Show The 2002 19 Hlwiimft 2002 loffleirsweeS Ihimti Successful bowhunt ©mi ilhie ad toe short Guide month ago I was given the opportunity to hunt some private property in Sardine Herald The 4 Page Canyon In return my friend Mike Burrell and I helped the owner with fences and posting the property so for us it was a great opportunity We went up for the first time near the end of July and spotted two good One was a little bigger with eye guards and good mass Ilie widest buck had only four inches of antler on the left side so we knew that one had another year to live We only made it up a couple of times to the property but we found the bucks in the same hollow twice and noticed they had the same travel patterns We were excited because we knew this area had promise On Aug 16 the night before the archery hunt opened we went up spotting for the deer Unfortunately I was unable to locate them I talked to three other guys who would be hunting in the same area They said they had sera some nice and They hadn't seen die that we had previously int SpuUCUi On opening morning'we decided to drive the ranch until we found a good location to begin our hunt We sat at die gate for an hour waiting for light At 6:08 aim we were off Earlier this year I joined the Dedicated Hunter Program in Utah which allows hunters to hunt in all three general season hunts (archery any weapon and muzzleloader) but allows them to take only two ' deer during a three-yeperiod so I was going to be picky about what I shot as I was also looking forward to the muz- zle loader and rifle hunts Mike asked me if I would take the 4x4 1 replied “Only if I have a good 2ft-- or ar 30-ya-rd shot” We drove past the hollow we usually saw them in and found it empty We went up on top of the main ridge running through the ranch and about 23 yards off spotted a large group of deer comprised mostly of does with one small buck For the next 10 minutes we saw does does and more does Then down on the east side of the ranch we spotted four deer out feeding We headed back past the hollow and spotted another doe and a standing at 30 yards We drove back down by the gate and up another hollow to find the deer feed- ing and before we made it too far we spotted more deer on the hillside south of the hollow Mike found several bucks and then he told me that the we had been watching were there We took some video footage and planned our move They were feeding up on the ridge and were about to drop off die backside Mike said he would wait 20 minutes for me to get set up and he would push them off toward the hollow I drove back down and parked my truck and hiked back up to the hollow we had sera them in There was a big hill between the two roads and the deer were on the south side I went up the road on the north side to a small hollow to the west and set up by a small juniper tree Five minutes after getting settled I watched them feeding 80 yards away in a clearing Mike was making a slow move on them so they were not nervous A few minutes later die big 3x4 came onto the road at 30 yards I thought about taking die when he hit shot at das the road but I stuck to my shot rule (if he gave it to me) Then the big buck hit die road Then I lost sight of all the big bucks as 20-ya-rd one-antler- Photo courtesy of Ladd Dariay Ladd Dartey poses in Sardine Canyon with the buck including eye guards) he took-oopening morning of this yeart bow hunt with a PSC bow and 100 grain G5 broadhead arrow The buck's rack had a 21 inch spread that green-scorea 151 Pope and Young nt -- n d they went behind a thick jumper tree I watched the smaller bucks cross the road at that point and started to think they would head west and not up die hollow I was in Then the lag 3x4 walked out from behind the juniper and went right up die bottom of the hollow with die and bucks right behind him Then the deer I had been watching over the past few weeks came in clear view from behind a small maple I grunted at them The big 3x4 stopped but the kept on walking On die third grunt he stopped I was in a full draw at this poinL He was broadside at 20 yards I hit die trigger on my release to see my arrow heading at the bucks shoulder and disappear My arrow flew true to its marie 1 knew I had made int one-antler- ed a clean shot He took off at had taken the deer I don’t that point heading northwest think he believed me at first We set up for some photos and up die hollow He was moving headed out to take care of die slowly up through die sage and maples stumbling the meat As we cleaned the buck whole time: Then he disapwe found my G3 broadhead marks on both lungs I hit him peared into the maples Thirty seconds later he emerged from a little far back but still hit the die maples onto the road He lungs went off die road into die My hunt started and ended sage then went down 60 yards within one hour on opening away from where I shot him morning That’s why I call this I put up the binoculars and story bittersweet — I was watched him for five seconds given a great buck with a until his head went down I great shot but now I'm done slowly went down and picked hunting mule deer for the year up the arrow all in one piece — Bv Ladd Dartev There he was in the sage Ladd Dailey ofSmifhfieldtean dead all within one minute avid sportsman and a member I was excited that I had made a great shot As I was ' of the Boone and Crockett Club Pope & Young Sportsmen for heading down to get the truck Fish and Wildlife and the Mule Mike was coming out of the Deer Foundation trees He was looking at me I since had no bow in funny handand' i jogging down die road When I told him I |