Front country rifle Mule deer

[Gunnersdad49]

Sitting on a hill watching a group of 10 does and fawns, I figured it might be fun to share today’s events so far.

I am “self isolating “in my camper and doing day hunt forays from there. I have a “presumptive”case of COVID-19.

I walked in this morning at first light and found 4 does and a 3x3 buck. I may regret it, but I let him walk. Here is a picture of him and a doe skylined.

 

[Gunnersdad49]

I went downwind of that group and into a small leeward bowl, and found two does. One was bedded, the other standing. I watched them for a while and 2 turned to 3, but no lover boys dogging them yet.

 

[Gunnersdad49]

I walked a bit further and glassed up a fork horn buck bedded. I watched him for a long time, and eventually grew him into the smallest 4x4 I think I’ve ever seen. A line of does came by and he was almost interested enough to stand up, but not quite.

 

[elkguide]

If you have to quarantine.... it doesn't get any better than that.
Keep at it and get better fast.

 

[Gunnersdad49]

After about half an hour of watching him doze off, I turned and started glassing Forbidden Mountain. That’s not the real name of the hill, but it is on the wrong side of the fence for me to hunt. I know better than to look over there, but I did anyway. After about 10 minutes of glassing, I spotted two great bucks and a doe. Both bucks were at least as wide as their ears and twice as tall. They were bouncing around, sprinting here and there, but well on the no-go side of the fence with no indication they were coming my way any time soon. So I backed out of the area to try them again another day.

Another spot, another doe and fawn.

Then into a little honey hole that usually holds deer for me. I couldn’t find any deer, but found a shed as a consolation prize.

 

[Gunnersdad49]

Last stand for the evening and I’m watching these 10 does and fawns. Trying to figure out my redneck phone scope in the wind. I’ve got more antelope around me than I can count now.

 

[Gunnersdad49]

A few goats

 

[Hunt30]

Love the live hunt threads. Keep it up

 

[Fatcamp]

What's up, OP?

The rest of us suckers are stuck home, we need updates!

 

[Gunnersdad49]

Spent the entire day out today. Started with 5 does, and then 6 more in the glass. Couldn’t grow antlers on any of them. It snowed a bit last night so I did some still hunting and followed tracks. I ended up not finding the culprits.

I changed locations, and saw about another dozen does and fawns braving the wind. I just couldn’t find anything with antlers. After I was sure that there were no bucks hiding with the ladies, I hopped into the truck to try another location.

En route to my next spot, I saw a truck stopped in the road adjacent to some private property. As I rolled by, I filmed them get out and poach a deer. They violated multiple game laws, in broad daylight. The property was clearly posted, they were shooting from the road, not wearing blaze orange. I spent the next hour waiting for the game warden to pass along my video and photos.

I was hoping for some good karma this evening, but no more deer spotted not harmed by me. Headed back to camp I watched 3 bucks and 5 does in some ranchers yard. The bucks were definitely showing rut behavior, curling lips, licking lady parts, etc. I’ve got high hopes for tomorrow. I keep finding does, the bucks shouldn’t be far.

 

[hobbes]

Good luck. Keep the updates coming.

 

[Gunnersdad49]

Well this morning was a close call, saw a buck cresting a hill, but didn’t get a good look at him, just a flash of antler. I hustled about a hundred yards to the berm he walked over. It took me a minute to find him hiding in some tall sage. He was 85 yards away, and I saw he was a 2 pointer, a few inches taller than his ears, and not nearly as wide. He got a pass.
We got snow overnight, so I drove up to some forest land and cut tracks. I followed a few sets, found a few does, but no bucks. Of course as soon as I drove through some private property, two big bucks standing by the road smirked at me.
It’s snowing again, so I’m having a nice warm lunch in the camper.

 

[Gunnersdad49]

Did some exploring in the snow last night. I followed lots of tracks, but found nothing but does. I went back by Forbidden mountain at last light and found 5 does in a small bowl on the right side of the fence. I left them there undisturbed with plans to see if they had a buck join them in the morning.

 

[Gunnersdad49]

I got up this morning with high hopes that those does would lure some bucks across the fence. As I crept in, I glanced over at the hill that had the 3 pointer on it opening morning. Guess what? There are 6 deer right in that same place. Several does, and at least 2 bucks. The problem is I’m busted. In the open with no cover. They are at 300 yards, and the bigger of the two bucks, a 4x3 bounds over the top of the hill. I’ve got no play on them so I just keep on with plan A.

I walked almost directly away from that group of deer, and a few backwards glances showed me they all walked over the ridge top.

I sneaked over the hill I initially targeted, breaking up my outline with some small trees. These does should be 50-75 yards below me. There is a 15mph wind, and snow is blowing into my eyes. I peek into the bowl and there before me is... nothing. No deer. Crap. Wait, movement on the opposite hillside. Deer! At about 250 yards I see a doe, then another, a fawn, a doe, and a buck. A buck! I’m starting to think of my tag soup from last year. I’ve only got another day and a half to hunt. I take off my pack, lay the rifle across it, and the deer start walking. The buck is a fork horned youngster. They are walking toward the fence. If I don’t drop him in his tracks, I may not be allowed to recover him. I settle the crosshairs high behind his shoulder. He is still walking. Now about 50’ from the fence. I sit up and watch him and his girlfriends cross the fence.

I’m going to try for a bigger buck.

