I've been lucky on Archery Mulies, 7 in past 8 seasons

[Stinky Coyote]

All P&Y, diy, but not really 'high country' mulies, they are river drainage muley's right in my backyard in the Calgary Bowzone. I do put a fair bit of time into scouting/watching/hunting them and have been fortunate with access where good deer live as that is a key and i've got them pretty figured out. I held out for a specific deer(old warrior) the season before last and it bit me as i turned down two very nice mature easy p&y from 26 to 40 yards and did same this last season but decided near the end of the season if any P&Y gave me a chance i'd take it. I'll start with the one that started this great run.

From a spotting on way to another area and wheel into a yard and knock on the door to 'it will be a one time thing i won't bug you again', a 57 yard heart shot and 25 yard recovery in early October and cloud 9. Grossing 168 and change.



Then 55 yard shot for this guy, 80 yard recovery in November. I'd have to dig out the P&Y certificates as my memory is fading fast but i think he grossed around 164.



Then a 35 yard shot for this one on a very cold November day.



Now i start getting fussier and more patient instead of making plays on the first decently forked 4x's i lay eyes on. An opening day buck this time grossing 174 3/8" and netting 2" less...that was easy to remember. 42 yard shot from recollection.



Then my best comes the following year, grossing 202 7/8". A close range surprise in cover on brutally windy day that required a very quick yes or no, had no idea he's break 200". 20 yard shot 50 yard recovery.



To be cont...

 

[Stinky Coyote]

And the year after the big guy i scouted one and held out for him, everything else was find and go at the time. He grossed just under 189 from memory but i call him my 189. Like i call the big one above my 203. This was a 53 yard shot.



Then i scouted another old guy i'd seen for years and held out for him, didn't take a deer that year holding out to the end. Tried to hold out for a real whopper again this past season but as mentioned, wanted one last P&Y to get into a little club i started in fun. More on that later.

So near end of season i had another fast closer range opportunity and just saw this deer's strong side and that was the last i looked at his head gear. He still nets 151 and change so made P&Y easy but i thought it would be tighter as i walked up to him in the snow seeing how weak the other side was i thought i shot the wrong deer somehow. Like two different deer. Strong forks one side and crab claw front weak back other side with shorter main...oh well, last time i made a decision that quick at short range i had one over 200" so all good in the hood by me. Nice clean 25 yard heart shot with 80 yard recovery i was tickled. I had a chance at entering my own club lol. He makes a nice euro with that wide tall frame and maybe did the genetics some good but could have been a little late as he had several does to himself and was a big bodied brute that was that i'm sure held his own just fine. Didn't get many good pics of him, didn't know camera switched to black and white in my pocket and with background you couldn't even make out his antlers without color.



So about that club, some rifle guys on local forum got yapping about some deer hunters clubs, to show dedication to trophy hunting over the years, the 900 club for 6 whitetails over 150 net and the 700 muley club with 4 deer netting over 175. Seemed primarily rifle hunters clubs and i thought it seemed a bit silly so made up my own, specifically for bow hunters. I call it the 1000 Club, allows up to 7 deer, any combination of north american deer species can play, P&Y qualifying, gotta net 1000" or higher to get in. I know bowhunters are very dedicated so figured this goal about equally attainable, more volume, less inches and what i figure is more awesomeness than any 900/700 club members.

I came up with this after my 6 muley's were down and i netted something like 998 and change so one more deer was a given but one more good deer and i could maybe do it with 6, even more awesomeness lol. Anyhow, if this years deer was even that would be the case and after next year maybe i will be in with 6 but there you have it. Me having fun in the hunting world. Any 1000 Club members here?

Enough of that already, hope you enjoy the local hunting i can fit in when i can't get to the big hills to chase sheep!

 

[JNDEER]

Looks like a great list!

Congrats. Good to see a lot of hard work coming to a great accomplishment.

 

[Nick Muche]

Very nice!

 

[bowuntr]

Awesome deer... very few bowhunters can make that claim. Congratulations. Ed F

 

[Jager]

What a great write up, one of the best I have read on a forum, and well, the Mulies, are awesome.

I like the concept of your 1000 club, great idea.

 

[2rocky]

So what is the procedure and availability of Archery Deer Archery Tags in Alberta? Draw or Over the counter?

Are US residents required to have a guide?

Alberta is whispered to be the last great place for mule deer...

 

[muleymemories]

So what is the procedure and availability of Archery Deer Archery Tags in Alberta? Draw or Over the counter?

Are US residents required to have a guide?

Alberta is whispered to be the last great place for mule deer...

I believe US residents need a guide to hunt Muleys in Alberta, but do not for Whiteys...

 

[Stinky Coyote]

Thanks guys, they have been general for archery and now most going to draw and we do get non res hunters but Saskatchewan has the biggest muleys IMO but resident only and they seem to manage them better than we do and thanks Jager, start a club over there!

 

[2rocky]

Have you ever been a Hunter Host Stinky? Wanna be one?

 

[Stinky Coyote]

Never been and never thought about it. I do stay busy taking newbies out and introducing folks to hunting and never seem to fit it all in and wonder how I get my knife into as many critters as I do each season as my boys r getting bigger and busier i can see a slow down coming as get spread pretty thin, so far just talked about the good stuff but lots of meat tags get filled and guided too, deer elk moose etc. So really going to narrow down the priorities going forward...my own personal time booked off will be all sheep related, the rest just fit in part days here and there when I can fit in. If some of the other killers migrate here from local forums prepare to be amazed, some have more and all bigger, much bigger deer, whitetail and muley etc. Make me look like a guy who shoots the first buck that walks by and would be pretty close to the truth lol.

 

[Manosteel]

SC being modest my friend, as far as a collection of mulies with a bow, I don,t know to many that top you. We got some big critters here for sure and most are within a 2 hour drive from our two biggest cities, Edmonton and Calgary. But we do have some funky regs that take a weird perspective on deer management. On a plus we have bow zones surrounding each city which rocks!

 

[Stinky Coyote]

Mano, u were right, some major muley action going on here!

 

[bohntr]

Sweet looking archery bucks........congratulations on sticking all of them with a bow, definitely not an easy task even in agricultural/river bottom country. Thanks for sharing.

 

[RUTTIN]

Great collection of deer. In my opinion any animal with a bow, especially a mature one is well earned no matter if it is taken in the high country or river bottoms. Thanks for sharing!

 

[robby denning]

Stinky, welcome and thanks for sharing your success with us. It's hard to find someone that successful who's willing to share how he's getting it done- very inspiring. I really like the pic of the buck by water your later harvested. If my math is right, looks like your average shot distance is 41 yards? That's seems pretty close on open country bucks.

Sounds like your "secret" is knowing your area and hunting hard which seems to work for everyone who can stick with it.

Excellent post, again, thanks for sharing.

 

[luke moffat]

Stinky Coyote,

Dang man you are a deer slayer! Way to go! That is some serious dedication and skill to be that consistent year after year. Something to aspire to for sure. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Foldem]

Awesome bucks! Alberta archery mulies in the canola are on my bucket list.

 

[Evan Williams]

Great Archery mule deer there sir!!!

 

[Rent Outdoor Gear]

Great stuff Yote!! Gotta LOVE Alberta! I want to get back up there sometime soon!! I think you and a buddy should host me and 2Rocky! I hunted up there on a host arrangement with a buddy in about 2008 - we had a blast!!

Coop