2016 Archery Mule Deer.

[dk17hmr]

I know it's not with a cast bullet but I get PMs once in awhile about my hunting out here in Wyoming so here is a recent hunt.

I finally got some time to head to the mountains for a couple of days to look for deer and elk. Friday morning I was at my favorite trailhead at 0615 with no other truck there and heard a elk bugle right after I shut my truck door, it doesn't get any better than that. I spent all of Friday trying to get into Range of a bull, even though they were talking and I could get close the dark timber was making it tough. I jumped several cows but couldn't get them to stop with a clear shot, I am primarily a meat hunter and any legal elk that gives me an opportunity I'll take it.

Saturday morning my allergies were kicking my butt and I laid in my tent way to long, next thing I knew there was another truck at the trail head and it was 0830. When I decided it was time to get moving four deer came through my camp, three does and a fork horn. I figured Saturday was going to be a deer hunt. I had no interest in the forky so let the group go on there way while I got my gear and headed the other direction to a pine thicket that always seems to hold deer. Right away I jumped a buck that needed a couple of years to finish growing up, but that was a good sign. I slowed down and started still hunting my way through the pines towards a water hole I had planned on sitting at.

I told myself if I draw on anything it has to be at least a good 4 point because one of my really good friends has a 180" mulie found that he says is mine if I want him and I did but we were going to wait until rifle season because of his location. As I got to the edge of the pines I could see the grey body of a mule deer feeding its way towards the water hole, he picked his head up and I counted 4 on his right side when he went back to feeding I closed the distance as quickly as I could. At about 40 yards I could see he was head up and coming into the pines I did some quick ranging on likely paths and nocked an arrow. As quick as he appeared he disappeared, and another buck slightly large stepped out and than continued on his way offering no shot. I looked up hill and saw what pushed them, 6 Cowboys on horse back were pushing some of their cows out of the hills.

Disappointed I stood there for about five minutes trying to figure out if I wanted to break camp and head to another area where it's tougher country and less people. Movement caught my eye from the area I originally saw the 4 point that moved passed me a few minutes earlier. I threw up my binoculars saw this one met my personal 4 point requirement and I started to move down hill to cut him off as he was heading towards the water. I found a clear shooting lane from the edge of the pines across a dry creek to a blown down burn area where he was likely to come out, as luck would have it he stopped in the lane I had picked and looked back at the Cowboys. I ranged him moved my slider sight to the appropriate yardage and drew back. He was slightly quartering away my pin settled on his last rib everything felt right and I released. I watched the lighted nock on my arrow arc up and disappear into the bucks chest, he mule kicked and took off, he made it about 50 yards down hill, stop got really sick and fell over. The distance of the shot was far enough that I knew better, well inside the ranges I practice, but still close enough that my 520gr arrow moving at 290fps with a 100gr Magnus stinger buzz cut with bleeders punched completely through him and 8 inches into the dirt behind him.


http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f208/dk17hmr/Mobile%20Uploads/KIMG1232_zpsixvo8hhv.jpg (http://s48.photobucket.com/user/dk17hmr/media/Mobile%20Uploads/KIMG1232_zpsixvo8hhv.jpg.html)


http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f208/dk17hmr/Mobile%20Uploads/KIMG1233_zpsiiuetcec.jpg (http://s48.photobucket.com/user/dk17hmr/media/Mobile%20Uploads/KIMG1233_zpsiiuetcec.jpg.html)


http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f208/dk17hmr/Mobile%20Uploads/KIMG1234_zpsnbyyu6hp.jpg (http://s48.photobucket.com/user/dk17hmr/media/Mobile%20Uploads/KIMG1234_zpsnbyyu6hp.jpg.html)

4x4 plus eye guards 24 1/2" spread. My arrow is 31" tip to tip for reference.
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f208/dk17hmr/Mobile%20Uploads/KIMG1243_zps7e7hyobh.jpg (http://s48.photobucket.com/user/dk17hmr/media/Mobile%20Uploads/KIMG1243_zps7e7hyobh.jpg.html)

My best buck so far pushing 160". I brought him out on my back after quartering and deboneing. It took two trips to do it but if I hunted with my pack frame on it would have only taken one. First trip was the backstraps, inner loins, trim meat, the head and all my gear. Second trip was boned out shoulders and rear quarters.

I broke camp headed into town got the meat on ice and headed home. Today my allergies have swollen my eyes pretty bad and Benadryl isn't kicking it, I'll be calling my doctor in the morning and getting a steroid shot.......worth it 100 times over.

[Bo1]

Nice deer, and excellent shooting... Congrats

[white eagle]

excellent sounds like the cowboys did you a favor
good job

[OnHoPr]

Congrats and very nice.

