A MT Mule deer Hunt. Pic heavy!
Mule Deer
Contributors to this thread:
This is the story of my 2014 Montana mule deer hunt. It starts in March when special tags are drawn for deer and elk. I was lucky and drew a 270-50 mule deer buck permit. 45 tags. This unit peaked from 2002-2006. It still holds lots of deer and some great bucks. Its a HUGE unit with lots of roads and burns.. Here's the story of my hunt. HUNT
March to June. I was talking to lots of people about the unit. Friends ,outfitters, FWP people and anyone that had any info. I have spent 100s of hours horn hunting this unit in early 200s. I have elk hunted here and even guided some for Joe A.K.A Mule Power.
Late July. Now i am scouting Alot. Lots of 4 am wake ups. In the truck driving the 100s of miles of logging roads in the Unit. Watching the boys of summer.HUNT
August 1 -13th. More early morning scouting trips. The deer where out good early from daylight to 7 am. I am seeing 100s of bucks. Just not a for sure shooter. I will keep looking. HUNT
Lots of these. They never get old. HUNT
Late August 20-25th. Things are starting to change. The weather is changing and so are the bucks.HUNT
August 24. i see my first hard horned bucks. This was the widest deer i saw all year. Just didn't split in the back. HUNT
The pic for August 24th. HUNT
This is what my front seat looked like all summer. HUNT
August 30-31. I am watching 3 diffrent good bucks now. There is a great 5 by6 with a kicker and a nice clean 5 by5.HUNT
Keep it coming... we like pic heavy!
Sept 6. Opening day. I was looking for the 5 by 6. Not long after daylight i find him. I move in with my hunting partner Roger taking pics. I had him 34 yards . But he broke his left g 4 off. HUNT
Mid day is spent in the shade of the truck glassing.HUNT
Opening day ends with 26 bucks spotted and 8 with in 40 yards. A great start. We set up camp and make a plan for the morning. HUNT
Sept 7. Its a little slower today. We find some bucks but no shooters. HUNT
Here we go! Bring it on HUNT!!!
Mark
Sept 8-14. I hunt two afternoons. A few little bucks. I turn my focus to elk for the next 2 weeks. HUNT
Love it buddy, happy for you!
Sept 13 -28th. Elk time. I have a great elk hunt. I was in on 5 kills and had a chance at a booner. I also got to help a bowsiter get his first elk. Congrats again Trevor. HUNT
September turns to October and the big bucks are hard to find. I hunt 5 days in Oct and never saw a 4 year old buck. But the rut is coming. HUNT
The end. ha ha
Take your time Hunt. Already a good story.
I'm glad I got the pic on the phone yesterday or I'd be saying hurry the heck up!
I had no doubt you'd get it done. I can't recall an unpunched tag with your name on it. Congratulations buddy.
Oct 27. It rifle season now. Lots of elk hunters out and Orange every where. I am carrying my bow and Roger is packing the Rifle. He has a whitetail tag and a wolf tag. Pre rut is picking up and the bucks are with the does. I find a nice buck and move in. To many eyes and 90 is as close as i can get. HUNT
This will be a cranker if he makes it. 8 by 9 2 year old. HUNT
Heck yea! I knew when ya said ya had a good tag there'd be a great story to follow. Thanks for sharing!
Nov 1 and 2nd. Weather is changing. I am seeing bucks all day and diffrent ones every day. I wait and make stalks on High Tines a clean 5 by5 in the 170s. He makes me look like a fool and wins the game this time. HUNT
This is a nice buck in the photo. They love the burns. Easy to see them hard to get bow range. I am seeing 20 plus bucks a day now and bigger ones all the time. Have to love the rut. HUNT
Nov 8th. Its going to be 60 today. On the way in this buck was thirsty. He didnt want to leave. HUNT
Roger sees a nice buck coming down the hill at daylight. We move in and i make the decision to pass. Had him broadside at 43 full draw. just not the one. HUNT
We load up the packs and head in to glass. HUNT
The sun is up and so are the bucks. We glass and enjoy the nice weather while it lasts. HUNT
We spot a buck pushing does I make a move and here he comes. I am full draw and its just a BIG 2 point. Dang. HUNT
The day ends with a great sunset and more bucks. HUNT
We got the wall tent up now. Wood stove is nice this time of year. We relax eat and make a plan. HUNT
Nov 9. Up early to glass some open faces down low. Sheep and a few small bucks is it early. HUNT
Rut is in full swing now. HUNT
It starts to rain and a weather change is coming. We take a nap mid day as it pours rain. In the evening we find a nice buck.HUNT
Nov 10. Cold 10 degree. We call off work and i head out for a evening hunt.
Really enjoy the way you put together the pics from the beginning all the way through your hunts. Looking forward to the rest of the story.
There is a buck crossing the hill in the pic above. I hit the can call. He looks my way. I hit it again and here he comes. HUNT
A great buck. Broadside at 32 yards. Just not the one. HUNT
Its snowing hard . I head down to the truck in a white out. Ready for the next day.
