Not elk season. Only deer season.

Was a rough day. Dave got close to a big old high backed busted buck, before does blew. I rebedded him on the hill but Would of been another hell of another climb for Dave.

I drew on a decent 3x3 but no shot.

Think tomorrow will be last day. Might hunt Sat, still up in air.


Oh Hud, it was 17 with 30 mph guests thus morning. Hat works well actually

With this hunt, i think the best thing to do is find the nearest restaurant that serves a solid beef steak, order one uo, call it a mule deer, and say you were successful.

Don’t gotta worry about wind, temperature and if you lose any gear you can at least call the restaurant and get it back

Oh no, been a few easy deer passed and maybe one really good one missed.

So the list is growing...we now can add lost arrows to the "Big Deal" long list of lost item.

Yee of little faith.....

I got all my arrows

Looked a tad bit low....let me guess with this "miss"....you either forgot or lost your rangefinder?.......again...

Neither had to make a spilt decision on yardage. They where excited when they came in.

Addition to hunting with the "Big Deal" list of excuses.... "shot low but I had found and took the rangefinder, but did not use it".
Call is working then? Get this done this morning...don't come home empty handed.

Hmm., maybe Over the Top guide service instead of Big Deal.

I am meeting a guest hunter at 11. he won't get the same treatment as Big Deal would provide, but I certainly hope he has a good time. I just love "sharing" the country. There's too much for just me and it gets better if you share it with others.

'Oh Hud, it was 17 with 30 mph guests thus morning. Hat works well actually'

I'd say take a photo when successful on your hunt, but heck I just want a photo.

I sure hope the "Big Deal" took lots of photos on this sight seeing.....ur uh... hunting trip....at least we will get to see some landscape and a deer or two...live deer....

I think we need to name the "hunting cap" the "hunting handi-cap".....this escapade needs to end with 2 dead mule deer.

Me thinks he lost his camera.
I’ll check in some but I’m heading cross the river to kill some “red” doe.
“Handi-cap”, that’s good

Epic, harsh, sarcastic, all in the same post...love it. STX you are truely are a Jedi master


Just do Big Deal a favor and channel some mulies his way using the force...

I only used it twice, first time it did real well. Second time not so much. They came in hard and started working down wind. I didn’t have time to range. I actually didn’t know this buck was even in there. I never saw him as I was glassing over the group bedded in the timber. I was going in after a good 5x5 and 3x3. when I started calling, and he stood up, and stood out like a man among men. He was with a hot doe, and she happened to be lead doe also. I just missed judged range. They came in real quick and started working down wind. I was a little star struck too. I shot just low and had 4 hairs on broad head. After exhausting any second chance opportunities, I was able to range and missed judge 8-10yards. Yes, I know what you are about to say... lol, I deserve the title

Ironically.... We actually got back on him and the same group yesterday afternoon, we made a perfect stalk in on them and unfortunately dave hit a twig and sailed high him at 30 yard shot. I needed one more step on the smaller 5x5. The Big deer is a heart breaker of a buck. Best deer all year. Just flat huge body too. Straight up Jimmy type deer. Complete and pleasant surprise. Think the opportunity pretty much made the year for both of us, one of those old buvk that will make camp fire folk lore.

Last night I stalked to with in 15 yards of a big 3x3 probably 24 wide. After about a 1000 yard stalk, I ended up stalking wrong dead bush. I drew on a deer and as I stepped around to get a better presentation realized it was the doe, I frantically looked right and buck blew out 15 yards from me just as my wind hit him. He came out like a covey of quail and never stopped.

Over all we both made atleast one to two stalks a day, and passed on a lot of younger bucks. Great trip, we ended up coming home last night. My first time in this unit and every day we got better and better. Wish we could of stayed a few more days. My expectations where simple, I figured we would see a hand full of decent framed type mountain bucks. Over all that held true, but quantity was a lot better then I expected. 7 days and glassing well over 100 deer isn’t to bad. If we both hadn’t already taken good mule deer this year, we could of filled the freezer pretty easily.

Wait where we headed

Met my guest hunter at Max's in Tilden so he could at least have one good meal over the weekend. Went on in and lots of people at camp. Lots of hunting "experts". In the small State which is Texas, het met an ol' acquaintance from his past which was very random. Put him on a few animals here and there and he took quite a few successful shots. He was at a new place with new faces and had to go hunting in the pasture with a guy who wore, get this, Nato Desert Night Camo from an Army surplus store topped off with an Alpine wool hat (with a feather in it). I tried to make him comfortable repeating certain phrases from his past, "have you seen my . . . , I can't seem to find my . . . . ., I've lost my . . . .".

I just wish he coulda spent more time with Donger.

Do you have to be a big deal to tell a hunting story on this thread? I also did not lose anything but when I cocked my crossbow foot slipped and as bow came up it hit various body parts and the stock broke and required much duct tape. Only paid $1800 so what do you expect. I ALSO ate on the way to lease but had a “Bucees beast burrito” an likely not as good as Max’s. I did NOT see any old friends at Bucees. Oh yeah, I ALSO wore a “hunting cap” but even though it HAS a brim and is not FUZZY it is the one I’ve worn 30 years. First sit was edge of 80 acre wheat field that had 150 deer on it also had 15 bucks at feeder—problem wasn’t that I mis ranged but I was DOE hunting and the bucks weren’t letting the girls in. Got creative and hand corned from rifle blind and killed two doe within an hour. “Red” doe.

Next Jan. Archery mule deer in NM AND OR AZ

Ha!!! I’m normally just his driver though




In real life I'm anything but big, not even my belly. The best stories are never about being successful, failures and mishaps are the best stories. Being successful is easy.., being a nick’em... Well that takes talent

Took him less time to gut the deer (on the ground mind you) than it took me to cut up the potatoes for dinner. In think the deer ended up being cleaner than the potatoes.

Oh it's the old German in him. When he started looking at Pronghorn ribs, I gave him a hat tip for respect, then told him he was crazy

Six deer were brought in that night. Someone left a piggie in the field. That and the knife wielding guest tackling the deer on the ground helped to speed things up. Everybody got involved with lots of banter. Some even helped.