The Hard Way
By Beau Cannon
With a successful mule deer hunt behind us
and my brother set out for the meat locker, my good friend Lee and I wrapped up an easy morning in camp and headed out for the mid day heat and my chance at an antelope buck.
The previous few days had entailed countless hours on the spotting scope for me. My brother had drawn a coveted Idaho archery mule deer tag, which was the primary focus of the week long hunt, although I was hopeful for my chances at hunting antelope. I was fortunate enough to slip away for a few hours a couple days prior and pop a blind up on a seep that looked promising for an antelope encounter. Several times
over the summer we had spotted a buck in this basin near the seep, and again I spotted him while setting up the blind. He more than exceeded my expectations.
After a much needed rest, the late start had Lee and I prepared and we headed on four wheelers towards the blind. We stopped at a vantage point and after several minutes of glassing realized there was no antelope to be seen. Although the mid summer heat blistered down on us and the nearest shade was miles away, we stood determined and knew our buck wasn’ t far away. We took a warm drink of water, threw our packs on and headed on foot across the desert hills.
Passing the basin that held the blind, we headed for several clusters of rock at the top of the next draw, in hopes we would find our buck. As we approached the rocks we quickly spotted a herd of antelope and crouched down for a better view. He was there! We watched the herd and realized another buck was becoming frustrated with our buck, driving him away from the herd. Jumping at the opportunity, we quickly formulated a plan. Lee would circle below the basin, out of sight and show his silhouette below the buck in
19