a huntin' story turned blog amidst the greatest muley hunt ever...

[huntnmuleys]

bear with me guys!  I should have started this one a while back, its my 2nd favorite (behind elk hunting) time of year.... the muley rut.  im halfway through a two week vacation, and its been crazy.  ill get ya up to speed and hopefully the story has a great ending.  

but first the beginning....

[ron w]

I can't wait.....     ........

[huntnmuleys]

this started last fall actually, as im hunting many of the same deer that I failed miserably to score on last year.  about a month ago now, I found a hidden water hole.  great tracks all around so I hiked a ground blind in and set up shop. set a camera up as well.  I LOVE trail cameras!  while I think they can certainly be abused, I get very amused trying to take an animal with my bow that I have on trail cam.

I haven't pulled that feat off yet.  oh yeah, last year my deer in Ohio, my buddy found out later he had a pic but im screaming that doesn't count!

anyway, here are a couple from my early pics.  looks promising....
 

 

.... sorta.  that last pic, that's black and whitish, that buck didn't make it.  my dad (who shoots wheels got him exactly one week after not having his arrow nocked properly on the same buck and the arrow falling to the ground at half draw.  amusing, and honestly, I wouldn't have shot him anyway, because...

[huntnmuleys]

... as crazy as this sounds, neither of these two bucks are near big enough.

now, im certainly no trophy hunter, but I have learned a great muley spot, and after last fall seeing what survived, I knew I was in for a good hunt.

it hasn't disappointed.

in my scouting in arguably the hottest rut zone for muleys ive ever stepped foot in, I found a hidden, spring fed pond. these babies don't grow on trees around here!  I set up a ground blind there as well, and a camera (which ive moved to different angles a few times now).  I knew none of the big guys from the area were taken last year, so I sorta knew what to expect....

last year, with all of the does and subordinate bucks, there were three kings.  and I do mean KINGS!  number 3 in line was a nice typical.  number 2 a bit bigger but with an extra point or two, and number 1 the typical of my dreams.  I KNEW these bucks were around still, in fact the kicker buck had been seen by a couple people I know.  and, I happened to get ol' number 1 on camera.

 

 


oh yeah, and look at this freak.  he is even more impressive on the hoof.  I got a couple of him too.

 


 

[Mike Vines]

Looks like a great story is about to unfold.

[huntnmuleys]

ok, all of this pretty much brings you up to the start of my vacation.  I still have one more honeyhole I hunt a lot, but I don't set cameras in there.  any pics of that will be from my regular camera.  

so my time off started a tad slow.  bucks were still switching from nocturnal to daytime mode.  in fact, my first time setting the blind in the "rut zone", were completely fruitless.  then things started to pick up.  I was/have been hunting the rut zone evenings, and my other honey hole in the mornings with a few changes along the way. my favorite spot is actually not the rut zone I keep speaking of, and a few mornings back, I hit it hard.

now, this spot is traditionally one that holds a LOT of deer.  more than anywhere Ive ever hunted.  driving into the area in the dark, I saw a couple dandies in the headlights.  nothing like being pointed in the right direction!  I went to my usual parking spot and hiked in.  its a gorgeous spot..

 

[huntnmuleys]

but that morning was not to be.  while I saw a total of 5 mature bucks, other than one I was within 50 yards of walking in in the dark, I got close to nothing.  

that night I was back in the area where dad got his, but I wasn't sitting the blind, I was exploring!  talk about a neat spot, this is some intense country. but, I wasn't seeing much besides that pretty country, and a dandy sunset..

 

 

 

[Tater]

Looks good so far....!.....  

[huntnmuleys]

the next morning (were up to about 3 days ago), I was going to hunt the blind. however, in the near full moonlight I could see a herd of elk all around the blind, and figuring id run the hell out of them and scare off everything in the process, I hurridly drove back to my other spot.  

this turned out to be a fun one.  driving in, I spotted two DANDIES!  

 
 

a little about these two studs.  they were together, and while I couldn't get em in the same pic, they were with a good group of does and one smallish forky.  these pics don't accurately tell the tale, the dark, heavy buck that's only a 3 point on one side DWARFS the big typical.  its not even close.
and, to make it better, the big heavy guy I was hunting last year!  I got close a time or two but no shot.  last year he was an even 3.  this year he grew a crab claw 4th.  would he make P&Y as a 3 point?  I don't know, but he is enormous.....

[huntnmuleys]

now, I was pretty sure I knew whereabouts these two would bed up, and a almost running mile put me right in their path.  I thought...

I couldn't tell if they were going to come over the top like usual, or skirt the rim as they had the day before when they gave me the slip. I hunted the rim around, and basically saw nothing.  and, I saw nothing on top. I knew they were moving slow, but could they not be this far yet?  didn't seem likely..

finally, I was in a spot on the rim looking below me and I heard something behind me.  a doe at 20 yards!  I knelt and nocked up, waiting for a shot.  15 minutes later, I was in the same position.  I had lost sight of the doe 14 minutes before, and heard nothing moving.  finally losing patience, I stood up to no deer anywhere.  checking over the rim, however, I noticed a couple does back closer to where I started my rim peaking, and alone about 300 yards away in the bottom this guy...

