# 2020 Adventures



## Raptorman (Aug 18, 2009)

Long initial post Alert!

Here we are it is almost August. It is hot and dry outside. We are all anxiously waiting for the big game seasons to start. The archery season is 3 weeks away and then it is go go go until things wrap up sometime this winter. Right now, everyone is bored and a lot are frustrated with the state of the big game in our great state. I think the frustrations are compounded by the fact that the world is seemingly in shambles and every time you watch the news it seems like it just keeps getting worse.

While all of that may be true, I am trying to stay positive and am really looking forward to the upcoming hunts. This year is taking me back to an old familiar place. I went into the draws this year expecting to draw a last choice gen deer tag and then planned to buy a general season rifle elk tag. To my surprise, when charges started hitting, I was hit for a LE deer tag. This meant I would be heading down to one of my favorite places I have ever been, The Book Cliffs.

My love for this area started in 2009 when my dad's cousin got a beautiful bull on the muzzy tag. At that point I had never been out to this famed place before, but it got the wheels turning. Then it all came together when my brother drew the same tag in 2011. He drew along with a good family friend and we spent about a week getting them both beautiful bulls. That was my first experience chasing rutting bulls and from that point, I was hooked. We also had a great time exploring a new area.

Up to this point, I has spent all my time in general units with limited success. Going down there and seeing more animals than I had ever seen in my life was incredible. I could not wait to make it back down. The opportunity came in 2014, this time my dad drew the tag. He was able to score a gorgeous bull by 9 am opening morning and we were all super happy with how the hunt turned out. I had never seen so many elk in one canyon all going so crazy in the rut. It was amazing. To make it even more cool, my dad got his bull about 100 years away from the same spot my brother got his. This was out "honey hole".

2016 found us down there again, that year it was my turn though. We spent a ton of time down there that summer scouting and preparing for my hunt. It was a good thing we did too, because our "honey hole" was a bust that year. I was able to tag a great bull and had the hunt of a lifetime. (Even if the bigger one got away). The same year my friend had the muzzy deer tag and he killed a great buck as well. It was such a fun year.. You can read up on this hunt here if you are interested:
https://utahwildlife.net/forum/12-big-game/154554-bookcliffs-take-3-a.html

Turns out my bro-in-law's dad drew the muzzy elk tag the next year. We were able to go down with him and his family and be there as he got his first bull elk. We had a good time, but it seemed to be getting tougher and tougher to hunt down there. Another friend had a muzzy deer tag and we were able to show him around a bit as well. He missed a couple deer when I was there helping him. We had to head home and he was able to tag a good back after we left. I left the area that year not knowing when I would be back.

2018 comes around and my uncle was able to buy a cow elk tag that came available that summer. We spent some time down there for that. It was cool being down there in December as we had never been there passed the muzzy hunt. 2019 brought a rifle deer tag to my same brother who drew the elk tag in 2011. He got his biggest back to date on that hunt.

That brings us to this year. I put in for the muzzy tag, not thinking there was much of a chance of drawing. Well, lady lucked shined down again and I know I have my work cut out for me. The elk tags were all drawn when we were in the max points for the units. These deer tags have both came as random though. The amount of luck taken is not lost on me.

This has been a lot more long-winded than I planned. I am super excited about this hunt. While the Books isn't what it once was, this will still probably be the best deer tag I will ever get so I want to make the most of it. In the time I have spent down there, especially in the summer and early fall there has never been a shortage of deer. Finding a truly big deer isn't always easy but I know it can be done.

I made my first scouting trip down this past weekend. In all in less than 48 hrs (including two sleeps) we turned up 96 bucks. In all those deer, there were probably 3-5 shooters. I am not going to be super picky but, like I said, this will be the best deer tag I get so I want to make sure I get a good buck. In my mind I want about a 170 inch deer, which I know if a tall order out there, but it can't hurt to have goals. In my mind, though I am not worried about score as much as I am a certain look. A mature buck, preferably with some mass and eye-guards, will do the trick.

I am also working on breaking in a new muzzy and developing some loads for that. So far, it has gone well but I need to spend a lot more time at the range so that I can be sure I am ready. I will keep updating this thread as the hunt gets closer and hopefully will be able to sharing a good story of success when it is all said and done.

Here are a couple pics of the scouting trip. I have more video of the group of bucks but need to put it on Youtube or something. There were about 16 bucks in this one groups it was pretty crazy. We also hiked into the Roadless a little as I have never touched foot in there. What a cool place.


