Whatever It Takes - Mule Deer Hunt

[Huntrgathr]

I posted my 2014 Mule Deer buck on the meatpole a while back but I think the story is worth telling in a little more detail, even though this is mainly an elk forum. You guys seem like you enjoy a good story and this is one of the better ones I've earned. I hunted well over 100 days during the last five years for mule deer before I arrowed this deer. I have hundreds of stories that lead up to this one. Missed opportunities beyond counting - blown stalks, missed shots , equipment malfunctions, other hunters "intervening", divine forces intervening, dozens of " if he had just taken one more step"s , many fruitless sub-zero days spent sweating my butt off pushing over mountain after endless mountain- you get the point. There is a lot of blood, sweat and tears in my scrapbook leading up to this hunt. I've been a lot closer to killing a lot bigger bucks and also had to pass on countless slam-dunk " mediocre" bucks ( if there is such a thing) to get to this buck - to give you a little background on how bad I've wanted to seal the deal on a mature, dominant buck.

The first few days of the season were beautiful but discouraging. Young bucks were pushing does around in the sunshine uncontested by the "Big Boys" that I hoped lurked near by. I spent most of my days lazing on the mountain, glassing small herds from a distance, without really pursuing anything. It was just too early. Three days in I hadn't so much as glimpsed a mature buck. But the next day, colder weather was expected to set in and potentially deliver the snow, we as hunters , all hope for.

In the early morning, I decided to go deeper into the mountains to hopefully intercept the first wave of the migration as the herds made their way out of the High Country. As twilight began to illuminate the open slopes I could find a handful of small bucks and does and began to expect that I still had a few more days of waiting to do. I stalked in on a couple different groups of deer for practice and bided my time as it started to snow. A sprinkle turned to snow showers and showers turned to steady snowfall. Visibility was reducing rapidly when I spotted 6-8 deer milling around on the opposite side of the canyon from me- maybe 500 yards away. I quickly tried get good look at them but even through my binos there were too many snowflakes between us to see more than the outline of 5 does and 2-3 bucks, one fairly bigger than the others... Then the snow really set in and I knew I was going to have to cross the canyon to see what exactly they were. As I started to contour around the canyon to cross over above the deer I heard a commotion and looked over to see one of the deer chasing another one off ( I can't really even make out antlers at this point but could tell by the body language that this was a dominant buck chasing out a smaller buck. Then I lost all sight of the other side of the canyon right after I thought I saw the deer walk out of the draw they were in and over the top but wasn't sure.

I continued around and intercepted the dejected buck as he headed out , moving up past me. I managed to decoy him into 35 yds but he was looking straight at me and turned out to be about a 120" 4 point. Not the buck I was looking for bit it gave me hope that whatever buck had chased him out might be a bigger buck.

As I made it across the drainage and entered the last area I had seen the deer there was about 2" of snow on the ground. I found a trail hub about 150 yds from where they were and debated just sitting that intersection for awhile as I figured the deer I was originally pursuing had moved off. For whatever reason, I decided to continue on contouring around the hill into the draw where I had seen them. Moving very slowly, eyes up, I spotted something out of place in the swale. It took several seconds to zero in on what exactly was out of place and then I noticed that it was a fork sticking up out of a rock. "Sagebrush", I thought and was going to continue on but decided to take another look through my waterlogged binoculars. It was an antler - connected to a rock. I sat down slowly as I was on an open slope, and watched that rock until it became a snow covered deer. Finally, the rock/deer moved and I could see that it was a nice 140 class buck bedded, with two inches of snow piled up on it's back and head. I had an option for a second tag and I was debating the idea of shooting the buck and going into town to get a second tag when two does suddenly jumped up from somewhere below the rock/buck and hurriedly paced up the swale.

My breath caught in my throat when I saw the reason for the does' quick movements. A gorgeous, perfectly symmetrical set of chocolate antlers was floating above the brush just below them, pushing them into my shooting lane. For at least the 100th time since beginning my quest for a big buck I said " This is it "...

