First Mule deer hunt. Co. Public. DIY. Thanks Rokslide for all the help. Lifetime buck

jerodmartinez said:
Just got back from my Colorado hunt. Better then I could have ever dreamed. I went in with the expectations of seeing new country, seeing things I have never seen, and spending time with friends. I know getting a buck like this are slim to none when you have no idea what your doing, but I know that at least I can say I worked hard for it. I left in the dark and got to camp at dark. Hiked at least 5 miles a day, and was colder then I have ever been in my life. I found a spot with a great view of a valley pretty high up the mountain, where I had a good spot to glass. I was seeing deer all day, so I figured I would just spend the rest of the week there. I wasn't seeing many bucks, but I was happy with seeing all the doe. I figured since it was getting closer to rut, sitting on so many doe wasn't such a bad idea. On the fourth day at around 9 in the morning I was watching 3 deer in a sage field. They all had there head down eating so I didn't think too much about it. The next time I looked over he raised his head up and I could see the sun shine off his antlers. I could tell he was a shooter and that's all I needed. I never looked at his horns again. I ranged him at a hair under 300yds, and got a good set up in a nearby tree. I was shaking pretty good from the cold so I had to take some deep breathes to settle things down. I made a good shot with my 6.5 creedmoor, and I knew he was hit hard. He went about 40yds and I made a follow up shot to seal the deal. It took me about 15 minutes to climb down the mountain to where he was at and I couldn't believe what I saw. Im glad I didn't look him over real good before I shot him or I probably would have gotten some pretty good buck fever.
The crazy thing about this hunt was actually when I go home. My great uncles favorite thing was being in the mountains elk hunting. When he passed away they took his ashes and spread them near a big lake in Colorado as well as his daughters when she passed away. When I told my dad where we were hunting he said we were only a couple miles from that lake. My dad got a little emotional when he said My Uncle Joe sent me that buck, and I think he is right.
I pretty much got all my mule deer info off this forum and at least half my gear. The money that I saved from doing research and buying off the classified helped me tremendously. Just wanted to say thanks to these forum for all the info for a newbie like myself. I will probably hunt the rest of my life and not kill a good as buck, but that is fine with me. I know that I am hooked on muleys. The only downside is that it sure makes it boring to go sit in a deer blind and watch a feeder now lol.
Hunt of a lifetime
Click to expand...
I appreciate your story brother. Perhaps you don't kill another muley of that caliber, but the cool thing we both know about the mountains is that each time we suffer a little bit we gain a new appreciation for the lives we are living. Maybe your uncle did send you that buck. I have no way of knowing, but I can certainly tell that hunt meant a lot to you and your father. Great job, get story.
 
Just seeing this, congratulations hoss. What a great buck that hits so close to home for you. Awesome job. Isn't Rokslide the best
 
jerodmartinez said:
Just got back from my Colorado hunt. Better then I could have ever dreamed. I went in with the expectations of seeing new country, seeing things I have never seen, and spending time with friends. I know getting a buck like this are slim to none when you have no idea what your doing, but I know that at least I can say I worked hard for it. I left in the dark and got to camp at dark. Hiked at least 5 miles a day, and was colder then I have ever been in my life. I found a spot with a great view of a valley pretty high up the mountain, where I had a good spot to glass. I was seeing deer all day, so I figured I would just spend the rest of the week there. I wasn't seeing many bucks, but I was happy with seeing all the doe. I figured since it was getting closer to rut, sitting on so many doe wasn't such a bad idea. On the fourth day at around 9 in the morning I was watching 3 deer in a sage field. They all had there head down eating so I didn't think too much about it. The next time I looked over he raised his head up and I could see the sun shine off his antlers. I could tell he was a shooter and that's all I needed. I never looked at his horns again. I ranged him at a hair under 300yds, and got a good set up in a nearby tree. I was shaking pretty good from the cold so I had to take some deep breathes to settle things down. I made a good shot with my 6.5 creedmoor, and I knew he was hit hard. He went about 40yds and I made a follow up shot to seal the deal. It took me about 15 minutes to climb down the mountain to where he was at and I couldn't believe what I saw. Im glad I didn't look him over real good before I shot him or I probably would have gotten some pretty good buck fever.
The crazy thing about this hunt was actually when I go home. My great uncles favorite thing was being in the mountains elk hunting. When he passed away they took his ashes and spread them near a big lake in Colorado as well as his daughters when she passed away. When I told my dad where we were hunting he said we were only a couple miles from that lake. My dad got a little emotional when he said My Uncle Joe sent me that buck, and I think he is right.
I pretty much got all my mule deer info off this forum and at least half my gear. The money that I saved from doing research and buying off the classified helped me tremendously. Just wanted to say thanks to these forum for all the info for a newbie like myself. I will probably hunt the rest of my life and not kill a good as buck, but that is fine with me. I know that I am hooked on muleys. The only downside is that it sure makes it boring to go sit in a deer blind and watch a feeder now lol.
Hunt of a lifetime
Click to expand...
Great story and awesome buck! You did your homework, put in the physical work and had a little luck. Sounds like a recipe for success!
 
Thanks a lot for all the replies. Wish I got to go again this year. Hopefully get drawn next year. Good luck to everyone who drew a tag this year.
 
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