cooperjd
Well-known member
For those of you who are bored to tears and really want to read a book, here is the full trip i wrote up. For just the action, scroll down to Saturday 13 Nov. short version with pictures is probably a page or two back.
Colorado Mule Deer 2010
It was sometime in the summer when I got the call from my good friend Jake. “Hey man the draw results are out, if you give me your info I can see if you drew the tag.” So of course I told Jake what he needed, and a minute later I heard the news I needed to hear. “You hit it man!”
What I hit was my 3rd season rifle tag for mule deer in Colorado. A friendship formed the year before between Jake Wills and I led to this opportunity. Jake has taken some monster mulies near his hometown of Pagosa Springs, CO, and invited me out to hunt if I could draw the tag. I had never hunted mule deer before, so it was time to get in shape and make plans for the hunt.
Fast forward to early November; I worked like a dog to build up hours at work so I could take plenty of time off. I had worked a few holidays to save them for this trip as well. I packed a cooler full of clothes and boots and shipped them to Jake and Roxanna’s house. I ordered a dozen MRE’s and had them shipped out there as well. I think they thought I was moving in before I even got there.
Thursday, 4 November 2010.
Finally the day got here. I picked up my bags and rifle case in the airport of Durango, and met Jake and Tater. Tater is the big family lab, duck dog extraordinaire, and truck guardian anytime he can get a ride in the back. We head to the Wills’ house where I saw Roxy again and the ever growing little Easton, their 6 month old son. After a long day of traveling, we hung out and talked some, then it was bedtime.
Friday, 5 November 2010.
I gave myself an extra day to recover from traveling and to get unpacked and settled before season opened the next day. I met up with my good friend James and he took me to the local rifle range to check and see how Frontier Airlines treated my riflescope. As I expected, they slightly adjusted it for me. And though appreciated, I do not really need any help, so I put it back to how I like it. That day I relaxed and hung out with James until he had to go to work, then headed back over to hang out with Rox and Easton until Jake got home and we headed out to do some scouting. We located a lot of deer in the lower elevations, but did not find any good bucks. We discussed strategy over a great dinner prepared by Rox, thankfully a common theme for the duration of my trip; that woman is a great cook. Then it was off to bed where I could hardly sleep in anticipation of the early morning hunting adventure for my first mule deer hunt!
Saturday, 6 November 2010
Opening day of the 3rd rifle season, and soon after we start our ascent up the mountain, I quickly realized I was way overdressed for this unusually warm weather and all the uphill hiking I was going to be doing. Early in the morning as we were going up to the top of the ridge we bumped a couple of does, and spotted a small fork-horn on the opposite ridge top across from us. Not quite the big boy we were looking for, so he got a pass for another day. We stayed up on top of this ridge and worked our way along, slowly picking our way through the brush, glassing for deer on the opposite ridges, and paying careful attention in case we jumped up a big buck. We busted a couple more does, but that was it for a while. Eventually as we worked our way on top of another ridge, we came to a big hole in the ground, a black bear’s den. I guess I could have picked a better spot to tie my boots, but as I set my rifle and pack down to tie my shoes, I heard the sound about the time I heard Jake whisper “Bear!” I quickly turned and noticed the bear making an exit from his other hole about 15 yards away. He was a smaller bear, but a beautiful blonde color. This was the first blonde phase black bear I had ever seen, and he was close! I quickly reached and grabbed my rifle just in case, but he was making tracks away from us to get away from whatever those strange looking things were that had bothered him in his house. We made our way along the top of this ridge and found a couple of good spots to sit and glass for a while. Eventually I spotted the blonde bear; he went around and was just sitting on the opposite ridge looking around. Jake spotted a mule deer shed antler, and after glassing a while and seeing no deer, he went down and got it. That man can spot shed antlers like none other. We didn’t find any more deer that morning and worked our way around and eventually found our way back to the truck and went home to grab a quick bite to eat.
After lunch we headed to a different spot to try our luck. After a long walk in and spotting several does and small ones on the way in, we got to a pine thicket and set up to watch for deer filtering through. After watching until nearly dark, we decided to start easing back towards the truck. We didn’t see any more deer that afternoon, so it was back to the house for another of Roxy’s fantastic meals and some shut eye.
Sunday, 7 November 2010
The alarm sounded early but I do not have much trouble getting out of bed. It was unseasonably warm and the deer were difficult to find, but we were going to get out and try our best to fill my tag. We put in a lot of work on the morning hunt, and saw tons of tracks and sign, but no deer. We also saw quite a few hunters walking around the ridges, as the blaze orange really stood out against the oak brush and pine trees. We grabbed some lunch at a restaurant in Pagosa, and headed to another spot for the afternoon hunt. Not long after leaving the truck and hiking out, we spotted a small group of deer, with a small buck in it. There was no shooter in this group, so we kept moving hoping to run across a deer or jump a big buck out of his bed. Eventually this is exactly what happened, and a nice 3x3 buck busted out of the brush at the base of the hill we were descending. He was not a shooter, but it was good to see how the deer would react. We kept easing through the oak brush and jumped up another deer, but never got a look at it through the thick cover. Eventually we climbed to a high vantage point to look for deer, and we found lots of deer. Most of them were very far away, and on private land. We saw quite a few deer, but no shooters on public or private land. So it was time to ease off the top and start heading for the truck before it got too dark to see. Another day down with no deer, but I had the entire 9 day season to hunt. On the way home we spotted a big buck right off the highway that was on public land, so our hopes were high as we went to bed that we could slip in and find that big buck the next morning.