[Huntrgathr]

As I got a better look at the buck that was pushing the does, I knew he was a "shooter". Not a monster, but a nearly perfect 4x4 with eyeguards and no real weaknesses other than a little lacking in the mass department. I thought a shot opp might materialize very quickly but the buck stopped pushing the does and bedded back down , obscured by a thick patch of buck brush and the does began lazily feeding up to my elevation. I laid on my side in the snow for a few minutes trying to formulate a game plan. I had the rock/buck bedded 60 yards from me, who had stood up during the commotion and bedded back down, facing me this time. Does were up feeding - and the big buck was bedded just out of sight maybe 90 yards below me in the swale. I didn't have a lot of options. I was laying in the open and the newly fallen snow was wet and noisy. I had one thin band of brush between me and the uppermost deer and a very thick patch of brush between me and the big buck. I had my doe hat on and the deer had noticed me but seemed to accept me as one of their own but would glance up at me anytime I moved or made the slightest sound. It was just before noon and the snow had accumulated about 3 1/2 inches. I decided to let things develop a little more but after 20 minutes of waiting the deer hadn't moved. It was cold now, with a steady breeze that was luckily in my favor at the moment but I knew I couldn't count on it for any amount of time. Wind shifts are my nemesis.

I slooooowly slipped my pack off and started inching down the slope on my butt - just a couple inches at a time. I was hoping to close the distance a little and get a better shooting lane so that if the buck headed up again I would have a clear lane to shoot out to about 60 yds. Over the course of about 45 minutes I covered the 10 yards to the thin band of brush, slipped an arrow out of my quiver, and settled in.

Over the next two hours three different deer converged on the area to check things out. The first deer to arrive followed the same route I had come in on, winded me and blew out. I thought for sure it would alert the other deer to my presence but they looked up, looked at me with my doe hat on, looked at the deer clearing out behind me, looked back at me and went back to feeding. Bullet dodged. The second deer to come on the scene, a doe, fed down across from me - looking at me frequently. I tried to maintain my position to look like a bedded deer and the doe seemed to buy it but had me pinned for quite some time.

There was now about 4 inches of snow - two inches under me and two inches on top of me. The snow under me had melted from my body heat and had started soaking into my fleece clothes. I heard noise about 120 yds above me and slowly turned my head to see a small 4 point buck ambling across the slope. He noticed the does up feeding and turned to make a bee line down to them. I thought again, " This is it, this buck is going to come down to check out the does and the big buck will chase him off. I'm sure I'll get my shot now". He got closer - 90,80 , then 60 yards from the does. 50, 40, 30... I expected to see the big buck get up at any moment to challenge this intruder. But as the new buck reached the does and began sniffing them out, hooking them a little, the buck did not move. To my amazement and disappointment , The new buck settled in with the herd unchallenged. I was very cold by now, shivering in a puddle of melted snow with the snow on top of me starting to seep through as well.

I layed there for what seemed an eternity, trying to control my shivering and wishing I had not left my pack 20 yds behind me. Cramps would come and go - first my neck , then my back, then a hamstring cramp that I thought would surely blow my cover. Each new cramp was an adventure in and of itself. My body screamed to stand up, to stretch and move, but I fought through each one with sheer willpower and pain-blocking.

I was shaking uncontrollably when the big buck finally stood up - hours had passed. He slowly fed around and I thought " It doesn't matter if this buck gives me a shot, I don't think I can draw my bow - let alone shoot accurately. After ten minutes of feeding, the buck bedded back down and my heart sunk. " It's over. I'm going to have to move soon and I'm going to have to watch this buck bounce away after all this suffering ". I could no longer control my shivering and knew that I was entering hypothermia. I closed my eyes, laid my head down and felt sorry for myself. I don't know how long I layed there. I knew it was over but refused to stand up. The buck was bedded just out of range and I needed him to close another 15 yards to give me a shot. I didn't know if that would take 5 minutes or 5 hours or even if it would happen at all. It sounds silly but I tried to focus on the single thought of that deer standing up - I consciously willed him to stand up. I tried to see it happen in my head over and over. I held on to that thought. It was the only coping mechanism I had left.

