High Country Horseback Mule Deer Hunt

[Slim Jim]

You know that you hunt a lot when you pass on bucks like the ones you have Robby. Thanks for sharing with us, maybe we all can learn a little patience when trophy hunting from a veteran like yourself.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Thanks for the ride. It was a good hunt.

 

[7mag.]

You have more will power than I do. I would have shot a 170 buck for sure, given the chance. Thanks for sharing your hunts with us.

 

[belly-deep]

Bummer. Robby, are you going back for another try in November?

 

[IAHNTR]

Thanks for the adventure. Appreciate the work it takes to keep us informed. Thanks to you too Jodi.

 

[2rocky]

Robby, it would be nice to see what you are packing on your horses in terms of gear, feed and weight. I'm always up for new ideas with my string.

 

[muleyman]

Just checking in looks like u had a fun hunt....by the way I hope this works I'm using tapatalktrying to get a feel for it.

 

[coOverwatch]

I too would like to know what gear you pack. i am working two new pack horses over the winter for next year. Lost my one pack horse this spring. she doubled as the kids rodeo horse (6 & 7 year old girls).

 

[robby denning]

Long ride out and long drive home but I made it. As soon as I get some time, I'll edit some video of the trip, with some bucks, and get it up here.

Gear:

For my saddle horse, I run the lightweight Cordura Saddle. I did a gear review on it here:
http://www.rokslide.com/2012-01-09-05-12-00/horse-packin

I've also had Chad Phillips of CP Saddlery in Idaho Falls, Idaho build the britchens and breast collar. Just this winter, Jodi had him custom build me a great set of saddle bags designed to fit my Swaro spotting scope with oversized buckles for operation in cold weather with gloves on- I love them!

For my pack horses, I run a Decker pack saddle so I can go with a top pack (usually the tent) and not be 8 feet tall. I run a 90-year old sawbuck on the other horse which is great for throwing pannier over and keeping them in place. CP Saddlery also built all my britchens and breast collars for these saddles, too.

I use basket hitches. I gave up the diamond hitches as I'm just not tall enough to use them.

I’ve trained all my horses for picket stakes for feeding. I feed two horses at a time during day and leave my saddle horse out all night so he’s well fed and ready to go next morning. After late October, I usually pack in some hay pellets as there isn’t enough grass to keep horses going on hunts longer than 4 days which I do a lot of.

I bring a horse boot incase I throw a shoe. Looks like a ski boot for a horse and works wonderfully in a pinch. On extended hunts, I bring a few extra shoes and enough gear to reset a shoe.

In camp, I bring a 1 gallon propane bottle and an 8,000-14,000 BTU heater which heats the tent/dries gear down to about 10 degrees and good for about a 4 day hunt, longer in warmer weather. Ran heater at 8,000 BTU for this trip and came home with 10% of my fuel left. Later in the fall, I run a packable wood burning stove.

I use an MSR whisperlight stove, white gas, for cooking. A Coleman compact 209 lantern for light.

I use a light weight collapsible aluminum and nylon mesh cot with good old foam mattress.

This trip used an off brand 15 degree bag.

Later fall trips, I bring my Extreme Cold Military Mummy bag. Heavy, but you don’t get cold down to zero.

I cut two pieces of ¼” plywood the size of my inside pannier panel dimension that double as stiffeners for the panniers for odd-shaped/loose gear and tables once I get to camp. I cut several 14” stakes, bring a few wood screws and in 5 minutes have a table I can cook on without having to bend down constantly and keeps me from kicking over the kitchen as I go in and out of tent.

I bring a collapsible chair. This, my friends, has become almost indispensible for a guy who plays outfitter, wrangler, cook, and hunter. You got to be able to sit down and recharge, especially in cold weather.

Cooking gear is just a packable backpack set with two pots, coffee cup, salt & pepper, fork, spoon, small bowl, and strainer for coffee.

Tent, you saw the picture. This is an extreme cold military insulated tent. I don’t use a 60 year old tent because I’m poor, but because I haven’t found anything better for the money. Very roomy for one guy, still fine for two guys (hunted 10 days with a guy out of it and didn’t kill each other). The tent also sets up easily, with a pole I can cut once I get there and is very packable and lightweight, probably about 30 pounds.

These are the main items. With all this, I can still get enough grocery for 7-10 days and enough room to pack out a buck on the rare occasion that I get one.

 

[robby denning]

Another hunt, another bowl of tag soup. Oh well, still a great hunt. The buck toward the end was the first nice buck I saw. The other one I saw the last evening was a twin to him, but just a touch heavier. Couldn't get him on video. Thanks.

[video=vimeo;51166911]http://vimeo.com/51166911[/video]

 

[ScottR_EHJ]

Good video Robby, thanks for posting!

