Jamen
Well-known member
2025 had its ups and downs for me this year. I had a mule deer tag and cow elk tag in my pocket for Idaho. Having hunted there 2 years prior and having success with elk and seeing many deer hopes were high! We had left ND pulling my new work trailer and headed west. We were greeted with 20-30 MPH sustained winds with gusts over 40. I was getting a whopping 5.5 mpg with my pickup " might be time for a 3/4 ton". So gassing up every 100 miles or so really got old. Mistake one was not staying in west Yellowstone for the evening. We finally stopped in American falls after 17 hours of driving. I was beyond tapped out. That was not a smart move on my part and will not make that mistake again.
The next day we got to our camping spot where we met the two other guys in our group. We all had mule deer tags. This was a general unit and the two others are residents. We were there for the last 6 days of deer season then our cow elk season was starting the following day that deer closed. The first evening we hiked in and spread out to glass. We saw over 30 deer one of which was a spike. Hope was high seeing that many deer right away.
As the days pressed on we would not see another deer with antlers. Many cow moose and many does. Everyone driving the mountains in their SxS even pickups and suvs going up and down. Our one friend had to leave early so we were left with three in the group. We went back to the spot we had seen the spike 2nd to last day of the season. This area notoriously holds elk so we were deer hunting and elk scouting at the same time. At this point i am spent. My body is not doing well. I am dealing with a cracked disc in my back and nerve issues causing my feet to go numb and tingly. So, i opt to stop at the first ridge as the others go deeper in to get to other glassing knobs.
I see 4 deer come out of a draw. First one was a small fork, then a 3x3 a really tall and wide 2x2 and a very nice 4x4. I throw my pack down grab the rifle, range them at 456 then i would lose them. The sage brush and choke cherries are so thick you will see them for a second and then gone. I opted to not shoot a rushed shot it all happened in less than 30 seconds. we never did see them again that day. We moved to get to some other glassing spots, but they were gone.
The next day we go in deeper to that area. Justin wanted to stay lower to watch where they would cross into a wheat field. Trevor and i opted to go to the tallest point to glass. Just texted us and said he saw 3 doe on the bottom of the knob we were climbing. Before we crested we got ready incase there was a buck with them. We got over the top and sure enough the 3x3 from the previous day was there. Both Trevor and i get ready to shoot on 3. I let him shoot first since he has never killed a mule deer and i have twice back in ND. He shoots high the deer ducks down just as i shot and i missed as well. He disapears into the thick chokecherries. I told Trevor i will circle around and walk that draw down and he should run right by him. So i drop my pack and go down. It is thick i cant move much and then i hear a crashing. Out steps the 3x3 and i shoot and he tips over.
The other two meet me with gear and i start quarerting him out. We got him packed out with 30 minutes left of light left. We did not see another buck until the deer season closed. I will spare the pain of the elk hunt. 11 days total of hunting and not 1 elk was seen. Locals said they have not seen them in weeks which was very rare. It was a fun but very humbling trip. The lack of game and the amount of pressure and people not following the on trail laws of side by sides and four wheelers were disheartening.
Fast forward to bow hunting back home in ND. We had some decent deer on camera, but none came out during the light very often. My first sit of the season i had a 5x4 come to 9 yards behind me but was in the thick trees. I had thought he was going to walk right in front of me. But there was a small 4x4 in the corn stubble he decided to chase off rather than take an arrow. I sat probably 30 or so days this season. My one spot once we get any snow it blows in and the drifts you cant get through. That happened sooner than i had hoped. Fortunately i have good friend who let me go to his stand. The first night there a 4x4 as wide as his ears but i decided to pass on him. Then a really big 4x4 came in with about 5 minutes left of light. He got in my blind spot and my buddy told me to draw. I drew back and he stopped. Mistake 1 i should not have shot. I could not get the peep in the right spot and i shot right under him. He trotted off to about 80 yards and walked away.
