Greatest Mule Deer Hunter of all time?

There are a lot of them and I don’t want to take anything away from them. Who is the best or who thinks they’re the best. I’m lucky I have friends that have huge collections of the biggest Mule Deer ever killed, it’s truly amazing putting your hands on these giants. The guys that killed really big Deer In the Glory Days are dying and some of these fellows took quite a few Big Deer. 240 to 280. You can name an old timer like Ted Riggs or Kirk Darner. Who is the best - Thomas Baker- Jason Carter- Ryan Hatch- Clay Bundy - Jimmy John -Doyle Moss- Hush - Camron Haase
 
Jimmy John had killed some really big Mule Deer and he’s probably getting ready to take one off Antelope Island
 
I feel like it would be a tough case to argue against Jason Carter. Getting it done, in many different areas, unguided, over and over and over. If you’re a specialist in any one terrain, I think it takes you down a notch. The guy that can get it done in the Desert, mountains, etc. is really a special talent.
 
Many of these guys have put in time, money, resources and are super persistent. They hunt a ton so they keep getting better and better. They were once beginners themselves. They are so good because they do it so much and are extremely focused and persistent.

With hunting I don't think there is much natural talent, sure there is some, or some innate characteristic that are conducive with hunting. But it is mainly learned and earned, as are many things.
 
schoolhousegrizz said:
Many of these guys have put in time, money, resources and are super persistent. They hunt a ton so they keep getting better and better. They were once beginners themselves. They are so good because they do it so much and are extremely focused and persistent.

With hunting I don't think there is much natural talent, sure there is some, or some innate characteristic that are conducive with hunting. But it is mainly learned and earned, as are many things.
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Some of these guys mentioned are getting more help from others and have better access to the big bucks over others but they definitely get it done when it counts.
 
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Today in current times? I’d have to vote for Jason Carter. He’s probably the last person I’d want chasing me if I was a big deer. That dude has killed piles of 200”+ bucks and played important roles in many other taken by others.

And no im not a fan boi. He’s just really good at what he does when it comes to finding and killing big deer.
 
Hey Ridge!

When I Was 8 Years Old I Seen One Of The Biggest Bucks I've Ever Seen!

DAMN Straight I Wanted To Shoot Him!

I Was Only 1/2 Old Enough Though!

I Was Screaming At The Ole Man To Shoot Him!

And He Wouldn't Do It Because We Were On REDD Ranches Property & Hadn't Talked To Hardy Redd Yet To Get Permission To Hunt It!

It's Not Often You Can Watch a 40"ER Bound Off & Just Watch In Awe as He Goes Out Of Sight!

It's Embedded In My Brain,I Haven't Forgot It Nor Will I Ever Forget That Buck!
 
There's One Thing For Sure Niller!

You Wasn't Old Enough To See That 40"ER!



Vanilla said:
Now it makes sense. 8 year old bobcat sees a 27” pisscutter he called 40” and now it’s been down hill ever since!

It actually makes a lot of sense now. Carry on!
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Just because you have tons of money, access to unbelievable country, and can afford top notch outfitters, doesn’t mean you’re the best mule deer Hunter of all times. I’m sure some of the best hunters don’t have trophy walls as large as the guys with buttloads of money. Mule deer hunting is a skill that can’t be bought. So to really judge, you have to look at DIY hunters hunting public land. Someone mentioned Jason Carter on here and I can’t argue that. The best mule deer hunters I know are guys that hunt solo most of the time. In todays world, access is everything.
 
dvolmer said:
Just because you have tons of money, access to unbelievable country, and can afford top notch outfitters, doesn’t mean you’re the best mule deer Hunter of all times. I’m sure some of the best hunters don’t have trophy walls as large as the guys with buttloads of money. Mule deer hunting is a skill that can’t be bought. So to really judge, you have to look at DIY hunters hunting public land. Someone mentioned Jason Carter on here and I can’t argue that. The best mule deer hunters I know are guys that hunt solo most of the time. In todays world, access is everything.
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They can’t be the best unless you ad their names
 
elkassassin said:
I Remember You Posting That Pic Once Before hawk!