 

[Kevin Root]

Robby, nice thread and video. I enjoyed it. Looks like you saw some nice bucks and it looked like a fun adventure. Passing on those bucks had to be hard or at least it would have been for me . Thanks for posting the thread.

 

[robby denning]

Kevin, thanks. It's always hard to pass, but I've learned it is the key to killing big deer. The pain really comes the following winter when all the seasons are closed and you realize you really got skunked! thanks for following.

 

[Madnik]

I'm still working on killing medium deer. Where exactly was that? Exactly.... ;-)

Great thread! I enjoyed it.

 

[Matt Cashell]

Enjoyed the video and the hunt, Robby.

 

[Cindy Wamsley]

Enjoyed the video Robby! Thanks for posting.

 

[robby denning]

Part II starts today

Last hunt of the year starts today for me. If you followed this thread back in October, I mentioned I’d be heading back to this country in early November to hunt the early rut. I’ve done this hunt about 9 times over the years and it has good buck potential, but most years I’ve gotten skunked. It’s a tough hunt. The bucks are just coming into the does and have left the wide-open high country and moved into the brushier draws and quakie pockets making them harder to find. However, with the does coming in to heat, they do make mistakes now and then.

Buck I took on this hunt in 2007 on the 29th of October. I caught him leaving does just at daylight. He lab-aged at 5 years old. He had an incredibly big body for Idaho.

33” typical my friend Kevin took on this hunt in 2003. This buck was rutting hard with the does on November 5th, just after a big snow. We found him in the evening but couldn’t get on him quick enough to make a 500+ yard shot. The next morning we found him within ½ mile with about 10 does. By 9:00 am, he bedded in the heavy cover and we could just see his antler tips through the brush. Kevin put a stalk on and got above him at about 100 yards while I set up below around 400 yards. This buck stayed in his bed over 6 hours and seemed tired from chasing does all night. Finally, around 4 pm, he quickly stood up like something had spooked him. I waited about 30 seconds hoping Kevin was going to paste him. Nothing happened and I decided he just couldn’t see him in the heavy cover so I let ‘er rip. I missed low, but the buck turned and went up the hill right into a shooting lane. Kevin made good on the shot and he had his first buck over 30”! This buck lab-aged at 5 years old.

A pretty, 28” wide, 180” gross buck Kevin took on this hunt in 2007; this buck lab-aged at only 3 years old! We’d seen the buck about 3 times in 4 days but never could get a shot due to the heavy cover. Kevin finally fixed that problem, making a great 300 yard shot into nasty thick brush as the buck trailed a doe. The date was November 5th.

I’m packing in on horses about 7 miles to base camp then will be hunting within about a 3 mile circle each day. Tactics are long glassing sessions looking in and around the cover. Once I locate deer, I just watch the does to see if any bucks are coming around them. Occasionally, I find a lone buck away from the does but most often not. Due to the cover, it can take a few days to kill one you’ve found as you don’t just stalk in and shoot them. You often have to wait them out and hope they show themselves where you can get a shot. If the bucks are in the does, they seem to stay put for a few days unless the weather moves them. They won’t be hard-core glassy-eyed stupid-in-the-rut, but are a little more vulnerable than a week ago. As long as the does are close to secure cover, there is usually a good buck around if you can just see him.

I can hunt till late next week and will try my best to update you, through Jodi of course, each day. Cell service is pretty bad as it’s not high country but there are a few places I can get a signal. I’ll be alone but not on purpose. Elk season is open too and I tried to get a few friends to go with me but there was always something like not enough horses, prior commitments, injuries, etc. So here I go again, just me and the horses and God, but that ain't so bad…

 

[Hardstalk]

Robby, could you give some pointers for keeping the horses in the backcountry for several days. I own several and they are great on the trail. Whinny quite often but are pretty well bombproof after the first initial couple miles. But they are also the wifes cutting horses so they dont come cheap. I have always worried of them bloating or cholic on the different type of vegitation. How far will you hunt from the horses? How many days do you go with out grain or supplements? and how hard are you pushing them? What do you bring as far as extra tack to get you out of a bind? Do the deer and elk spook when the horses start whinnying toward them? ( they find animals long before i do!) i have only chased antelope thus far with mine and as long as i bring two they dont seem to mind much. No rush on the response i realize you have your hands full. Thanks in advance.

Oh and blood, how do they initially do with the meat on them. Ive heard of guys losing horses once they keen in on what is on their back.

 

[jls]

This is cool! Robby back in the saddle hunting for another great buck, I'll be tagging along. Good luck to you friend, hunt smart and safe.

 

[justin davis]

Sweet! Coo pics!