Forget the Score! by Travis Roundy, Oct 2013 Huntin' Fool

trying to take the family on the hunt while they
were all sick and miserable. We had hopes of
finding a big mature buck, but the reality of it
was that time was running out and we didn’t
have the health or the energy to really get
serious about it.
One evening after work at the taxidermy
shop I loaded the family up in the Suburban,
or the “burb” as the kids called it. We
headed out for an area that holds plenty of
deer but is very popular with other hunters.
After driving some of the roads and glassing
a few likely areas we decided to call it a day
and head home. Just as we pulled onto the
main road someone spotted a lone buck about
400 yards up the hill. I quickly showed him to
the girls, and the two teenagers decided that
it just wasn’t big enough for them. Colette
looked at it and announced that if it wasn’t big
enough for them, then it wasn’t big enough for
her either! I became a little anxious because
it looked like a good buck for the area and
especially for the circumstances. I told them
that someone needed to get serious here and
go after this buck!
Afton with the Swine Flu Buck
Colette took the hint, and she and I quickly
closed the distance to 180 yards where she
took careful aim with her 25-06 and squeezed
off a perfect shot. The kids were all watching
from the “burb,” and they were all excited
to start tracking the “monster” buck! We got
our backpacks and gear and headed up the hill
to find the tracks. The kids were first to find
the tracks and quickly headed after the buck,
following an ample blood trail in the sand.
Dark was approaching, and by the time the kids
shouted that they had found it we could barely
see the grey outline of the buck under the
trees. This meant high fives and happy times
for the Roundy family! Mom had made a great
shot, and the kids had done a good tracking job.
Now it was time for photos. We took a lot of
photos, and during the session Colette decided
we should call this buck “The Swine Flu Buck.”
The kids took care of the cleaning job on the
deer with a little coaching from me, and we
took turns dragging the buck through the soft
sand back to the “burb.” At the “burb” we
decided that instead of getting Mom’s suburban
all dirty and bloody we would hoist the buck up
on top of the cargo rack and tie it down. The
Travis, Ethan, and Afton
435-865-1020
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