The morning arrived with anticipation. We slipped to the edge of the knoll overlooking the lower draws and open land as the morning sun greeted us. Within minutes multiple groups of Mule deer were spotted. We glassed a few nice
fork horns, but nothing exceptional. Glassing out to a half mile, we didn't notice the buck walking just below us at 250 yards. By the time we spotted him, he was on us. "Take him", I said to the old man. He scrambles to steady
his T/C Encore on a rotten fence post. The post was moving everywhere, " I can't get steady". At the distance I couldn't tell how good he was with the naked eye. I turned to get a spotting scope on him, but with the magnification set
at 30x, I was all over the place. After 5 seconds of scrambling I got him in my wobbling view. 5x5. Expecting a shot, I only heard, "I can't get steady.". Next thing you know, he spooks and slips off.

The next few days, Dad proceeded to hunt for this old Solitude buck. Finally, on the third morning, we were walking through the snow to a vantage point to glass. Upon the slow approach just as we crested the ridge, a buck was spotted. We crouched down in the snow. Gave him a few minutes then moved to see who greeted us at 300 yards. Sure enough, the 5x5 with a small herd of does.

Thinking he would not leave the does, the old man was patient. However, in moments, the old buck checked all the does and he was on his way. At 300 yards, the old man didn't want to push the shot. So he let him pass.

Next the old man hopped the fence, went into his eastern bottom-lands stalking mode and headed after him. I remained on the top of the knoll to watch the hunt unfold.

Dad slipped around the ridge to where we last spotted the buck at a quarter mile away. He was again with a doe and fawn. As dad headed in their direction, the buck bedded down. Twenty minutes later I spotted the old man slipping along the bluff concealed by the terrain. He slowly worked his way up to a vantage point, moving one step about every five minutes. The buck was only 150 yards away, but hidden from the old man's view.

After another 20 minutes the buck and doe got up and started moving. Dad spotted the deer and stalked closer, once to a good spot, Dad remained still, suddenly the buck appeared to be walking towards him. The buck looked up at the ball of brown in the white snow from 150 yards, Dad wiggled his boot heel hoping to spark the bucks interest as a bedded doe. Sure enough the buck took the bait, crossed the small draw and came into view at 90 yards. The Encore rang true, I saw Dad running towards the point of impact. Thinking I would see the buck busting from the cover, I saw nothing. Chirp on the radio, "Good-gosh what a buck" in a slow southern accent. The old man pulled off another great stalk on a target buck as he has done many times.

Garrett Baker