Monday, 8 November 2010
After seeing the big buck last night near the highway, we were working our way around to get to the deer. The way the boundaries run we had to walk a long way around to get to where the deer was, so we were sneaking our way around, glassing along the way. We found lots of deer tracks and sign, but couldn’t find the deer that made them. Eventually we got to the shelf near where we saw the big buck, and went into super quiet stalk mode. In the pine thicket we made virtually no noise as we were sneaking through totally alert to anything around us. Unfortunately the buck was nowhere to be found, and the only antlers on this hunt were the shed antlers Jake found and picked up. On the way back to the truck we bumped a doe and watched as she crested a hill going away from us, but that was the only deer we saw this morning.
Monday afternoon we tried a new game plan. We drove down to lower elevations to check out the areas around Navajo state park and river. We located quite a few deer down here, but no shooters. The problem was that area was basically a road hunters’ location. There was very little land between the road and the river, and there were hunters driving around everywhere. We spotted a pretty decent buck across the river, but still not what we were looking for. The warm weather continued, and the deer continued to confuse us, but my spirits were still high, as I had a long hunt left.
Tuesday, 9 November 2010
Tuesday morning found me hunting alone. Jake had to actually work and couldn’t babysit me the entire week, so I borrowed the little Toyota and headed to the first mornings’ spot. I hiked nearly the same path we did on the first day, only this time I only spotted 2 doe a long way off while glassing.
Tuesday afternoon finally brought cold weather and snow. I was hoping this would get the deer up and moving, and I relocated to the same spot Jake and I hunted Saturday evening. After a long hike in I set up in a thicket hoping the deer would move through, but the only thing that did was a coyote. After a long walk back to the truck I noticed something strange when I opened the door… the interior light did not come on.
“Uh-oh.”
All of a sudden I remembered turning the lights on because of the snow, and I reached in and realized my fears were true as I clicked the light switch to “off”. So now I have no cell phone service, and a totally dead battery. I was parked on a small hill, so I tried to clutch start the engine by rolling backwards, but I could not get going fast enough before getting into the road, so I locked the truck up and started walking. Luckily there were some hunting cabins only a half mile down the road, and I was able to flag down a truck and find some jumper cables. Thankfully this fellow was nice enough to give me a jump and I was able to head home to another of Roxy’s fantastic dinners and some sleep.
Wednesday, 10 November 2010
Wednesday morning found me hunting alone again. Since the deer were not cooperating at the higher elevations and Jake’s normal spots, we decided that I should try to go back to the lower lands on Navajo State Park. I got a little bit of a late start and did not get to the hunting area until after daylight. The road hunters were out in full force, so it was difficult to find a spot with no people. I spotted a small buck running from the state land over to the reservation land, and a few does crossing the river. That was all the action I had for a while. I parked the truck and started slowly working my way through the thick brush along the riverbank trying to jump a big buck out of his bed. I managed to scare up a doe in a thicket, but that was the only other deer I saw in a few miles of hiking the river.
Jake had talked to some guys at work that had been to another area and saw a ton of deer the evening before, so after looking at a map and figuring out a route, I had my plan for the afternoon. Neither Jake nor I had ever hunted this piece, and after a long drive up the snowy mountain road I finally got to the top, parked the truck, and got out to walk. I worked my way through the thick oak brush and found several places to set up and glass the opposite hillsides for deer, but the afternoon turned into evening without a single deer being spotted. I did see a pretty bobcat as I was getting back to the truck at last light.
Thursday, 11 November 2010
This was my last day to hunt alone, and it was finally getting and staying cold. I woke up with snow on the ground and the white stuff coming down pretty hard, and drove to another area I had never hunted before. As I was parking the truck a large group of mule does ran across the road in front of me, and I was hoping that would be a good sign for the rest of the day. After glassing for a while with no deer, I decided I would try my luck at tracking that group of does in the snow to see if they would lead me to other deer. I had never tracked deer in the snow before, so it would be fun regardless of the outcome. After following the tracks and stopping to glass every few steps, I spotted a doe and fawn in the timber above me. They headed the other direction and I kept trailing. Eventually I worked my way down and was glassing when I spotted legs in the pine thicket ahead of me. This turned out to be a couple of cow elk, but no bulls in sight. I went up a ridge and found more fresh tracks to follow. This time it belonged to a lone deer. I worked my way through some thick oak brush and came to a small opening and decided to glass in case I was near bedded dear when I heard a thud-thud beside me. I dropped my Leupolds to see a mule doe not 15 yards from me staring at me. I had tracked her up to her bed, and she finally jumped when I stopped moving. She stood there and stared at me for a few seconds then walked off having wondered who this intruder was interrupting her mid morning nap.
