Was fortunate this year to draw a November rifle mule deer tag in my home state after striking out in ID,NV and UT. There was really not much scouting needed as this hunt is a migratory hunt pushing bucks down into areas that you wouldn’t see them in the summer. I had several guys reach out to me with areas to check out. 1 area was shared to me just days before I left. I worked a graveyard shift got home and packed up and hit the road. I arrived at 2pm and went to this new spot I was told about cause it looked close to truck to get in a quick glass. Getting to the spot to glass turned into a monster of a hillside to glass it was so big that I coulda sat a full day and glassed. With a hour and 15 min of light left I started glassing and turned up this buck over a mile away with a doe. It was overcast and losing light I was having hard time really judging the buck.
Next am I was up early and hiking for hour and half up to the knob to glass. I immediately spot buck only a few yards from the night before. 30 min of glassing I picked up he had a sticker off fork. I couldn’t get over the narrow rack and contemplated passing. I decided to move closer, so I cut the distance to 600 yards. Now I could see him well and now noticed on same side with kicker was a g4 .I got some pics thru spotter and sent them to buddies who knew unit well and they all said you would be crazy to not shoot that buck. I’m still just not seeing it. I had 14 more days to hunt as this was my first full day. I decided I needed to get closer, but the dilemma was the massive open country and where he was laying he could see it all. This turned into a 2 mile hike and 300 yards of belly crawling over 4 hours. I get set up at 200 yards and can see does and the side of his rack. I am still just not sold , but certain angles he looked big. I decide I’ll take him. I have a vid cam set up to film. He gets up and starts chasing does around and I blow it by trying to film it. They go up a small canyon. I pack up my stuff head over about 125 yards drop pack and leave camera cause I know this will be very close. I see a rock bluff I wanna get to as I am approaching peering into canyon there’s a doe feeding 70 yards away. I creep forward trying to look over cliff edge for him. I look back up at doe and he’s coming up behind her! 70 yard broadside shot and he was done. It was a first time in my life a animal got even bigger when I approached him. The mass was incredible. As I sat there admiring him I couldn’t believe I was going to pass! A few pics from hunt .
Next am I was up early and hiking for hour and half up to the knob to glass. I immediately spot buck only a few yards from the night before. 30 min of glassing I picked up he had a sticker off fork. I couldn’t get over the narrow rack and contemplated passing. I decided to move closer, so I cut the distance to 600 yards. Now I could see him well and now noticed on same side with kicker was a g4 .I got some pics thru spotter and sent them to buddies who knew unit well and they all said you would be crazy to not shoot that buck. I’m still just not seeing it. I had 14 more days to hunt as this was my first full day. I decided I needed to get closer, but the dilemma was the massive open country and where he was laying he could see it all. This turned into a 2 mile hike and 300 yards of belly crawling over 4 hours. I get set up at 200 yards and can see does and the side of his rack. I am still just not sold , but certain angles he looked big. I decide I’ll take him. I have a vid cam set up to film. He gets up and starts chasing does around and I blow it by trying to film it. They go up a small canyon. I pack up my stuff head over about 125 yards drop pack and leave camera cause I know this will be very close. I see a rock bluff I wanna get to as I am approaching peering into canyon there’s a doe feeding 70 yards away. I creep forward trying to look over cliff edge for him. I look back up at doe and he’s coming up behind her! 70 yard broadside shot and he was done. It was a first time in my life a animal got even bigger when I approached him. The mass was incredible. As I sat there admiring him I couldn’t believe I was going to pass! A few pics from hunt .
