The 2019 Mule Deer Success Thread!

[ScottR]

Well Scott here you go .

Big bucks never come easy and this guy was no exception.. I will add some live footage to the scouting thread when I get a chance and pry will try to submit a article so the rest of the pics might have to wait.

Quick numbers are 32.5” to the outside of the kicker, 21” / 22” g2’s, and over 40” of mass...

It was a solo archery hunt out of a pack. Pretty cool how the hunt went and ended.

Good luck to all that still have tags.

HView attachment 28325

Congrats V! Well earned I’m sure!!!

 

[ScottR]

Wyoming general tag.

Nice buck Troy!!!

 

[ScottR]

Tagged my first Mule Deer yesterday. Hooked on hunting these guys.

Congrats Lance!

 

[ScottR]

2018 and 2019 bucks... both opening day bucks that i had scouted... this year's was my #2 choice... if my #1 makes it to next year it will make 3 years of history with him and he will be a true giant.. so im already dreaming and hoping. View attachment 28330
View attachment 28333

Looking forward to next year already too! Excited to see what you find!

 

[Yell Co AR Hunter]

Some really nice bucks. Thanks for the photos. It helps on the years I don't get to hunt out West.

 

[JimP]

I'll just throw this one back in on this thread since this is the mule deer success thread, I have already posted it in my own thread.

It is hard to get a true trophy picture with someone in it when you are by yourself.

 

[go_deep]

Helped my buddy from Wisconsin get his first mule deer last Monday.

 

[kidoggy]

finally got out this morn and by 8:30 my deer season was over . sure loved my new exo3500, packing him out !

about A half mile pack out, up hill both ways! don't know how heavy the pack was but it were durn sure more'n I wanted to carry. me and the pack both handled it well though.

 

[mustang8]

No success to report here at all, was a very tough hunt from the standpoint of between 4 guys we only saw a combined 4 bucks. And we shot 2 just to fill a couple tags the last day and a half. Tons of does, but hard to scrape up a horn. Probably put 40 miles on the boots in 4 and a half days. Had fun tho and thats what everyone keeps saying its about. Not sure if i totally believe that statement. I shot a small one with 30 min left in our hunt.

 

[ScottR]

No success to report here at all, was a very tough hunt from the standpoint of between 4 guys we only saw a combined 4 bucks. And we shot 2 just to fill a couple tags the last day and a half. Tons of does, but hard to scrape up a horn. Probably put 40 miles on the boots in 4 and a half days. Had fun tho and thats what everyone keeps saying its about. Not sure if i totally believe that statement. I shot a small one with 30 min left in our hunt.

The tough years happen to us all! Mine was a rough one for deer for deer too!

 

[kidoggy]

No success to report here at all, was a very tough hunt from the standpoint of between 4 guys we only saw a combined 4 bucks. And we shot 2 just to fill a couple tags the last day and a half. Tons of does, but hard to scrape up a horn. Probably put 40 miles on the boots in 4 and a half days. Had fun tho and thats what everyone keeps saying its about. Not sure if i totally believe that statement. I shot a small one with 30 min left in our hunt.

that's why they call it hunting instead of killing.
I have two questions...…..
why do folks walk 10 miles a day hunting , instead of getting up high and letting the eyes do the walking?????

when folks claim they walk 10 miles a day how many do you folks think they really hike ??? my guess is two or three.

 

[buckbull]

Well I know if I walked 10 miles in a day I'd be calling it hiking and not hunting because I wouldn't have time to glass. I doubt I could do 10 miles in the mountains anyway. I'm definitely in the camp of glassing; I can cover more ground doing that than walking for sure. Maybe if its a desert hunt I could see doing 10 miles since it would be harder to get up high and the deer are usually hunkered down in coulees making them hard to see.

 

[mustang8]

Well kidoggy this is what the tracker on my OnX told me, so i kind of have to believe it right? At 37 im not saying that is a ton of miles by any stretch of the imagination im just saying i would think we would have gotten an eye on more bucks.