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## Raptorman (Aug 18, 2009)

Looks like I am headed down this weekend to check cams and look around some more. I wanted to get down before the archery hunt to check them so in the next couple weeks I wouldn't be down there messing with someone else's hunt. Excited to get back and look over some more deer. Here are a couple more pics we took on the last trip. Some decent bucks, more and more horses, a big bull buffalo, and a few scenery shots.


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## Raptorman (Aug 18, 2009)

Well guys, had another good scouting trip. We didn't turn up as many bucks but still saw quite a few. Saw some pretty good ones and had a nice 3x4 on the TrailCam. I am still trying to determine what is a "shooter". I want to saw I want at least a 160 buck. But I guess I am more looking for the right kind of look, something with some mass and height, maybe a little trash. Who knows, I guess I will now when I see. I have spent so much time on elk in the past, judging mule deer is still kind of new to me. 

Anyways, any advice from you guys would be great. Here are a few of the bucks from this last trip. What do you guys think? The biggest I saw or have laid eyes on this whole year I wasn't able to get any pics of.

Buck #1 is a nice buck but not sure he has the width for length quite yet. 

Buck #2 Is a young tall 3x4, woudln't shoot but has some good genetics for a young deer.

Buck #3 is a Big 3x4 I like him 

Buck #4 is a nice 4x4 good front but weak back forks especially on his left, But does have a little cheater coming off the left side. 

Buck #5 is just a trail cam shot but I think it is buck #3. Nice heavy buck. 

Buck #6 is a cool buck, wouldn't even know how to score that guy. I don't think I would shoot, just not enough length, but I think he is a cool looking deer.


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## SureShot (Oct 2, 2007)

Thanks for sharing. Looks like you’re making the most of it. I look forward to seeing how the rest of your season plays out.


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## Baron83 (May 24, 2016)

Was down there last year for the elk hunt saw some impressive bucks. Dm me if your interested


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## Raptorman (Aug 18, 2009)

Hey all, looks like we are headed back out next weekend for what will be the last scouting trip before the hunt. 

I have a question for everyone. If we were wanting to leave our Toy Hauler out in Roosevelt or the surrounding area for the two weeks before the hunt, do anyone know of a good place to do so? We just figure it is better than hauling it all the way home just to have to do the whole trip again two weeks later. Any thoughts would be great. Thanks!


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## Raptorman (Aug 18, 2009)

Had another good weekend looking for deer. They were tougher to find this past weekend, I am not sure if it was the heat, smoke, moon, or what. We were able to turn a couple good bucks up though. The does and fawns sure were out, which was a trade from the other trips when we saw about 10 bucks to one doe. Curious to see how this weather changes their patterns. 

The trail cam did have some good pics though (Wish I had remembered to set the date and time). The buck with the cheater on his left side was still around within a few days of me pulling the camera on Saturday, so I am hoping he shows up on the hunt. What do you guys think, is he a shooter? I also like the 3x4. he is just big, wide and heavy. This other 4 showed up a few times and was with the cheater buck a few days before I pulled the camera.


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

Just talked to a friend across the valley in Colorado from the Book Cliffs and the says that they got 6" of snow up at 8500'. His hunting area is in the Pine Gulch fire burn area.


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## Raptorman (Aug 18, 2009)

Critter said:


> Just talked to a friend across the valley in Colorado from the Book Cliffs and the says that they got 6" of snow up at 8500'. His hunting area is in the Pine Gulch fire burn area.


Wow, that is a lot. I was wondering how much they would get. It needs it down there. It was so hot and dry a lot of the roads were like driving in 3" deep flour.


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

I just looked at the SnoTel site for East Willow Creek just to the north of Ten Mile Knoll, and since they went to the new format I can't quite figure it out.

I can't tell if the moisture level is from the last few days or year to date, it is saying 16.5" but doesn't show any snow.

https://wcc.sc.egov.usda.gov/report...lue,PREC::value,TOBS::value?fitToScreen=false


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## middlefork (Nov 2, 2008)

Critter said:


> I just looked at the SnoTel site for East Willow Creek just to the north of Ten Mile Knoll, and since they went to the new format I can't quite figure it out.
> 
> I can't tell if the moisture level is from the last few days or year to date, it is saying 16.5" but doesn't show any snow.
> 
> https://wcc.sc.egov.usda.gov/report...lue,PREC::value,TOBS::value?fitToScreen=false


You can use the pull down menu to change the report.