I continued to follow tracks and trails and spotted several more does and fawns, stopped for a nice hot MRE for lunch, and continued on slowly hiking through the beautiful country looking for deer. As I got closer to the truck I hit a spot of especially thick oak brush, and got my feet tangled as I was walking and fell face first on the rocks. I tried to protect my rifle as best I could, but the fall happened fast, and as I went down I heard the sickening banging of my rifle off a rock. I did not notice how bad my knee hurt at first, as I was inspecting my scope to see if that had taken a direct hit. I finally found the spot on my rifle, and I took a small chip out of the barrel near the muzzle. It was after a minute or two that I started walking again I noticed the intense pain in my right knee. I had landed on a rock and it was already swelling and had a nice knot in it near my kneecap. I limped my way back to the truck, put on some lighter weight clothes and found a piece of paper that I could shoot at to check my zero, and headed back out. I found a nice opening and stuck my target into a tree about 90 yards away and checked the point of impact. The fall had bumped my scope off just a little, but not much, so it was easily corrected, and I was ready to hunt again. The afternoon was slow, only revealing a couple more does. Even empty handed, it was still a great day to be out. I saw lots of deer, a couple of elk, and got a chance to track deer in the snow, something I had never done before. I packed up and headed back to the house to ice down my knee and get another good supper cooked by Rox.
Friday, 12 November 2010
Jake took off work to hunt with me on Friday, and we headed out early to Pagosa to try some of his honey holes. There was a lot of snow on the ground, and we were hopeful that today would be the day I found my big buck. The morning was cold and it did not take long for my mustache to be full of ice as we were slipping through the trees looking for deer. This was higher country than I had been hunting previously, and our strategy was to catch one of the smart old deer that stays up high until the last minute when the snows finally drive him out to the winter range.
We hit a few different places and put several miles in before a lunch of MREs. We saw several sets of big deer tracks, no doubt belonging to older bucks, but never laid eyes on any deer. We spotted the biggest black bear I have ever seen, and of course I never bought a bear tag. He was ambling along an opposite hillside until he got into thick cover and out of sight.
After taking note of the direction of travel for several sets of tracks, we figured some of these deer were indeed heading for a lower elevation, so for the evening hunt that is where we headed. We drove down and hiked into a thick area where the deer would bed. And as quietly as possible slipped through the brush hoping to find a big buck in his bed. We jumped a few does and a couple cow elk, but again, no bucks. We made our way back to the truck in the dark, and headed for home and another good meal.
Saturday, 13 November 2010
The alarm clock sounded early again, for the 8th straight day now. And just like yesterday, it was a little earlier than usual since we were driving all the way to Pagosa. That morning we went to a spot near the Sunday evening hunt, an area that historically holds deer. We started out in the 12 degree weather hiking up and down a couple of small canyons and draws seeing only tracks. There were lots of fresh tracks in the snow, but no deer to be seen anywhere. We heard several shots that morning, so a few people were seeing deer somewhere. Jake was getting pretty frustrated by that point, and I was starting to get a little nervous about my chances of filling my tag, but it can happen in an instant, so I tried to stay positive.
We moved to the other side of this piece of public land, and crossed paths with another truck with a nice buck in the bed; at least someone had good luck that morning. We parked the truck and started our trek to the top of the ridge in front of us to glass. Soon after we went around the top side we busted up a few does that did not like our presence and they ran off. They must have spooked a young fork horn, as shortly thereafter we spotted him trotting off across the sagebrush flat in front of us. We were looking for the forky to see where he escaped to when both Jake and I spotted the big deer running directly away from us. We guessed the does bumped him out as well, and we watched him run all the way across the sagebrush flat and up the opposite ridge. We watched him until we lost him in a small patch of trees near the top, and kept glassing for a while longer to make sure he did not emerge and move elsewhere. We did not know if he bedded in the trees or went over the other side of the ridge top, but we knew we had to formulate a plan and go after the buck. We hoped he got in the trees and bedded down, and that is how we would approach him. If we saw later that he indeed went over the top, we figured he would not go far before bedding down by the way he was acting at last sight. We decided to back out and circle way around to get to a ridge top opposite the deer and much closer than the ¾ mile we were currently at. So through the thick and nasty oak brush we went.
We topped the ridge a couple of times and glassed for a few minutes trying to locate the buck with no success, so we kept on going on our long circling route. We finally made our way to a ridge top directly across from where we last saw the deer and a little over 400 yards away. Our original plan we then saw was not going to work out, as our final destination would have put us farther from the buck than we were currently situated. The saddles and ridge tops looked different from our original angle when they were a mile away. So we set up on this ridge and started glassing, trying to locate the buck. There was a rock wall on the top, a few feet high, a couple of feet thick, and about 20 yards long. So I was sitting behind it to hide from the buck in case he was bedded and watching. After several minutes of careful glassing, we still had not located the buck. We were afraid he had moved over the top of the ridge, but we kept glassing anyway because it is amazing how well they can hide. Finally, after looking in the exact same spot for probably the 15th time, the buck is standing there! It was amazing how well this deer could hide when bedded. We watched him for a couple of minutes, then he picked a spot in the shadows and bedded back down.
