Melts a tough guy's heart!

[muleman]

The other night when sitting down to dinner my 11 year old daughter passed me a note. The note was folded over. On the outside it said from a new hunter to an old hunter. She turns 12 this fall and will start hunting muzzy deer season. If she doesn't connect she'll follow through with rifle deer. Closing the year out with a muzzy elk hunt.

Here is the inside of the note.


For the past year we have been gearing her up. We've been trying to find a 6mm Remington rifle for her without luck. So we bought her a 7mm-08. Thinking about a Thompson Impact for a muzzleloader that will fit her. This week she received a small SynMat UL 7 pad in the mail.


She is a trooper and last year would go on scouting trips with me.

Happy even after a really windy night!


Breakfast while watching mule deer.

 

[Ryan Avery]

My son started last year and you just can't explain that feeling. Great stuff Muleman!

 

[shaun]

That is awesome!!

 

[DWarcher]

Super cool...you're going to have some fun years ahead of you.

 

[Slim Jim]

Way cool muleman! My oldest son is going on his first mule deer hunt this fall. I'm sure I'll shed a tear if he connects on his first deer. Don't tell anybody cause I don't want anyone to think I'm not tough. Lol

 

[Shrek]

You guys are so lucky ! My son could care less and it just kills me. I took him for a few years but it was forced so I gave up. I keep asking if he would like to join me but he has not so far.

 

[flatlander51]

That's awesome man I can't wait to take my boy out west. He sits with me now in the treestand but he has to get a little bigger before I can take out there he's gonna be five in aug. so I figure in 3-4 years he'll be able to keep up with me. There's nothing cooler then little hunters.

 

[muleman]

Her deer tag came in the mail.

 

[Ryan Avery]

Sweet, game on! Take a lot of pics. Wish I had taken more.

 

[shaun]

Hammer down man! That is bad ass!

 

[Rokslide Grace]

Thats so awsome!!

 

[digger]

Treasure every minute,,,I know you will.

 

[muleman]

The hunt is on. We've had an unseasonably cold and wet start to the Utah muzzleloader deer hunt. Saw nearly as many moose as deer tonight. Spotted and stalked a two point. After circling around to get the wind right. The two point busted us when the wind swirled. Based on the snort we were within 20yds.

 

[realunlucky]

Good luck to both of you

 

[Beastmode]

Good luck muleman. Got my daughter her first buck this year and it had to be one of the coolest experiences I have ever been a part of. Have fun and good luck!

 

[Shrek]

Good hunting !

 

[IAHNTR]

Just awesome. My son is only 7 mo. old, but can't wait to be in the woods with him. Keep us updated.

 

[muleman]

On Friday we started up high. It was bitter cold with snow and fog. Our group only saw a couple small two points and a red fox. Most of the time between the snow and fog visibility was 100yds.

We decided to move down a few thousand feet in elevation and cook up some dehydrated elk roast, gravy, and instant potatoes. Of course we had hot chocolate too.

After eating a nice hot meal and thawing out a little. We moved into an old honey hole of mine. We started to cross into a gully where I missed a large deer back in my teenage days and sure enough 99yds away we have three bucks staring holes in us. A 20"+ wide 3 point being the biggest.


Dad BLOWS it!

In my desire to film her first kill, I uses up the last seconds of the deers patience and make rookie noise and extra movements. My ten year old son has been joining us on the hunt and is in charge of camera duty. As I try and free the camera from his pack I snag a strap and a loud pop sounds off as the strap comes free. Just as she is getting ready to get a solid rest to take the shot the deer bolt.

Having extensive knowledge of the area and how the deer have evaded in the past. I tell my daughter to drop everything but her gun. I force march her in Sorels across a steep brush covered side hill. We hold up at one of two ravines I think the deer will work up. After no sign of the deer we push through the ravine and are on the edge of the second ravine. The sounds of an annoyed moose draw our attention down into the base of the ravine. Then we catch movement of the three deer up higher, just inside the spruce trees. They are running down and away from us. I make the walk of shame back to our gear apologizing to my daughter for blowing her first chance at a great public land starter buck.

We regroup and hunt the rest of the honey hole. Near the end of still hunt (with kids) we find this 4x4 and 2 point across and down the canyon from where we blew out the other deer. After replaying the events, I'm not convinced these aren't two of the three deer we pushed twice. In deer distance it is not far and the the 4x4 looks like a 3x3 from different angles. Because of his small front forks.

Mandatory Nutcracker dance practice has us not hunting until this evening. Where we will try it again.

 

[Vandal 44]

That's Awesome, bust of luck to you both.

 

[muleman]

Saturday evening we ran over to a stand by area, that's covered with acorn heavy oak brush. We heard some movement around us but nothing came into our shooting lanes. With about an hour left we moved over to a large opening to maximize our chances. As soon as we get to our new spot a spike appears. He is inquisitive, as young deer can be, and decides to investigate us.

I ask my daughter if this is the one and she says no I want a little bigger. I say okay, we watch the deer for a while and move up on him for practice. On several different occasions we are presented with a broadside target at less than 100 yards. Each time I ask are you sure you don't want to harvest this deer. Each time she says no. She was so secure in her decision the Thompson Impact doesn't get unslung from her shoulder.

Like a bad burrito, this deer comes back one last time after being out of sight for 10 or so minutes. While the deer is parading in front of us I ask my daughter to unsling her muzzleloader and put the deer in her sights. She does so and watches him for a couple minutes. Then she looks up at me and says dad I want to shoot him.

At this point I am so excited. It is like it is my first deer. The deer again is under 100 yards and is slightly quartering away from us. In just a few moments the gun goes off, the deer drops hard, tries to stand, drops again and is dead. All this happened faster than it took to read about the shot. The shot is a little back and high, but how can you argue with the results. The shot ended up being 70 yards.

My daughters reaction after the shot was the greatest hunting moment I've had so far. She is a reserved ballerina. So for her to yell out "I got him" and do a fist pump actually startled me. I had secretly been preparing for tears and having to comfort her. More heart warming moments happen when her 10 year old brother sincerely congradulates her.

We take photos and send a text out to family and a close friend. Within moments we have one of her uncles and close friend offering assistance. Both of these guys are my hunting buddies and are just coming off the mountains themselves.

I start to cape and butcher using the gutless method. My kids are amazed at how the front shoulders are attched without bone. During the butchering my daughter asks when we are going to measure him. I kinda ignore them, so they take the tape out of my kill kit and do all sorts of measurements.

Prior to this deer I was coming off of a tremendous hunting high. I had drawn a tag for and harvested a huge mountain goat. This goat hunt is one that I had been dreaming of for ten years. In the end what I will remember about this season is the trophy my daughter is and the deer she harvested.

Come on muzzleloader elk season.