Nov 11. Veterans day. Thanks Guys. I head in to check some doe groups. Its cold 4 below. I find a great buck with some does. HUNT
I call him onto 25 yards. weak fronts.HUNT
When i got back to the truck in the sun it was only 3. Burr. But the deer where up and moving. HUNT
Nov 12. I had a Idaho deer tag and the season closes nov 20th. So i get up at 3 am and drive 150 miles to be in the stand by daylight. It pays off and i got a nice bonus buck. I had him loaded and on the road by 9 and in my mule deer unit by 2. HUNT
I find some nice bucks but not where i can hunt. I do get some info about a big buck from a local. HUNT
Nov 13th. Cold 10 below. I have a buddy with me today. Its nice to have the extra set of eyes. HUNT
We see a ton of deer. This buck is moving in the photo. I had him at 45 but passed and then second guessed myself. He never gave me another shot.
We get some info about a non typ. We head that way. We find 6 bucks on the hill chasing does. He is not there.
Nov 14. Its warmed up to 10 and is snowing. I plan to look for the non typ. First i was going to look at a doe group that had a different buck there the last 2 days. I find some does but no bucks. I thought that was weird and took another look with the spotter. Bang there a big one with a doe pinned down in a dead tree. I make a plan.
I but the bow on the pack and grab the heads up decoy. They are 800 yards up the hill and in a steep cut.I grab the trekking poles and head around the hill down wind and out of sight for now. There are 3 does up the hill and the doe and buck in the cut. I get to the top in 15 mins and can see the 3 does above. I show them the decoy and hit the can twice. They see me and get nervous. Then the doe in the bottom gets up and i start ranging rocks and deer and stumps. I drop the decoy and hit the can. She looks up and here he comes neck stretched out and grunting. I come to full draw and dig my foot in to the hill. My bubble is maxed out to the right i level up and its gone. We have contact and he is sick fast. He beds head up. I duck down and slide fall and run around the hill. I pop over and there he is . I waste no time and stick him again. He slides down the Mountain. I am in shock. 19 days of hunting, 1oo s of bucks and he is down. Solo alone snowing i walk up to my buck. HUNT
Fabulous story, please do keep on!
He is a beast of a deer. I sit there in shock. I just look at him for 2o mins. My whole life growing up in GA i dreamed of a buck like this. Now he is laying there in the snow dead.
I move him and get set up for self timers. I wish Roger was here to take pics. HUNT
Great job hunt man, thanks for sharing!
Awesome story and pics! Congratulations!
Way to go HUNT! Stoked to see you got it done!
Congratulations!!!
Thanks for taking us along.
A few more self timers.HUNT
I drag him down the mnt . Its a chore takes hour and a half to make it down. I didnt care i was looking at this the whole time smiling. HUNT
Pic heavy! Hunt heavy! Muley heavy! Equals celebrate heavy! Congrats!
I get him down and loaded up after a struggle at the truck. Happy i hit the road. When i get home i hang him and wait for the boys to come over . He is a big deer. HUNT
When Roger and my buddies show up we take some more pics.
Congrats HUNT. Great story and pictures.
You did a great job with the self-timed shots, Hunt!
Congrats! Great buck and a great job with the story.
AWESOME!!!! Love the way you tell your stories!! Congrats on a fine buck!!
Have you been Putting in for a Bighorn tag for that area? Congratulations on a nice buck.
Nice work! Great story and photos!
Great Thread Hunt Man!
Congrats, Sir!
Best of Luck, Jeff
Great story, pics and hunt! Congrats!
A refreshing change form the 'mobile live WT' hunts!!!
Thanks for the ride HUNT ! Agreat story and a great buck. Congrats to you !
Awesome story and awesome pics! What a buck and badass hunt
Congrats Hunt, that is awesome! I had complete confidence in you as usual. Congrats again on a great buck.
Awesome HUNT MAN!!!! Congrats on a great buck! Thanks for doing this.
Thanks guys. I have two buddies that drew the tag with me. One still has a tag and one got a giant with the rifle. Hope to post a few more kill pics. HUNT
I know a few guys who are driven to hunt, they go regardless of the obstacles that pop up, Hunter is one of those guys, Good job, you deserved what you got,
Congrats! What a great hunt a d a great buck
Nice hunt and congrats on a good one!
Congratulations and great writing!
Great deer and great write up. Thanks for bringing us along. Congrats.
HUNT, congrats on a giant....you persevered and beat him on his own terms!
Maybe you can elaborate....what are you shooting for bow, arrow, sight, rest, BH, release, etc these days?
Mark
Fantastic job with the photo essay and with an awesome buck. Thanks so much for sharing this with us! This was really inpirational for me right now, out on the plains alone, wind chill about -10, snowing, bucks in lockdown and scarce. Your thread encouraged me to bundle up and head back out.
