So here are the stories on my 2010 and 2011 mule deer and whitetail hunts along with some pictures. Enjoy
Upon the first day of scouting we came across a 160-170 class 5x5 whitetail. I immediatly decided the next day (opening day) that was my deer. I had a special buck tag so I could use it on a mulie or whitetail. Coming from the east cost I was dead set on a moster whitetail over a mulie. However, if a mulie I couldn't pass up came along I was pulling the trigger. Sure enough I saw an awsome mulie running across the skyline right infront of the sun as the it came up on the horizon. I was with my father and we watched him skyline from 700 yards to 400 yards right infront of us. Never having shot over 100 yards we watched and I decided not to shoot... It was far and I wanted that whitetail. He came and went and I really began wondering if I should of shot him. It was a big deer though, I am hardly great at sizing up a mulie just yet so I didn't realize what I had passed up. It's still not real bright out yet and the whitetail I was hunting shot up a draw and passed right back into some pines. He came out just long enough for me to see him and he was gone. I watched but he never came back out and obviously slipped down a draw. Then all of sudden the mulie came back over the ridge rutting a doe hard right at me. He came within 300 yards and I took another look and told my dad, I'm taking him. He starts trotting down a ridge and I pull the trigger....nothing. The bolt handle had gotten knocked up... I slam the bolt closed and shoot. He gets clipped and immediatly starts heading up over a hill. Running I drop him at 300 yards. A year later I can't believe I ever let this deer walk out of sight the first time...Needless to say. I am hooked on mule deer now.
By twiedenh at 2011-12-07
By twiedenh at 2011-12-07
By twiedenh at 2011-12-07
After that hunt I literally counted the days till next year. I found this site and have completely become obsessed with long range shooting. Bought a savage .308 topped with zeiss and began reloading in preparation for this year. Developed a load that shoots .38 MOA at 100 yards (168gr. 2725 fps) and a load that shoots .75 MOA for my fathers 300 that shoots a 150 gr. at 3150 fps. both ballistic tips.
The first day I see some good whitetails surprisingly up the flats, but no shooters. One was a shooter but had broken all his tines off on one side. Very disappointing considering I had a 40 yard shot on him. I moved down some draws and stumbled on a very nice 8 point but decided to pass on him since it was the first day and I had 4 full days of hunting ahead of me. The cattle ranch we lease has some monster deer so I held off. Fast forward and day and half and its been some hard hunting. Temperatures dropped to 0 degrees and foot of snow fell on us. Driving around glassing we find a 6x6 whitetail most likely a 180 190 class deer. I glassed him for about 2 seconds at 700 yards before I said holy **** lets go. Unfortunately we were unable to get a shot on him. Driving back across a canyon we spotted a shooter mulie and I jumped out and threw out the bipod as he went running up a canyon. I got a rough range of 400 and let one rip...Miss. Sent another one... miss. I am extremely hard on my self and this point the deer is gone and I am ready to explode. Especially since I had a crowd of observers....We jump back in the truck and try and loop around the deer to cut him off. We all post up and 5 minutes later I hear my dad shoot. Says he has a 5x5 but wasn't the deer I missed. To small... We then spot him right back down where I shot.... So 2 of us race back down the canyon and hes gone again. It was exciting but disappointing. All was not last, my dad shot a very respectable mulie.
By twiedenh at 2011-12-07
Day three hits and at this point I am not passing on anything I would shoot the last day (tomorrow). Me and my dad decide to hunt the morning together since he is tagged out on a mulie. We decide to work a series of draws and just as the sun hits, we come to the first draw. A single doe is at the bottom and she keeps looking back. We know theres a buck. We hit the ground and coyote gets kicked out and sure enough pushes the buck right out he runs out down a draw and I didn't get a good look but I knew he was a possible shooter. My dad gets riled up cause he thinks we just got screwed but I said stay put and we waited. 3 minutes later that buck comes right back up looking for the doe and comes behind a tree. I am trying to get a shot on him but my bipod was to short for the snow and grass so I switch guns real fast with my dad and the buck walks out. Bang....flop. I didn't get a good look but I knew with a quick glance I wasn't passing him up. He wasn't the buck I was hoping for but it was a great hunt with my dad and I wont forget it. You can't complain about a 6x5 to much... haha. When I say there are big deer running around our spot. I'm serious.
By twiedenh at 2011-12-07
By twiedenh at 2011-12-07
After we quarter him up and get him out its only 8:30 and we are only a 15 minute walk from where I passed up that nice 8 point. We decide to take a walk and see if he is bedded in the same canyon. We walk over and post up over the canyon. 5 minutes later my dad stands up and a doe kicks out after seeing him. I immediatly throw my bipod down and before I can even get ready to shoot that same buck bolts out across the canyon at a little over 300 yards. We each gave a quick whistle and he stopped right at the top of a ridge and looks back at us. I didn't waste anytime and shot. He didn't take a step.
By twiedenh at 2011-12-07
I was on the very far ridge in the backround.
By twiedenh at 2011-12-07
By twiedenh at 2011-12-07
By twiedenh at 2011-12-07
Setup here and shot a coyote at 300 yards
By twiedenh at 2011-12-07
By twiedenh at 2011-12-07
It was COLD!