 

[Gunnersdad49]

The ridge that had the two bucks on it is sort of shaped like a plus sign oriented like the directions of a compass. Basically 2 perpendicular ridges with a bowl between each ridge. It’s sparsely treed and was snow covered today. I decided to get onto the ridge with the furthest North point. I’m climbing the hill and I’ll be damned if there isn’t a deer staring at me from about 175 yards.

It’s a young buck. Spike on one side, fork on the other. I’m negotiating with myself how I can justify shooting him if I just passed on a bigger buck. He is a long way from the fence. “Can’t eat the horns.” Ok, self, here is the deal. We hunt the bowls opposite him and look for that big 4x3 If we find nothing, and can come back and still connect, we will take the boom and crockpot trophy. I kept slow and to the trees and was able to get over the hilltop without spooking the little guy.

I glance at him again in the binos, and 200 yards behind him, I see 5 deer. Probably those same does and 3x3 from this morning. I bet that 4x3 is just behind them in the thick cover. The wind is right in my face. Game time! I have to get around the little guy to get close to the group of 5. I hit the opposite side of the north/south ridge. And start sneaking into the snow and wind.

The left arrow is where the little buck is. The right arrow is where the group of deer are.

 

[UtahJimmy]

You've got your hooks deep in my attention. Refreshing. Every. Minute.

Good luck!!

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

 

[Gunnersdad49]

I crested the ridge running east to west, still well east of the other ridge, headed South. I was working my way along slowly during wind gusts , my boots squeaking in the snow. The footing was slick as I side hilled to stay below the ridge lines. At this point I think I’ve successfully skirted the small buck. Now I just need to get around the backside of where that group of 5 deer is. Those 5 deer are in the Northwest bowl. I’m now in the Southeast bowl working my way to the Southwest bowl to find that big buck.

I peek into the Southwest bowl and see deer on the opposite rim. Several does and a big 2x2. I counted 9 of them. What the hell? Too many deer in here for my plan to work. I moved slowly in some cover to try and see the whole bowl, and without warning, here comes that tall 4x3 buck! He is hell bent for leather arcing around me to the south. I never saw him. How the hell did I spook him? Then, right on his heels is a huge jackrabbit. Do jackrabbits scare deer? I’m confused. He is running, 330 yards in the rangefinder. Damn that’s a nice deer. Maybe he will curve back into the Northeast bowl. Maybe not.

I watch as the does start filing out of that southwestern bowl. Screw it. I’m going to take that 2x2 when he walks out. He never walked out. Instead, 2 hunters appear on the southern corner of the ridge. THEY spooked the big fella. Ok. I’m not feeling too terrible now. I am starting to get frustrated. There are deer all over, but people are like Visa, everywhere I want to be!

My toes are cold. My nose is running. Boo hoo, poor me. I’m going to see if that little buck is still there. He was in the opposite direction of the hunters, and I wanted to be as far from other people as I could get. Two steps, glass. Two more steps, glass. I did this for a while until I was at a tree right above where he was. Where did he go? He has to be around here somewhere. A few more cautious steps. Then FFFFFTTTTT!

A doe rudely sounded the alarm. A pile of deer poured out of the shrubs and bushes 40 yards below me on the hillside. They ran in several different directions. Two went left and stopped at 158 yards (ranged later). One was that 3 pointer I passed on opening morning! I took a knee and found him in the scope. He turned to the right, heading uphill and sort of quartered to me. I clicked the safety off of my Weatherby.

 

[Gunnersdad49]

My knee in the snow covered dirt, rifle pulled tight to my shoulder, I settled the crosshairs just behind his shoulder. I aimed halfway up his body, shooting down at him from above. My finger touched the ice cold steel of the trigger. Boom. Whack! The Nosler Partition liquified his lungs and exited the opposite side of his ribcage. He hit the snow without taking a step.

His does collected into a tight herd about a hundred yards from him and just looked back at him, laying still in the cold. I try not to anthropomorphize deer too much, but it did sort of bum me out.

This was not the biggest deer I saw this week. I spent lots of hours and saw hundreds of deer, which is my favorite part about mule deer hunting. I love watching these Grey specters appear and disappear in cover that shouldn’t be able to hide them. I will hang this set of antlers on my wall with pride because this trip has been a very memorable one and I worked hard for this buck.

 

[Gunnersdad49]

I decided to experiment with a way to drag this buck out whole. I normally quarter and pack my deer out, but I was about a mile from the road, there was snow on the ground, and I want to try some ribs and stuff this year. I also saved the heart and about half of the caul fat.

The cool part about being solo gutting a buck on a 19 degree day is nobody else gripes when you start strapping a whole deer to your pack. My thought was that if I strap the head to the pack, drag the hind end, it should drag pretty easily.

Well, it dragged nicely, but you want to talk about a leg workout! Holy smokes! That was a terrible idea. Seriously. Don’t do that. It sucked. I got to my feet and trudged forwards. I counted my steps. Two hundred steps, then sit down, Unstrap the pack, pant like a dog. Then put the pack back on, a hundred steps, then a hundred more. Sit, pant, recover, do it again.



After a few rounds of this, my quads were on fire and I struggled to get to my feet. Screw that. I unclipped him and just dragged him by the antlers, changing hands every 100-200 steps. Slowly but surely, I made it back to the truck.

I wrestled the deer into the truck, and headed back here to the camper to wrap up the story. This is by far my preferred method of dealing with COVID 19.

 

[rooster440]

Awesome hunt! I throughly enjoyed this!


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