ihuntelk
Member
I won't bore you with many details. Hopefully the pics will tell a good enough story.
Decided to go hunt velvet mulies for 4 days in Early Sept.
Day 1 I saw lots of bucks in their beds. None really jumped out at me as one I wanted to poke a hole through. A couple were really close contenders but just not quite it.
This buck was in a really cool bed. I had just about decided to put a stalk on him when he walked down the draw and around the ridge to find a new bed. It would have been fun to shoot him between those boulders off the ledge above......:hump:
This guy was a real contender until I could tell he was missing a tine on his right side.
This guy had the look of a big deer but I just didn't get that "shoot that deer" feeling from him. Not sure if it was my angle from above or what but he's not as impressive as he looks.......
Could only see one side of this deer. Made the stalk to 40 yards and when I crawled over the little rise above him, could see he was also missing a tine on one side. Man, what is in the water this year? I stewed for a day or 2 about not shooting this buck.
Last buck of the evening was also in a good spot. I wasn't sure how big he was until he stood up at 26 yards. Not quite what I was looking for...........
That night my hunting pardner was pestering me to leave the 'stinky mulies' alone and go chase elk since I have a good limited quota tag in my pocket as well.
I decided to chase velvet in the morning and then make the trek to elk camp if I hadn't found a good deer.
We decided to glass from a couple big ridges 6 or 7 miles apart that morning. He ended up finding a pretty good buck and drove around to find me. I hiked down from my perch to his rig and we headed up the road. He tried described the buck to me as I barraged him with questions: "How wide; any extras; how many bucks with him; good location to stalk; etc....." His only reply was, " not sure on anything but you should shoot this buck!"
I was hoping that leaving my glassing perch wasn't a mistake.........
We parked and started the trek into where he had seen this buck. I was sidehilling a ridge - glassing then taking a few steps, then glassing and taking a few steps. As I crested the finger ridge in front of me to look into the biggest canyon, I saw velvet shining in the sunlight 90 yards under me.
I kneeled and instantly found 3 bucks in the sandstone and rocks. The best buck was about 26" outside and had matching 5" inlines on both G-2's. I looked him over for several minutes and agreed that I should shoot that buck. By then, Matt had crept up to my side. When he looked thorugh his binos, he grinned and told me to shoot that buck. I reached into my pocket for my camera to take a few pics and cringed when the camera wasn't there. It was still on the charger in the truck a couple miles away..........
Boots were off and I dropped over the ridge. I sidehilled until I reached a small finger ridge above him. I crawled along the backside, keeping the wind in my face. As I reached the point of the ridge I peeked over and could see him still underneath me. 36 yards to be exact! I could also see another buck up the bottom of the draw another 30 yards from him and then 2 other bucks right below him.
The sun was on his velvet, ears and back of the head, which is all that was sticking up above the rock he was snuggled up to. I knew that he would get up soon enough to change beds so I just hunkered down and waited. Wind was constant in my face and should be for an hour or two.
After 15 minutes one of his buddies got up and moved 10 yards further into the draw for some new shade. 5 minutes later a new buck walked around the finger ridge I was on and bedded below them as well. I just knew he was going to get up at any time. It looked like the sun was high enough that it had to be heating up his back. I was camped on that knoll for almost an hour when I felt the solid wind in my face go absolutely slack calm. I muttered under my breath as I knew what was about to happen.
I attached my realease and kneeled up - Heli'm at the ready. Sure enough, a little backdraft crossed the side of my head and neck and dropped off my perch. A buck that I still hadn't seen stood up to his left around the finger ridge. His posture said it all and the buck I wanted to shoot snapped his head to attention. I drew and waited..... Within 15 seconds there were 5 bucks on their feet looking around. He stayed in his bed, head frozen on his alert comrade. I'm sweet talking and sending calming telepathic messages to him when he blows out of his bed on a mulie bound for almost 150 yards. I let down on my draw and just shake my head in disbelief. I could have killed the 5 other bucks several times apiece but never had a semblence of a shot at him.
Oh, how I love hunting mature critters on their terms.
Matt and I visited there on the side hill for several minutes and decided to go chase Wapiti. 'Stinky Mulies' could wait........................