Thomas
Upon the first day of scouting we came across a 160-170 class 5x5 whitetail. I immediatly decided the next day (opening day) that was my deer. I had a special buck tag so I could use it on a mulie or whitetail. Coming from the east cost I was dead set on a moster whitetail over a mulie. However, if a mulie I couldn't pass up came along I was pulling the trigger. Sure enough I saw an awsome mulie running across the skyline right infront of the sun as the it came up on the horizon. I was with my father and we watched him skyline from 700 yards to 400 yards right infront of us. Never having shot over 100 yards we watched and I decided not to shoot... It was far and I wanted that whitetail. He came and went and I really began wondering if I should of shot him. It was a big deer though, I am hardly great at sizing up a mulie just yet so I didn't realize what I had passed up. It's still not real bright out yet and the whitetail I was hunting shot up a draw and passed right back into some pines. He came out just long enough for me to see him and he was gone. I watched but he never came back out and obviously slipped down a draw. Then all of sudden the mulie came back over the ridge rutting a doe hard right at me. He came within 300 yards and I took another look and told my dad, I'm taking him. He starts trotting down a ridge and I pull the trigger....nothing. The bolt handle had gotten knocked up... I slam the bolt closed and shoot. He gets clipped and immediatly starts heading up over a hill. Running I drop him at 300 yards. A year later I can't believe I ever let this deer walk out of sight the first time...Needless to say. I am hooked on mule deer now.
By twiedenh at 2011-12-07
By twiedenh at 2011-12-07
By twiedenh at 2011-12-07
After that hunt I literally counted the days till next year. I found this site and have completely become obsessed with long range shooting. Bought a savage .308 topped with zeiss and began reloading in preparation for this year. Developed a load that shoots .38 MOA at 100 yards (168gr. 2725 fps) and a load that shoots .75 MOA for my fathers 300 that shoots a 150 gr. at 3150 fps. both ballistic tips.
The first day I see some good whitetails surprisingly up the flats, but no shooters. One was a shooter but had broken all his tines off on one side. Very disappointing considering I had a 40 yard shot on him. I moved down some draws and stumbled on a very nice 8 point but decided to pass on him since it was the first day and I had 4 full days of hunting ahead of me. The cattle ranch we lease has some monster deer so I held off. Fast forward and day and half and its been some hard hunting. Temperatures dropped to 0 degrees and foot of snow fell on us. Driving around glassing we find a 6x6 whitetail most likely a 180 190 class deer. I glassed him for about 2 seconds at 700 yards before I said holy **** lets go. Unfortunately we were unable to get a shot on him. Driving back across a canyon we spotted a shooter mulie and I jumped out and threw out the bipod as he went running up a canyon. I got a rough range of 400 and let one rip...Miss. Sent another one... miss. I am extremely hard on my self and this point the deer is gone and I am ready to explode. Especially since I had a crowd of observers....We jump back in the truck and try and loop around the deer to cut him off. We all post up and 5 minutes later I hear my dad shoot. Says he has a 5x5 but wasn't the deer I missed. To small... We then spot him right back down where I shot.... So 2 of us race back down the canyon and hes gone again. It was exciting but disappointing. All was not last, my dad shot a very respectable mulie.
By twiedenh at 2011-12-07
Day three hits and at this point I am not passing on anything I would shoot the last day (tomorrow). Me and my dad decide to hunt the morning together since he is tagged out on a mulie. We decide to work a series of draws and just as the sun hits, we come to the first draw. A single doe is at the bottom and she keeps looking back. We know theres a buck. We hit the ground and coyote gets kicked out and sure enough pushes the buck right out he runs out down a draw and I didn't get a good look but I knew he was a possible shooter. My dad gets riled up cause he thinks we just got screwed but I said stay put and we waited. 3 minutes later that buck comes right back up looking for the doe and comes behind a tree. I am trying to get a shot on him but my bipod was to short for the snow and grass so I switch guns real fast with my dad and the buck walks out. Bang....flop. I didn't get a good look but I knew with a quick glance I wasn't passing him up. He wasn't the buck I was hoping for but it was a great hunt with my dad and I wont forget it. You can't complain about a 6x5 to much... haha. When I say there are big deer running around our spot. I'm serious.
By twiedenh at 2011-12-07
By twiedenh at 2011-12-07
After we quarter him up and get him out its only 8:30 and we are only a 15 minute walk from where I passed up that nice 8 point. We decide to take a walk and see if he is bedded in the same canyon. We walk over and post up over the canyon. 5 minutes later my dad stands up and a doe kicks out after seeing him. I immediatly throw my bipod down and before I can even get ready to shoot that same buck bolts out across the canyon at a little over 300 yards. We each gave a quick whistle and he stopped right at the top of a ridge and looks back at us. I didn't waste anytime and shot. He didn't take a step.
By twiedenh at 2011-12-07
I was on the very far ridge in the backround.
By twiedenh at 2011-12-07
By twiedenh at 2011-12-07
By twiedenh at 2011-12-07
Setup here and shot a coyote at 300 yards
By twiedenh at 2011-12-07
By twiedenh at 2011-12-07
It was COLD!
Thomas
