AWHOLELOTTABULL
Long Time Member
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This has been a long awaited hunt for me because it would be my first mule deer hunt with my 13 year old hunting partner hunting right along side of me with her own tag in hand. Preparations included getting a tag, getting good gear for her and finding a couple of other hunters to share camp with that didn't mind having a 13 year old girl in camp. 2 very good family friends were more than willing to come along to share the hunting experience with us.
The Wyoming country is HUGE and a glassing paradise. If you are serious about hunting this state good optics are a must. It is also a roadhunters paradise! If there is a draw or ridge there is a road down it. That made it hard to get away from other hunters but extremely nice when you get a buck on the ground.
Opening morning found us up early and feeding the wood burning stove to get warmed up. Breakfast bars and hot chocolate were the breakfast items of choice and soon we were on the mountain.
We decided to get a good overlook area and hang tight to see what other hunters were moving around. Shortly after the sun came up we heard shooting above us on the ridge. As we stood there glassing I caught some movement out of the corner of my eye as 5 bucks came around the point at 100 yards running right underneath us. We didn't have very much time to set up and trying to get a 13 year old on to a buck that's on the move proved to be too much for us and the shot opportunity was gone. We watched as the big buck ran around the next point followed by a barrage of gunfire. We later saw the buck up close as we helped the hunter load it into his truck. A nice 4x5 Wyoming buck. We headed back to camp to touch base with our other hunters and after a radio conversation with Ryan we decided to head to his location and try and hunt a buck that he had seen go into a cedar covered ridge. That proved to be a good move on our part.
Meagan and I went up to an open saddle to set up as Ryan stayed on top of the ridge with Troy setting up across the draw for a better vantage point to glass the thick cedars. After setting up the bipods and looking for shooting lanes we settled in for the wait. 10 minutes later a doe appeared to our left at 40 yards coming over the ridge from behind us followed by 3 other does and then a nice tall buck right on their trail. For those of you that have hunted cedars, you know how tough it is to get a shot at a moving deer. The windows are small and all you can hope for is that they stop for shot. Meagan was trying to get the buck in her scope and had the does as they made their way through the trees. As the buck stepped out into a small clearing at 200 yards he stopped. I asked Meagan if she had the buck in her scope and she said that she had the does but she couldn't see the buck. I told her that he was to the left a little and that she would have to hurry a little because our shot window was soon to disappear. That's when the surprise came. She said shoot him dad if you have the shot! I have passed on bigger bucks than this one but with the whole scenario of it being our first mule deer hunt together and her sitting right by my side I couldn't pass on this one. The shot rang out and the buck hunched and disappeared behind a cedar tree. Meagans immediate response was, "You got him dad!" I told her that the shot looked good and she said "yah it did". I said, "I thought you couldn't see him?" and she said "I had just found him in the scope when you pulled the trigger. We marked the spot where we last saw him and headed out. Meagan went first and found him right off the bat. After a few high fives and hugs we took these pictures;
This picture is of the buck in his final resting place with the little dot in the background being my truck. This is the only kill in my hunting career where I could see the truck from the kill site. You gotta love Wyoming!
We went back to camp and enjoyed the reenactment of the hunt with our friends and some good food. Later that night we set out to a different area of the unit to look for a buck for Meagan. We drove down a ridge and Meagan spotted some dear on the ridge a few hundred yards away feeding. We parked the truck and started out on foot. The deer fed over the edge of the ridge before we could get a look at them but Meagan wanted to get a look at them so we followed them over the ridge. We got to a point where we could see the deer and Meagan said, "they're all bucks dad". I quickly threw up my binocs and verified what she was saying was true. They were definately all bucks with the biggest being a 3x3 about 20" wide. I asked her if she wanted to get the biggest buck and she nodded with a grin. We were 300 yards away at the time but Meagan wanted to try and close the distance to get a better shot. Fortunately we had cover to do this and we were able to shave off 150 yards. We set up and began looking at the bucks more closely. They were aware of our presence by then and were getting nervous. Adding to this, was the fact that it was getting dark fast now and time was short for visibility. She settled into her shooting position as we discussed which buck was the bigger 3 point. After telling me she had him in the scope I felt her breath go out and hold followed by a BOOM! THe familiar "whop" sound was heard after the shot and the buck hit the ground. Meagan had just taken her first muley buck and did much of the work on her own. The pictures from here tell it all.
And finally, how many 13 year old girls you know have cleaned their own deer? My Meagan has and without any hesitation at all!
