T-bone...ml....
- Thread starter mtmiller
- Start date
T Bone
Well-known member
Yes. It was real cold.
The deer were all hunkered down. Saw some decent bucks, but I wanted something better....Late morning I spotted a herd of deer bedded in some heavy brush and saw two bucks. Couldn't get much detail other than one showed hope of being better than average.
I closed in for the stalk and got within 80 yards and found that there were a lot more deer there than I thought. I got busted by a doe and the group stood up.
The bigger buck looked at me. Extremely tall but narrow (20" or so) buck with good mass. He stared at me in the gusting wind for about 30 seconds....Older buck by his face, blocky body, saggy belly.....Just need him to turn and give me a side view.
I had my binos on him waiting for him to turn, which he did when he started trotting away. I promptly shat myself and dropped the binos and reached for the Renegade. He was a whopper. Deep forks with trash. He trotted out to about 120 yards and slowed.
I couldn't sit or kneel because of the brush, so I estimated 2 feet of wind drift and dropped the hammer. He jumped at the shot and took off with the rest of the other 10 or so deer. I reloaded and went up with high hopes of finding him piled up. No dice.
Clean miss. Followed tracks in the snow for 1/2 mile until they crossed onto private land. The cold got the best of me and knew I needed to get to the truck. Been kicking myself since then.
I seem to have gotten a bit of a chest cold from the outing, hopefully will shake it soon as Saturday is supposed to warm up to 3 degrees ABOVE zero.
The deer were all hunkered down. Saw some decent bucks, but I wanted something better....Late morning I spotted a herd of deer bedded in some heavy brush and saw two bucks. Couldn't get much detail other than one showed hope of being better than average.
I closed in for the stalk and got within 80 yards and found that there were a lot more deer there than I thought. I got busted by a doe and the group stood up.
The bigger buck looked at me. Extremely tall but narrow (20" or so) buck with good mass. He stared at me in the gusting wind for about 30 seconds....Older buck by his face, blocky body, saggy belly.....Just need him to turn and give me a side view.
I had my binos on him waiting for him to turn, which he did when he started trotting away. I promptly shat myself and dropped the binos and reached for the Renegade. He was a whopper. Deep forks with trash. He trotted out to about 120 yards and slowed.
I couldn't sit or kneel because of the brush, so I estimated 2 feet of wind drift and dropped the hammer. He jumped at the shot and took off with the rest of the other 10 or so deer. I reloaded and went up with high hopes of finding him piled up. No dice.
Clean miss. Followed tracks in the snow for 1/2 mile until they crossed onto private land. The cold got the best of me and knew I needed to get to the truck. Been kicking myself since then.
I seem to have gotten a bit of a chest cold from the outing, hopefully will shake it soon as Saturday is supposed to warm up to 3 degrees ABOVE zero.
T Bone
Well-known member
Yes, mule deer. Season goes through Dec 31st. It's go big or leave the tag unpunched.
Glad you were out. My hunting buddy back home said the deer everywhere on Sunday and on the move. Unfortunately he was trying to move the cows back the 2 miles and 4 fences they had gone through. Quite a few had their mouth frozen shut and he found a whitey doe in the stack with her eyes frozen shut. Apparently she could haul ass, but had no clue where she was going.
Best of luck and keep us in the loop.
Best of luck and keep us in the loop.
T Bone
Well-known member
Chickened out Saturday as hi temps were -8 with a 30 mph wind.
I'm taking time off work today and tomorrow. It's supposed to be positive single digits with 15 mph winds. Balmy!
Hopefully the bucks are still chasing does some.
Report with pics in the next few days.
I'm taking time off work today and tomorrow. It's supposed to be positive single digits with 15 mph winds. Balmy!
Hopefully the bucks are still chasing does some.
Report with pics in the next few days.
T Bone
Well-known member
Went out for two days on the 22nd and 23rd. The morning of the 22nd dawned a bit nippy with a 20 mph wind. Get out of the truck wussy.
It was cold but managable. It was about a mile hike out to the distant butte. The deer were to be found wherever they could get shelter out of the wind. Lot's of deer in the coulees and draws. Most of the bucks were still with the does. One herd numbered 20 + animals. Coudn't find the buck I was looking for (a narrow, extremely high 4x4 with a few stickers), nor a substitute I liked well enough to hang my tag on. After a few hours in the cold stuff my feet were getting numb despite good footwear, so I headed back to the truck to thaw.
