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nice mule deer

For a variety of reasons I haven't killed a deer in over a decade, but God dropped a New Year's present in my lap this year!

blew a couple good opportunity's

I had my opportunity for a really nice coues but just missed the killing zone and spent a couple days and miles of tracking until he was gone, this sad ending will haunt me for a while, I am very sure a chance at a big coues deer doesn't come often for archery hunters. I have no doubt he will survive but he will unfortunately be crippled, the shot blew his elbow up and went through low brisket, I had the doe at 30 yds and the buck came in beyond her and it looked like 10yds but instead of ranging him I just put my 40 on him and I was wrong.....I ranged 46 yds the next day, he was just so much bigger than the doe that he looked closer to her than he was. I told a couple different hunters where he went in hopes of him being taken so hopefully someone gets him, if they don't hunt him then they are missing out on a heck of a coues. I personally have a hard time wounding an animal especially when all I had to do was range him and it would have been an easy kill. I get the fact that it eventually happens to most hunters and it has happened once on an elk but that still has no effect of how it makes me feel, I didn't see the elk after it happened but I did see the coues deer twice before he got away and he was hurting for sure.

It was however a hunt to remember, full of super beautiful country, very extreme weather, unforgettable highs, bottom of the barrel lows and I shared most of the experience with a good friend.