Looks like between 9/6 and 9/9 1" of precipitation was received.

Good luck to you guys.


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## JuddCT (Sep 7, 2007)

I’ll be heading to ten mile knoll tomorrow so I’ll let you know what we see in terms of snow/etc. but with the warm temps I think it will melt.

I like the bucks you got on the cameras. I’m not knowledgeable about the books for deer as I’ve only hunted elk in there. If I see any shooters during my fathers/brothers elk hunt I’ll let you know where we see them.


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## Raptorman (Aug 18, 2009)

Thanks guys! 

Judd, I really appreciate that. Good luck to you guys down there, hopefully this weather has the bulls talking. I agree the snow won't last, I am just hoping it settles some of the dust and stays cooler, I couldn't believe how hot and dry it was down there last weekend. I can't wait to see how you guys do.


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## MWScott72 (May 23, 2011)

Raptorman;2195733
The trail cam did have some good pics though (Wish I had remembered to set the date and time). The buck with the cheater on his left side was still around within a few days of me pulling the camera on Saturday said:


> I wouldn't shoot the 3x4. From what you have posted, you can do better. I do like the cheater buck and would be tempted to put him down if he walked in front of me.


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## JuddCT (Sep 7, 2007)

Here is the view from Tenmile knoll. No visibility and it snowed a good portion of the day. Definitely cut down on the dust and the roads were still fine. Should clear up tomorrow so we can scout a little more.

















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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

Judd, are you hunting the Roadless?


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## JuddCT (Sep 7, 2007)

Critter said:


> Judd, are you hunting the Roadless?


I wish. We have hunted the roadless 3 times and loved it. This year it is the Roaded but we are hunting near the border so we are staying at tenmile knoll.

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## Raptorman (Aug 18, 2009)

Wow, that is a complete 180 from last weekend! Looks awesome, that looks a lot more like hunting than what I was scouting in last week. Hopefully the bulls are talking!


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## Raptorman (Aug 18, 2009)

Also, thanks for the update! I am chomping at the bit to get back down.


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

That's one thing that I have seen out in the Book Cliffs, going from 50 mph blowing blizzard to 90 degree temperatures in a single day.


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## Raptorman (Aug 18, 2009)

That is no joke and it is amazing how fast the main roads can go from wet and muddy to dry and dusty.


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## JuddCT (Sep 7, 2007)

Bulls are definitely more spread out than I’ve seen in the past. Bulls were talking from before first light until 11:30 am this morning. Went a little quieter tonight. We will see in the morning. I also saw some good bucks today. I’ll send you a PM about where.


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## Raptorman (Aug 18, 2009)

Awesome, thanks again Judd!


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## Raptorman (Aug 18, 2009)

I put together a video of some of the animals we came across this summer. Nothing fancy and my brother said he liked the porn music, so hopefully you enjoy.


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## Raptorman (Aug 18, 2009)

Hey guys, finally got it done. After 9 days in the field and on the 6th day of the hunt, everything finally came together. It was an amazing hunt with some ups and downs. I know it is cliché but it really was a roller coaster. I ended up getting a buck I am thrilled with. He isn't going to end up in any record books but I couldn't be happier. I have spent the past couple days getting cleaned up and the meat processed. I am back at work now, so once I get caught up I will post a full write-up. Thanks to everyone for the advice and tips along the way.


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

Getting it done is what it is about, well mostly. 

I figure that I have another 10-15 years to wait until I can draw my Book Cliff ML tag again. That is if I can make it that long...


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## CPAjeff (Dec 20, 2014)

Congrats on the success - can't wait to hear the story!


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## middlefork (Nov 2, 2008)

Good job! Looks like you have the Books figured out. Congrats to all.


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## Raptorman (Aug 18, 2009)

What a hunt! I know it is said a lot, but this hunt really was a roller coaster. This is my third LE tag, so you would think that I would be ready for the wide range of emotions and stress. In preparation for the hunt, I woke up 3-4 days a week to go to the gym and try to get my body physically ready. I spent a lot of time at the range making sure my gun was ready. I spent multiple weekends in my hunt area to make sure I knew where deer would be and to be ready on the area. With all the preparation though, I still struggled at times to mentally deal with the mind games I played with myself. In the end though, it all payed off and I am so happy with how everything came together. 

