1 minute read
HSM AMMUNITION
HAND-LOADED ACCURACY STRAIGHT FROM THE BOX BECAUSE SOMETIMES YOU ONLY GET 1 SHOT.
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Author Tom Cooper (l) and
We parked where we might have viewed the mountain, but it was dark,very dark, because it was still well before daylight. For us, we were on time; our plan was to spend an hour, before legal shooting light, hiking from our vehicle to the base of the mountain. It was 2007, and brother Bill and I both had Mule deer buck tags for the area, but I did not carry a gun on this hunt, it was sort of Bill’s turn to be the hunter. Instead, I carried a spotting scope and a small lightweight tripod to get a good look at any bucks that might find us.
A week earlier we glassed a mature, very wide and tall-looking buck, however, mostly because of distance and wind, we decided not to shoot. Our stalk to decrease the distance, while well-planned and perfectly executed, was not successful. Possibly the buck crawled into a secret hidden cave somewhere on the mountain. This time, we would find that cave. On the earlier hunt, we climbed a three-quarter mile canyon ending near the mountain top. Today, we intended to hunt around the mountain, slowly gaining elevation, while crossing five small drainages, until we reached the backside near the top. We expected a two-mile hike each way.
Hunt Five Sagebrush Draws
At legal light we began our initial climb up a small ridge where we hoped to view our first candidates for Bill’s tag. Apparently, the dozen or so deer that materialized with daylight weren’t surprised by our arrival. All of them ran up the steep ridge line, probably to make room for us to continue our hunt around the mountain. While appreciating the gesture, we barely had time for a quick look with binoculars before they disappeared; there were 2 or 3 small bucks, the rest were does and fawns. The guy with the spotting scope needed a bit more time for set-up. But now, we were eager for a peek into the first of the five drainages we planned to cross.
