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What a week! I was fortunate enough to harvest a great non-typical mule deer in AZ 2 days ago. Everything came together this morning and I slipped one through this high country monarch!
I actually found him last week during the opener. My good friend, Cavett and I packed into a basin and had a rough time sealing the deal. This was a buck we called tripod. His little inline on the g2 looked pretty cool in velvet. He was actually our #3 or 4 deer.
The video really showcases the amount and quality of the deer we were pursuing. All public land, all OTC.
https://vimeo.com/47972649
We did not connect. I was able to talk the wife in to heading back up here for one more go at it. We left Wed afternoon from Phoenix, AZ and were in Salt Lake City by 2:30am. My buddy picked me right up and we were en route!
We?d learned a lot watching these bucks the previous 4 days. They were very habitual and predictable. They always started the morning in this big burn and fed to the drainage to the North. Cavett was in position in the saddle to the north and I was 100 yds above the burn by first light.
After working every angle, glassing every cut, and slipping along the black pine stumps, I finally picked up the big non-typical feeding below me. I was on a shear cliff and he ranged at 120yds. I knew he was working away from me so I started to pick up other potential deer. He had a few great 4x4s with him and they worked directly towards Cavett. All the bucks had just removed their velvet, which is abnormal in the area for Aug. I wanted one of these deer fuzzy edition but I wasn?t going to let that break the deal.
I had basically given up on the morning as all the deer were out of range and migrating out of my shooting opportunities. Then, while scanning the shrubs and lush undergrowth I picked up a back fork! This deer was only 55 yds away. Straight below me and completely unaware of my presence. I ranged him, adjusted for the steep angle and drew back. My first shot screamed across the lazy basin and whacked a tree 3 inches to the right of his vitals! Deer blew up every where! This buck was completely confused and only ran 15 yds or so and looked right at me.
I regrouped and knocked another arrow. I gave him my 60 pin high on his back and let it fly. The arrow drilled him high in the body and due to the steep angle blew threw his sternum, essentially opening a drain out of his underside! He hobbled around the curve of the draw and bedded right down.
I was able to watch him expire from my position and an hour later we had our hands on him. He?s a cool character buck and I was more than happy to take him on a last minute effort. Despite not sleeping for two days, adrenaline carried that heavy pack home!
I'll post the happy ending footage to the original movie asap!
"You skin grizz?"
I actually found him last week during the opener. My good friend, Cavett and I packed into a basin and had a rough time sealing the deal. This was a buck we called tripod. His little inline on the g2 looked pretty cool in velvet. He was actually our #3 or 4 deer.
The video really showcases the amount and quality of the deer we were pursuing. All public land, all OTC.
https://vimeo.com/47972649
We did not connect. I was able to talk the wife in to heading back up here for one more go at it. We left Wed afternoon from Phoenix, AZ and were in Salt Lake City by 2:30am. My buddy picked me right up and we were en route!
We?d learned a lot watching these bucks the previous 4 days. They were very habitual and predictable. They always started the morning in this big burn and fed to the drainage to the North. Cavett was in position in the saddle to the north and I was 100 yds above the burn by first light.
After working every angle, glassing every cut, and slipping along the black pine stumps, I finally picked up the big non-typical feeding below me. I was on a shear cliff and he ranged at 120yds. I knew he was working away from me so I started to pick up other potential deer. He had a few great 4x4s with him and they worked directly towards Cavett. All the bucks had just removed their velvet, which is abnormal in the area for Aug. I wanted one of these deer fuzzy edition but I wasn?t going to let that break the deal.
I had basically given up on the morning as all the deer were out of range and migrating out of my shooting opportunities. Then, while scanning the shrubs and lush undergrowth I picked up a back fork! This deer was only 55 yds away. Straight below me and completely unaware of my presence. I ranged him, adjusted for the steep angle and drew back. My first shot screamed across the lazy basin and whacked a tree 3 inches to the right of his vitals! Deer blew up every where! This buck was completely confused and only ran 15 yds or so and looked right at me.
I regrouped and knocked another arrow. I gave him my 60 pin high on his back and let it fly. The arrow drilled him high in the body and due to the steep angle blew threw his sternum, essentially opening a drain out of his underside! He hobbled around the curve of the draw and bedded right down.
I was able to watch him expire from my position and an hour later we had our hands on him. He?s a cool character buck and I was more than happy to take him on a last minute effort. Despite not sleeping for two days, adrenaline carried that heavy pack home!
I'll post the happy ending footage to the original movie asap!
"You skin grizz?"
