Mule deer hunting in November with a rifle during the start of the rut is way fun. There are lonesome bucks around all the small groups of does with fawns and the bucks are rather
preoccupied. They don't seem to give a "buck snort" for humans in the area. I have never done this before and feel fortunate to have had the opportunity at least once in my hunting career. I had about 5 bonus points for mule deer hunting and I applied for a CWMU {Cooperative Wildlife Management Unit} tag via the State of Utah drawing process. I drew the tag in late summer and really didn't know what I had. My son called to congratulate me. He is a professional wildlife biologist had a lots better appreciation for my good fortune in tag drawing. We made plans to go hunt together in the late fall. I love it when he comes. His eyes are younger and sharper, he is great at cleaning, packing, and handling the downed game, he is a great conversationalist, and he is an excellent camp cook. Not to mention he is one of my sons and I love my boys with all my heart.
I took my camping/hunting trailer to N39º41.368 and W109º39.883 on October 31, 2016 and we set up camp. On the dirt road journey into the camping spot we saw several bucks along the side of the less than perfect dirt road we were traveling. They were watching us but they didn't run away and hide. I was getting really excited. The bucks we saw were kind of smallish -- 2x2's and 2x3's mostly. I did see one 3x4 that had an impressive rack and was rather mature. I was starting to scratch my trigger finger.
Camp was great. We had stopped at WalMart in Vernal, Utah and bought some important supplies. I came out of the store with fixings for great meals for 4 or 5 days. Dax is always thinking ahead. I usually eat ramen noodles and MRE's when I hunt alone. The first night in the camper we had shrimp with alfredo sauce over garden pasta with a crusty french bread. Flan for dessert. The meal was great. I learned the shrimp idea from my son and his pal Clint S. They like to start a new tradition of having shrimp on the first night of a hunting camp.
Tuesday, November 1, 2016 we were off early to hunt for
the BIG ONE. We almost immediately saw several mule deer bucks in various groups following dozens of does as we had the day before on the drive into the area. We saw two young bucks, 2x2's, butting heads and sparing with each other. We saw a couple of 2x2's bucks that were all alone and wondering "What are these strange sensations I have?" "Why do I want to smell the does and then get near to them?" We saw a mature buck with rack full of character a 6x7 or so and he was chasing a hot doe. We watched him for a few minutes and decided it was just the first morning and there are probably others that are even bigger around if we continue to scout for them. We drove on looking for the best big old boy we could find. We did see other deer. Some of the bucks were nice. I took my rifle out of the case and put the crosshairs on a couple of them but never pulled the trigger. We saw two coyotes late in the afternoon and I wanted to shoot the walking $50 bills* but I didn't want to scare off any potential big bucks so I held back. We saw an extremely large badger moving quickly over a short mountain near us. We watched him go up and over post haste. The badger was maybe as big as a doe mule deer yet with shorter legs. Finally at dark we went back to camp and had another great meal. To sleep early as we were hunting and would get up early. All in all, a great day with my son hunting. Lots of game and really uniquely spectacular scenery. The geological formations were very interesting and beautiful in the sunset lighting.
Wednesday, November 2, 2016 we were up early, hot chocolate and a cinnamon raisin bagel then off to hunt. I had been thinking about the 6x7 buck we saw the day before and I told my son if we see him again I want to shoot at him. He is kind of special with all the trash points on his rack. My son agreed and said "It's your tag". We drove toward the east from camp and came across four fellows in a Yukon just out looking at deer. They were not hunting, they were just taking photos. As we passed in the road the driver motioned us to stop. My son was driving and the two drivers started to talk. They could see my orange vest and the Yukon guys knew I was hunting. They said they had seen a 6x7 that was way "cool" and I should be on the look out for it. My son told them we had seen the buck the day before and we were looking for it again. The Yukon scouts told us to go look near a oil drilling well pad up the road where they had seen it about an hour earlier. They wished us well and good luck. We started out towards the direction indicated.
Eventually arriving at the well pad area we saw several does and fawns {like over 20 head}. There were no bucks to be seen. We scouted around and then got out the glass. We glassed for sometime without results. The bucks seemed to be at a "convention" somewhere other than here. We drove south a mile or so and continued to glass without success. It was still early and I was sure we would eventually see some type of buck as there were so many does around the general area. We started to retrace our path back towards the oil well pad and my son saw
Mr. Wonderful. He was keeping a low profile and just out of the junipers moving east away from us at about 250 yards. We quickly walked towards him to get a better look. We used some lone junipers to walk behind to shield us from the buck's line sight. We worked our way to as close as we could while still behind the juniper screen. We both looked out from behind the last large juniper tree, Dax on one side me on the other, at the buck that was now 165 yards away. I said "That's him I am going to shoot." I worked the bolt on my .300 Win. Mag. and took a sight picture in a standing position. Not my best position for accurate shooting. I pressed the trigger and shot high. {I will now call that my "warning shot"}. I shot high enough the buck didn't really run fast away. He continued to move to the east and some north. I sat down in the sage brush and using my knees a rests I held my rifle on the buck's vitals from a quartering away angle. I figured the bullet would take out his liver and also his lungs at this range. I pressed the trigger ever so gently and the rifle boomed and the buck jumped and he was done. He took maybe 10 steps north east and fell over in the junipers.
It took us a moment to recognize all that had happened in just a few short minutes. We located the big buck and stalked him and shot him in about 4 or 5 minutes. That is how it happens many times when hunting. You look for hours and days then when the moment comes it all happens so fast. I am so thankful for my son and the opportunity to be with him on this special hunt. We went over and took some photos. Then we drove the truck as close as we could and loaded him on the back for transport to camp. What a great hunt! I have been blessed so much from Heaven. I have enough health to go hunting, enough luck to draw a tag, and sons who like to be with me in the field.
{The meat is not bad either.} *Utah has a $50 bounty on coyotes taken in deer areas.