After what seemed like another eternity ( my phone was in my pack so I had no way to tell time. After the fact, I calculated I laid there for about 4 1/2 hours), I opened my eyes in time to see the buck stand up and take a few steps closer to my shooting lane. Adrenaline surged into my system and, while I was still shaking I felt at least a little warmer. I raised my head a few inches and tried to reposition my bow that lay across my leg but found it to be frozen to my pants. Millimeter by millimeter I tore the bow free - like Velcro ripping. I lay on my right side, legs pointed at the deer, stiff as a board. Just as I managed to get my bow unstuck from my pants , the buck bedded down again at 70 yds. As the adrenaline faded I lost all hope...

[Huntrgathr]

I felt hopeless. I had already reached my "limit" multiple times and was exhausted. The irony of the situation made me scream internally. Here I was, probably just minutes away from the shot opportunity I had dreamed about so many times and I was fairly certain I wouldn't be able to draw my bow when it came time. I felt like a cold, dead fish with a fused spine laying there in a puddle of ice water on the side of the mountain. I tried to visualize myself taking the shot and couldn't. " there's no way", I told myself. A little panic came over me.

I closed my eyes and tried not to focus on the anticipation of the moment. I tried to calm my mind from the fear of not be able to finish the hunt. I resolved that when the time came I would just sit up and try to draw. If I couldn't, I would enjoy the moment of watching that majestic buck bound over the ridge. After some time, my heart began to slow and I felt warmer, even a little sleepy (probably early hypothermia). I slowly opened my eyes to see the buck still bedded, quickly being covered in snow. I closed my eyes again, slowed my breathing down and I imagined an image of myself releasing an arrow towards the buck and watched it hit home. I opened my eyes again and the buck shook his head and stood up, shook again to clear the snow from his back and looked uphill at the does bedded there. He began feeding towards them, now just 5 yards out of range. I felt calm and somewhat more confident as I inconspicously latched my release onto the string. The buck fed three steps closer to my shooting window and I held my breath. He got one step from a 59 yd broadside shot and turned to walk behind a large boulder, obscuring his vitals. I lifted my fogged rangefinder to my eye again, ranging every rock and bush around the buck to be prepared for whatever shot he was going to present. After a few minutes, the buck reversed his path and came around the frontside of the same boulder, silhouetted against it. 61 yds. I slowly tightened my stomach and back muscles, raising up sideways until I could slide my elbow under my ribcage and began raising myself ever-so-slowly to a partial sitting position. 6 sets of eyes and ears missed the small movement as I started to draw my bow. The moment of truth - I tensed my back and tried to rotate my release arm back. The bow stopped just short of the peak draw weight and I pulled with everything I had, trying to spread the bow apart that one last inch. I smiled as I came to full draw and settled my pin on the buck's vitals. I felt solid and watched the pin dance in slow motion for just a few seconds before tripping the release. The second the string dropped I knew I was doomed. The lower cam was too close to my leg and caught my pants as it rotated around. The arrow sailed over the buck. The whole herd came to attention, heads swiveling towards me. "Game over", I thought as I tried to remain perfectly still. I had taken my doe hat off by this time and was sure the deer would recognize me as an imposter. But, one by one, they lowered their heads and went back to what they were doing. I lowered my bow, carefully knocked another arrow and prepared for the greatest gift the mountain can give you- a second chance.

I drew again, this time trying to sit up as straight as possible to avoid the cam hitting my leg again. I drew, released, and felt the cam barely graze my knee. But the arrow flew straight as I watched it leave the bow and quickly stabilize as it crossed the drainage. I had a steep angle on the buck so was aiming in the upper third of the vitals. The arrow struck the deer about 4" high and passed through. I had serious concerns about the tracking job I was facing as he turned down the draw and disappeared behind the brush. The other deer watched him curiously but still didn't blow out. I couldn't believe the deer were still there and that the wind had held for the duration on the day. I felt very lucky and unlucky at the same time. I figured I had a fairly solid one-lung hit but it was at an angle that might put it more in the realm of a liver hit. I am a strong blood tracker but I knew with the fresh snow- now 8" deep continuing to pile up that I was short on time. I agonized over the prospects for a full 10 minutes when, lo and behold, the buck walked steadily back up the draw. I knocked my third and last arrow and took note of the heavy blood coming from the buck. I waited for him to come right underneath me. I knew where he stopped was 45 yards because I had already ranged the other buck there before. I fired another arrow to exit in front of the offside leg.

