A Trophy Buck Makes a Surprise Appearance

By Chris Nolan

Five years ago, I got a buck mule deer resident tag for northeast Nevada. I hunted hard and was rewarded with a large 3x3. I loved the area and kept applying for both buck and doe tags. My wife joined me by applying for doe tags. Each year we were able to hunt the same general area and harvest does. We then spent a few days looking for bucks to see what the area holds. We always put in for the late season.

Five years later, I finally got another buck tag. 100 miles out of town, I got a flat on the camp trailer. 20 minutes later, I was back on the road. I then received a call from the dermatologist letting me know I have two different kinds of skin cancer. My wife had to cancel at the last minute, and I was left hunting solo, which has its advantages and disadvantages. Gas was also very expensive, so this hunt was not starting out well.

Lowering Standards

I arrived at my base camp spot around 2:00 PM on Sunday and hunted that evening. 35 degrees and 30 mph wind… not fun. I only saw a few does. Monday I hunted morning and evening with the same weather conditions and found a respectable 3x3 as wide as his ears and twice as tall. I considered shooting him for a long time but then passed. I don’t believe in the saying, “Don’t pass on a buck the first day you would shoot on the last day.”

Tuesday brought beautiful weather with a high of 40 and very little wind. I saw five forked-horn bucks and probably 100 does. I was beginning to think that all I would find were those forked-horn bucks and that one 3x3, so my standards were dropping fast. I wanted meat, as my freezer was empty of venison.

Wednesday brought a storm with wind and snow squalls all day. I found a 3x2 which looked good enough for me for meat. I pursued him and a dozen does. They ended up joining some other deer, but I keep after them from downwind at a safe distance. Once the two herds joined up, I noticed the 3x2 sparring with a 2x2. I also noticed a new buck that appeared to be a 4x3 at first glance. He was my new target buck.

Slippery Target

I took my time and got set up. The range was 450 yards with a 1-MOA wind. I have been practicing at 750, so I was confident in the shot from prone. As soon as I was ready to shoot, the buck bedded down in a clearing. I drank some water, had a snack, looked back, and he was gone. I then found him again, but he would not hold still.

The whole herd mosied over the next hill. Once they were all out of sight, I followed. Once I got to where I thought I could see them, I luckily remembered to turn my turret back to zero. I started advancing slowly and apparently, I was in the middle of the herd. The does downwind busted out at around 100 yards. I saw some does upwind, so I ranged them just in case the buck I was after showed up. They were at 197 yards – an easy shot.

I stood there by a bush and looked around. All of a sudden, the buck I was after showed up. I immediately laid down to get his body in the scope. I had to quickly turn the magnification way down from the 450 yards before. As soon as I did that, he looked like he was getting ready to bolt and follow the does.

He paused for just a second, quartering away. I placed the crosshairs about at the diaphragm, 1/3 of the way up. My vertical crosshair was just behind his far-side shoulder. I punched the trigger even though my long-range practice has taught me not to. I felt I did not have a millisecond to lose. With snow flying in my face and filling my objective lens, I was able to place the 215-grain Target Hybrid in the exact spot I was aiming for. The bullet clipped the liver, destroyed the heart, and shredded the lungs. It was an ethical shot, and he dropped in two steps.

That’s no 3x4!

I then hiked back to the side-by-side and drove as close as I could. I was so lucky to be able to get right to him. He dropped 20 feet from a trail. I walked up to him and was in shock. This was not a 3x4 but a 28-inch-wide, 7x6 non-typical. I had never seen a buck this big in my 18 years of hunting.

I miraculously had cell reception at that spot and called my wife to tell her the great news. I said, “I got him.” She said, “The 3x3?” I replied, “You won’t believe it, he is a 7x6.” I was emotional but I knew I wanted to have a shoulder mount done by my taxidermist, KB Skulls in Carson City, Nevada.

I was upset about being solo. I could not take photos with me and the buck. The wind and snow were too great to set the phone on a tripod. Then, two other hunters came by who had seen what happened, and they took several photos for me. They were camped just down for me, and I consider Mike and Chris friends even though we only had a brief encounter.

With the cold temps and wind, the meat cooled extremely quickly and I had him loaded up and back to camp in no time. Several other hunters in the area came to see him. Word spreads quickly. It was a very difficult hunt, but worth every moment. Not bad for just turning 50.

About the author: Chris works as a continuous emissions monitor systems builder. He loves to take his two boys, Luke and Logan, and his wonderful wife, Kim, fishing and camping as often as possible.

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