SagebrushSlayer
FNG
- Joined
- Dec 28, 2012
- Messages
- 8
First, I want to say I've been reading some great stories of some great bucks that have been taken here by a number of you guys over the past few years. I bought Mr. Dennings Book earlier this year right before hunting season started. It is the second book I've purchased on hunting mule deer. Applying the info from the book this year has helped with me getting over the "hump" in taking my biggest mule deer to date. Thanks for putting out a good book.
I decided 3 years ago to make a commitment to not shoot the first legal deer I had a shot at. This opened up a lot of experience and I learned a bunch about mule deer hunting. Each year I got closer to taking a mature animal, but never closed the deal on having it all come together. Up until 3 years ago I would shoot a buck to fill my tag and my freezer. Not that I didn't try shooting at big deer, I just had such bad big buck fever from 13-23 years old. I missed the 3 mature deer I had opportunities at during those years. I hear from a bunch of friends of how they shoot for meat and that I can't eat antlers. I agree but also told them that a mature deer will produce even more meat than a 1-2 year old buck and I might become better at understanding mule deer while becoming a better hunter.
Over the 3 years the number of bucks I see hunting have increased, the size of bucks have increased, unusual but the number of hunters have increased in one area, and passing up smaller bucks has provided the opportunities at the more mature bucks I've chosen to pursue. I also changed hunting from just weekends to taking 5-10 days to commit to hunting. This helped with not having the pressure to find, kill, and pack out an animal in 2 days and then go back to work for another week before doing it again. Hunting became A LOT more enjoyable and successful in pursuing what I was hoping for.
I took my buck on the 3rd day of my hunt and it stayed out about 30-45 minutes to long after sunrise. It was all alone and had just crossed the creek heading for the security of the steep timber hillside above the creek. It stopped long enough and was curious to stop and look across at me and my hunting partner. A good 125 yard shot when he stuck his head out in a spot between trees is what put him down. Though he certainly isn't the biggest, he fit what I have been looking for the past 3 years. Good luck to everyone on setting goals for 2016!
I decided 3 years ago to make a commitment to not shoot the first legal deer I had a shot at. This opened up a lot of experience and I learned a bunch about mule deer hunting. Each year I got closer to taking a mature animal, but never closed the deal on having it all come together. Up until 3 years ago I would shoot a buck to fill my tag and my freezer. Not that I didn't try shooting at big deer, I just had such bad big buck fever from 13-23 years old. I missed the 3 mature deer I had opportunities at during those years. I hear from a bunch of friends of how they shoot for meat and that I can't eat antlers. I agree but also told them that a mature deer will produce even more meat than a 1-2 year old buck and I might become better at understanding mule deer while becoming a better hunter.
Over the 3 years the number of bucks I see hunting have increased, the size of bucks have increased, unusual but the number of hunters have increased in one area, and passing up smaller bucks has provided the opportunities at the more mature bucks I've chosen to pursue. I also changed hunting from just weekends to taking 5-10 days to commit to hunting. This helped with not having the pressure to find, kill, and pack out an animal in 2 days and then go back to work for another week before doing it again. Hunting became A LOT more enjoyable and successful in pursuing what I was hoping for.
I took my buck on the 3rd day of my hunt and it stayed out about 30-45 minutes to long after sunrise. It was all alone and had just crossed the creek heading for the security of the steep timber hillside above the creek. It stopped long enough and was curious to stop and look across at me and my hunting partner. A good 125 yard shot when he stuck his head out in a spot between trees is what put him down. Though he certainly isn't the biggest, he fit what I have been looking for the past 3 years. Good luck to everyone on setting goals for 2016!