Now it was decision time. There was absolutely no way to get any closer to this deer. We could see the thick oak brush on the opposite side over the top of where the buck was bedded, and there would be no way to sneak up on him through that. There was no way to move on him without him seeing us. He picked the perfect spot to bed in. We ranged him at 425 yards, and with a little coaxing from Jake I decided that if I could get a steady enough rest I would take the shot when he offered it to me. The rock wall turned out to be a perfect rifle rest. I found a small V shape in the rocks, laid my jacket down in the V, and laid my rifle in my jacket. I was able to move some small rocks around under the jacket to get the rifle balanced and positioned perfectly. Once I got my seat and got on the rifle, it was like holding it in a vice. I was definitely steady enough to make the shot. I knew my 7mm Remington Mag shooting Federals 160 grain Barnes Triple Shock X bullet would drop about 20 inches at this distance. So we figured about 10 inches hold over his back should put the bullet right where it needed to be. All we could see was the buck’s head and antlers, so there was no shot while he was bedded. I got down on the rifle, Jake was on his binoculars, and the waiting game was on.
And on, and on. If I got tired and stiff from sitting on the rocks in an odd position, Jake would take over looking through his binos to make sure the buck did not leave. Once stretched out, it was back on the scope. To steady my nerves and calm myself for the shot I was putting the crosshairs on the buck’s eye and squeezing on my trigger guard, ensuring a smooth straight back trigger pull. This went on for an hour, then all of a sudden it happened, he was standing up broadside! The wind had been swirling some around us but it was primarily in our faces so I wasn’t worried about the wind, I took the safety off the Remington 700 and started to apply slight pressure to the trigger. Then the buck turned directly towards me. I let off the trigger and waited. The buck took a few steps, and then bedded back down! All that waiting and now we had to do it again. There was still no shot on the bedded buck, so we were back to watching him. Thankfully the second time he only stayed bedded for 10 minutes. He got up and got broadside to me, I eased the safety off and held over his back. I squeezed the trigger ever so gently until the rifle bucked in my hands, and the Barnes bullet was on its way.
At the recoil of the shot I could not see the impact. Jake just happened to shift his binoculars slightly at the exact moment of the shot, so he was not able to see it either. The deer was gone. Vanished. I had immediately gotten back on the scope with a fresh round in the chamber, but never saw the deer. We did not see him run; we did not see him anywhere. Jake told me he thinks I dropped him, we would have seen him leave that small patch of trees if he had run, and we never saw any sign of him. We stayed up top and watched for a few minutes, then decided to go to where he was standing and see what we could find. The shot felt good, so I was confident in my shot, and was hoping that he had indeed dropped and fell into the shadows and brush that would block him from our view. I could not get too excited though, until we found the deer. We climbed down into the valley and up the other side, and when we finally reached the area where he was standing, my buck was laying there, dead instantly from the shot. This was the time I got excited. After handshakes, high fives, and picture taking, it was time to get to work. I gutted the deer and left him in the shade as we had to go get a horse to pack him out. We made a bee line for Jake’s truck, ran over to his folks’ house to grab his horse and trailer, and came back to pack the buck out from the top of the ridge.
On the way home with the buck in the back of the truck, the reality set in of what I had just done. I had filled my tag with a nice buck, my first mule deer, on a dream hunt. Lots of hiking, lots of hard work, and to finally have it all pay off on the 8th day of a 9 day deer season was fantastic. Hunting with a great friend, on public land, packing out the deer on a horse, and watching him in his bed for an hour and ten minutes, this hunt had it all. I could not have asked for anything better. We got the buck to the house and hung him up and skinned him, had a couple cold ones and earned a much needed rest.
Sunday, 14 November 2010
Sunday was my last full day there in Colorado. And finally we got a chance to sleep in. Although I still had my bull elk tag in my pocket, there was really no way to go get a bull, and get him back to the house, butchered, etc… in a day, so I did not bother with a last minute attempt to find a shooter bull. We got the buck caped out and to the local butcher for processing. Then it was time for some relaxation and snagging some kokanee salmon for dinner. Jake, Rox, Easton, Tater, and I went out and got our limits of salmon and headed over to our good friends’ house for dinner. Jake and I put down 11 fish each; I think it was safe to say we worked up an appetite the days before.
That was the end of my Colorado adventure this year. The next morning I flew out of Durango back to Virginia and back to reality. What an experience, what an adventure! I hope to go back some day and try to get one of the real monster mulies that roam that part of Colorado. My buck was a 4x4 frame with nice eyeguards, and an extra eyeguard on one side, which made him a 6x5 buck that gross green scores a little over 156” B&C. This was by far the toughest hunt I have ever done, the mountains were steep and the miles were many, but there is nothing I would change about this hunt. Except maybe throwing in a big 6x6 bull elk on the first or second day, that might have helped!
