BrowningRage
Long Time Member
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Well, my dad drew a general season muzzy tag this year. Mostly he likes this tag because its such a beautiful time to be in the Uintas. We never have very high expectations as far as buck size and often fill the freezer with younger bucks. But not this year.
I planned on working on opening day of the Muzzy Hunt and was going to drive up Thursday and join my dad and uncle in hopes of finding a buck to put my dad's tag on. Unfortunately for me, I received a phone call at 9am on Thursday telling me I wouldn't be driving up after all.
My dad and uncle spent Opening Day hunting in one particular drainage where we have seen bucks in the past. There is a dirt road that provides some access to the area, but we really only ever see elk hunters in there. Its not an area with many deer. After hunting all Opening Day in that area, the only buck they saw was a 2-point and they only saw 11 deer all day. Not a very good start.
The next morning, they decided to head over to a different area. The majority of this country is heavily timbered and makes it difficult to implement general tactics of spot and stalk. Walking in these wooded areas can produce deer, or, road hunting some of the small dirt roads will turn up some deer. In the early morning light, my dad and uncle were headed along a low ridgeline when they spotted a 2-point and a doe together feeding in a sparse Quakie Grove. They moved further along the ridge but my dad had a feeling he might want to go back and shoot the 2-point if he were still in the area. As they made their way back along the ridgeline to where the 2-point and doe had been, my uncle spotted another deer disappearing into some thicker Quakies. It was only 40 yards away, but it was in the leafy trees and he had to put up his binos to see what it was. When he found it in the glass, his jaw dropped and he whispered to my dad, "It's a nice buck." The buck started walking and my dad glanced it's antlers and in his own words, "got buck fever". He fumbled for a moment with his cap but was finally loaded and shouldered the Hawkin Smokepole. BOOM.!! Cloud of smoke. For those that have hunted with a muzzleloader, you know that feeling just after shooting when you can't hear or see anything in front of you. It can be an eternity. "You missed him!" my uncle said...
The buck wasn't exactly bookin it, but he was trotting off through the Quakies. Luckily, he was making his way into the area that was a little more open. At this point, my dad is reloading. My uncle notices another deer that has already moved off to the other side of the Aspen Grove, it is the doe from before. My dad's buck turns his focus on the doe and instead of high-tailing it out of there, he turns and starts towards the doe. He is walking broadside at about 75 yards through the Aspens. My dad is reloaded and is free-handing his Hawkin. As the buck moves into a gap between the Aspens, BOOM..!! He let another one rip. "He's down, you hit him..!!" my uncle says. When they get up to him my dad put another round into him for good measure and his hunt was over. He says it was bitter sweet since I couldn't be there, but I told him it is all sweet as this is the best buck he has ever killed, let alone with his Muzzy.
The buck is 24" wide and I scored him at 161 5/8" It would have been nice to have weighed the old boy, he was a brute. The fattest buck I've ever skinned and butchered by far.
Way to go dad..!! You deserve this awesome buck..!!
My uncle was just as excited as my dad...
"Therefore, wo be unto him that is at ease in Zion!" 2 Ne. 28: 24
I planned on working on opening day of the Muzzy Hunt and was going to drive up Thursday and join my dad and uncle in hopes of finding a buck to put my dad's tag on. Unfortunately for me, I received a phone call at 9am on Thursday telling me I wouldn't be driving up after all.
My dad and uncle spent Opening Day hunting in one particular drainage where we have seen bucks in the past. There is a dirt road that provides some access to the area, but we really only ever see elk hunters in there. Its not an area with many deer. After hunting all Opening Day in that area, the only buck they saw was a 2-point and they only saw 11 deer all day. Not a very good start.
The next morning, they decided to head over to a different area. The majority of this country is heavily timbered and makes it difficult to implement general tactics of spot and stalk. Walking in these wooded areas can produce deer, or, road hunting some of the small dirt roads will turn up some deer. In the early morning light, my dad and uncle were headed along a low ridgeline when they spotted a 2-point and a doe together feeding in a sparse Quakie Grove. They moved further along the ridge but my dad had a feeling he might want to go back and shoot the 2-point if he were still in the area. As they made their way back along the ridgeline to where the 2-point and doe had been, my uncle spotted another deer disappearing into some thicker Quakies. It was only 40 yards away, but it was in the leafy trees and he had to put up his binos to see what it was. When he found it in the glass, his jaw dropped and he whispered to my dad, "It's a nice buck." The buck started walking and my dad glanced it's antlers and in his own words, "got buck fever". He fumbled for a moment with his cap but was finally loaded and shouldered the Hawkin Smokepole. BOOM.!! Cloud of smoke. For those that have hunted with a muzzleloader, you know that feeling just after shooting when you can't hear or see anything in front of you. It can be an eternity. "You missed him!" my uncle said...
The buck wasn't exactly bookin it, but he was trotting off through the Quakies. Luckily, he was making his way into the area that was a little more open. At this point, my dad is reloading. My uncle notices another deer that has already moved off to the other side of the Aspen Grove, it is the doe from before. My dad's buck turns his focus on the doe and instead of high-tailing it out of there, he turns and starts towards the doe. He is walking broadside at about 75 yards through the Aspens. My dad is reloaded and is free-handing his Hawkin. As the buck moves into a gap between the Aspens, BOOM..!! He let another one rip. "He's down, you hit him..!!" my uncle says. When they get up to him my dad put another round into him for good measure and his hunt was over. He says it was bitter sweet since I couldn't be there, but I told him it is all sweet as this is the best buck he has ever killed, let alone with his Muzzy.
The buck is 24" wide and I scored him at 161 5/8" It would have been nice to have weighed the old boy, he was a brute. The fattest buck I've ever skinned and butchered by far.
Way to go dad..!! You deserve this awesome buck..!!
My uncle was just as excited as my dad...
"Therefore, wo be unto him that is at ease in Zion!" 2 Ne. 28: 24
He's going to look great on the wall across from my dad's 2011 Book Cliffs buck that scored 160" exactly... 