With the hunt officially starting on Wednesday, September 23, I set the 19th as the travel day to get to camp and get things set up. Having left the trailer in Roosevelt after Labor Day, it made for a quick and easy trip. Arriving in camp that afternoon it felt good to get my new home set up for the next one to two weeks. Unfortunately after getting things situated we discovered a problem with the trailer that we had to address, luckily we were able to get it taken care of by early evening. We made a quick drive that night, not seeing anything, but spirits were high in anticipation of the next few days of searching for deer. 

My normal hunting crew of my dad, brother, brother-in-law, and nephew would not be in camp until Tuesday night. My good friend came down with me though and was staying until Tuesday afternoon when he would leave for his own general hunt. We spent the next morning in the Roadless looking for some big bucks I had been told of. We saw some nice deer but nothing too crazy. It was a good morning. That afternoon I decided to spend the rest of the day watching the area I had the trailcam that had turned up some good bucks. I spent the evening there and was able to spend a lot of time watching the “Cheater Buck” from my trail cam. He looked great, did not have the great mass, but was a solid buck and it was cool to see him hard horned. I returned to camp that night excited at the prospect of hunting him. I also saw someone else watching him and thought that could be a problem if he is the one I decide to chase. 

Back at camp, my friend returns and shows me a buck he found. After looking at the video, he was definitely a buck I wanted a better look at. The next morning found us behind the glass hoping to turn him up again. Sure enough, not long after first light here he comes. He was with about eight other bucks. We spent the morning watching him. To me he was a better buck that the cheater one. At that point, I put him at the top of my hit list. This turned out ok, because the “Cheater Buck” ended up having multiple people watching him each morning and night. That night I decided to go around to a few other places and see what else I could turn up. I only found a few smaller bucks, but any time you see deer, I consider it a win. 

Tuesday morning, I was back in the same spot as the previous morning, looking for the “big 4”. My friend was at another spot looking to see if he could find anything else worth chasing. The big 4 came back out to about the same location, this time with a bunch of does. I watched him all morning until he bedded about 9 am. This solidified him and my #1 and I knew I wanted this buck. My friend left that afternoon and that evening I went back to that same spot hoping to find the buck one more time before the opener. Sure enough, he was in the same spot and I watched him until dark to make sure no one pushed him out. That night when the rest of my party got there, I filled them in on the plan and everything was set for opening morning.


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## Raptorman (Aug 18, 2009)

After a restless night with not much sleep, first light found my brother and me right where I wanted to be. The plan seemed to work perfect, right on queue around the same time they had walked out on previous days. There was one problem though, the buck never showed. The does he was with the previous night walked out exactly where I hoped, he just did not follow. We hung out there for a while, hoping to turn him up with no luck. I thought it was odd as he had been very consistent the past few days. We did some more glassing through the middle of the day and turned up some decent back, but nothing I felt like pursuing. That evening we were in the glassing spot, hoping to turn the “big 4” up. Quickly we turned up a decent 3x4 right where the big guy had been. So my brother in law and I made our way to the spot. We got to the spot and snuck within 180 yards of two nice bucks. One was the 3x4, the other was a four point. Unfortunately, it was not the right 4x4. Both of these bucks were in the 20”-22” range and the 3x4 had a huge body and tall rack. I had my cross hairs on both for a long time. I just could not bring myself to pull the trigger on opening night. We decided to wait it out until to see if the bigger 4 would come out. He never did, there was a nice big 3 point that was about 24” wide. That brought a close to opening day. It was actually a lot of fun, I have never passed a deer over a two-point and I was proud of myself for not being too quick on the trigger. My dad and brother were both pretty surprised as they thought for sure I would take one of those bucks. 

Thursday morning, I decided to go right back to where we were the morning before. Again, everything worked out really well, other than the big 4 failed to show again. I had multiple bucks within shooting range, the biggest being that nice 3 from the night before. On the way back to the road, I had another 4 in my cross-hairs again but decided to let him live for another day. After that we met another hunter who said he had passed a couple nice bucks. They sounded like ones I might be interested in and he took a couple hours to show us where they were. It is fun meeting other hunters in the field and these guys were top notch. I ended up spending a long time there waiting for the bucks to walk out. The one that eventually walk out, wasn’t quite what I wanted at this point in the hunt. We went back that night to the spot we had spent the rest of our time to see if the big buck walked out. Unfortunately, he was still MIA. That 3x4 was back there and he was starting to look a little bigger to me. 

