Big Colorado Mule Deer Killed by 14 year old

[kmink]

I've been out of the loop for a while, so this may have already been posted. Either way, it's worth another look.


This is a true monster mule deer. This buck was killed last month by a
> 14
> year old youth hunter named Kyle Lopez from Divide, CO. It is over
> 303-inches net B&C and will be the largest buck ever taken by a youth as
> well as the largest mule deer taken in over 20 years. The buck has 41
> points
> and a 37 2/8 inch outside spread. The main frame alone on this buck is
> over
> 207-inches with over 100-inches of non-typical stacked on.

[DBHIII]

wow....maybe if I'm lucky I will dream of killing something that large. Congrats to the kid and much luck matching that feeling again.

[trophy8]

lucky little son of a...... congrats to the kid....i wonder if they hunted him hard or if they magically stumble across him and bang! i would love to read the story

[bear]

good night- talk about being spoiled early, where do you go from there

[kmink]

I found the story on the internet earlier. I will see if I can find it again and post it up, or at least the link.

[LTH]

Congrats to the kid. Now he will have to hunt something else. I don't think he will ever top that one.

[kmink]

Here's a writeup form the Rocky Mountain News...




DENTRY: New heights for young hunter
By Ed Dentry, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)
Friday, January 25, 2008

Steve Lopez / Special to the Rocky

Kyle Lopez, 15, shows what could become the highest-scoring deer from Colorado in 35 years.
For a big-game hunter with three seasons under his belt, Kyle Lopez, 15, is tough on himself. He has raised the bar so high that the guy in the mirror might seem daunting.

In his first three years, the young hunter from Divide has not failed to fill a Colorado tag for elk, antelope or deer.

As if that weren't enough, in November - in some revegetated ruins of the infamous Hayman Fire - he bagged a bigger mule deer than anyone has killed in 20 years.

And on public land, in the Pike National Forest. He was only 14.

Kyle's buck has a nontypical antler spread of 372/8 inches. And it sports more antler points than any deer ever taken in Colorado: 41.

Count them yourself. The grand old buck is mounted for display this weekend with Eastmans' Hunting Journal Trophy Deer collection, at the International Sportsmen's Exposition in the Colorado Convention Center.

"Kyle will be there for photos, and he can tell his story," said Roger Selner, who green-scored Kyle's buck in December at 3035/8.

Selner, a 50-year trophy authority, will give the rack its final Boone and Crockett scoring at 11 a.m. Saturday at the Expo.

"It's going to be in the top 20 all time in the world," he said. "Where it falls depends on how the official score comes out. We're talking increments."

Father and son tale

Steve Lopez, 35, left work early, but daylight was burning out when he and his son, Kyle, arrived at the hunting spot they called The Honeyhole.

Time also was running out in the third rifle season. The first weekend hadn't panned out. Then school and work.

Now it came down to a few minutes in the evening. But they had scouted the area and had seen good bucks before.

"I left the camera in the truck because we were in such a hurry to get up there," Steve said.

After spotting some does, the pair discovered a buck standing 150 yards away, staring right at them.

Steve told Kyle he didn't think the buck was going to offer a broadside shot. So Kyle rested the .270 rifle against a tree, steadied the crosshairs on the deer's chest and made a clean kill.

Father and son ended up agog, hugging over the carcass of the old buck.

"Holy cow, dad, did you see all that headgear?" Kyle asked his dad. Steve told him no.

"The magnificence of this deer wasn't available to us (earlier, through binoculars)," Steve said. "I saw a big, heavy-horned deer, but I didn't know he had all those extras."

That's what started Kyle on this trek to what surely will be more than 15 minutes of hunting fame. And what sparked all the jibes from his schoolmates, some of whom suggest he might as well hang up hunting now.

Steve says Kyle tells them, "You know, we go hunting and we do the best we can."

"And he's happy for that. He's a pretty humble boy," Steve said. "He knows he's so fortunate."

Steve says Kyle will be at the Expo with his buck not seeking glory, but "because he wants to get it out there and have everyone appreciate it."


dentrye@RockyMountainNews.com


Kyle's big buck

Kyle Lopez's buck is at the Eastmans' Hunting Journal Trophy Deer display. The young hunter will be present tonight, Saturday and Sunday to answer questions and share tales of the hunt. Final Boone and Crockett scoring will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at the Expo. Barring excessive shrinkage, Kyle's trophy will be:

* The largest mule deer killed anywhere in 20 years.

* Among the world's top 20 mule deer of all time.

* The largest mule deer killed by a youth.

* The second-largest deer of any species killed by a youth.

* The No. 5 deer all time from Colorado.

* The highest-scoring deer from Colorado in 35 years.

By the numbers

* Outside antler spread: 372/8 inches.

* Score able antler points: 41 (25 right, 16 left), more than any deer taken in Colorado.

* Green score: 3035/8 Boone and Crockett.

* Main frame: More than 207 inches.

* Nontypical features: More than 100 inches.

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[kornsqueezer]

Dad-Gum

[MooseontheLoose]

Thats a stud of a deer. Congrats to the hunter.

[Ground Checkin' Heavies]

Geez, that is awesome!

[Bily Lovec]

public

sweet

[mesquitecountry]

Rocky mountain muleys are next on my list! what a brute! geez!

[Bill]

As if that weren't enough, in November - in some revegetated ruins of the infamous Hayman Fire - he bagged a bigger mule deer than anyone has killed in 20 years.

Luck= preparation meets opportunity

I think where he shot it is the lesson- he hunted previously burned areas with new vegetation.

[Green Arrow]

thats one nice mule deer.

[txbowkill]

thats crazy