Trip to the Backcountry

My backcountry bowhunting trip is without a doubt, the trip I look forward to the most every year.

I go solo.  5-7 days with a pack on my back.  The area I hunt is a 4 hour trip one way and 4500 vertical feet of up and down.  Sleeping in a bivy on a narrow game trail keeps it light.  I simply can’t find another way to do it.  There are some great animals, but it is harsh terrain.  Two years ago I almost killed the mule deer buck of a lifetime. 

I spotted this monster buck down in a deep basin. 3 hours later I was guessing a bit, but thought I was within 40 yards of his hiding place.  I popped over the narrow ridge between myself and where he had been all morning.  I looked down the ridge to where I thought he was holed up.  Perfectly upwind, the greuling stalk had gone exactly as planned.  But he wasn’t there.  Had he found a secondary escape route?  I had the rest of the basin to my open view and I was sure that he and his 4 buddies had not left their spot.  That was when I heard the snort-wheeze.

I was within 40 yards of the big buck, but while I was circling to the other side of the basin behind the bucks, I had gotten a bit disoriented.  I had come in 40 yards below and downwind of the 5 bucks (all 4 points or larger.)  They were in the process of blowing out of the country.  I was able to snap a few photos at about 150-200 yards.  That was the last I saw of those bucks all week.

Later that week I was able to get my arrow into something much larger.  But that is a story for another day.

The Mailman delivers on huge muley

Karl Malone aka “The Mailman” is one of the hunting’s great advocates.  Not only has he spent countless hours promoting use based wildlife conservation, he has donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to rebuild habitat throughout the country.  Truly one of the good guys. I thought the photo of his recent harvest well worth a post.  Photo quality isn’t the best, but no mistaking the quality of this great Utah buck.

We did a post a few months ago on a monstrous Utah bighorn Karl harvested.  Click here for the link http://thegreatwhitehunter.wordpress.com/2009/10/03/utah-bighorns-the-mailman-delivers/

Stevens Buck-Whitetail for the ages

This giant Ohio buck will be a new state record for muzzleloader.  Not only is it a state record, it reportedly has the longest main beams of any buck ever harvested.  Congratulations to Brian Stevens of Clayton Ohio on the harvest of this majestic animal.  Scoring a whopping 250 1/8 gross inches, the statistics on this buck really are nothing compared to the character of the antlers.  Clearly an old boy who had been allowed to reach his prime and beyond.  To learn more about the buck visit Brian’s website http://www.stephensbuck.com/

Thanks to Brian for use of the photos!

Oldy but a goody-Dead Deer Walking

I can’t tell you the number of different people who have sent me this photo over the last couple of years.  Hard to tell if it is doctored.  This is the description that was forwarded by email: “This picture is from Leota Michigan. Beaver Tom, set out a motion sensor camera to see if any big bucks were passing in the area. ”

Thanks to Jerry Clutter for the forward.  Click on the photo above for one of the older posts of a mountain lion attacking a bighorn sheep.

Got Hunts-Amazing Adventures

Thanks Cory for forwarding the following two photos and stories.  Cory runs a great booking service and has an amazing website.  Check out Got hunts for worldwide hunting, fishing and outdoor adventures http://www.gothunts.com/

“I hunted with them this past August during an early-season velvet hunt and took a buck that green scored close to 200 B&C, and I saw but could not get on a buck that would have scored another 15 to 20. That buck was higher, wider and had a 14-inch sword point on one side of his rack. I lost him after an all-morning stalk in the timber. Fifteen minutes later, I spotted the buck I eventually killed. I also saw a third buck that was larger still. In total, I saw 15 bucks in a day and a half.” Hunter Larry Barnes

This story of a rare spot and stalk mountain lion hunt is a great one as well.  Thanks Cory for forwarding!

On the third day of my November mule deer hunt, we were working our way to a glassing point when below us elk started to bark (alert) there was more barking below and to the right also. We sat down to see if we could glass up the elk & hopefully a bull (I had an Elk tag also). My guide cow called & they answered back. Glassing, he say’s “there’s a Mountain Lion” then he say’s “the lion just laid down, perfect!”. It took a while for him to show me where the big cat was. Once I had found him, we ranged it at 591 yards through a window in the pines, behind a downed log.

The guide asks, “Ya want a Lion?” “Heck yes but that’s a long ways!” “That’s ok, if you miss we’ll just keep elk hunting.” “Take your time & squeeze one off when ever your ready.”

At the recoil I think to myself, that felt good, and the twackkkk…….. sounded good too! “You got him, holy $*#t! what a shot!” ect, ect, ect… It was pretty exciting. Through the glass my guide saw the lion slowly roll, tail up then the white belly, then rolls 2 more times down hill and out of sight.

In Idaho the lion season is open, you can use a mule deer tag as a lion tag. It’s a tom & measures 7′ with a 14″ skull, estimated weight of 150 lb. He was in great shape with a thick layer of fat.

I didn’t get a Muley buck but I did get a Muley eater. I hope everyone has had a great hunting season. Outdoors International did a great job setting me up with the trip of a lifetime.

Colorado Governor’s Tag-263 Gross

When I was a kid, there was a giant Mule Deer that had an enormous drop tine that lived in the alfalfa field behind our house.  This particular buck was 5×8 with over a 30 inch spread.  He came out about 8:15 every evening with a bachelor group of 5-10 other mule deer bucks.  I have loved a big drop tine buck ever since.

Check out this Colorado Monster.  With both alive shots and harvest shots, you can really appreciate this majestic creature.  Colorado Mule deer sport those heavy main beams that we all can appreciate.  Congratulations to this hunter and thank you for your donation to continue to keep our big game herds healthy.

Shangrila for big Utah Muley’s

The widest of the group is estimated at over 40″.  The 8×7 (counting brow tines) is 35″.  These big boys make any hunter drool.  To see more photos and learn where these big boys hang out, click on one of the photos below.

Thanks Emily for the forward.

30 point buck-CNN Story

Huge whitetail harvested in Wisconsin-video on CNN http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/living/2009/09/23/pkg.30.point.buck.wluk

Nate and Zach-Two Brothers-Two Deer

I have two sons, Nate and Zach.  Born just 15 months apart, they are great friends.  This fall, both brothers harvested their first Mule Deer bucks within one week of each other.  Congrats guys! 

Click on the photos below for additional photos and the story of each hunt.

Zach Hunted hard for his buck.  Taken on the last day of our hunt, this was a real trophy for both of us.  Check out the look of satisfaction of Zach’s face and the smile of the face of his dad!

12 year old harvests big ol’ muley

A friend sent me this photo with the following description:Zach Waters is 12 years old and this was his first deer hunt. His Dad and him went out and shot a forky Sunday night and took it home to find out that it had been wounded and rotting and infected. The Fish & Game came and inspected the carcass on Monday and found that it not to be any good. The Fish & Game reissued Zach a new Tag and off they went again. They jumped this Buck early in the morning @ 50 yards thought they’d never see him again. Later that morning they jumped him again @150 yards and Zach was quick on the trigger and shot him on a dead run up the saddle. He hit him in the rear leg and broke it all the way. They followed the blood trail and figured he hit an artery the way it was bleeding out. 200 yards down the trail they spotted him again and shot him through the back & liver. Zach is the kind of young man that deserves this buck and has had a smile on his face ever since. Unofficial B&C score 235 4/8. Way to go Zach!