So me and the crew had buck tags 3rd rifle season, headed up in the mountains beginning on November.  

The state wildlife area was real open, and from glassing down in the ravines so nothing moving other than other hunters.  

So decided to hit the dark timber on the north side of the hills and still hunt through it.  Luckily there was fresh snow so there were no twigs snapping, and no crunching from old snow. Gotta love it!

Depsite that, 85 yards down the hill (steep ass hill!) we saw movement and saw deer pop up from their bed and start walking.....glassing through the branches was tough but this little guy stuck his head and neck out enough so I could take a shot.  

1 round, downhill thick timber, right through his neck - DRT, blew out his carotid arteries, he slid about 20 yards down the hill like a sled.  

Hauling him out was ridiculous, had to chop him in 1/2, we were at about 9000 feet elevation had to go down two steep gullies and up a steep mountain side.

Rifle: Ruger gunsite .308, XS rail, Leupold VX1 illuminated reticle. Barnes TSX 168gr over a hot charge of varget.

lessons learned: using crampons if I go 3rd season again, I slid ass over tea kettle down the hill more times than I can count.  

The hunting pressure was intense, couldn't believe the amount of hunters so when I saw a legal buck he went down.

State wildlife area:
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another area we hunted, nice pic:
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Nice little buck

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Nice!

congrats, I missed 1st rifle elk this year near glenwood this year.

Nice! I hunt in gmu 28 and got tag soup for CO. I would be very happy with that buck!

We were in 18 and 28

Congrats!  The pine Beatles have really screwed up the forest thanks to government wisdom.

Nice.
CO has some damn nice vistas.

I think I know where that first pic was taken

Yeah the pic gives it away...... it's not like it's TS SCI info lol

Nice hunt!