J
JustHuntn
Guest
Hello all...
Thought I would share with the MonsterMuley family my experience of tagging my first ever mule deer...
First, I would like to thank my Pops for everything he has ever taught me, and for "raising" me into the world of hunting...
My Dad and I have been putting in for this unit for 7 years and I finally drew it with 6 points. Pops should draw it next year. I told myself that I would hold out for something that would score at least 185-190, mainly because this was my first deer tag, and it took me seven years to draw it...
Saturday we looked over 8 bucks, but nothing in the ball park of what I was looking for. The next morning, we spotted another 9 bucks, bigger than the morning before, but still nothing that I was willing to pull the trigger on. Pops and I decided we would walk a ridge close to where we were seeing the majority of the deer?
We got about 15 minutes into the hike when we bumped what we thought were 4 does. We stopped and watched them as they watched us at about 75 yards. The front doe started to trot away, followed by the other three, but then out pops a buck as he followed behind them. We never seen him or even knew that he was there. He looked like a good buck, definitely bigger than anything we had already seen. To our surprise, all five deer stop, still at about 75 yards. I sit down, and steady myself on my shooting stick. The buck is standing broadside, looking at us, but he has 2 does between me and him. I look him over through my scope. I know he's the biggest we have seen yet, but I'm still not sure if he's what I'm looking for. By this time I've got the shakes pretty good, and my adrenaline is pumping by the gallons. I have a shot, but it's not the safest shot. Pops is to the right of me behind some scrub-oak, and can't see the buck. I sat there debating, should I shoot, should I shoot when they finally decided to move down hill. They weren't in a real hurry, and I had a clear broadside shot as he moved away, but I didn't shoot. I wasn?t 100% positive that he was what I was holding out for, so I passed. We sat for a minute to not spook them any further. As we sat there, I was beginning to feel regret for not taking him...
We decided to move to the top of the ridge to see where they were heading. We spotted them at the bottom of the ridge near a wide-open park, and watched them as they broke out into the wide open. This is when I realized how big of an idiot I was for not taking the shot. Out in the open he looked impressive. We watched them as they ran to the opposite side of the meadow into a small band of scrub-oak and pines, that was just below another large park. I high-tailed it down the ridge to circle around and get above them before they broke out into the other meadow. Pops stayed on the ridge where everything first took place to watch everything go down. I make it over to the higher park, above the band of trees I thought they were still in. As I make my way into the scrub-oak from above, I see the white of a deer face looking right at me. I freeze, and think to myself, what are the chances of me walking right in on 'em. I get down on my knees and look through the bino's to see if it was the buck or the does. It was definitely the buck, but he's got me pegged. Plus, where are the does? I'm sure they have me spotted too. I decided to scoot closer towards him on my knees using a small pine as cover hoping that he wouldn't spook. He's still staring straight at me, head-on at about 80 yards, and he's not budging. This stare-down lasts about 15-20 minutes before he finally relaxes and starts to feed again. I've had him my scope this whole time waiting for him to make that turn broadside. Finally he turns. Boom! "I can't believe it... He's down". One shot dropped him. I look across the open park to the ridge all this started on to see where Pops was. He was already moving towards me, smile ear to ear, and giving me a thumbs up. Pops finally gets over to me, and come to find out, he had been watching the buck the whole time, but had no idea where I was. Needless to say, I was pumped, Pops was pumped, and finally after 7 years, I have my first deer...
This buck was the 18th buck we had seen that weekend. Probably not the 185? deer I thought I would hold out for, but all that goes out the window when you've got your first big buck standing broadside to you in your scope. No official score on him yet, but I'm hoping he'll go 170-180. Whatever the score, I could not be happier with him as my first buck?
Thought I would share with the MonsterMuley family my experience of tagging my first ever mule deer...
First, I would like to thank my Pops for everything he has ever taught me, and for "raising" me into the world of hunting...
My Dad and I have been putting in for this unit for 7 years and I finally drew it with 6 points. Pops should draw it next year. I told myself that I would hold out for something that would score at least 185-190, mainly because this was my first deer tag, and it took me seven years to draw it...
Saturday we looked over 8 bucks, but nothing in the ball park of what I was looking for. The next morning, we spotted another 9 bucks, bigger than the morning before, but still nothing that I was willing to pull the trigger on. Pops and I decided we would walk a ridge close to where we were seeing the majority of the deer?
We got about 15 minutes into the hike when we bumped what we thought were 4 does. We stopped and watched them as they watched us at about 75 yards. The front doe started to trot away, followed by the other three, but then out pops a buck as he followed behind them. We never seen him or even knew that he was there. He looked like a good buck, definitely bigger than anything we had already seen. To our surprise, all five deer stop, still at about 75 yards. I sit down, and steady myself on my shooting stick. The buck is standing broadside, looking at us, but he has 2 does between me and him. I look him over through my scope. I know he's the biggest we have seen yet, but I'm still not sure if he's what I'm looking for. By this time I've got the shakes pretty good, and my adrenaline is pumping by the gallons. I have a shot, but it's not the safest shot. Pops is to the right of me behind some scrub-oak, and can't see the buck. I sat there debating, should I shoot, should I shoot when they finally decided to move down hill. They weren't in a real hurry, and I had a clear broadside shot as he moved away, but I didn't shoot. I wasn?t 100% positive that he was what I was holding out for, so I passed. We sat for a minute to not spook them any further. As we sat there, I was beginning to feel regret for not taking him...
We decided to move to the top of the ridge to see where they were heading. We spotted them at the bottom of the ridge near a wide-open park, and watched them as they broke out into the wide open. This is when I realized how big of an idiot I was for not taking the shot. Out in the open he looked impressive. We watched them as they ran to the opposite side of the meadow into a small band of scrub-oak and pines, that was just below another large park. I high-tailed it down the ridge to circle around and get above them before they broke out into the other meadow. Pops stayed on the ridge where everything first took place to watch everything go down. I make it over to the higher park, above the band of trees I thought they were still in. As I make my way into the scrub-oak from above, I see the white of a deer face looking right at me. I freeze, and think to myself, what are the chances of me walking right in on 'em. I get down on my knees and look through the bino's to see if it was the buck or the does. It was definitely the buck, but he's got me pegged. Plus, where are the does? I'm sure they have me spotted too. I decided to scoot closer towards him on my knees using a small pine as cover hoping that he wouldn't spook. He's still staring straight at me, head-on at about 80 yards, and he's not budging. This stare-down lasts about 15-20 minutes before he finally relaxes and starts to feed again. I've had him my scope this whole time waiting for him to make that turn broadside. Finally he turns. Boom! "I can't believe it... He's down". One shot dropped him. I look across the open park to the ridge all this started on to see where Pops was. He was already moving towards me, smile ear to ear, and giving me a thumbs up. Pops finally gets over to me, and come to find out, he had been watching the buck the whole time, but had no idea where I was. Needless to say, I was pumped, Pops was pumped, and finally after 7 years, I have my first deer...
This buck was the 18th buck we had seen that weekend. Probably not the 185? deer I thought I would hold out for, but all that goes out the window when you've got your first big buck standing broadside to you in your scope. No official score on him yet, but I'm hoping he'll go 170-180. Whatever the score, I could not be happier with him as my first buck?