Colorado Mule Deer 2010
It was sometime in the summer when I got the call from my good friend Jake. “Hey man the draw results are out, if you give me your info I can see if you drew the tag.” So of course I told Jake what he needed, and a minute later I heard the news I needed to hear. “You hit it man!”
What I hit was my 3rd season rifle tag for mule deer in Colorado. A friendship formed the year before between Jake Wills and I led to this opportunity. Jake has taken some monster mulies near his hometown of Pagosa Springs, CO, and invited me out to hunt if I could draw the tag. I had never hunted mule deer before, so it was time to get in shape and make plans for the hunt.
Fast forward to early November; I worked like a dog to build up hours at work so I could take plenty of time off. I had worked a few holidays to save them for this trip as well. I packed a cooler full of clothes and boots and shipped them to Jake and Roxanna’s house. I ordered a dozen MRE’s and had them shipped out there as well. I think they thought I was moving in before I even got there.
Thursday, 4 November 2010.
Finally the day got here. I picked up my bags and rifle case in the airport of Durango, and met Jake and Tater. Tater is the big family lab, duck dog extraordinaire, and truck guardian anytime he can get a ride in the back. We head to the Wills’ house where I saw Roxy again and the ever growing little Easton, their 6 month old son. After a long day of traveling, we hung out and talked some, then it was bedtime.
Friday, 5 November 2010.
I gave myself an extra day to recover from traveling and to get unpacked and settled before season opened the next day. I met up with my good friend James and he took me to the local rifle range to check and see how Frontier Airlines treated my riflescope. As I expected, they slightly adjusted it for me. And though appreciated, I do not really need any help, so I put it back to how I like it. That day I relaxed and hung out with James until he had to go to work, then headed back over to hang out with Rox and Easton until Jake got home and we headed out to do some scouting. We located a lot of deer in the lower elevations, but did not find any good bucks. We discussed strategy over a great dinner prepared by Rox, thankfully a common theme for the duration of my trip; that woman is a great cook. Then it was off to bed where I could hardly sleep in anticipation of the early morning hunting adventure for my first mule deer hunt!
Saturday, 6 November 2010
Opening day of the 3rd rifle season, and soon after we start our ascent up the mountain, I quickly realized I was way overdressed for this unusually warm weather and all the uphill hiking I was going to be doing. Early in the morning as we were going up to the top of the ridge we bumped a couple of does, and spotted a small fork-horn on the opposite ridge top across from us. Not quite the big boy we were looking for, so he got a pass for another day. We stayed up on top of this ridge and worked our way along, slowly picking our way through the brush, glassing for deer on the opposite ridges, and paying careful attention in case we jumped up a big buck. We busted a couple more does, but that was it for a while. Eventually as we worked our way on top of another ridge, we came to a big hole in the ground, a black bear’s den. I guess I could have picked a better spot to tie my boots, but as I set my rifle and pack down to tie my shoes, I heard the sound about the time I heard Jake whisper “Bear!” I quickly turned and noticed the bear making an exit from his other hole about 15 yards away. He was a smaller bear, but a beautiful blonde color. This was the first blonde phase black bear I had ever seen, and he was close! I quickly reached and grabbed my rifle just in case, but he was making tracks away from us to get away from whatever those strange looking things were that had bothered him in his house. We made our way along the top of this ridge and found a couple of good spots to sit and glass for a while. Eventually I spotted the blonde bear; he went around and was just sitting on the opposite ridge looking around. Jake spotted a mule deer shed antler, and after glassing a while and seeing no deer, he went down and got it. That man can spot shed antlers like none other. We didn’t find any more deer that morning and worked our way around and eventually found our way back to the truck and went home to grab a quick bite to eat.
After lunch we headed to a different spot to try our luck. After a long walk in and spotting several does and small ones on the way in, we got to a pine thicket and set up to watch for deer filtering through. After watching until nearly dark, we decided to start easing back towards the truck. We didn’t see any more deer that afternoon, so it was back to the house for another of Roxy’s fantastic meals and some shut eye.
Sunday, 7 November 2010
The alarm sounded early but I do not have much trouble getting out of bed. It was unseasonably warm and the deer were difficult to find, but we were going to get out and try our best to fill my tag. We put in a lot of work on the morning hunt, and saw tons of tracks and sign, but no deer. We also saw quite a few hunters walking around the ridges, as the blaze orange really stood out against the oak brush and pine trees. We grabbed some lunch at a restaurant in Pagosa, and headed to another spot for the afternoon hunt. Not long after leaving the truck and hiking out, we spotted a small group of deer, with a small buck in it. There was no shooter in this group, so we kept moving hoping to run across a deer or jump a big buck out of his bed. Eventually this is exactly what happened, and a nice 3x3 buck busted out of the brush at the base of the hill we were descending. He was not a shooter, but it was good to see how the deer would react. We kept easing through the oak brush and jumped up another deer, but never got a look at it through the thick cover. Eventually we climbed to a high vantage point to look for deer, and we found lots of deer. Most of them were very far away, and on private land. We saw quite a few deer, but no shooters on public or private land. So it was time to ease off the top and start heading for the truck before it got too dark to see. Another day down with no deer, but I had the entire 9 day season to hunt. On the way home we spotted a big buck right off the highway that was on public land, so our hopes were high as we went to bed that we could slip in and find that big buck the next morning.
