Practice What You Preach...Or Not

After telling my wife and in-laws all week not to shoot smaller bucks because if they could hold out there would be some big ones, I finally had a chance to employ my own advice and do some buck hunting of my own in Colorado. Just call me Mr. Hypocrite because with 5 days left to hunt I somehow got caught up in the moment and blasted a tiny 4 point. Tristie wins the big deer of the year contest at our house.

In the past I haven't had too much experience with "ground shrinkage" but this one really got me. I had passed this same buck earlier in the day twice! He was hanging out with a gnarly old 3 point with some character and I snapped photos of both bucks.

After passing him for the second time he went over a hill and another hunter shot at him. The other hunter missed and the buck came back towards me for the 3rd time.

He looked bigger as he came back over the hill and when I saw the other hunter coming after him it must have triggered some competitive instinct honed all those years on the general season hunts in Utah and something snapped and I shot him. I still feel a little sick about it. I can't complain about shooting a 4 point, but at the same time I know there were some big bucks out and about this year. I stuck around a couple more days to try to find an elk for Shane and saw some really nice ones that really twisted the knife. It was great to get out and hunt, but I was disappointed in myself for not holding out.

All I know is that I can't wait for a chance to redeem myself.