Congratulations, Hunt!
Love those big mulies in rut!
Great buck & story as well!
Congrats
Jaquomo, Thanks i learned alot from your hunts over the years. Good luck only takes one. HUNT
Congrats HUNT and thanks so much for sharing!
Awesome hunt Hunt!! Congrats
Congrats. Great buck. Happy for you brother!
--Jim
Hunt, I'm super happy for you. Grats man. Hell of a hunt and hell of a buck. Thanx for taking the time to post the story.
What a season! You'll remember this one forever.
Hunt, thanks for sharng, your hunts are always a treat to read. It is amazing how many bucks you passed! Congrats.
Congrats again bud! You get it...
Congrats on a hell of a deer and a hell of a story Hunt! Thanks for taking the time!
Nicely done Hunt!! Congrats!!!
Way to go, HUNT! Beautiful, big buck, great story and pics!
That's excellent Hunt, congrats! One month from today I'll start in Nevada, can't wait...
Congrats again man... You certainly deserve it. Can't wait to see this beast in person this weekend!
That's a great buck thanks for posting!
Nice ! Excellent in both the doing and the telling . Thanks
That's a lot of perseverance, Hunt! Nice buck, and greats photos.
Absolutely awesome! Congrats to u!
If you guys think he types a good story you should spend a few nights in a wall tent with Hunt. He has a helluva sense of humor too. The guy has had me laughing until I couldn't breathe. In tears! (Don't look Duke lol!)
Congrats again Hunt. The more I look at that buck the bigger he gets.
Great pics, story, and buck!!! Congrats HUNT!
Great hunt, and great buck! Thanks for sharing.
Congratulations and thanks for the great write-up and photos!
>>>>-------->
Excellent!! Great pics too, I'd be happy with almost any of those other ones at this point...
Congrats Hunt. Great pictures and story for sure. That is a dandy of a buck.
Hunt,
Good job dude, I knew the best bowhunter in Montana would get a nice buck!
Great job...what a hunt! Thanks for taking the decoy.
GR Heads Up Decoy
Awesome buck!! Congrats!
Bake
Congrats Hunt! Very good buck, even better write up! I really admire your dedication. Mike
Great buck, congratulations! Thanks for the story and all the pictures. I passed up two smaller bucks yesterday hunting in zero degree weather and was getting discouraged. I decided to look on Bowsite for Jacuomo's annual thread to get some inspiration. I found yours instead and now I'm ready to go back at it tomorrow.
Super sweet buck and even better job telling the story! congratulations on a job well done!!!
-10.... good grief.... my thermometer doesn't go that low....
Congrats! That's a dandy, big body too. Well earned, well deserved. Good job.
Man, what an awesome hunt and recap! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks again guys. To me this is what bowsite is all about. HUNT
Great buck and great story.
Awesome stuff buddy. Congrats. Love all the pix
Wonderful photos, thanks for sharing.
Outstanding HUNT! Really enjoy the short captions under the pics, makes for an easy read. Great job!
Well done....both the hunt and the story telling.
Many thanks for sharing; congratulations on taking a cracking buck
I didn't know eagles had beards.
Very nice Hunt Man. Glad that Barty brought this thread back to the top, because I missed it the first go-round while away on a hunt. Great looking buck.
What an awesome thread. Nice buck and great story/pictures!
Awesome Huntman, Congrats!!
Thanks for sharing.
Bill V.
Excellent thread. Congratulations on a real trophy!!
That one is gonna feel good forever - way to stick a wall hanger.
Who took the pix? As good a job on that end as I've seen - and excellent optics. Were you digiscoping those through your Swaro?
Heck yeah Hunter, great buck! I missed this thread and have been wondering how your hunt ended up coming together.
Way to make the most of the tag!
Damn I missed this thread! Congrats Man!!
I missed this one also. Probably hunting too much. lol
Looks like a couple yard sales when you open the back of that 4runner.
It is crazy how much gear we carry with us to hunt.
Thanks for sharing
Great buck and awesome pics. Thanks for sharing
Great story and great hunt.. Congrats
You earned it! Congratulations.
Ermont,
Thanks for bringing this back.....a Bowsite classic!
Mark
I love the pictures!
What do you do for a living that allows you this much time to scout?
Im assuming you live there?
Thanks again guys. Best of luck and may your arrows flight true in 2016! Hunt
I missed this one as well. Must have been "busy" this fall. Congrats on a great hunt, Hunt.
Missed it too... bad ass.... congrats. Ed F
Congratulations and thank you for sharing! Fantastic trip report, wow!!!
Awesome story!! Great buck! Congrats!
Sweet! Congrats, that was a good read
Great story, and pictures:-) I love Mule Deer hunts. Thanks for sharing.
Sweet! Congrats, that was a good read
Great story and an awesome buck. Thanks for sharing.
Sweet! Congrats, that was a good read