as fast as he could - but perhaps we could get some angle on him as he made his way across the open and into the timber.

As we angled around, the buck rounded a small ridge, and picked us out.  By the time I saw him, he was already watching us.  I motioned for Candace to slowly come around and find a rest.  "If you get a good shot - you can take it."  To the buck we must have appeared father and child, instead of two hunters; that or he was playing wits, but he anyway gave Candace ample time to get in a good position, put the crosshairs right on his nose, and ...

Candace took the shot and the buck kind of melted backward, and started rolling downhill.  RIGHT ON!

 
When I get an animal I sometimes let out a shout.  This time I let out a whole series of cheers and shouts!  Candace said I better be quiet as I might scare and whitetails away.  (I had a tag for whitetail deer.)  "It didn't matter - my daughter just got a nice buck!"

 
The buck rolled down into a formidable ravine.  After taking pics I proceeded to quarter the animal.  I would have to carry it out - the ravine eliminated the options of dragging or rolling.  Per Idaho regs I left the head attached to a front quarter and carried it down.

 Candace scratched her eye on something on the way down, so instead of going back up to get the rest of the deer, I took her out to civilization.  The afternoon the next day I returned, with two other of my children.  It was a bit of a panic with the ever shortening days, the steep terrain, and what turned out to be a lot of animal still on the hill.  Quartered and partially boned I carried out what seemed like 100 pounds more of deer and other stuff, and 30 or so lb of rifles (hers and mine).

We dined at `Cattleman's- our favorite restaurant, in celebration, on the way home.

Endnote: to work on Candace's deer I drug it down the ravine a bit to where there was more room.  As the mists cleared and the sun came out I turned around to see that I had been working literally inches from the edge of a cliff.  So I drug it back up a bit, and continued.