Monday, 8 November 2010
After seeing the big buck last night near the highway, we were working our way around to get to the deer. The way the boundaries run we had to walk a long way around to get to where the deer was, so we were sneaking our way around, glassing along the way. We found lots of deer tracks and sign, but couldn’t find the deer that made them. Eventually we got to the shelf near where we saw the big buck, and went into super quiet stalk mode. In the pine thicket we made virtually no noise as we were sneaking through totally alert to anything around us. Unfortunately the buck was nowhere to be found, and the only antlers on this hunt were the shed antlers Jake found and picked up. On the way back to the truck we bumped a doe and watched as she crested a hill going away from us, but that was the only deer we saw this morning.
Monday afternoon we tried a new game plan. We drove down to lower elevations to check out the areas around Navajo state park and river. We located quite a few deer down here, but no shooters. The problem was that area was basically a road hunters’ location. There was very little land between the road and the river, and there were hunters driving around everywhere. We spotted a pretty decent buck across the river, but still not what we were looking for. The warm weather continued, and the deer continued to confuse us, but my spirits were still high, as I had a long hunt left.
Tuesday, 9 November 2010
Tuesday morning found me hunting alone. Jake had to actually work and couldn’t babysit me the entire week, so I borrowed the little Toyota and headed to the first mornings’ spot. I hiked nearly the same path we did on the first day, only this time I only spotted 2 doe a long way off while glassing.
Tuesday afternoon finally brought cold weather and snow. I was hoping this would get the deer up and moving, and I relocated to the same spot Jake and I hunted Saturday evening. After a long hike in I set up in a thicket hoping the deer would move through, but the only thing that did was a coyote. After a long walk back to the truck I noticed something strange when I opened the door… the interior light did not come on.
“Uh-oh.”
All of a sudden I remembered turning the lights on because of the snow, and I reached in and realized my fears were true as I clicked the light switch to “off”. So now I have no cell phone service, and a totally dead battery. I was parked on a small hill, so I tried to clutch start the engine by rolling backwards, but I could not get going fast enough before getting into the road, so I locked the truck up and started walking. Luckily there were some hunting cabins only a half mile down the road, and I was able to flag down a truck and find some jumper cables. Thankfully this fellow was nice enough to give me a jump and I was able to head home to another of Roxy’s fantastic dinners and some sleep.
Wednesday, 10 November 2010
Wednesday morning found me hunting alone again. Since the deer were not cooperating at the higher elevations and Jake’s normal spots, we decided that I should try to go back to the lower lands on Navajo State Park. I got a little bit of a late start and did not get to the hunting area until after daylight. The road hunters were out in full force, so it was difficult to find a spot with no people. I spotted a small buck running from the state land over to the reservation land, and a few does crossing the river. That was all the action I had for a while. I parked the truck and started slowly working my way through the thick brush along the riverbank trying to jump a big buck out of his bed. I managed to scare up a doe in a thicket, but that was the only other deer I saw in a few miles of hiking the river.
Jake had talked to some guys at work that had been to another area and saw a ton of deer the evening before, so after looking at a map and figuring out a route, I had my plan for the afternoon. Neither Jake nor I had ever hunted this piece, and after a long drive up the snowy mountain road I finally got to the top, parked the truck, and got out to walk. I worked my way through the thick oak brush and found several places to set up and glass the opposite hillsides for deer, but the afternoon turned into evening without a single deer being spotted. I did see a pretty bobcat as I was getting back to the truck at last light.
Thursday, 11 November 2010
This was my last day to hunt alone, and it was finally getting and staying cold. I woke up with snow on the ground and the white stuff coming down pretty hard, and drove to another area I had never hunted before. As I was parking the truck a large group of mule does ran across the road in front of me, and I was hoping that would be a good sign for the rest of the day. After glassing for a while with no deer, I decided I would try my luck at tracking that group of does in the snow to see if they would lead me to other deer. I had never tracked deer in the snow before, so it would be fun regardless of the outcome. After following the tracks and stopping to glass every few steps, I spotted a doe and fawn in the timber above me. They headed the other direction and I kept trailing. Eventually I worked my way down and was glassing when I spotted legs in the pine thicket ahead of me. This turned out to be a couple of cow elk, but no bulls in sight. I went up a ridge and found more fresh tracks to follow. This time it belonged to a lone deer. I worked my way through some thick oak brush and came to a small opening and decided to glass in case I was near bedded dear when I heard a thud-thud beside me. I dropped my Leupolds to see a mule doe not 15 yards from me staring at me. I had tracked her up to her bed, and she finally jumped when I stopped moving. She stood there and stared at me for a few seconds then walked off having wondered who this intruder was interrupting her mid morning nap.
