I decided last season to use my priority 8 in a trophy mule deer area. I had been planning and waiting for this opportunity for a long time and was really excited to potentially shoot a big mule deer buck.
I was able to scout a bit in August and September but then got busy with work and hadn't been out since then looking around.
I hunted the first weekend of rifle season alone, which to me was more like a scouting trip to get a good feel for what was around. I saw plenty of deer but just couldn't get excited about too much, as they were all much smaller than I was looking for.
Fast forward to week two of the hunt, which I had taken Friday and Saturday off work for. Thursday evening rolled around and my oldest son who was desperately exited to hunt with me on Saturday kept asking if he could come on Friday too. Like I had experienced as a younger person with my dad, I agreed and took him out of school for the day Friday. He was stoked and so was I to have two full days with just the two of us.
We put in a full day Friday scouting as much of the area as we could but again, there were no sightings of deer I wanted to pursue. We had likely looked at over 35 bucks that day to my son’s frustration and Dad didn't like any!
Saturday morning came and went much like the previous day and I could tell my little man’s patience was getting skinny passing up so many deer. At noon, I treated him to a warm lunch and a pop, which seemed to reenergize both of us. We planned to spend the afternoon hunting an area where I had already secured permission and so off we went.
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Mike and his eldest son proudly pose
with their mule deer buck. |
Shortly after arriving, we found a buck that was right for us to make a play on, smaller than I had hoped for but it would be a challenging hunt for us as a team. We had to belly crawl nearly two hours through a stubble field down into a draw that led into the coulee the deer were in. Patience was key and my son did it without a problem. Our plan was a good one and the deer was in range when we peaked over the knoll, so I set up my rifle after ranging him. Unfortunately for us, the buck decided to bed down right at that same time. I had committed to this deer, as had my little guy so we then sat for nearly another hour watching him sleep with three does and four other bucks.
During this time, I answered countless questions about hunting and life in general and again I could see that patience was getting skinny. I told him once the buck stood up, we would have our opportunity and to keep his earplugs in. Finally, the buck stood and stretched but still offered no shot, as a shrub was blocking his vitals. He then followed his girlfriend all of the way out of the coulee and into a stubble field without presenting a good shot. I ranged him again in the field and adjusted accordingly, as he was now well within my shooting and equipment ability. A quick look to my son to make sure he could see and that he had his ear plugs in; he gave me the thumbs up.
I took careful aim and a single shot through the buck’s chest while he stood broadside and he took his last 10 steps before falling over. I got the biggest smiles and hardest high-five I've had yet. Then the biology lesson commenced.
What started out as a quest for inches quickly turned into building memories of a lifetime for both of us. A day we won't soon forget and a particularly proud moment for me as a father, hopefully teaching the next hunting generation about required knowledge, patience, and marksmanship.
I can't wait until my boys have their own tags in the years coming! ■
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