Friday came with an early alarm. I decided to give the big 4 one more chance hoping he would show. We sat the morning in the same place and again he was nowhere to be found. We ended up hiking around to the back of the ridge we saw some back walk over that morning. That proved fruitful as we turned up a few bucks within close range. Nothing big but it was fun. After walking some more the 3x4 that I had seen quite a bit and his 4x4 friend ran out. As we watched them run over the hill my brother in law and dad followed them in the spotting scopes. As they followed them, the deer ended up running right to the big 4. He was hiding between the main road and us. We quickly made out way toward the buck. As I snuck closer, I got a view of the main road to see a side-by-side stopped looking in the direction the buck had been. My heart sank. Had they seen the big buck or just the smaller ones? I couldn’t see the buck, but knew about where he was. At this point, I had to be within 150 yards of him. As I made my way closer, I looked back to see the side-by-side empty. I could only hope they were after the smaller bucks. 

I keep moving closer, cautiously, as I do not know if the guys on the road knew I was there. As I get closer, I hear the shot. Instantly I am on the radio to see if my bro in law or dad could see it. They report that the buck went down and it was the big 4. I felt like I had lost a friend. This was supposed to be “my buck!” I decided to give them some time to admire their trophy. After 10 min or so, I decided to walk up and take a look at this buck that I had spent so much time watching and hunting. He was a beautiful buck. I talked to the hunters and I really was happy for them. Three generations were present for the kill. I told them that I had about 40 min of footage of the buck from the few days before the hunt. We exchanged phone numbers and I took their pictures so that they could get all three of them in the photos. Again, they were super nice and even in my disappointment I was happy for them. They gave me some tips on some other bucks they had seen and gave us some places to check out. We ended up back at camp for lunch and some rest. 

I felt a little lost at that point. My #1 was now dead. My #2 (cheater buck) and #3 (3x4 from trail cam) were both dead. So I was back to square one. Square one is not such a bad place to be though. I had seen a lot of deer and still just needed to find the next good one. That night we went to check out a couple spots that the guys from earlier had told us about. It was a slow night. I was also starting to feel a little pressure as everyone that was there with me would be leaving Sunday. I has a friend coming up Sunday evening, but still the thought of hunting without my dad, brother, and brother in law was a little unsettling. 

(Included a pic of the "big 4" on the ground.)


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## caddis8 (Sep 10, 2007)

Come on....suspense is killing me. I know the feeling about having a big target critter out from under you, but this one is literally out from under you. Great attitude though. Good example.


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## Raptorman (Aug 18, 2009)

Saturday was my last full day with my crew; we decided to head the opposite direction. We ended up seeing a couple decent bucks that we could have made a play on; I just still was not okay with decent. I could tell a couple in my party wanted me to settle, but I opted to keep looking. We ran into some nicer bucks a little later in the morning, but the brush was just too thick to get a good shot opportunity. That night was more of the same. At this point I was having a real internal struggle, do I take a smaller buck so that they can all be there? I have never considered myself a trophy hunter. Family has always been number one. It still is, but I really wanted a buck that had the look I was going for. I don’t care about score, I had just made a goal to tag a mature buck and really wanted that to work out. That night back at camp, I called my friend who was planning on coming up the next afternoon. We solidified plans and he would be there in time for the evening hunt. Still part of me hoped that the following morning would lead us to a good buck and I could call him and say never mind. That didn’t happen, not much was seen the next morning. As we made it back to camp we had a big breakfast and got the rest of my family’s stuff gathered up as they prepared to head home.

I had an odd feeling as they left. I still didn’t regret passing the smaller bucks, but wanted to have the drive home with them to reminisce and arrive home to the rest of our family and share stories and laughs together. I had to push those thoughts away though; there was still work to do. I decided to clean up camp a bit and took a nap. I also called my wife to talk a little more than a quick check-in. I still had a couple hours until my friend got there. So I decided to drive the 26 miles or so to the end of the pavement to meet him. On the drive over I saw five bucks on the side of the road I could have shot, unfortunately they were all smaller bucks and I decided to keep driving. I wanted to check on some places I had been told about that were east of the pavement. I was a little early so I went and filled up my water bottle at PR Spring, such cool refreshing water. 