I continued to follow tracks and trails and spotted several more does and fawns, stopped for a nice hot MRE for lunch, and continued on slowly hiking through the beautiful country looking for deer. As I got closer to the truck I hit a spot of especially thick oak brush, and got my feet tangled as I was walking and fell face first on the rocks. I tried to protect my rifle as best I could, but the fall happened fast, and as I went down I heard the sickening banging of my rifle off a rock. I did not notice how bad my knee hurt at first, as I was inspecting my scope to see if that had taken a direct hit. I finally found the spot on my rifle, and I took a small chip out of the barrel near the muzzle. It was after a minute or two that I started walking again I noticed the intense pain in my right knee. I had landed on a rock and it was already swelling and had a nice knot in it near my kneecap. I limped my way back to the truck, put on some lighter weight clothes and found a piece of paper that I could shoot at to check my zero, and headed back out. I found a nice opening and stuck my target into a tree about 90 yards away and checked the point of impact. The fall had bumped my scope off just a little, but not much, so it was easily corrected, and I was ready to hunt again. The afternoon was slow, only revealing a couple more does. Even empty handed, it was still a great day to be out. I saw lots of deer, a couple of elk, and got a chance to track deer in the snow, something I had never done before. I packed up and headed back to the house to ice down my knee and get another good supper cooked by Rox.
Friday, 12 November 2010
Jake took off work to hunt with me on Friday, and we headed out early to Pagosa to try some of his honey holes. There was a lot of snow on the ground, and we were hopeful that today would be the day I found my big buck. The morning was cold and it did not take long for my mustache to be full of ice as we were slipping through the trees looking for deer. This was higher country than I had been hunting previously, and our strategy was to catch one of the smart old deer that stays up high until the last minute when the snows finally drive him out to the winter range.
We hit a few different places and put several miles in before a lunch of MREs. We saw several sets of big deer tracks, no doubt belonging to older bucks, but never laid eyes on any deer. We spotted the biggest black bear I have ever seen, and of course I never bought a bear tag. He was ambling along an opposite hillside until he got into thick cover and out of sight.
After taking note of the direction of travel for several sets of tracks, we figured some of these deer were indeed heading for a lower elevation, so for the evening hunt that is where we headed. We drove down and hiked into a thick area where the deer would bed. And as quietly as possible slipped through the brush hoping to find a big buck in his bed. We jumped a few does and a couple cow elk, but again, no bucks. We made our way back to the truck in the dark, and headed for home and another good meal.
Saturday, 13 November 2010
The alarm clock sounded early again, for the 8th straight day now. And just like yesterday, it was a little earlier than usual since we were driving all the way to Pagosa. That morning we went to a spot near the Sunday evening hunt, an area that historically holds deer. We started out in the 12 degree weather hiking up and down a couple of small canyons and draws seeing only tracks. There were lots of fresh tracks in the snow, but no deer to be seen anywhere. We heard several shots that morning, so a few people were seeing deer somewhere. Jake was getting pretty frustrated by that point, and I was starting to get a little nervous about my chances of filling my tag, but it can happen in an instant, so I tried to stay positive.
We moved to the other side of this piece of public land, and crossed paths with another truck with a nice buck in the bed; at least someone had good luck that morning. We parked the truck and started our trek to the top of the ridge in front of us to glass. Soon after we went around the top side we busted up a few does that did not like our presence and they ran off. They must have spooked a young fork horn, as shortly thereafter we spotted him trotting off across the sagebrush flat in front of us. We were looking for the forky to see where he escaped to when both Jake and I spotted the big deer running directly away from us. We guessed the does bumped him out as well, and we watched him run all the way across the sagebrush flat and up the opposite ridge. We watched him until we lost him in a small patch of trees near the top, and kept glassing for a while longer to make sure he did not emerge and move elsewhere. We did not know if he bedded in the trees or went over the other side of the ridge top, but we knew we had to formulate a plan and go after the buck. We hoped he got in the trees and bedded down, and that is how we would approach him. If we saw later that he indeed went over the top, we figured he would not go far before bedding down by the way he was acting at last sight. We decided to back out and circle way around to get to a ridge top opposite the deer and much closer than the ¾ mile we were currently at. So through the thick and nasty oak brush we went.
We topped the ridge a couple of times and glassed for a few minutes trying to locate the buck with no success, so we kept on going on our long circling route. We finally made our way to a ridge top directly across from where we last saw the deer and a little over 400 yards away. Our original plan we then saw was not going to work out, as our final destination would have put us farther from the buck than we were currently situated. The saddles and ridge tops looked different from our original angle when they were a mile away. So we set up on this ridge and started glassing, trying to locate the buck. There was a rock wall on the top, a few feet high, a couple of feet thick, and about 20 yards long. So I was sitting behind it to hide from the buck in case he was bedded and watching. After several minutes of careful glassing, we still had not located the buck. We were afraid he had moved over the top of the ridge, but we kept glassing anyway because it is amazing how well they can hide. Finally, after looking in the exact same spot for probably the 15th time, the buck is standing there! It was amazing how well this deer could hide when bedded. We watched him for a couple of minutes, then he picked a spot in the shadows and bedded back down.