 

I really wish this guy didn't have crab claw points on the fronts, so I could say this was the biggest forkhorn id ever laid eyes on.  holy crap!  and he had a huge body!  tongue sticking out told me he had been chasing does, but he was alone taking out frustrations on various trees for now.

my two target bucks, however, were nowhere to be seen.  time for plan B.

[huntnmuleys]

behind me in the flat on top, was a lone spruce.  the buck brush the deer love was within 20 yards of it, so I moved in behind it to try calling.  the ol can call produced nothing (its a go to muley call for me), but rattling did!  4 does ran straight at me from down below.  I was ready, as I knew the bucks would follow, but still no bucks.  finally the does had enough and dropped down below the rim, and I knew they were going to make a move just below me. hoping the bucks were in tow, I eased over to the edge of the cliff, but 5 does in range were the only deer to be seen.  I wonder where they went???  back to them another time, im headed home to recharge and get ready for an evening hunt..

sat the blind that night.  it was windy.  and quiet.  until the last half hour that is.  id seen some does and glassed a small buck in the distance from the blind, when I heard something walking close. a buck. a NICE buck.  but not a BIG buck...  what to do, what to do....

 

[huntnmuleys]

and what I did was pass this guy at 21 yards....

I cant believe it myself.

but these bigger deer, the fact that I have plenty of time left, and just how much fun im having... I just couldn't do it.  

believe you me, ive thought about how this might NOT go my way lol.

the next morning (yesterday) I was back in the blind.  and I was thinking about it. and I was glassing, and noticed this one spot that ive seen deer in the distance everytime ive been in the blind, a group with a nice buck was working though.

excuse the blurry pic, its digital zoom at quite a distance..

 

there were a total of 3 bucks, with a bunch of does but this guy was clearly running the show.  looks good but not huge.
sometime during all of this I heard walking right outside the blind, and another 4 point was coming in, but this one didn't tempt me at all, even at 14 yards...

 

[huntnmuleys]

are we having fun yet?

I pondered what to do a lot, but decided to sit the blind again last night.  might as well stick with it, I want that big guy..

speaking of the big guy, my dad was out glassing for something to do the night I went on the scenic hike, and the big guy was by my blind in the daylight. damn the luck.

anyway, last night I was at it again I had a bunch of does come in, but no buck.  the does were looking intently at something up the draw a bit from me though, and I kept a watchful eye.  after they left I could see em.  three deer. the bucks that I could see in the distance this morning!  im not sure where all of their does went, but I got a good look at em.  it was the bigger buck in the blurry pic, the heavy, freak buck from the trail cam earlier, and a heavy 2 point.  the only one that came in was the two point, and it was almost dark.  the other two had drifted off the other way.

now this posed a problem. with this full moon, I know deer can see. it is fairly open across to where I park. so I waited a bit longer until the 2 point was long gone and eased out.  the moonlight was really bright, and when I got out a bit I actually could see my shadow. figured id glass to see where the two bigger bucks went but was unable to find them. in fact, I could only see one deer in the distance, and he wasn't that far away.  maybe 150 yards.

it was my big guy. the one Im looking for.

I knew he could hear and see something but figured I had nothing to lose than to get out of there.  when I got to my ride and drove off, he was still standing out there in the distance.

I knew where I had to be in the morning (today).

[RickE]

Fun, fun fun......love the pictures and story.  Thanks for sharing and I'm looking forward to reading more.

[huntnmuleys]

ok were FINALLY about caught up...

this morning was another bright one.  I got out there and started slowly going to my blind in the dark, and in the distance I could see a big deer.  is it him? he was a LONG ways out but moving toward the water/my blind.  better hurry!!!

big, big mistake!

my water hole sits in a slight depression, and in that depression was a drinking herd of elk.  my biggest passion in life did me in, as they thundered off the buck became very wary.  I was in the blind and the last few minutes before legal shooting light he stood out at 100 yards before nervously going the other way.  and yes, it was HIM.

later in the morning a smallish 4x3 and a doe came in.  he was even smaller than the last buck I showed you all so I wont bother but I did get to see "my" buck again, in the exact spot where the distant, blurry buck was. where ive seen deer every morning ive sat out here.. seeing the pattern?  im a tad slow but im figuring it out... its where I need to be in the morning.

this evening I was going to sit the blind but a BUNCH of black angus moved in.  so, I used the time to do some looking. all of the deer stayed further up the draw, so sitting would have been fruitless.  however, just up from where I intend on being in the morning I observed a buck ive only heard about. he has a couple trash points, and he bedded just across the fence. you know that fence.  the one that you can not hunt the other side of.  I was close just before dark but could do nothing with him...

 
 


aint he a beaut, clark???

so, you are all officially caught up now. ill keep the updates more live.  where that buck is, id say I have a great chance at him tomorrow morning.

[steadman]

Great hunt Brad! Good luck with those big bucks! Looks like fun!

[Hud]

Very nice, obviously a great place to be during the rut. Love hunting the muley.

[Longbowlogan]

Great thread, hope you get a chance a "your buck"! I really need to go out west to do some hunting!!!

[Homey88]

Great thread! Can't wait to hear how it turns out!

[Huntrdfk]

Great hunt, looking forward to the rest of it.


David