My 2010 rifle season mule deer with story & pics

[Shedrock]

I never had much time to hunt mule deer during the September archery season because of a bison and sheep tag in my pocket. I had to devote all my free time to those very important tags. With work being really busy, I only had two days during the rifle season in October to find a buck to stalk. I chose this area because there are no roads going in here, and that keeps the gun hunters out.

[Shedrock]

A couple photos of the area I hunted.

 

[Shedrock]

The first morning I spotted a buck working his way up between these two ridges. He was a nice 4 point on one side, and the other side was a giant fork is all. Not alot of deer in this country, so beggars cannot be choosers. I went for him.

I ran clean around about 3/4 mile total, to get the wind right and set-up on him. My plan worked. I just got to the spot when I seen him coming. I was stuck skylined on the little ridge to the right. He didn't see me until I drew back on him. He looked right up at me, and I let the arrow go. He spun as fast as a whitetail, and my Woodsman Elite tipped Douglas Fir smashed into the rocks. I couldn't believe it! I have had every other mulie that caught me, stand there and take the arrow. On one good note, I didn't wound him, and my arrow and broadhead came out fine. Just my pride was hurt.

[Shedrock]

I spent the rest of the day hiking and glassing a bunch of country without seeing another deer.

[Over&Under]

Great so far and I am hoping there is more!!!

Some fine country there and great pics showing how vast it is.  

No on with the rest of the story!!

[Shedrock]

I did find this nice bull hiding back in these badlands.

[Shedrock]

...and this nice pronghorn.

[Shedrock]

There is some really neet stuff back in here.

[Shedrock]

The next day I started hunting farther to the north of this area. I glassed from this ridge and found a decent buck with several does and fawns. I watched them for about an hour waiting to see where the buck would bed. In the pic, the deer were about 3/4 mile away from me. They were in the sage below the tree filled ridge.

The buck ended up going down in a wash, and never came out. I figured he bedded in there somewhere, but where?

I headed clean around the backside of the tree filled ridge, got on top, and glassed down in the wash. I found the does bedded up in the sagebrush, but no buck yet.

[Shedrock]

Here is a view of the wash from above. This pic was taken with my 12X camera. I could not see the buck with my 8x30 swaros, so I got my Nikon 13-30x50 spotting scope out.

There he was, I spotted just a fork of his antlers in the shaded area. Time to make my move!

I had two problems though. The buck was bedded with the wind at his back, and those does were spread out everywhere around him.

The only way I could possibly make this work, was to sneak up the wash with him facing that direction.

[Tater 2]

[Shedrock]

The wash had a few bends in it which helped a bunch. I was able to get 30 yards from him, until I could not move any closer.

I waited with an arrow nocked, hoping he would get up soon to pee, or move once the sun started hitting him. After about 30 minutes he got up and started feeding my way. My heart was pounding, and I thought he would hear it! At 25 yards, he turned broadside and I got the shot.

He was bedded about center of pic in the shade under the sage.

[wapiti792]

Great pics and story! Can't wait for the rest...hey is that a shed laying there in your 4th post?  

[steadman]

I bet that bull doesn't get much pressure out there  

[RM81]

 

and then....

[Shedrock]

Here is a closer look at his bed.

At the shot, I heard a loud crack, and the buck ran up out of the wash out of my sight. I got up out of there and saw him about 50 yards away about to fall over. I let him be, and hiked back to the top of the ridge to get my pack. I glassed for him from up there, but could not see him.

I waited about 30 minutes and headed back to the spot where I shot him. I found the last 1/3rd of my arrow. I thought I had a passthrough, but I guess not. I then followed the blood trail, and spotted the buck not 20 yards from where I last saw him. I checked him through my binos, and saw he was still alive, as his belly was moving. His eyes were closed, and I nocked an arrow and tried to get another shot in him. Because of the brush he was in, I had to get close, like about 7-8 yards. Then he seen me, got up running, I shot, hit him high through the backstraps, cussed myself, then watched him fall after around 75 yards.

[Shedrock]

I found on the first shot, the arrow hit his leg bone, glanced back through one lung and liver. That is what the loud crack was I heard.

[redant 60/65]

Very cool pic's and great story.  

[Gen273]

[Hermon]

Nice deer and story.  Congratulations.