After a fun mule deer hunt for me in Oklahoma this year, my wife was up to bat in Texas for the last weekend. Erin and I headed out Friday and met our friends, Chris and Mary at a ranch outside of Amarillo that one of my buddies owns. He had some good mule deer coming in out of the canyons and thought the girls might be able one with their bows. I’ve had cameras out since bow season and when we got there Friday the camera at the pop up had two mature bucks on it that were pretty regular as well as several others that were coming in and out. We decided they should sit together in the blind and Chris and I would hang back a few hundred yards and see what happened. They settled in Saturday morning before light and had deer on them pretty quickly. The two mature bucks were running does all over and putting on a heck of a show for them but never slowed down enough for a good clear shot. Finally the bigger of the two came in and gave Erin a quick broadside shot. She settled in and let one fly. At the shot, the buck dropped 8-10” before her arrow cover the 20 or so yards, and it hit him high and a bit forward with hardly an penetration. He was into the brush before Chris and I could even see what happened. We left them in the blind for 30 minutes and then they walked out the opposite way and we headed back to the lodge for two hours. When we got back there was zero blood on the ground so we walked the trail he took for about 50 yards and I found the arrow. The Slick Trick has a big chunk of meat in it and the arrow only had blood about 6” up the shaft. Not a good sign for a big bodied muley, but with the arrow out, he was bleeding ok. We followed the trail zigzagging through the brush for over a mile going off the GPS on Chris’ watch. It led us two canyons over to a high spot overlooking a small bowl with light brush in it. I immediately spotted two does and then the other buck from the camera jumped up and ran to the opposite ridge of the bowl. The does took off, but the buck looked back down into the bowl. I figured that had to mean the hurt buck was in there. I started down the hill while Chris stayed up top, both of us with rifles. I got about half way down when the buck stepped out at 150 yards. He turned slowly and I missed two off hand shots at him walking away. He kicked it up a gear and took off out of the bowl, Chris and I each missed a running shot at him before he topped over the hill. After a long walk back and several choice words over the missed chance, I figured we wouldn’t see him again. I’ve made that shot 100 times following up on wounded game with customers over the years so to miss it so badly on my wife’s first muley was pretty frustrating. We cleared out of the area and hoped the other buck, would show up for Mary that evening. We headed out a few hours later and pulling up to the blind saw Mary’s buck with three other small bucks 100 yards away. Chris and Mary hurried into the blind and Erin and I pulled away to go glass the nearby canyons hoping to find her buck laid up nursing his shoulder. Over the course of the evening, we looked over a lot of deer, but not the one. We ended up just before dark back where we jumped him and looked down to see the other buck, that Mary was in the blind for, about 70 yards below us. I texted Chris as we backed out and met them on the opposite end of the canyon with a rifle. We left Erin with the truck and dropped in above the buck. We got to about 125 yards and he stood so I set up the sticks and Mary hammered him with a chest on shot and rolled him down the hill. He wasn’t a high scoring buck without his forks, but he was a giant bodied, mature deer and a great one to get off the ranch.
It was a bittersweet evening, happy for Mary, but frustrated with not getting the other buck down. We cooked some steaks, drank alittle and headed to bed. We headed out the next morning to see what we might see and walk some canyons for Erin’s deer. As we pulled back up to the popup are, Erin spotted a buck and doe at the end of a clearing about 300 yards away. The buck had his butt to us, but we could tell he was ice, so I told Erin to get ready just in case. After a little stare down he turned to his right and we all at once realized who it was. I told Erin to hammer him, no sooner than I said the words she let it rip with the 280 and crushed him right through the shoulders. He humped up and took a few hops towards the brush and she sent another one his way and hit him mid body as he quartered out of the clearing dropping him. We could not believe that the same buck was back in the same area after all that the day before. You can see the arrow hole and dried blood in the pic as well as some screen shots from the video. It was an awesome first muley and a nice buck for the area.
Was another great time with great friends. These two have had a hell of a year together from Africa this summer to two nice first mule deer. Mary’s buck was 137” and Erin’s was 160” not counting a pretty big kicker off the right fork that was busted off.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
It was a bittersweet evening, happy for Mary, but frustrated with not getting the other buck down. We cooked some steaks, drank alittle and headed to bed. We headed out the next morning to see what we might see and walk some canyons for Erin’s deer. As we pulled back up to the popup are, Erin spotted a buck and doe at the end of a clearing about 300 yards away. The buck had his butt to us, but we could tell he was ice, so I told Erin to get ready just in case. After a little stare down he turned to his right and we all at once realized who it was. I told Erin to hammer him, no sooner than I said the words she let it rip with the 280 and crushed him right through the shoulders. He humped up and took a few hops towards the brush and she sent another one his way and hit him mid body as he quartered out of the clearing dropping him. We could not believe that the same buck was back in the same area after all that the day before. You can see the arrow hole and dried blood in the pic as well as some screen shots from the video. It was an awesome first muley and a nice buck for the area.
Was another great time with great friends. These two have had a hell of a year together from Africa this summer to two nice first mule deer. Mary’s buck was 137” and Erin’s was 160” not counting a pretty big kicker off the right fork that was busted off.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Comment