buckhunter64
Active Member
- Messages
- 130
LAST EDITED ON Nov-18-19 AT 05:33PM (MST)[p]Well the stars aligned and I was able to travel 20 hours west from Mississippi to Gunnison with my 82 year old father as a companion. Have a very sick Father in law and was not sure if I was going to be called back home during hunt but I am the one that turned sick myself while I was there(will get to that). Arrived Monday and scouted 1/2 day as well as all day Tuesday before season opener on Wednesday. Scouted several areas on the west side of unit from top to bottom burning a lot of gas and putting some suspension wear on my new truck! Saw a lot of deer where we saw deer, and NO deer in places where we saw no deer. I am a veteran whitetail and public land Eastern turkey hunter, but this was only my second attempt muley hunting so I am a rookie in that regard.The first trip in 2011 I accompanied my dad to Unit 2 and helped him kill a 175 deer. As you can see from my post back in June my expectations were a 160 or better since it was a DIY hunt. I have had a couple bad experiences with outfitters and try to avoid them if possible which is why I wanted this tag for easy terrain/access. I am not a strict trophy hunter, and don't care if that offends anyone. As a matter of fact I will not score the deer I shot. Everybody told me that was a low goal to set for this tag. On day 1 of hunt I got a case of the Scours and crapped behind every rock on Huntsman Mesa, and I used white toilet paper to blend in with the snow and keep my presence unknown! Saw a lot of deer and a couple medium sized bucks but nothing to knock the safety off. Day 2 started and I began seeing deer in every direction at shooting light from the high rockpile I sat on. At 7 am I spotted a buck trotting across a wide open flat from 7-800 yards away headed to me and cut him off at 50 yards and initially passed him, but a minute later I got a good view of his best side and decided with the way I felt and an easy retrieval spot I better harvest my first muley buck. A 250 yard broadside shot got him and a downhill drag to truck wasn't bad. Got him to a processor by 11 am and checked out of motel. That is when I turned VERY sick and started puking violently in addition to my previous disorder. Rode 20 hours back home with numerous roadside emergency bathroom stops and accidents. When I got home my dad ended up getting the virus as well as my mother and wife. Enough about that. I am glad to be out of the points game and am very proud of my $1600 DIY muley buck. Thanks to the 2 guys on here that helped me with pre hunt info, you know who you are. This buck may not score well, but he was as long as a Cadillac and weighed as much as one!!!!