My friend is Joe. Joe is actually my dad’s best friend. Over the years though, we have camped, duned, hunted, and spent lots of time together so it even though there is an age gap it was like having family back in camp. We hunted that night and spotted some smaller bucks again but still nothing I wanted to put my tag on. After returning to camp and having a quick dinner, I laid out my plan for the following day. Since I had drawn the tag, the thought of hunting the Roadless area appealed to me. In the three elk hunts we have had out there, we couldn’t hunt it. So this year I had made a few day hikes into it during scouting. The parking lot was always pretty full the first few days of this hunt. The number of vehicles had really started to thin out though by this time in the week, so I figured this was a good time. Joe was in great shape and I felt like my prep for the season had me ready for a day in the backcountry. 

Monday morning as light started to creep in we were in the parking lot ready to hike. There was one side by side ahead of us and a few horse trailers that had been there all week. Other than that, we had the area to ourselves. 
As we hiked into the area I wanted to go, I figured the other guy most likely had gone another way. As we started glassing though, there he was right on the trail I wanted to follow. We started picking up deer further out the ridge and a couple looked like good bucks. I watched this other hunter to see what he was going to do. To my relief he walked over the ridge away from the deer, so we had a clear path out to them. The wind was blowing pretty hard, so we dropped down the far side of where the deer were to block our scent and stay out of sight. The deer were a long ways away when we first saw them. As we got closer to where we thought they were, we popped back on top to see if we could see them. This time we saw some others out feeding and decided it was time to make our move. We glassed to see how big the deer were and even from the previous spot there was a buck that had a whitetail look to it. He looked like only a 3 point but was super heavy. When I first drew the tag, mass was at the top of my wish list. Even though I only saw 3 on one side and not a great look at the other, he had the “look” I wanted. I snuck my way in and got a good rest. I had him broadside at 130 yards. This was a chip shot with all my practice. I took aim, ****ed the hammer and… pop. The primer went off but the gun didn’t. The deer took off and my heart dropped. 

I had been shooting a new Remington Ultimate getting ready for the hunt. A couple days into the hunt though, I switched back to my CVA Accura. I just felt more comfortable with it and it was much lighter. I also used this gun on my elk hunt in 2016. Between the two years and a gen deer hunt in between, I had shot this gun over 100 times. I had never had a misfire. Joe was right behind me wondering what the heck had happened. I quickly broke the muzzleloader down tossed the pellets and pushed the bullet out. Not knowing if I had something in the breech plug or if the pellets had somehow got wet, it decided to use a fresh load. Before I reloaded, I fired a cap just to make sure the breech was clear. After reloading, I thought for sure my chances at that buck were gone. We went the way the deer seemed to and after moving closer, they had only gone about 150 yards or so and started feeding again. I crawled up to a rock rested my pack on it and tried to take aim. Having just gone through the whole primer thing, I was a pretty worked up. So it took a few minutes for me to be able to hold steady again. After what felt like a year, really only a minute or so, I settled in and held the cross-hairs on the quartering away buck. This shot was a bit further at 225, but still doable and something I had practiced. As I squeezed the trigger the gun fired and the scope was filled with smoke. I was quickly back on the scope trying to get a view of the deer through the haze. Deer were running everywhere. We had seen this deer originally with about 6 other bucks, but there had to be at least 15 deer running out of this canyon. 

Seeing all the deer run up and out of the canyon, again I felt like I missed my chance. Joe was doing his best to watch in the spotting scope but was having issues following all the deer. It looked like the buck had not ran after the shot though and I remember seeing him walk down out of sight. That was followed by other deer running up from where he had walked. So I was ticked thinking I had missed my “whitetail”. Fortunately, the shot had hit true and we found the buck only 20 or so yards from where I hit him. As I approached the deer, I was overcome with emotion as I thought of everything that had gone into this hunt. The early mornings at the gym, the scouting trips, the range time, the time spent getting ready, the hunt that led up to this, the people who had supported me and been there to help, all of these things ran through my mind. 

When I finally held “my deer” in my hands, there was no ground shrinkage. He was just as heavy as I thought. He forked on his left G2 and was much wider than I thought initially. No, he is not a monster and will not end up in any record book, but he is everything I had been hoping and dreaming of for five months. I was on cloud 9 and in disbelief that it all came together. Joe and I exchanged high fives and started taking pictures. As the thought of the work ahead dawned on us even that couldn’t dampen our spirits. We made quick work of caping and quartering the deer. A big mule deer is much smaller than a big bull elk, but dividing it up between just two people for a two mile hike, sure makes for some heavy packs. The first couple hundred yards were the steepest, as anyone who has been in the Roadless or most areas of the Books can tell you once you drop off the top it gets very steep. After that it was a gradual uphill climb. As we got on our way out we saw the hunter I had seen on the way in. He watched me shoot the buck and said he regretted not making a play on it now seeing it up close. I am very grateful he decided to pass. He also took two quarters out of my pack for the last half-mile or so. Again, more great people met in the field. My thighs started cramping for the last stretch of the hike. I had never had the happen, but it was still the best slow walk/ feet shuffle I have ever had. We were back to the parking lot by about 12:30.


