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

[huntnmuleys]

it was. I think I left the house at 15 degrees.  gonna push 40 today though, actually its pretty nice already.  should be a great afternoon for it.  I start "hell week" after today, so after tonight, other than Monday, it will be after thanksgiving before I go again.

[huntnmuleys]

ok, tonight was frustrating...

went where I was planning, getting into the bottom of the big canyon where I left the big guy this morning.  its a hell of an area, there is this old "road" going in, although there aren't any roads around here.  neat trail.
 
just before this pic, I bumped a very small 3x3.  ive seen him a few times, hes nowhere near a shooter.  that was to be about all I saw except sign.  I got into the bottom of the canyon, and down to where I wanted to be. glassing in all directions, there were no deer to be seen, which I felt was a good thing.  if I didn't spook em, surely they would be coming in.  tracks like this are everywhere here, lots of deer around somewhere.
 
the problem is, there were no deer in these tracks.  no deer entered the canyon all night.  usually, this baby is loaded with em. I had a good wind, and don't think I was busted coming in.  maybe they weren't moving all that well tonight?  

I did find something interesting.  I think two bucks fought here.  this one place was just tore up.
 

never found anything like that.  
anyway, right at dark I started the long hike out.  this is a pretty good jaunt from where I park. anyway, crossing the top even though it was dark I spotted movement in the snow ahead of me and glassed three does moving slowly, feeding as they went.  always fun to mess with em, id walk a bit then theyd look and Id stop.  im in buckbrush territory and wearing snow camo.  they just couldn't pick me out.  I played with em for a bit then decided I better just get out of dodge so started moving a bit, and that's when the buck joined em. I was 100 yards away at least and it was well past shooting light, but I still had to take a look. now, I cant be sure, but he had a huge dark body and rack, and im almost certain this was the buck I was after to begin with tonight.  too dark to see his rack clear enough to verify it, but ive been around this deer plenty, and I really think it was him. and if it was, sometime during the day they had to have crossed the biggest, gnarliest canyon in the area, and their look to get to here would have been well over a mile.  possibly closer to two.  I guess in the rut anything is possible, but while I don't know for sure, I might have been hunting a mile from the buck I thought I had bedded.

lol, im not very good at this....

on a sad note, I start whats called "hell week" at work now, so other than maybe Monday I wont be back out until after thanksgiving. kind of sad, im enjoying this all so much..

[akdd]

Great blog. Looking forward to the rest of the story.  

[Richie]

   

[huntnmuleys]

I hate working hell week. you just know the bucks are running amok and youre slaving away.  what do ya do...

off today though, so gave it another whirl.
dawn broke a wintry, blustery morning.
 
 

figured id hunt the one peninsula with the rimrock that  I like to frequent.  last week that's where my big guy was and he likes that spot so I made the long, cold trek in.

[huntnmuleys]

pretty interesting in there as well. the snow melted quite a bit over the weekend, so it was very spotty.  and very loud.  the game was to try to step on dry spots but of course that wasn't always possible. I did make good progress, though, and got to about where I wanted to be.  some does crested the ridge in front of me, kind of working my way.  a couple yearling bucks were in the mix as well when I spotted a slightly larger body coming up behind em.  this is what he looked like.
 

not a shooter.

but there were so many does around.  this guy was minding one of them pretty close, and a yearling fork horn was on another.  finally though the trees, I saw a MUCH bigger deer hounding a doe.  however, I was pinned down as any movement the close forky and doe would spot me. so I waited.

over a half hour later, I was standing in the same place.  so were all of the other deer, minus the big buck and his doe. they had drifted into a little stand of timber.  I never got a good luck at him in all that time.  being approximately the same distance from them as i was the little buck i showed ya a second ago, i can tell you the big guy had an old roman nose, and his body looked years bigger than this guy.  that is all i can tell you.  i got glimpses of a large rack over his head in the trees but that was it.  considering where i was, and whats been running in there lately, my best guess is that buck i call hightower or that big heavy 4x3.  but, i cannot verify that.  anyway, i tried to make a long move around the end to get in front of and closer to the big guy but walked right into a lone doe that was bedded a couple hundred yards from all these deer. ill give ya one guess as to which way she ran.  the domino effect took place and i was busted.
 

these deer all worked into the bottom and up the big canyon below me.  the young bucks as well.  however, i never saw the big guy and his doe again. i believe they were held up in a small nook with some thick timber, but i had a bad wind for it so couldn't approach. after all of this i saw a couple more distant herds of does but nothing mature for bucks.

i believe were in what you eastern fellas commonly refer to as "lockdown" where the mature bucks are sticking close to their one hot doe.  tough time to hunt.  i don't know if ill hunt deer tonight, have a couple things to do and might go try for some ducks. tomorrow morning though, im going into that one saddle by the rut zone. i bet a buck is held up in there.

