220yotekiller
Well-known member
- Joined
- Oct 15, 2017
- Messages
- 865
I just got back from a central WY mule deer hunt yesterday. I have been trying to draw this tag for five years so when I finally drew it I was absolutely thrilled.
I got over there early Wednesday afternoon and got my camp set up, in preparation for this hunt I had bought a canvas bell tent and wood stove since I knew that I was going to be camping in November and assumed that I would be snow camping.
I was shocked at how dry it was, it’s no secret that the west has been dry this year but this country was burned up dry, there was literally no feed but sage brush. There stock tanks thought so I did what any good hunt talker does and got to high ground and let my glass do the walking for me. There were tons of antelope so that was nice to see, the first evening I saw probably 80 or so scattered over the badlands. The only deer I saw were a doe and fawn pair without a buck and a group of about 6 does with a big fork horn rutting them, not promising.
The next morning I was hiked in in the dark and glassing, even more antelope, I would guess between 100 and 150 conservatively. Then way out, I’m guessing about 6 miles I saw a big group of mule deer moving into som rough country.
It took me abou twenty minutes to get over to the general area and I started sneaking and peaking finally I spotted a couple of small fork horns sleeping on a bench about 175 yards below me. I was glassing them when my phone buzzed, I looked at the caller ID and it was my mom, not good.
I pulled back a couple of hundred yards and hit re dial. My dad has been fighting cancer for the past year and is going through radiation, he has to drive four hours one way ever day to get his treatment so he is exhausted. She asked me to come over not their place to help pour concrete so that is can start setting before the cold snap that is coming later this week, “bugger” I thought. In an instant my five day hunt has been cut to a generous two and a half on the top end, any illusions that I had about finding a giant had just been changed.
I sat back and strategized thee had been a bunch of deer in sight when I saw them earlier and I could only see three now maybe I could sneak around them and get another angle on them there was no way that those two dinks we’re running that bunch of does.
As I flanked them I was doing good until I saw a hidden doe’s head pop out of the brush suddenly there was an explosion of mule deer, and right below me a tall, heavy framed buck jetted away. They had to cross the open right below me, had seconds to get set up. You know the drill, I popped my pack waist belt, dropped it rifle went on top and safely came off, I always carry my scope set on 4 power so that was set up but there was no time to range so I went old school and dialed the scope to 300 yards for a point of impact shot.
The deer meanwhile did what all mule deer do, they ran about 75 yards and stopped to look around and see what had scared them, my cross hair locked on the buck, I rushed the shot and squarely hit the dirt just over his back, he jumped so l thought it was a pass through ran the bolt and fired twice more, my rifle now empty I way glad to see him kicking though I was concerned that he would end up in the bottom of a wash, as I dug for my extra ammunition pouch in a side pocket of my pack I saw his head flop over as he expired, not to be fooled I jerked one round out of the pouch and slammed the bolt shut and got behind the rifle again, no need, he was dead.
I sat up and looked around the road passed only about 250 yards away but over a small but steep hill, I was essentially cliffed out as I would have to hike to the road to get to him anyway so I sat there for a few minutes to make certain that he really was dead, when I was satisfied I shouldered my pack and hiked the half mile back to the truck and pulled it around.
It took a few minutes to find him but I did, he was a tall, heavy 2X3 there are bumps on his horns where he tried to grow a 3 rd on one horn and where his eye guards should have been.
I broke him down and got the quarters skinned off on a small tarp that had packed for the purpose. Satisfied that I had gotten all of the meat off of him I packed him back to the truck.
It didn’t take me long to get back to my camp and get it taken down and packed up. It took me three hours to get back over the mountains and back home, it was just getting dark as I was hanging the game bags in the shed to cool. The buck is bigger than I thought he was, especially compared to the giant that 270.Rose shot this year so I am satisfied with that, I am a bit disappointed that my hunt was cut short but when a ball comes out of left field you have to deal with it the best that you can.
In retrospect
I got over there early Wednesday afternoon and got my camp set up, in preparation for this hunt I had bought a canvas bell tent and wood stove since I knew that I was going to be camping in November and assumed that I would be snow camping.
I was shocked at how dry it was, it’s no secret that the west has been dry this year but this country was burned up dry, there was literally no feed but sage brush. There stock tanks thought so I did what any good hunt talker does and got to high ground and let my glass do the walking for me. There were tons of antelope so that was nice to see, the first evening I saw probably 80 or so scattered over the badlands. The only deer I saw were a doe and fawn pair without a buck and a group of about 6 does with a big fork horn rutting them, not promising.
The next morning I was hiked in in the dark and glassing, even more antelope, I would guess between 100 and 150 conservatively. Then way out, I’m guessing about 6 miles I saw a big group of mule deer moving into som rough country.
It took me abou twenty minutes to get over to the general area and I started sneaking and peaking finally I spotted a couple of small fork horns sleeping on a bench about 175 yards below me. I was glassing them when my phone buzzed, I looked at the caller ID and it was my mom, not good.
I pulled back a couple of hundred yards and hit re dial. My dad has been fighting cancer for the past year and is going through radiation, he has to drive four hours one way ever day to get his treatment so he is exhausted. She asked me to come over not their place to help pour concrete so that is can start setting before the cold snap that is coming later this week, “bugger” I thought. In an instant my five day hunt has been cut to a generous two and a half on the top end, any illusions that I had about finding a giant had just been changed.
I sat back and strategized thee had been a bunch of deer in sight when I saw them earlier and I could only see three now maybe I could sneak around them and get another angle on them there was no way that those two dinks we’re running that bunch of does.
As I flanked them I was doing good until I saw a hidden doe’s head pop out of the brush suddenly there was an explosion of mule deer, and right below me a tall, heavy framed buck jetted away. They had to cross the open right below me, had seconds to get set up. You know the drill, I popped my pack waist belt, dropped it rifle went on top and safely came off, I always carry my scope set on 4 power so that was set up but there was no time to range so I went old school and dialed the scope to 300 yards for a point of impact shot.
The deer meanwhile did what all mule deer do, they ran about 75 yards and stopped to look around and see what had scared them, my cross hair locked on the buck, I rushed the shot and squarely hit the dirt just over his back, he jumped so l thought it was a pass through ran the bolt and fired twice more, my rifle now empty I way glad to see him kicking though I was concerned that he would end up in the bottom of a wash, as I dug for my extra ammunition pouch in a side pocket of my pack I saw his head flop over as he expired, not to be fooled I jerked one round out of the pouch and slammed the bolt shut and got behind the rifle again, no need, he was dead.
I sat up and looked around the road passed only about 250 yards away but over a small but steep hill, I was essentially cliffed out as I would have to hike to the road to get to him anyway so I sat there for a few minutes to make certain that he really was dead, when I was satisfied I shouldered my pack and hiked the half mile back to the truck and pulled it around.
It took a few minutes to find him but I did, he was a tall, heavy 2X3 there are bumps on his horns where he tried to grow a 3 rd on one horn and where his eye guards should have been.
I broke him down and got the quarters skinned off on a small tarp that had packed for the purpose. Satisfied that I had gotten all of the meat off of him I packed him back to the truck.
It didn’t take me long to get back to my camp and get it taken down and packed up. It took me three hours to get back over the mountains and back home, it was just getting dark as I was hanging the game bags in the shed to cool. The buck is bigger than I thought he was, especially compared to the giant that 270.Rose shot this year so I am satisfied with that, I am a bit disappointed that my hunt was cut short but when a ball comes out of left field you have to deal with it the best that you can.
In retrospect