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## CPAjeff (Dec 20, 2014)

Great story - thanks for sharing! Congrats on a gorgeous buck!


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## hawkeye (Feb 18, 2008)

Congrats on a beautiful, heavy buck! And thanks for sharing the story and photos.

Hawkeye


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## Raptorman (Aug 18, 2009)

Thanks, guys. I am super happy with how everything turned out.


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## johnnycake (Jul 19, 2011)

That buck is AWESOME! I love big mainframe 3pt muleys. Thanks for the great write up too


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## caddis8 (Sep 10, 2007)

Great story, and that's a good buck. 

One thing I've learned lately (through a lot of things) is the word "enough." We're always searching for more, bigger, better, richer, etc. etc. At some point, when are things enough? 

That buck is a great buck, with a greater story. Clearly it's enough, because you pulled the trigger and now have a wonderful memory. Who cares what is scores? If it's enough, then awesome. 

Love the story and write up. What an awesome experience and to be able to share it with friends and family is even better.


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## turkinator (May 25, 2008)

Awesome adventure! Thanks for sharing. I love following along with these types of posts.


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## Raptorman (Aug 18, 2009)

Thanks all for the kind words. 


We made it back to camp about 12:30 or so and made reacord time breaking down camp and getting on the road. We were on the divide road headed east by 2:00 and I after a long drive I backed the trailer into the driveway just after 8:00. Almost exactly 12 hrs after killing the buck. 

Taking this buck was a dream come true, but after being gone for 10 days the reunion with my wife and daughter was pretty sweet too. We only have one child and she has her daddy wrapped around her finger. As soon as I stepped out of the truck she was running full blast for a big bear hug. After we had a minute to ourselves, the rest of the family made their way over. Everyone who had been there on the hunt was there to hear me tell the whole story and it was a fun late night. 

I am with you guys, I really do not care what he scores. He has "the look" that I was looking for and that is all that matters to me. My seven year old daughter's reaction when seeing it was perfect for me, "He is huge daddy! Can we hang him in my room?"

We did measure the width, the outside spread is just a hair under 27". We also go the head skinned and cape in the fridge. A long hot shower and sleeping in my own bed was pretty nice that night. 

The next day I cleaned the trailer. We also got the meat cut up an froze. The local meat processor isn't even taking wild game this year. Luckily we do our own anyways. They are still grinding so, I took the scraps and had it ground, some with fat and some without for jerky. 

We took the cape to the taxidermist and my uncle took the head and did the euro mount for me, it was clean and bleached by Wednesday night, but I picked it up on Saturday so it would be dry. I think it turned out really good. 

Overall this was a dream season for me. A good tag in one of my favorite places on earth. A buck I will display proudly and the best part is just time spent in God's creations with family and friends. Really, when it all comes down to it, that is what it's all about and I wouldn't trade any of it. I look back at the "big 4" I had picked out and it is a beautiful buck. I can honestly say though, I wouldn't trade bucks. I am sure they would say the same thing and that is okay. 

This year still has more fun in store. My BIL has a CWMU deer tag and my wife has a cow elk CWMU tag. So I will be trying to get her first tag filled. I will update this thread as those hunts come. 

Thanks again for the kind words, encouragement, and tips along the way. 

Pics are my daughter and nephews holding the head (boy in the middle is my nephew that was there for the first 5 days of the hunt). Telling stories upon arriving home, measuring the spread, and the euro mount. (I taught my daughter how to hold it to make it look bigger.)


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## MWScott72 (May 23, 2011)

I think your last post is my favorite out of this whole thread. So happy that you had a great time with this whole experience, but at the end of the day, it is family that is where it is at. Pretty cool to hear the emotion in your words when describing that. All of us that hunt and are gone for days...sometimes weeks...would do well to remember. 

Your buck is great - enjoy him and the experience! For whatever reason, I'm thinking of Disturbed's "Hold on to the Memories". Very appropriate!


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