 

[mustang8]

Well I know if I walked 10 miles in a day I'd be calling it hiking and not hunting because I wouldn't have time to glass. I doubt I could do 10 miles in the mountains anyway. I'm definitely in the camp of glassing; I can cover more ground doing that than walking for sure. Maybe if its a desert hunt I could see doing 10 miles since it would be harder to get up high and the deer are usually hunkered down in coulees making them hard to see.

I dont think i said anything about hiking 10 miles in the mountains, this area of Region Y is more rolling wooded hills with mixed coulees, not many places you can get up high and glass for hours. You would be staring at the same meadow and that doesnt take hours to cover. Everyone is so quick to scrutinize when you dont really have a clue what the situation is. I guess that is the way of the world nowadays.

 

[kidoggy]

I dont think i said anything about hiking 10 miles in the mountains, this area of Region Y is more rolling wooded hills with mixed coulees, not many places you can get up high and glass for hours. You would be staring at the same meadow and that doesnt take hours to cover. Everyone is so quick to scrutinize when you dont really have a clue what the situation is. I guess that is the way of the world nowadays.

not knocking you . nothing against walking dudes in particular . I've just never found a reason to walk so far when hunting, at least not till I actually found something to stalk. I doubt in all my years hunting I ever had to put in 10 miles hiking in one day. and I sure as heck wouldn't do it if I WEREN'T SEEING anything. I am lazy by nature . I will walk when I must but I am not into walking just for the sake of walking. just seems to me one would be passing up a lot of good country by doing so.
I am a FIRM BELIEVER in
hunt smarter not harder!

 

[RICMIC]

Here's a couple recent examples a hunter would (as I just did) walk a good distance while hunting.
1. On my guided elk hunt, we left camp well before first light to get to a glassing spot. When/if game was spotted, we had to get ourselves in position, and if all worked out you still have to get back to camp. We covered 6 to 7 miles several different days. On the day I got my bull, we hiked to a basin where we had previously spotted elk; none were there, but we found two bulls on the next small clearing. 6 hours later, after the packer came to pack out the elk, we decided to go further up the mountain to look for deer since we were most of the way there anyway. I wanted to see what was on the other side, and so did the guide. We didn't see deer, but found a huge bull with 40 cows. Too bad I only had deer tag left to punch. We glassed the higher country until almost full dark and still had a 3 hour hike back to camp In some ways I enjoyed that part of the trip most of all.
2. On the WY antelope hunt, it rained, sleeted, or snowed the first 2 1/2 days. The roads were almost impassable, and fog made visibility very limited. One older guy stayed in camp and the other 3 hunted on foot in the rugged terrain behind camp. The first day we covered 7 miles, and we did find antelope. Again, in retrospect this was my favorite part of the trip.
By nature, I am definitely NOT lazy. It's not just about the killing. CARPE DIEM

 

[mallardsx2]

Not to Hijack the thread but I had my OnX tracker on while I was in Colorado this year and it said I had walked 97 miles in 6 days of hunting. I only looked through my Bino's 5 times while I was hunting. Too thick to effectivley use them 99% of the time.

I figured I walked about 60-70. But who really knows.

I lost 7 pounds. I do know that for sure.

Everyones areas are different from state to state and from Unit to Unit.

 

[BrandonM]

I'll just throw this one back in on this thread since this is the mule deer success thread, I have already posted it in my own thread.

It is hard to get a true trophy picture with someone in it when you are by yourself.

Nice buck JimP! You're right...DIY trophy shots are tricky. I'm hoping to get out bowhunting in my home state one more time to chase the grey ghost....my favorite thing in the world to hunt!

 

[alaska2go]

Gunner's first buck.. He is one of twin boys. The other brother has a 3rd season deer tag.. Second morning of hunting.. He shot it with my dad's Pre 64 Model 70 30-06.. Happy day eh !

 

[AKaviator]

That's one heck of a nice buck, especially for the first one! Congratulations!!