Not A Bad Place For A Breakdown!:D
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I come to this Website because it’s called Monster Muleys, not pisscutters or opportunity hunting. I like big Mule Deer and hunting stories about Big Mule Deer. So just for you I dug another old photo out that not very many people have seen. These two men know big Mule Deer Alton Hunsaker and Dana Hollinger with Alton’s Buck. The top photo is the top three Bucks in the World all togeather
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IMG_2768.jpeg
 
Thanks hawk!

I Know You're trying To Raise My Blood Pressure But Niller Beat You To It!

And It Wasn't From Him Posting Buck Pics!

Thanks!
 
hawkbill said:
I come to this Website because it’s called Monster Muleys, not pisscutters or opportunity hunting. I like big Mule Deer and hunting stories about Big Mule Deer. So just for you I dug another old photo out that not very many people have seen. These two men know big Mule Deer Alton Hunsaker and Dana Hollinger with Alton’s Buck. The top photo is the top three Bucks in the World all togeatherView attachment 125988View attachment 125988
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Years ago I lived in Box Elder county and had the pleasure of getting to know Alton Hunsaker. My wife is from Honeyville and her family were his neighbors. One day I visited with him while we were looking up into the Coldwater Basin where he killed the buck. He told me the story of the day he killed it. According to him the day he killed it he was just after a meat buck. When he saw it he thought it had some brush caught in its antlers. He shot it with a 30-30 I believe. No high powered gun or optics. Just an average joe enjoying a chance to hunt. Imagine his surprise when he saw that he had shot the buck of a lifetime. My memory is getting foggy, but that’s the way I remember it. BacDoc?
 
Bux n Dux said:
Today in current times? I’d have to vote for Jason Carter. He’s probably the last person I’d want chasing me if I was a big deer. That dude has killed piles of 200”+ bucks and played important roles in many other taken by others.

And no im not a fan boi. He’s just really good at what he does when it comes to finding and killing big deer.
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is he? or like many others does he have his posse locate bucks and he shoots them... I don't call those guys great hunters.
 
hawkbill said:
I come to this Website because it’s called Monster Muleys, not pisscutters or opportunity hunting. I like big Mule Deer and hunting stories about Big Mule Deer. So just for you I dug another old photo out that not very many people have seen. These two men know big Mule Deer Alton Hunsaker and Dana Hollinger with Alton’s Buck. The top photo is the top three Bucks in the World all togeatherView attachment 125988View attachment 125988
Click to expand...
Those are some of the greatest bucks ever..the Broder buck was killed in Canada and has Got a lot of history a long story of money and greed..the other buck hanging is also a Canadian buck I've never found much history on him he was killed in the late 1800s thankfully the families that had him kept the rack pretty well preserved for all of us to see and dream lol...the Hunsaker buck is one of my favorites.. He's just plain narley and he was killed here in Utah and that's pretty cool..thanks for posting those great photos hawkbill...
 
GilaJeff said:
Isn't he the guy who said he wasn't a good hunter, but had enough money to hire good hunters to guide him?
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Exactly right - he is a trigger puller. Nothing wrong with that and I don't blame him one bit for doing it, but he certainly has others do the "hunting" for him.
 
There are a lot of guys that are amazing Mule Deer hunters, but Jason Carter is the first guy that comes to mind when I think about the best mule deer hunter alive. That guy is an absolute killer and has done it over and over again in multiple states and all DIY for the most part I believe. I am certain that if you turned Carter loose in your favorite unit with a week to scout and two weeks to hunt he would more than likely kill one of the biggest bucks in the unit. He's the last guy i'd want to compete against in the woods for almost any western animal.

There are a few guys on the strip that are masters of the strip and surrounding areas as well, but I would vote for Jason Carter when it comes to all states combined and when it comes to doing it himself.

I don't consider any of the big money hunters in the conversation at all (Jimmy John, Alan Hamberlin, etc) because they are as useless as t!ts on a Nun without paying all sorts of people to find monsters for them. They are not elite in any way and are more than likely below average hunters. Heck Jimmy John can't even hike 1/4 mile without struggling. I love the animals they kill, but I really hope people don't actually consider them great hunters.
 
money said:
There are a lot of guys that are amazing Mule Deer hunters, but Jason Carter is the first guy that comes to mind when I think about the best mule deer hunter alive. That guy is an absolute killer and has done it over and over again in multiple states and all DIY for the most part I believe. I am certain that if you turned Carter loose in your favorite unit with a week to scout and two weeks to hunt he would more than likely kill one of the biggest bucks in the unit. He's the last guy i'd want to compete against in the woods for almost any western animal.