I drove around some and spotted some deer about 600 yards from the road on public access. I sat and watched them for 20 minutes or so. One buck was better than average, but they got nervous and lined out toward private land. After jumping the well marked fence they bedded about 400 yards from the road in a coulee. I watched them from the road when mr rancher comes tearing up and tells me that it's private land. I agree with him pointing at the obvious signage. He does allow hunting for $100 per day. Let him know that I don't care to pay it, I'd rather wait for these same deer to cross back to public access and then I'd pop him
I sit and watch an hour or so with one more visit from the rancher. He let me know he doesn't like me looking at his land. Just as we were talking the deer line out and cross back onto public. With a smile I bid him Merry Christmas and planned my afternoon hunt.
I locate the deer with my spotter at the base of a distant knob. Fair buck, about 25" spread perfectly symmetrical 4x4 with no eye guards, forks were shallow and mass was average. He was in a perfect spot to stalk and kill with a muzzleloader. He and a small forky with 5 does are bedded right at the base of that small cone to the left of the hill.
I watched for about 40 minutes until I was frozen and managed to talk myself out of it, knowing that there are better deer around.
I hunt the rest of the evening seeing a half a dozen decent 3x3's and 4x4's, but nothing to get excited about.
I spend the night in Buffalo motel and wake up about 5 am to high winds.....bummer.
I head out, the temp on the truck shows -12 with 30 mph winds. It's snowing and limited visibility. I drive around and see a few deer, but most are laying low. I get out and suit up make it about a half mile and it's too stinking cold. Liking my nose where it's at, I head back to the vehicle. I drive around for a few hours only to see the temps drop a few more degrees. I throw in the towel and head home.
I'll try again on Monday, hopefully I can find a good one.
It was cold but managable. It was about a mile hike out to the distant butte. The deer were to be found wherever they could get shelter out of the wind. Lot's of deer in the coulees and draws. Most of the bucks were still with the does. One herd numbered 20 + animals. Coudn't find the buck I was looking for (a narrow, extremely high 4x4 with a few stickers), nor a substitute I liked well enough to hang my tag on. After a few hours in the cold stuff my feet were getting numb despite good footwear, so I headed back to the truck to thaw.
I drove around some and spotted some deer about 600 yards from the road on public access. I sat and watched them for 20 minutes or so. One buck was better than average, but they got nervous and lined out toward private land. After jumping the well marked fence they bedded about 400 yards from the road in a coulee. I watched them from the road when mr rancher comes tearing up and tells me that it's private land. I agree with him pointing at the obvious signage. He does allow hunting for $100 per day. Let him know that I don't care to pay it, I'd rather wait for these same deer to cross back to public access and then I'd pop him
I sit and watch an hour or so with one more visit from the rancher. He let me know he doesn't like me looking at his land. Just as we were talking the deer line out and cross back onto public. With a smile I bid him Merry Christmas and planned my afternoon hunt.
I locate the deer with my spotter at the base of a distant knob. Fair buck, about 25" spread perfectly symmetrical 4x4 with no eye guards, forks were shallow and mass was average. He was in a perfect spot to stalk and kill with a muzzleloader. He and a small forky with 5 does are bedded right at the base of that small cone to the left of the hill.
I watched for about 40 minutes until I was frozen and managed to talk myself out of it, knowing that there are better deer around.
I hunt the rest of the evening seeing a half a dozen decent 3x3's and 4x4's, but nothing to get excited about.
I spend the night in Buffalo motel and wake up about 5 am to high winds.....bummer.
I head out, the temp on the truck shows -12 with 30 mph winds. It's snowing and limited visibility. I drive around and see a few deer, but most are laying low. I get out and suit up make it about a half mile and it's too stinking cold. Liking my nose where it's at, I head back to the vehicle. I drive around for a few hours only to see the temps drop a few more degrees. I throw in the towel and head home.
I'll try again on Monday, hopefully I can find a good one.
Nut
New member
Best of luck.
T Bone
Well-known member
Eating my tag. Passed on 4 small to average bucks yesterday. That tall narrow guy with trash appears to have migrated a few miles to the north and been killed by a North Dakotan!
It's been a fun year. January may bring a few more does to the bag if I can find homes that need them.
Lion season starts Jan 1. Who knows I may just stumble into one of them.
It's been a fun year. January may bring a few more does to the bag if I can find homes that need them.
Lion season starts Jan 1. Who knows I may just stumble into one of them.