[Hopewell Tom]

Way to stay with it!
Good luck on that saddle. Thanks for the pics, great looking country.

[Tim]

Love the pic with all the does!  Stay at it brother....great read along!    

[stykbow67]

Man this has been a great read!! Thanks for taking us along! So do you think the Muley rut is generally a little later than the whitetail rut? I hunt Mulies in the Sandhills of Nebraska and generally they seem to get a little more fired up around Thanksgiving. The Whitetails in the area I live are usually on the tail end of breeding by then.

Steve

[huntnmuleys]

I agree, I think we should still have a good week or two of all the fun on the muleys.  the whitetails should be winding down by then.  I cant wait for Friday now.  get this "hell week" over so I can hunt for a couple.  guess were gonna be back over 50 degrees too.

[huntnmuleys]

hope everyone had a happy thanksgiving.  were going to celebrate sunday as everyone can be here.  I worked nights all week.

speaking of nights, let me tell you about tonights hunt. wow!!!

hiked into my favorite spot, but didn't make it in very far.  deer everywhere!  I almost walked in to three feeding does at about 100 yards. just beyond them was this guy.

 

I could actually see herds of deer scattered everywhere at this point, but this guy was close hounding a doe, and I had a plan. I ducked into a small ravine and half circled him while getting some concealment.  figured id rattle him in. long story short, he didnt appear.  tracks would show they went the other direction.  don't know why it scared him? anyway, I noticed another herd of deer moving through, with this guy and about 8 or 9 does.  they weren't close enough for a shot but got a pic or two.
 

they ended up busting me and leaving, however. I made a move toward my favorite rim rock. it seemed there were does everywhere tonight!  I just kept wandering into feeding deer but no mature bucks around.

 

[huntnmuleys]

the rimrock tactic worked.  completely.  almost...

I could have shot deer easily, but not an antler to be seen. where had the big guys gone? still locked down maybe?  either way, I want to be done this weekend if possible but packing a deer from that canyon is quite an undertaking.  so, I passed all the does and kept hunting.  I made a long circle and was within about 500 yards of where I took the first buck pics.  it was getting dark, and there were deer everywhere up there.  I could see one buck hounding does, but body wise he looked small, and I was too far to see his antlers. it didnt help they were in and out of that buck brush. suddenly, a BIG buck appeared about halfway between me and these deer, and he was marching their way. not much I could do, I was quite a ways out.  I eased along as fast as possible, but wasn't gaining much ground.  finally he really postured up and pranced in at something behind a small hill. I knew some distant does would see me, but it was getting dark and this was my chance to make some ground.

then I heard something really crazy.

this buck was within about 100 yards of where id set up and rattled earlier, and I could hear a full fledge buck fight start up!  hot damn!  I covered country as fast as possible to see the action, but missed the fight.  I had one mound to get over and im guessing I was still 150 yards out when I quit hearing the commotion.  getting to the small crest, I could see the big 4 point I was following.  he had three does right there, and one of em must have been hot.  I take it he was the fight winner, though there was blood around his nose area.  he looked pretty tattered but he did have the does and I never saw what he was fighting.  was within 55 yards or so at this point. thought maybe hed drift my way a bit if I called, so I whipped out the can call but none of the deer even acknowledged it. so, I ducked down real low, and got the rattling antlers...

[huntnmuleys]

and I went to work!  I was punching the ground and slammin' the antlers and I looked up through the brush and saw a deer bearing down on me at a full charge at about 30 yards. HOLY CRAP!!!!!!!!!!! throwing down the antlers I grabbed my bow and got ready, and...

IT WAS A LITTLE FORKHORN!  

the big guy was still in the same place. he was intently looking but hadn't come in.  the little forkhron ran right up to spitting distance but no was was he a shooter.  dammit!  

the hot doe finally was moving off and the big guy followed her, so little forky be damned, I got up and pursued when they got behind the next little hill, but it was nearly completely dark and while I saw em again in the distance, I had no chance on catching em. a frustrating end to the greatest night of deer hunting of my life. I realize this is the condensed version but it was just incredible  there were SOO many deer.  I don't think I saw 100 different deer, but I cant guarantee it.  3 shooters.  deer everywhere. first buck ive ever rattled in.  heart doing the bugaloo..  that's why im out there.

here is the little forky at about 40 yards.  this was after he had been close for a while, but I was too busy studying the situation on the big guy.  and sadly, I don't have a pic of him at all  but what a night.  might be a great weekend...
 

[mangonboat]

Great report, as usual. Sounds like it was a lot of fun, although I'm sure it was frustrating to have TOO MANY deer around you, making it impossible to get close to the deer you wanted.

