Youth Buck Hunts in NM and AZ, 2022

In 2022 my son drew youth mule deer hunts in both New Mexico and Arizona for similar dates. The long trip to NM was fraught with challenges and scary situations. Though we made it a little late, he was able to quickly get a buck down, allowing us to go early to AZ and scout for a couple days before that hunt began. However, we had a much harder time finding bucks than we expected. With help of a kind bear hunter, we were able to locate a buck Jarom was happy with. However, the buck moved at the very moment he pulled the trigger and though the bullet went exactly where he was aiming, the buck moved a little over 1 foot during bullet flight resulting in a hit near the rear. A perfectly placed follow up shot a little later with the 7mm RM gave Jarom his best buck to date.