Take the Shot?

While pushing Southwestern boulder-and-cactus badlands on horseback a 14-year-old girl jumps a big buck. An hour later she finally gets a last-minute cross-canyon shot.

We’d been hunting for many days in backcountry territory where we had success in years past. We saw no deer and finally decided to pull up stakes and move to a different area.

I wanted to go DIY, and after extensive research, I decided to travel to southeast Alaska early in the season and climb to the alpine country with a bivy camp on my back. It would be a lot of work, but I could do things my way and on my schedule.

What seems to be a chip shot at a Hawaiian Axis buck presents. But hidden challenges lurk behind the scene. Will you take the shot?

The author searched for hours to locate a particular big old buck, and now he has him in his sights. But so are the barns and buildings of the Winery Headquarters. Can he take the shot?

The author is presented with a shot at a giant buffalo, but the shooting light is poor and there is a screen of twigs in the way. Should he take the shot?

A young hunter stalks within easy range of a big antelope, but the buck is facing him and he’s shooting a 1700s-era patched round ball. Should he take the shot?

The author finds a good coues buck at last light. He has to sprint 1300 yards and then shoot steeply uphill through a thin screen of grass. Should he take the shot?

The author faces an edge-of-dusk opportunity at a huge buck, but he’s shooting an unproven prototype cartridge. Should he take the shot?