[shredder]

Alls well that ends well! Nice buck and most of all, nice hunt to be able to backpack him out and do it the old fashioned way with string and arrow. To me any deer harvested under those circumstances is a "trophy"

[Hogtamer]

Brother, that's hunting. THanks for sharing. Lord willing this will make my 46th year of taking game with a recurve bow. Season's been in here since the 10th but it takes a cool spell to get my neck swelling!

[Hardcast416taylor]

By Eastern count, here in Michigan, that is a 10 point buck. Nice story and buck!Robert

[dk17hmr]

By Eastern count, here in Michigan, that is a 10 point buck. Nice story and buck!Robert

Yes sir Michigan 10 point. I grew up and lived in mid Michigan until 2009 when I moved out here. I shot a couple 8, 9, & 10 points whitetail there but nothing the size of this guy.

[OnHoPr]

and do it the old fashioned way with string and arrow.


For me maybe long bow or recurve, but todays compound aren't so old fashion. Late '50s early '60s compound eccentric wheel, circa about late '70s early '80s high energy wheel, late '80s high energy cam, '90s big cam, then hard cam and double cam so it is not quite so old fashion. I think the late '90s they start hitting that plateau again because my Darton from late '90s shoots almost as fast as a lot of the bows today. I couple of years ago when I pulled it from the case a younger guy that knows the about bows said he didn't know they made those type of bows back then, thirty something year olds. But, I do have to say that I am kinda dismayed about all the new stuff myself. Or, they came to a point where only marginal upgrades have brought little steps of speed.

How about a couple of questions DK, even though this is a CB forum what's the bow/arrow gear? And since you are from MI what do those mulies taste like compare to a corn fed deer that browses in the hardwoods too?

[dk17hmr]

I shoot a Matthews Monster, HHA ultra sight, Trophy taker drop away, #70 with a 29" draw. It'll push a 375gr arrow to 330fps. Given the animals I hunt I tend to like a heavier arrow so I build them with 6585 carbon shafts from Cabelas stalker line, blazers glued on a 2° helical (I believe) with 100gr brass inserts to keep more of the weight forward of center. With 100gr points/broadheads I'm getting 520gr & my bow is pushing them 290-295fps.

I don't have the time leading up to season to stay in shape with my recurves or long bow, maybe someday but I work alot and have a young family.

Whitetail hands down for the table. Not to say mule deer is bad, it's just whitetail is better. We eat primarily wild game, in my wife's eyes it goes elk, deer, antelope in that order. So when we have elk in the freezer deer and antelope are made into sausage in some form or another.

[Mtnfolk75]

Congrats on a successful hunt, nice buck [smilie=s:

[Hipshot1]

I shoot a Matthews Monster, HHA ultra sight, Trophy taker drop away, #70 with a 29" draw. It'll push a 375gr arrow to 330fps. Given the animals I hunt I tend to like a heavier arrow so I build them with 6585 carbon shafts from Cabelas stalker line, blazers glued on a 2° helical (I believe) with 100gr brass inserts to keep more of the weight forward of center. With 100gr points/broadheads I'm getting 520gr & my bow is pushing them 290-295fps.

I don't have the time leading up to season to stay in shape with my recurves or long bow, maybe someday but I work alot and have a young family.

Whitetail hands down for the table. Not to say mule deer is bad, it's just whitetail is better. We eat primarily wild game, in my wife's eyes it goes elk, deer, antelope in that order. So when we have elk in the freezer deer and antelope are made into sausage in some form or another.

Still shootin a longbow in the 60lb range. Haven't ever hunted the larger deer with a bow, but would like to. Sounds like you may need a huntin buddy to help you carry it out.

[runfiverun]

he knows my phone number.
:kidding:...............not.

[OnHoPr]

Sounds like the equipment is functional. After the guns, bows, tools got stolen in the late '90s I ended up getting another Darton, a Cyclone with a 307 IBO. I shoot a 31.5 shaft, but probably shrinking down to 31 with old age. I was trying to figure out how to put a overdraw on it. I like the heavier arrows myself it sure helps when bones are hit. All they had back in those days available for the required spine was xx75 2417s I think they were. Talking about blowing around in a 10 mph crosswind at 35 yds. After a laxed time I went a few times a couple of years ago before Mr disc and sciatica really started showing up. I couldn''t find any arrows at GM, Cabelas, BPS or local. I found this online shop called The Olde Archery Shoppe out of TX that had everything to make a set of Victory shafts arrows, but never got around to it. I bought three of the heaviest carbons at a LGS, but after sighting in with them into a foam block I found a fracture. I DON'T like those conditions, but they flew decent. I suppose that's fuddy dud speed nowadays. Those anchor points sure got a lot more fussy.

[runfiverun]

they make a hybrid carbon/aluminum arrow now.

I still shoot a lot of my old wood arrows but only on paper, I doubt they'd take any more abuse than that.