First Mule Deer x3!

Yooper906

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Joined
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Messages
281
I’ve always been a whitetail guy and these last five years I’ve had the elk bug. This year two good friends and i drew a Montana combo tag. These two friends are new hunters and have never killed a deer (whitetail or mule deer).

We started out our trip in the mountains searching for the elusive elk (still my kryptonite.) Arriving several days before the opener to scout, we still weren’t able to lay eyes on any elk. Opener rolls around and we were in an area with good rubs/wallows etc, but no elk. Sign seemed to be a few weeks old, hence the rubs and wallows. After moving locations and half way through the hunt, we decided to switch to deer. We moved 2 hours east and immediately connected on a deer the first night. The next day we got another deer. My two friends are now tagged out on their first deer. Two days later I laid my hands on my first mule deer.

I still am in search of my first bull, but the memories of being with my friends on their first deer kills will stick with me forever. The more hunts I go on, the more I realize killing is “the cherry on top.” The places I’ve seen in the west the last five years are incredible. Most people only see these places in movies, pictures, magazines, etc. The breaks are special in their own way, but I’d pick the Rockies still!

Also, how many Midwestern hunters can say their first deer was a mule deer and not a whitetail!?
 

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Congratulations, looks like y’all had a good time! Kudos for getting some first timers out there, some of my fondest hunting memories are taking people out for their first deer.
 
Nice job on the deer. From my limited experience elk hunting, it seems they have the ability to make deer look retarded.
 
I’ve always been a whitetail guy and these last five years I’ve had the elk bug. This year two good friends and i drew a Montana combo tag. These two friends are new hunters and have never killed a deer (whitetail or mule deer).

We started out our trip in the mountains searching for the elusive elk (still my kryptonite.) Arriving several days before the opener to scout, we still weren’t able to lay eyes on any elk. Opener rolls around and we were in an area with good rubs/wallows etc, but no elk. Sign seemed to be a few weeks old, hence the rubs and wallows. After moving locations and half way through the hunt, we decided to switch to deer. We moved 2 hours east and immediately connected on a deer the first night. The next day we got another deer. My two friends are now tagged out on their first deer. Two days later I laid my hands on my first mule deer.

I still am in search of my first bull, but the memories of being with my friends on their first deer kills will stick with me forever. The more hunts I go on, the more I realize killing is “the cherry on top.” The places I’ve seen in the west the last five years are incredible. Most people only see these places in movies, pictures, magazines, etc. The breaks are special in their own way, but I’d pick the Rockies still!

Also, how many Midwestern hunters can say their first deer was a mule deer and not a whitetail!?
That's awesome. I'm trying to harvest my first western game.
 
Great job I will be on my first mule deer hunt layer this year hope I'm as fortunate.
 
Nice. Memories made with good friends are the best part. I went elk hunting for the first time in 2020. We never saw an elk, but we spent 7 unforgettable days and nights in places few people get to see. Now we are planning to take my father on a Montana me deer trip.
 

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