-Cade
www.HuntForeverWest.com
Decided to go hunt velvet mulies for 4 days in Early Sept.
Day 1 I saw lots of bucks in their beds. None really jumped out at me as one I wanted to poke a hole through. A couple were really close contenders but just not quite it.
This buck was in a really cool bed. I had just about decided to put a stalk on him when he walked down the draw and around the ridge to find a new bed. It would have been fun to shoot him between those boulders off the ledge above......:hump:
This guy was a real contender until I could tell he was missing a tine on his right side.
This guy had the look of a big deer but I just didn't get that "shoot that deer" feeling from him. Not sure if it was my angle from above or what but he's not as impressive as he looks.......
Could only see one side of this deer. Made the stalk to 40 yards and when I crawled over the little rise above him, could see he was also missing a tine on one side. Man, what is in the water this year? I stewed for a day or 2 about not shooting this buck.
Last buck of the evening was also in a good spot. I wasn't sure how big he was until he stood up at 26 yards. Not quite what I was looking for...........
That night my hunting pardner was pestering me to leave the 'stinky mulies' alone and go chase elk since I have a good limited quota tag in my pocket as well.
I decided to chase velvet in the morning and then make the trek to elk camp if I hadn't found a good deer.
We decided to glass from a couple big ridges 6 or 7 miles apart that morning. He ended up finding a pretty good buck and drove around to find me. I hiked down from my perch to his rig and we headed up the road. He tried described the buck to me as I barraged him with questions: "How wide; any extras; how many bucks with him; good location to stalk; etc....." His only reply was, " not sure on anything but you should shoot this buck!"
I was hoping that leaving my glassing perch wasn't a mistake.........
We parked and started the trek into where he had seen this buck. I was sidehilling a ridge - glassing then taking a few steps, then glassing and taking a few steps. As I crested the finger ridge in front of me to look into the biggest canyon, I saw velvet shining in the sunlight 90 yards under me.
I kneeled and instantly found 3 bucks in the sandstone and rocks. The best buck was about 26" outside and had matching 5" inlines on both G-2's. I looked him over for several minutes and agreed that I should shoot that buck. By then, Matt had crept up to my side. When he looked thorugh his binos, he grinned and told me to shoot that buck. I reached into my pocket for my camera to take a few pics and cringed when the camera wasn't there.
It was still on the charger in the truck a couple miles away..........Boots were off and I dropped over the ridge. I sidehilled until I reached a small finger ridge above him. I crawled along the backside, keeping the wind in my face. As I reached the point of the ridge I peeked over and could see him still underneath me. 36 yards to be exact! I could also see another buck up the bottom of the draw another 30 yards from him and then 2 other bucks right below him.
The sun was on his velvet, ears and back of the head, which is all that was sticking up above the rock he was snuggled up to. I knew that he would get up soon enough to change beds so I just hunkered down and waited. Wind was constant in my face and should be for an hour or two.
After 15 minutes one of his buddies got up and moved 10 yards further into the draw for some new shade. 5 minutes later a new buck walked around the finger ridge I was on and bedded below them as well. I just knew he was going to get up at any time. It looked like the sun was high enough that it had to be heating up his back. I was camped on that knoll for almost an hour when I felt the solid wind in my face go absolutely slack calm. I muttered under my breath as I knew what was about to happen.
I attached my realease and kneeled up - Heli'm at the ready. Sure enough, a little backdraft crossed the side of my head and neck and dropped off my perch. A buck that I still hadn't seen stood up to his left around the finger ridge. His posture said it all and the buck I wanted to shoot snapped his head to attention. I drew and waited..... Within 15 seconds there were 5 bucks on their feet looking around. He stayed in his bed, head frozen on his alert comrade. I'm sweet talking and sending calming telepathic messages to him when he blows out of his bed on a mulie bound for almost 150 yards. I let down on my draw and just shake my head in disbelief. I could have killed the 5 other bucks several times apiece but never had a semblence of a shot at him.
Oh, how I love hunting mature critters on their terms.
Matt and I visited there on the side hill for several minutes and decided to go chase Wapiti. 'Stinky Mulies' could wait........................
-Cade
www.HuntForeverWest.com
