joelbiltz
WKR
I had originally attempted to draw a Eastern Colorado tag to hunt some family’s property. Having four points I should have drawn. I was shocked when the draw results were released and I did not draw. I started looking for options and looking at the Landowner options that were coming out. That’s when I received a email from a outfitter I had hunted with three times in the past Golden Eagle Outfitters. He had just acquired two Muzzleloader deer permits so I Imediately booked one. At that point I did not have a Muzzleloader so I immediately started looking for one. Finding a very accurate T/C omega I started practicing as much as possible. All summer Donny Carr the owner sent me many pictures of great bucks that I would be extremely happy with.
Opening morning found us immediately glassing up bucks with nothing that really caught my eye. The one other hunter in camp was able to kill a very pretty 4x4 165 type buck opening morning. That evening we found a group of 5 bucks but nothing got me excited.
The following morning we hiked about a mile up into a hidden basin where a bachelor group of bucks had been hanging out all summer. We glassed and glassed and all we could locate was a small 2x2 and about 20 does. Then at 8:45 the bachelor group of bucks fed up and over the ridge and I could not believe my eyes. 6 out of the 10 bucks were huge. We put the bucks to bed then formulated a plan. We waited for the thermals to start rising then we headed up the back side of the mountain to get above them. We got into position at about 1:30 and that’s when my guide said one of the big bucks was on his feet at 124 yards. In my mind he was dead as I had made this shot all summer. The shot was a very steep downhill angle and as the smoke cleared I could not believe I shot right over him. Thankfully the bucks did not spook and he bedded back down. We started glassing and was able to locate three of the ten bucks in their beds but all to far to stalk. Waiting out two small rain showers the bucks stood up and started feeding down the creek drainage away from us. We made the decision to hustle down the mountain through a saddle to try and cut them off. We located the bucks and found one at 80 yards once again at a steep angle I missed again. I was very discouraged but I never gave up. 7 of the bucks ran up the opposite side of the drainage. Knowing there were three missing bucks I quickly reloaded then I hear my guide say there he is. Fortunately for us he did not follow the other bucks and he ran straight in the bottom puttting him at 130 yards. I squeezed the trigger. I ended up hitting him a tad back but he was very hurt. I quickly reloaded and as he stopped at 190 yards I shot again hitting him in the neck. The buck was having trouble getting out of the drainage so I hustled down to catch up to him. I had lost sight of him and my guide told me about where he went I walked up to him in his bed and as he got up one last time I put him down for good. It was definitely not the best shooting, I stuck with it and was able to kill my best mule deer buck ever.
Opening morning found us immediately glassing up bucks with nothing that really caught my eye. The one other hunter in camp was able to kill a very pretty 4x4 165 type buck opening morning. That evening we found a group of 5 bucks but nothing got me excited.
The following morning we hiked about a mile up into a hidden basin where a bachelor group of bucks had been hanging out all summer. We glassed and glassed and all we could locate was a small 2x2 and about 20 does. Then at 8:45 the bachelor group of bucks fed up and over the ridge and I could not believe my eyes. 6 out of the 10 bucks were huge. We put the bucks to bed then formulated a plan. We waited for the thermals to start rising then we headed up the back side of the mountain to get above them. We got into position at about 1:30 and that’s when my guide said one of the big bucks was on his feet at 124 yards. In my mind he was dead as I had made this shot all summer. The shot was a very steep downhill angle and as the smoke cleared I could not believe I shot right over him. Thankfully the bucks did not spook and he bedded back down. We started glassing and was able to locate three of the ten bucks in their beds but all to far to stalk. Waiting out two small rain showers the bucks stood up and started feeding down the creek drainage away from us. We made the decision to hustle down the mountain through a saddle to try and cut them off. We located the bucks and found one at 80 yards once again at a steep angle I missed again. I was very discouraged but I never gave up. 7 of the bucks ran up the opposite side of the drainage. Knowing there were three missing bucks I quickly reloaded then I hear my guide say there he is. Fortunately for us he did not follow the other bucks and he ran straight in the bottom puttting him at 130 yards. I squeezed the trigger. I ended up hitting him a tad back but he was very hurt. I quickly reloaded and as he stopped at 190 yards I shot again hitting him in the neck. The buck was having trouble getting out of the drainage so I hustled down to catch up to him. I had lost sight of him and my guide told me about where he went I walked up to him in his bed and as he got up one last time I put him down for good. It was definitely not the best shooting, I stuck with it and was able to kill my best mule deer buck ever.
