midwesthunter
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I set off for my first mule deer hunt this last fall. I had high hopes for this hunt. I got up on the mountain the day before the opener and did a little glassing. Well opening morning I am in my glassing spot and sun is coming up. See couple small bucks and a decent 4x4. Then I see 4 guys on the other side of the drainage from me, 3 more at the top of the drainage and one posted at the bottom. Well the guy at the bottom started up the drainage, blowing those bucks towards the other groups which two bucks were shot. Well threw my pack on and went to another drainage about 1/2 mile away. I see orange and horse, but I post up in my glassing spot watch some small bucks and does feed. Spent the rest of opening day moving slowly around to get better look from as far away as I could. Didn't see anything worth shooting. Seen at least 10 guys in this area. Well second day, back up in my spot and here comes the horse army. I was watching the lower sections pretty good figuring the bigger bucks had moved lower. There were a couple guys on horses coming up through the bottom drainage pushing deer and elk out. They hit every pocket on the way up the mountain, neither had orange on. They got to the top and met some others and I watched them move to another drainage and do the same thing. So after dropping down to grab some water, I counted 16 guys with horses in these two drainages. I figured time to move, but as I was almost past the second drainage I noticed a deer feeding so I set up to look for others (it was a small fork buck) Well he kept feeding his way to me so I hung tight and watched. Well a group of 4 guys was about 300 yards to my right and about 200 yards lower than me. I didn't see them till one decided to put an orange hat on. Well I got to watch one of the guys not wearing orange shoot the small buck about 100 yards away from me. I headed to another drainage about 4 miles away. All I seen there was more horses and hunters. I tried to stay positive, but was very frustrated, I should have gotten horses to increase my hunt area. Well Day 3 (Sat) and by 9AM I had seen over a dozen hunters. They were all pushing up from the bottoms through all the drainage's. I'm not sure if they were trying to push some buck up higher and then hunt them or what? But I through the towel in. Packed camp and headed back to IN. Well I decided to lick my wounds and return for the last week of the season in a different unit that had a later opening day. So the morning I started hunting again, I hiked up in the dark stopping right at tree line, waiting for some light to get set up and glass. I stayed there for about 2 hours before heading the rest of the way up. On the way up I had kicked up a good buck a couple hundred yards ahead of me. I watched him run down into the drainage and back up the other side. I watched him disappear into a thicket that was about 50 yards tall and 100 yards wide. He never came out, so I found a spot I could glass from and hopefully get a shot. I sat on him all day never seeing him, but knew he hadn't left that area. About 30 min before sun set a couple small bucks and does started to feed out of the bottom of the thicket. I kept scanning looking for the bigger buck I jumped earlier. At sun set I was working on a plan to be set up in the morning before day light hoping he was still around. It was then about 10 min after sunset he showed him self at the top of the thicket. I quickly ranged him at 510 yards and again at 512 yards. I slid my rifle on top of my pack and dialed for the elevation, and held 3.5 MOA for wind and squeezed off a shot. He acted hit and headed back into the thicket not coming out. Now it was almost dark and knew I wouldn't make it to the spot I shot him at before dark. I headed back to camp for a long restless night. I don't know how many times I went over the shot in my head that night. I was up there at first light, but with the very light snow and frost blood was hard to find. Few hours later I found him pilled up about 5 yards from the bottom of the thicket. This was my first mule deer hunt, so I am extremely pleased with the outcome. Somewhere along the way home I lost my phone so lost all photo's from my second hunt. Here are some pics from the first hunt and my euro mount of the buck.