[Huntrgathr]

The buck dropped instantly as of his legs had been cut out from under him. The broadhead had obviously cut through the spine. As he expired , I set my bow on the ground, stretched my back and breathed a sigh of relief. I was absolutely awestruck at the whole experience. I was as much relieved that my suffering was over as I was that I had killed the buck. It reminded me of how I felt watching my sons being born - the relief, the ecstasy , the satisfaction and also the feeling of being witness to the circle of life...

There was at least 14" of snow on the ground by the time I got the buck quartered out. It was a black, moonless night. I shouldered my pack full of meat and and set out for the three hour trip back to the trailhead. The wind was driving the snow sideways, back and forth, swirling in the circle of light from my headlamp. It felt like being inside a shaken snow globe painted black on the outside. I had to choose between stumbling along in the dark or using my headlamp. Both offered about the same visibility but the snow blowing in the beam of my lamp was disorienting. There were literally hundreds of deer tracks I crossed that night. There had onviously been a mass exodus as I was cutting my deer up. had quite an adventure getting out of the woods that night and knew that I still had to pack back in in the morning to get the rest of the meat.

The following morning I woke up still fairly spent but I dug out dry clothes and set off up the trail. A walk that should have taken me an hour and a half took three and a half hours. When I reached the meat cache there was well over two feet of snow. I weighed that second pack load when I finally made it home - just over 95 pounds. It took all day long wading through waist deep drifts, falling and falling again on unseen obstacles and drop-offs. I reached a point of exhaustion where my heart literally ached. I felt like resting after just a few steps each time. I left everything I had on the mountain those two days. I spent two days at home, mostly in bed , afterwords. I know for a fact that I don't have too many more hunts like that in me - maybe no more.

After looking at the wound channels I found that the first hit was indeed lethal but was happy that I'd gotten the follow up shot. The second arrow went through the upper scapula at a steep angle, down through the very front of the lungs and right into the spine where it drops very low on the neck. I was impressed with the amount of bone the VPA was able shatter and split.

[Huntrgathr]

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[Huntrgathr]

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[Huntrgathr]

I didn't measure the buck for months. I was nervous that he would score lower than I thought and somehow take away from the experience for me. I knew he wasn't B+C and was a little shy on mass but didn't know beyond that. When the scorecard was tallied up to 163 4/8" I was actually a little surprised and totally satisfied. It will likely be a very long time before I kill a buck I can be more proud of. Hope you enjoyed the story.

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[realunlucky]

I really enjoyed your writeup. Thank you

[Heartwood]

Thanks for sharing this well written and entertaining story. The truth is indeed stranger than any fiction we can think up!

[Huntrgathr]

Thanks for sharing this well written and entertaining story. The truth is indeed stranger than any fiction we can think up!

No doubt. When I hit that buck the second time it was like he had been struck by lightning - just dropped like a 250 pound sack of lead. Couldn't believe it. The arrow shattered the scapula as pictured and went almost completely through the neck vertebrae. I don't shoot a particularly high performance bow but it is super tuned and I think that makes a big difference in penetration...

I still feel some after effects from that cold sit. I get chilled now almost instantly in temps that never would have bothered me before. Not sure if it makes sense medically but I'm definitely not the same as I was.

[GobbleFarmer]

Super impressive and I love uero skull mounts, when I have more time on the computer Ill read the whole story... Congrats dude!

[GobbleFarmer]

Wow that is crazy, I don't think I could have lasted through all the cramping, or laying in melted snow that really is an amazing story and a great read. Thank you for sharing.