I was pretty bummed and couldnt figure out what happened until i got home. I had too many clothes on. I got in my back yard and sat down on a stool and pulled back. Sure, enough i could not get the string where i needed it. Took off my big jacket and neck gaiter and the peep lined right up and hit my target in the bullseye at 20 yards.
Fast foward to a few more weeks to this last week. The day after christmas i go out and sit. The landowner prefers to keep the does around and wants me to shoot a buck which is fine with me. I had does infront of me every sit and it is fun watching them. In walks a small 4x3 at 24 yards. I pull back and he is slightly quartering away to go meet up with the other deer at 90 yards out in the corn field. I let the arrow fly and hit right behind his left elbow. He scampers out to the other deer and just stands with the other deer. I look and see some blood on the entrance. The arrow did not go through all the way. Looked to hit the shoulder blade of the opposite side. Thinking he would lay down out there, but a truck came down the road and spooked the other 8 deer. They ran to the trees, and my deer tries to keep up to them and follows.
We find the blood trail and about 50 yards into the trees where they went, we saw some good blood with bubbles in it. Thinking we would find him in the next few steps i was wrong. 3.5 hours later 6 total miles of back and forth tracking i had to call it for the evening. The fog was so thick i could only see 60 yards. The next morning i start at last blood and where we couldnt find any more and started the search again. 3 more hours and almost 5 more miles i was at a loss to where he went. I called the search off. Feeling really shitty i decided my season was over. My friend encouraged me to go back out to fill my tag. But i do not like wounding animals. Later that evening the landowner had called and encouraged me to go back out. I decided i would just go and sit. Saturday night my buddy sends me trail camera pictures. i am 80% sure the deer i hit was back in. Sunday the weather was bad so i did not go. I told them i would sit monday. With no intentions of shooting a deer but to just sit and reflect on the year and to make the landowner feel better so i sat. at 4:08 out comes the 4x3 walking down the trail. He stopped at 18 yards and i let an arrow fly. Perfect hit he ran about 60 yards. After cleaning him i had nicked the back of his elbow and just barley hit a lung on my first shot. I did not take pictures of him sadly it was too cold and my hands were frozen. Was a perfect way to end the season.
2025 was a challenge but it was fun! we will see what 2026 brings i should have a fall MN bear hunt and a badlands archery deer hunt, fingers crossed i draw my antelope for ND too! Sorry this got long!
The next day we got to our camping spot where we met the two other guys in our group. We all had mule deer tags. This was a general unit and the two others are residents. We were there for the last 6 days of deer season then our cow elk season was starting the following day that deer closed. The first evening we hiked in and spread out to glass. We saw over 30 deer one of which was a spike. Hope was high seeing that many deer right away.
As the days pressed on we would not see another deer with antlers. Many cow moose and many does. Everyone driving the mountains in their SxS even pickups and suvs going up and down. Our one friend had to leave early so we were left with three in the group. We went back to the spot we had seen the spike 2nd to last day of the season. This area notoriously holds elk so we were deer hunting and elk scouting at the same time. At this point i am spent. My body is not doing well. I am dealing with a cracked disc in my back and nerve issues causing my feet to go numb and tingly. So, i opt to stop at the first ridge as the others go deeper in to get to other glassing knobs.
I see 4 deer come out of a draw. First one was a small fork, then a 3x3 a really tall and wide 2x2 and a very nice 4x4. I throw my pack down grab the rifle, range them at 456 then i would lose them. The sage brush and choke cherries are so thick you will see them for a second and then gone. I opted to not shoot a rushed shot it all happened in less than 30 seconds. we never did see them again that day. We moved to get to some other glassing spots, but they were gone.
The next day we go in deeper to that area. Justin wanted to stay lower to watch where they would cross into a wheat field. Trevor and i opted to go to the tallest point to glass. Just texted us and said he saw 3 doe on the bottom of the knob we were climbing. Before we crested we got ready incase there was a buck with them. We got over the top and sure enough the 3x3 from the previous day was there. Both Trevor and i get ready to shoot on 3. I let him shoot first since he has never killed a mule deer and i have twice back in ND. He shoots high the deer ducks down just as i shot and i missed as well. He disapears into the thick chokecherries. I told Trevor i will circle around and walk that draw down and he should run right by him. So i drop my pack and go down. It is thick i cant move much and then i hear a crashing. Out steps the 3x3 and i shoot and he tips over.
