Well, it's officially been over one year since I shot an animal, so it's about time to get back to work! We're a couple of short hours away from packing up the truck and heading West to chase mulies (and possibly whitetails). The season opens up on Thursday, and it looks like we're in for some HOT weather. Upper 80's/low 90's most days with temps getting up into the mid 90's on Saturday. In my last (and only) mule deer hunt we had the same conditions, and it made it tough. We drank a LOT of water. We would typically try to spot bucks first thing in the morning when it got light, then wait for them to bed down before trying to stalk them. We had one shot each morning to find a buck we wanted to go after and hope he bedded in a spot conducive to a stalk. Because it was so hot, they were tough to find after the first few hours of the morning and weren't getting out of their beds until the sun went over the horizon, which made evening hunts almost impossible. There wasn't enough time to find one and get on him before it got dark. So on Day 3, we switched to hunting whitetails on alfalfa fields in the afternoons instead of focusing on mule deer. We saw some dandies but nothing close enough to shoot. And if you think it's hot in the sun, try sitting in a bale blind with another dude when it's 90+ outside. We got close a handful of times before finally sealing the deal on Day 4 on a great velvet mule deer. 50 yard shot after a multi-hour stalk as he was bedded down in a big, deep cut. This time around I'm headed out with the infamous @Rick James, and he's got the first crack with me behind the camera and @Dubbya guiding. It's gonna be a blast, even if we're melting in the sun. Wish us luck, and see you all in a week!
I try to do at least one Western bowhunting trip each year. The past two years I went antelope hunting and wanted to give the goats a break and do another mule deer hunt this year. We actually had it booked for later in September, but Dustin's schedule changed, and it worked out we were able to come early and try to get some velvet bucks. My wife is not happy I'll be gone over Labor Day weekend. Oh, and 42 is nothing special!
Oh, there is something special about 42; I have 2.5 years before I get there. Happy Birthday old man!
That’s awesome! Good luck! There’s just something different about heading west! Enjoy! Sent from my iPhone using Bowhunting.com Forums
Finally rolled back into town around 9 pm last night after a 15.5 hour ride home. What a trip! Long story short - Matt smashed a dandy buck on the 2nd stalk of the first day. We were riding high and loving life! I'll let him post story and photos later. The video will be live either Friday night or Saturday morning. I'm working through organizing the footage now. The second day, my first stalk, we had the dream scenario - big bedded buck at 15 yards with no clue we were there. He stood, I botched the shot, and that's all she wrote. On guided hunts, when you draw blood, that's your animal, whether he's recovered or not. We spent three days chasing him and had him in bow range six more times after the initial hit but couldn't seal the deal. The wound isn't mortal, which is the only redeeming point of this hunt. We hiked and glassed our balls off in nearly 100-degree temps every day to try and get back on this deer, and he outsmarted us every time. I had one good opportunity at 30 yards when he stood up out of a bed but hit a piece of sagebrush in front of him and deflected my arrow. If I didn't screw the pooch, we should have been done on the morning of Day 2 with a pair of dandy bucks. But such is life and hunting! We sure got our money's worth out of this one, and I'm already planning my redemption hunt for next year. Time to start worrying about whitetails now...