[Hud]

Do you think the big bucks are laying low, or what?  In areas I have hunted, the migration from summer to winter can vary a few weeks. Do you have any dark timber close, to see if the big ones are hiding out?

[huntnmuleys]

Hud, I think a lot of the big guys are in that lockdown mode, hang with a hot doe.  just my guess.

wow, just when I thought last night was the greatest deer hunt ever, this morning had to happen.

this is why im a terrible bowhunter, and this is why i love bowhunting.

im still wound up.

I started this morning hunting one particular saddle near my "rut zone".  the cows seem to all be gone, and I know there are still some big guys around.  was a pretty sunrise for sure, 30 degrees and not cold...

 

however, the snow was VERY crunchy.  this particular saddle is right on a bedding area I see a lot of does use, figured maybe a buck would come by.  however, after a couple hours, id only seen 2 deer off in another part of the world, not even close to where I was hunting.  was getting pretty frustrated, just nothing moving.  finally, glassing across the big canyon in the brush country on the other side, I saw some deer. looked like 8 or 9 deer, and I saw briefly the sun hit antler on top of one of em.  these deer were between 1/2 and 3/4 of a mile away, but hey, I knew there was a buck there and there was nothing where I was. what did I have to lose?

it took me a while to get across the big canyon and over to where id seen these deer.  now I knew this one might be hard.  the snow was really crunchy, so there was no way to sneak up close enough for a shot.  plus, there was a big, open field between us, them going just over a brushy ridge beyond the field.  also between us was a fence, and they were on private property.  so, I got near the edge of the field, glassed everything, and seeing nothing decided id try a little rattling.

this is where **** got real!

I hadn't been beating the rattle bag for long when I saw "him" coming. actually all I could see was he was a couple hundred yards away right where the deer had been, and he was coming on a full run. I used one hand to grind on the rattle bag, the other to raise my binos.  OMG!!!!!  this guy was between 27 and 30 inches wide, decent forks, and did I mention RUNNING at me!  at 50ish, I put down the rattle bag and got the ol bow ready.  I was on my knees tucked in beside a buckbrush, and the buck was going to walk right past me.  in fact, he got to about 21 yards or so, and was literally just a couple steps from being broadside at under 20, in the open, and without a clue I was there.  I just needed a couple more steps to clear the brush I was knelt by.

then he did the worst thing he could have done.  

he turned and came right at me.  

and I do mean RIGHT at me.

all the way up to just a few feet.  and of course, that damn bush was between us.  I was snow camo'd up pretty well so I blended in but he did finally notice something there. personally, I think he heard my heart beating.  we had the ol staredown for a little bit and he turned to go.  I stood up, made a couple loud noises to stop him, and gripped the string.
and he did stop....  
and he did turn broadside....
and even though he was a little further than id like, I tried my shot.  what can I say, I was wound up to beat hell.  I remember picking a spot, and I remember tearing my string back until my middle finger was trying to rip my mouth open through my right cheek (not sure if I still was looking at a spot), and I turned it loose.  not even remotely a controlled shot, but it didn't matter, just as I shot the buck took off.  my arrow was a complete airball. now, I have to tell ya.  im an elk hunter.  they are my passion.  yet, I have NEVER been that excited on an elk, or at anything else in my life. a half hour later I was still shaking, hard.

 I got a couple pics of him going away after that.  he only looks so/so in the pic, but that is because you cant see how wide he is.  he was one of those that really layed out before hooking up.  my best deer ever had an outside spread of 26 inches, and this one was visably wider.  somewhere in that 27-30 range anyway.  
 
 


man I am having one hell of a great season. if I don't get one, it wont be for lack of trying or lack of big bucks.  this has been just epic!  last night and this morning, the two greatest deer hunts of my life.  can we just not let this season end??

[habujohn]

Brad that is why we all hunt.  Too me you have had a great season so far.  Best of luck if you get another chance to get out there.

[Hud]

Brad, you will find another tomorrow, try a different location with better cover and try again. Maybe give the old boy a rest before going back. Good luck.

[huntnmuleys]

Hud, I have eyes on quite a few big ones actually, this one only has so/so forks, so even with the beam length and width he wouldn't be the highest scoring.  now to me that doesn't matter, but to some..


no hunting for me tonight.  went and gave the ducks some hell.  going to be wayyy cold tomorrow (was 57 here today, high of 8 tomorrow), then back to warm for next week.  I work mon-thur so no hunting then, but then I have a week off, and ill be giving em hell.  celebrating thanksgiving tomorrow so maybe an evening hunt but its unlikely.

[Whip]

I'm just catching up on this one again and loving the play by play! Those rid up muleys look like a blast to hunt!
I'm still pulling for a grip and grin pic at the end of this thread!