2014 Mule Deer Archery Season Review Dates: 11/10 – 11/20 Days Hunted: 11/10* 11/13, 11/14, 11/16, 11/17, 11/19 Areas Hunted: 3 (SC Campground, Pearl Canyon, Secret Peak Area) Deer Seen: Bucks (14) Does (52) Deer in Bow Range: 6 (5 bucks, 1 doe) Times at full draw: 3 Shots: 2 (~36 yards(miss), 20 yard) Shots not taken: 3 (two passed for attempts at bigger deer, one shot blocked by bush) Bucks Taken: 2 point, taken by Marshall, 11/19/14 at 9 am. 20 yard shot Good: • SC Campgrounds are a good spot to hunt. There were a good number of deer, both high and low. There was a wide array of buck sizes (repeated encounters with a 4 point, 3 good size 3 points, a tall 2 point, and a couple of small fork horns) and a large amount of does. • We were able to within bow range on 6 deer, the closest being a doe at 15 yards. We had one little fork walk into bow range (blocked shot). Huge personal improvement from 2013. • The weather helped with the first couple of days with fresh snow. The lack of snow the last couple of days made tracking difficult, due to not being able to tell what was fresh vs old. • There was no thinking at full draw. I automatically set into my anchor point and had a good sight alignment. Also, out of position practice paid off with my first buck in bow range, as I was unable to stand. Bad • Packing for overnight hike was atrocious. My pack was so disorganized that it made finding things difficult. I believe that truly changed the plan and affected our hunt. • Day pack was excessive. The only benefit to having my day pack was strapping my bow on once we were on the flat and clearly out of the hunt on the 16th. Pack made it difficult to move quietly in certain situations. • I was underprepared for the winter weather. On the 13th, we were in blizzard conditions and after a couple of hours, we were both soaked and freezing, causing an early day, even though we had been on some decent bucks. Marshall’s stalk on the 16th was another chilly experience. At one point, I was concerned that my teeth chattering would spook the doe and buck Marshall was stalking. • We overhunted our spot. We started out with quality bucks and sneaks, but the last day we didn’t see anything on the mountains. In fact, the deer that I shot at was spotted driving out of our spot. • Buck fever. Marshall passed on two deer (a 3x4 at 30 yards on 11/10 and a 3x? at 50 yards on 11/13) and I got real shaky when I had that first fork horn walk up to bow range. • Lack of hunting spots. Marshall has hunted this unit for years. When we got picked up when we walked out of the mountains on the 16th, we were told that there were big deer being taken out of other areas in our unit. In fact, that night I saw on Facebook a friend of mine harvested a decent 2 point in one of the spots that we were told about. Lessons Learned: • Appropriate clothes for a November hunt, i.e. thermal underwear, mid-weight gloves, insulate/waterproof boots, waterproof/insulated clothes (pants/jacket). I believe that with better clothes, we could have been out for longer. • Pack better for an overnight hike before we leave, not mid-hunt. I figured out a better pack situation during our break on the 15th, but by that time, Marshall was too sore to have an overnight trip. • Better day trip set-up. I would like to change my day trip set up from my day pack to a fanny pack, binocular strap (strap across the neck caused a lot of soreness) and retractable range finder lanyard (string kept getting caught on the bushes) • The SC Campground spot is a great first week spot. We need to have a few other spots for the last week. We also need to back out of the spot when the buck sightings go down. • Take the shot that is presented, when presented. Marshall passed on 2 bucks before harvesting his buck on the 19th. Also, slow down when shot opportunity presents itself. Rushing was the cause of the overshot on the fork horn on the 17th. • Be in better shape. I had a shot blocked because I couldn’t keep up with Marshall. I was often out of breathe and falling behind while walking in. I also need to work on walking in a hunched over manner to keep a lower profile while sneaking. • Get involved with Game Commision. The late archery season used to be 20 days instead of 10. We need to get involved and see if we can get those extra 10 days back. Carry over for 2015 season • Out of position shooting with and without broad heads. • Summer scouting for locations. Scouting during the summer doesn’t guarantee late season success, but being able to know the routes in and out is a benefit when planning trips • Planning. We had a really good plan going into the hunt; we just weren’t able to really stick with it. Gear List for 2015 • Insulated/Waterproof Boots • Insulated/Waterproof Clothes • No Fog wipes • Binocular back straps • Retractable range finder cord • Good knife The 2014 season, while with only one harvest to this point, has been a total success from my point of view. We both had opportunities to harvest, but had factors that prevented that (buck fever, bushes, poor yardage judgment and rushing). Last year, I was on a single buck and lost him in some quaking aspen trees. We both got schooled in just how challenging bow hunting Mule Deer in Nevada can be. I think that the success of this year will give us a great start to the 2015 season.
Need to add a trip for today. I saw a buck and a doe, but they jumped into private property and never came out. Bummer way to end the season. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
