Mule Deer

[hobbes]

I've stayed away from posting anything "live" this season, so a short post hunt story is the best I can do. I hunted from 11/11 to 11/18. My boys were with me the first 3 1/2 days then it was just Finn (my griff) and I.

The first few days were really foggy so the first couple hours of daylight were good for nothing but sitting in the truck. Boyd missed a young 4 point on 11/11 and Isaac killed a similar buck on 11/13. On 11/14 I slept in and got them on the road and then took Finn out that evening for a couple roosters.

I hunted the rest of the week for deer but could not find a buck on accessible land that I was willing to shoot. I was good with the cold but wasn't good with the wind. Damn!!! I don't like the wind.

As far as game animals go; I saw sharptails, huns, sage grouse, coyotes, pheasants, whitetails, mule deer and wintering herds of antelope. I don't think I saw nearly enough of them for the ground that I covered, especially mule deer.

 

[hobbes]

Isaac killed this buck 2 miles from the truck. We'd normally get a jet sled and drag the quarters out in that, but the back and forth for the sled didn't appeal to us. We loaded the quarters in our packs and carried them out the hard way but it saved us a lot of trudging back and forth through the snow.

 

[hobbes]

I was on my own the next afternoon.

 

[hobbes]

I could find deer like this but I've no desire to kill these bucks. I'd have maybe lowered my standards for a whitetail because I prefer them for the table but I'm not a meat hunter when it comes to mule deer.

This is through the spotter.

 

[hobbes]

Typical road conditions during the week.



A few turkeys in an undisclosed location



Sunrise on last morning. I thought I was supposed to get a reprieve from the wind, but that didn't happen.

 

[hobbes]

I typically walk into this location a couple times on each trip and sit and glass. It's a short and easy walk. I've seen people drive it but not had them bother me if I had my truck by the gate already. I'm sure some folks wouldn't be as polite. However, someone had driven in multiple times during the week in what looked like the same rig by the tracks. After about 100 yards of the wind pummeling me and cutting through my layers, I said the heck with it and did the same. I didn't see a deer.







I made it home safe on Friday evening and would turn around and head back if I had enough comp time or vacation time built up, and if my wife wouldn't kill me. . Maybe I'll get out locally and look for an elk since I've yet to do that with a rifle in hand.

 

[hobbes]

Overall,it was a relatively uneventful hunt. I had one buck a 3 x 4 (I didn't notice if he had eye guards) that I was considering shooting. I was hunting a smaller piece of state land for a short evening hunt. It appeared that he was going to cross through an opening in the fence onto the state land that I was hunting. However, the does he was following either spotted me or something and then nervously led him the other way. I wasn't certain he was a shooter and may not have shot him, but he's the best buck that I saw in range.

I had high hopes due to the cold but the wind just killed everything.

 

[Outlaw99]

Thanks, always enjoy your write ups

 

[GSPHUNTER]

The wind really sucks big time. It has put the damper on way to many of my hunts. I really hate the wind. It does seem aside from the wind you had a decent time.

 

[TEF73]

Way to hang in there and bag a buck!

 

[robby denning]

Good thread.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[bdg848]

I enjoyed this, it's a nice little thread. What state are you in?

 

[hobbes]

I enjoyed this, it's a nice little thread. What state are you in?

MT

 

[pjww805]

We hunted Central MT that week. Definitley a Cold week. Didnt see much rut action until the last couple days but still had a great time. enjoyed the write up!

 

[Mr Lahey]

Great post! Thanks for sharing.

I took my 12 year old son to central Montana for the youth hunt this year for his first western adventure. It was HOT and WINDY...and then just like that it was snowy! What a fun and successful trip. Elk bugling in the river bottom cottonwoods, lots of deer and an amount of open country that was overwhelming to this Midwesterner. As for the hunt, it was pretty simple. Deer were on the pivots early and late and moved to BLM land during the day to lay down. We slipped in from up high, watched a bunch of them work into the breaks from the pivot and then snuck in. Blew a stalk on a nice 4 point before settling for this guy.

Thanks to the state of Montana for putting on the youth hunt and guaranteeing a tag. Wonderful place to introduce a kid to the west.

 

[hobbes]

Great post! Thanks for sharing.

I took my 12 year old son to central Montana for the youth hunt this year for his first western adventure. It was HOT and WINDY...and then just like that it was snowy! What a fun and successful trip. Elk bugling in the river bottom cottonwoods, lots of deer and an amount of open country that was overwhelming to this Midwesterner. As for the hunt, it was pretty simple. Deer were on the pivots early and late and moved to BLM land during the day to lay down. We slipped in from up high, watched a bunch of them work into the breaks from the pivot and then snuck in. Blew a stalk on a nice 4 point before settling for this guy.

Thanks to the state of Montana for putting on the youth hunt and guaranteeing a tag. Wonderful place to introduce a kid to the west.

Congrats!

 

[AArmsnw]

Congrats!

 

[WisciMike]

good work. that wind can be nasty