What an experience for a Dad to be part of. This hunt will be hard to beat. One final shot from camp........ cold yet very warm inside.
It's always an adventure!!!
www.awholelottabull.com
The Wyoming country is HUGE and a glassing paradise. If you are serious about hunting this state good optics are a must. It is also a roadhunters paradise! If there is a draw or ridge there is a road down it. That made it hard to get away from other hunters but extremely nice when you get a buck on the ground.
Opening morning found us up early and feeding the wood burning stove to get warmed up. Breakfast bars and hot chocolate were the breakfast items of choice and soon we were on the mountain.
We decided to get a good overlook area and hang tight to see what other hunters were moving around. Shortly after the sun came up we heard shooting above us on the ridge. As we stood there glassing I caught some movement out of the corner of my eye as 5 bucks came around the point at 100 yards running right underneath us. We didn't have very much time to set up and trying to get a 13 year old on to a buck that's on the move proved to be too much for us and the shot opportunity was gone. We watched as the big buck ran around the next point followed by a barrage of gunfire. We later saw the buck up close as we helped the hunter load it into his truck. A nice 4x5 Wyoming buck. We headed back to camp to touch base with our other hunters and after a radio conversation with Ryan we decided to head to his location and try and hunt a buck that he had seen go into a cedar covered ridge. That proved to be a good move on our part.
Meagan and I went up to an open saddle to set up as Ryan stayed on top of the ridge with Troy setting up across the draw for a better vantage point to glass the thick cedars. After setting up the bipods and looking for shooting lanes we settled in for the wait. 10 minutes later a doe appeared to our left at 40 yards coming over the ridge from behind us followed by 3 other does and then a nice tall buck right on their trail. For those of you that have hunted cedars, you know how tough it is to get a shot at a moving deer. The windows are small and all you can hope for is that they stop for shot. Meagan was trying to get the buck in her scope and had the does as they made their way through the trees. As the buck stepped out into a small clearing at 200 yards he stopped. I asked Meagan if she had the buck in her scope and she said that she had the does but she couldn't see the buck. I told her that he was to the left a little and that she would have to hurry a little because our shot window was soon to disappear. That's when the surprise came. She said shoot him dad if you have the shot! I have passed on bigger bucks than this one but with the whole scenario of it being our first mule deer hunt together and her sitting right by my side I couldn't pass on this one. The shot rang out and the buck hunched and disappeared behind a cedar tree. Meagans immediate response was, "You got him dad!" I told her that the shot looked good and she said "yah it did". I said, "I thought you couldn't see him?" and she said "I had just found him in the scope when you pulled the trigger. We marked the spot where we last saw him and headed out. Meagan went first and found him right off the bat. After a few high fives and hugs we took these pictures;
This picture is of the buck in his final resting place with the little dot in the background being my truck. This is the only kill in my hunting career where I could see the truck from the kill site. You gotta love Wyoming!
We went back to camp and enjoyed the reenactment of the hunt with our friends and some good food. Later that night we set out to a different area of the unit to look for a buck for Meagan. We drove down a ridge and Meagan spotted some dear on the ridge a few hundred yards away feeding. We parked the truck and started out on foot. The deer fed over the edge of the ridge before we could get a look at them but Meagan wanted to get a look at them so we followed them over the ridge. We got to a point where we could see the deer and Meagan said, "they're all bucks dad". I quickly threw up my binocs and verified what she was saying was true. They were definately all bucks with the biggest being a 3x3 about 20" wide. I asked her if she wanted to get the biggest buck and she nodded with a grin. We were 300 yards away at the time but Meagan wanted to try and close the distance to get a better shot. Fortunately we had cover to do this and we were able to shave off 150 yards. We set up and began looking at the bucks more closely. They were aware of our presence by then and were getting nervous. Adding to this, was the fact that it was getting dark fast now and time was short for visibility. She settled into her shooting position as we discussed which buck was the bigger 3 point. After telling me she had him in the scope I felt her breath go out and hold followed by a BOOM! THe familiar "whop" sound was heard after the shot and the buck hit the ground. Meagan had just taken her first muley buck and did much of the work on her own. The pictures from here tell it all.
And finally, how many 13 year old girls you know have cleaned their own deer? My Meagan has and without any hesitation at all!
What an experience for a Dad to be part of. This hunt will be hard to beat. One final shot from camp........ cold yet very warm inside.
It's always an adventure!!!
www.awholelottabull.com