"Kolyer's First Buck"

Fourteen year old, Kolyer Andersen's first Buck. A 32-inch 5x5.

It was the fifth day of the 1999 Utah rifle season. I was hunting in Southern, Utah with my dad, Kelly Andersen, and my two brothers, Kaleb and Kolby. Overall, we hadn't seen many deer, only few does and a few smaller bucks, but nothing we were interested in harvesting.

We were getting a little frustrated, due to the hot, dry weather. It just wasn't "deer hunting weather." We decided to change hunting areas, so we packed up and headed to an area where the big bucks are supposed to be. We quickly saw several small bucks, but again, nothing I wanted to shoot. We continued the hunt, spotting each canyon very closely, hoping the big one would be standing in the shadows. Then, across a wide canyon we spotted a group of deer. As we studied them closer, we could see that one buck was exceptional, and definitely a taker.

We began the stalk, sneaking cautiously towards the feeding buck. We were within' 200 yards when the buck began walking towards a small stand of pines in the middle of the open hillside. He made it into the safety of the trees before we could take a shot. When he didn't come out of the trees, we knew he had found his afternoon bed.

We discussed what to do next, weighing our options, and hoping we could make the right choice. Finally, we decided to split up and move slowly towards the stand of pines where the big buck was bedded. We hadn't gone far when we spotted movement within' the trees. It was the big buck, but I couldn't get a clear shot.

I continued towards the buck, and at 150 yards, I had a shot. I knew I had to shoot now, or take the chance of not getting a shot at all. I took aim and squeezed one off. The buck came bursting from the tree's, he was definitely hit. It only took a couple more shots to finish him off and he was all mine.

As I walked toward the buck, I was in total awe. He was an incredible buck, five points per side with a 32-inch spread. What a great hunt!

Written by Kolyer Andersen