Now it was decision time. There was absolutely no way to get any closer to this deer. We could see the thick oak brush on the opposite side over the top of where the buck was bedded, and there would be no way to sneak up on him through that. There was no way to move on him without him seeing us. He picked the perfect spot to bed in. We ranged him at 425 yards, and with a little coaxing from Jake I decided that if I could get a steady enough rest I would take the shot when he offered it to me. The rock wall turned out to be a perfect rifle rest. I found a small V shape in the rocks, laid my jacket down in the V, and laid my rifle in my jacket. I was able to move some small rocks around under the jacket to get the rifle balanced and positioned perfectly. Once I got my seat and got on the rifle, it was like holding it in a vice. I was definitely steady enough to make the shot. I knew my 7mm Remington Mag shooting Federals 160 grain Barnes Triple Shock X bullet would drop about 20 inches at this distance. So we figured about 10 inches hold over his back should put the bullet right where it needed to be. All we could see was the buck’s head and antlers, so there was no shot while he was bedded. I got down on the rifle, Jake was on his binoculars, and the waiting game was on.
And on, and on. If I got tired and stiff from sitting on the rocks in an odd position, Jake would take over looking through his binos to make sure the buck did not leave. Once stretched out, it was back on the scope. To steady my nerves and calm myself for the shot I was putting the crosshairs on the buck’s eye and squeezing on my trigger guard, ensuring a smooth straight back trigger pull. This went on for an hour, then all of a sudden it happened, he was standing up broadside! The wind had been swirling some around us but it was primarily in our faces so I wasn’t worried about the wind, I took the safety off the Remington 700 and started to apply slight pressure to the trigger. Then the buck turned directly towards me. I let off the trigger and waited. The buck took a few steps, and then bedded back down! All that waiting and now we had to do it again. There was still no shot on the bedded buck, so we were back to watching him. Thankfully the second time he only stayed bedded for 10 minutes. He got up and got broadside to me, I eased the safety off and held over his back. I squeezed the trigger ever so gently until the rifle bucked in my hands, and the Barnes bullet was on its way.
At the recoil of the shot I could not see the impact. Jake just happened to shift his binoculars slightly at the exact moment of the shot, so he was not able to see it either. The deer was gone. Vanished. I had immediately gotten back on the scope with a fresh round in the chamber, but never saw the deer. We did not see him run; we did not see him anywhere. Jake told me he thinks I dropped him, we would have seen him leave that small patch of trees if he had run, and we never saw any sign of him. We stayed up top and watched for a few minutes, then decided to go to where he was standing and see what we could find. The shot felt good, so I was confident in my shot, and was hoping that he had indeed dropped and fell into the shadows and brush that would block him from our view. I could not get too excited though, until we found the deer. We climbed down into the valley and up the other side, and when we finally reached the area where he was standing, my buck was laying there, dead instantly from the shot. This was the time I got excited. After handshakes, high fives, and picture taking, it was time to get to work. I gutted the deer and left him in the shade as we had to go get a horse to pack him out. We made a bee line for Jake’s truck, ran over to his folks’ house to grab his horse and trailer, and came back to pack the buck out from the top of the ridge.
On the way home with the buck in the back of the truck, the reality set in of what I had just done. I had filled my tag with a nice buck, my first mule deer, on a dream hunt. Lots of hiking, lots of hard work, and to finally have it all pay off on the 8th day of a 9 day deer season was fantastic. Hunting with a great friend, on public land, packing out the deer on a horse, and watching him in his bed for an hour and ten minutes, this hunt had it all. I could not have asked for anything better. We got the buck to the house and hung him up and skinned him, had a couple cold ones and earned a much needed rest.
Sunday, 14 November 2010
Sunday was my last full day there in Colorado. And finally we got a chance to sleep in. Although I still had my bull elk tag in my pocket, there was really no way to go get a bull, and get him back to the house, butchered, etc… in a day, so I did not bother with a last minute attempt to find a shooter bull. We got the buck caped out and to the local butcher for processing. Then it was time for some relaxation and snagging some kokanee salmon for dinner. Jake, Rox, Easton, Tater, and I went out and got our limits of salmon and headed over to our good friends’ house for dinner. Jake and I put down 11 fish each; I think it was safe to say we worked up an appetite the days before.
That was the end of my Colorado adventure this year. The next morning I flew out of Durango back to Virginia and back to reality. What an experience, what an adventure! I hope to go back some day and try to get one of the real monster mulies that roam that part of Colorado. My buck was a 4x4 frame with nice eyeguards, and an extra eyeguard on one side, which made him a 6x5 buck that gross green scores a little over 156” B&C. This was by far the toughest hunt I have ever done, the mountains were steep and the miles were many, but there is nothing I would change about this hunt. Except maybe throwing in a big 6x6 bull elk on the first or second day, that might have helped!