The other two meet me with gear and i start quarerting him out. We got him packed out with 30 minutes left of light left. We did not see another buck until the deer season closed. I will spare the pain of the elk hunt. 11 days total of hunting and not 1 elk was seen. Locals said they have not seen them in weeks which was very rare. It was a fun but very humbling trip. The lack of game and the amount of pressure and people not following the on trail laws of side by sides and four wheelers were disheartening.
Fast forward to bow hunting back home in ND. We had some decent deer on camera, but none came out during the light very often. My first sit of the season i had a 5x4 come to 9 yards behind me but was in the thick trees. I had thought he was going to walk right in front of me. But there was a small 4x4 in the corn stubble he decided to chase off rather than take an arrow. I sat probably 30 or so days this season. My one spot once we get any snow it blows in and the drifts you cant get through. That happened sooner than i had hoped. Fortunately i have good friend who let me go to his stand. The first night there a 4x4 as wide as his ears but i decided to pass on him. Then a really big 4x4 came in with about 5 minutes left of light. He got in my blind spot and my buddy told me to draw. I drew back and he stopped. Mistake 1 i should not have shot. I could not get the peep in the right spot and i shot right under him. He trotted off to about 80 yards and walked away.
I was pretty bummed and couldnt figure out what happened until i got home. I had too many clothes on. I got in my back yard and sat down on a stool and pulled back. Sure, enough i could not get the string where i needed it. Took off my big jacket and neck gaiter and the peep lined right up and hit my target in the bullseye at 20 yards.
Fast foward to a few more weeks to this last week. The day after christmas i go out and sit. The landowner prefers to keep the does around and wants me to shoot a buck which is fine with me. I had does infront of me every sit and it is fun watching them. In walks a small 4x3 at 24 yards. I pull back and he is slightly quartering away to go meet up with the other deer at 90 yards out in the corn field. I let the arrow fly and hit right behind his left elbow. He scampers out to the other deer and just stands with the other deer. I look and see some blood on the entrance. The arrow did not go through all the way. Looked to hit the shoulder blade of the opposite side. Thinking he would lay down out there, but a truck came down the road and spooked the other 8 deer. They ran to the trees, and my deer tries to keep up to them and follows.
We find the blood trail and about 50 yards into the trees where they went, we saw some good blood with bubbles in it. Thinking we would find him in the next few steps i was wrong. 3.5 hours later 6 total miles of back and forth tracking i had to call it for the evening. The fog was so thick i could only see 60 yards. The next morning i start at last blood and where we couldnt find any more and started the search again. 3 more hours and almost 5 more miles i was at a loss to where he went. I called the search off. Feeling really shitty i decided my season was over. My friend encouraged me to go back out to fill my tag. But i do not like wounding animals. Later that evening the landowner had called and encouraged me to go back out. I decided i would just go and sit. Saturday night my buddy sends me trail camera pictures. i am 80% sure the deer i hit was back in. Sunday the weather was bad so i did not go. I told them i would sit monday. With no intentions of shooting a deer but to just sit and reflect on the year and to make the landowner feel better so i sat. at 4:08 out comes the 4x3 walking down the trail. He stopped at 18 yards and i let an arrow fly. Perfect hit he ran about 60 yards. After cleaning him i had nicked the back of his elbow and just barley hit a lung on my first shot. I did not take pictures of him sadly it was too cold and my hands were frozen. Was a perfect way to end the season.
2025 was a challenge but it was fun! we will see what 2026 brings i should have a fall MN bear hunt and a badlands archery deer hunt, fingers crossed i draw my antelope for ND too! Sorry this got long!