There are a few guys on the strip that are masters of the strip and surrounding areas as well, but I would vote for Jason Carter when it comes to all states combined and when it comes to doing it himself.

I don't consider any of the big money hunters in the conversation at all (Jimmy John, Alan Hamberlin, etc) because they are as useless as t!ts on a Nun without paying all sorts of people to find monsters for them. They are not elite in any way and are more than likely below average hunters. Heck Jimmy John can't even hike 1/4 mile without struggling. I love the animals they kill, but I really hope people don't actually consider them great hunters.
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Carter is definitely the real deal, but he has also certainly surrounded himself with guys that flat out get it done and know their stuff as well, but fly a little under the radar. Guys like Adam & Aaron Bronson, Wyatt Bowles, etc.
 
Honest question, and no disrespect meant.


But I'm always skeptical, and think it's interesting with all the books, and videos the great ones out out

How many of the "great" hunters are great vs they hunt great areas?
. Is the a great deer hunter hunting the N slope, or Manti a great hunter? Or is he great because he hunts the Pauns or Oak Creeks? If you transport the great hunter to below avg, units or ones with a lot of crowding, are they still pulling 180"+ deer when those deer are exceedingly rare?

One of the very best deer hunters around my area is an archery guy. His "skills" improve 10x, once the extended starts vs GS.

Always thought a real interesting show would be take 2 "pros", drop them in a random spot, film them for 5 days and see just how good they are in any area.
 
Great questions hoss. I don't get too tied up in who is the best at this hunting stuff.

I mean absolutely no disrespect to anyone, but for someone like Jason Carter, this is his job. He is a professional hunter. He has not always been that way, I get that, but this is what he does now. What about the guy that has a day job and still gets it done, maybe not to the level of inches or across the board with as many tags as someone who does this professionally is able to do, but is still getting it done with good deer every single year while still managing a normal life. His "bestest" status won't be measured in inches the same way as someone hunting premium units full time will, but that guy is still a very skilled hunter.

For the record, I'd put Jason Carter up there on skill with anyone. The dude knows his stuff and it shows in the results. He also seems like a really good dude, where some of these "celebrity hunters" have kind of turned into d bags. Again, mentioning that it's now his job is not an attempt to diminish or disrespect. Just acknowledging the realities.

When it's all said and done, the answer is bobcatbess. Any other answer falls short.
 
I've always thought the best hunters I see on this site, are the guys who in the "grip and grins" have little kids with them. Everyone who hunts with kids knows how much of a hunting disadvantage that can be.

Stacking up big animals hunting with kids, shows a superior skill set imo
 
Well if we are going to shift into philosophies of what a great hunter is, and we have from about Post 3, I can now participate.

I like Vanilla’s and others thinking, when they speak of, “where does he hunt”. In my philosophy, being the best hunter in you own back yard and 200 a two mile radius, compared to being the best hunter, when your 500/2000 miles from your back yard are not a fair comparison. I live in an area we’re there unnamed hunters that have many, many, many giant mule deer and elk on their walls. Some of these people, in their last stages of life now, like well into their 80’s and more have never allow but a very very few people see, let alone take a picture of their mounts. But, in almost every case that I’m aware of, those trophies all came from their “back yard”. Areas they hunted for years and learned every nook and cranny, as well as every gene pool, every approach, the prevailing winds, the water during drought years, the hidden food pastures etc etc.

My opinion of a great hunter and certainly the greatest hunter are the folks that can go to any area, in any State, observe the terrain, the do whatever they do, but they find the best the area has to offer and they kill it, no matter if it’s desert, mountain forest, swamp, hardwood forest, or coastal forest, they get it done. And they do it solo or with a single companion hunter.

These are hunters I see as the greatest……… there are a few, but I can’t name them. There are some from every State.

Personally, I was a hopeless, feckless failure when I hunted out side my back yard.
 

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