Mule Deer Hunt Colorado
Oct 28, 2019 16:28:31 GMT -5
Ken O'Neill, Stump Buster, and 6 more like this
Post by zac0419 on Oct 28, 2019 16:28:31 GMT -5
We all live under the banner of you never know when it's your last hunt. I have the banner closer to my head because 6 years ago I went from a fit 37 year old corporate pilot to a stage 4 cancer survivor. I still look very similar and people are always dumbfounded when I tell them. I am still blessed to have people that have spots for me to hunt from stands in GA and IL. My days of chasing Deer and Elk in Colorado seemed out of reach. Blessed with fatigue and the liver of a 60yo alcoholic prohibits your muscles from acting like they should. I decided earlier this year I was going to go, like Red said in Shawshank… “Get busy livin, or get busy dying.”
I reached out on this forum for advice on a unit and our fellow Bill Fowler responded. Bill and I conversed about him hunting a specific unit and it sounded right for my situation. He then put me in touch with his good friend of his on the Western Slopes and he and I spoke many times about a plan of attack and good spots to set up camp. With it being a high preference point unit I’m not stealing deer that these guys can chase every year, or every 5 for that matter.
I called my little brother and my best friend and told them “I’ve never dropped this before but I have stage 4 cancer and I’m pulling out that card. Here are the dates, we’re going hunting in Colorado.” Without missing a beat they were both on board. My best friend even quit his overseas job a month early to make that happen which is something I’ll never forget. I even almost had to cancel because of 2 migraines the week before that put me in the ER at Mayo, It was a reaction to some meds but my oncologist said stop taking the meds and get to Colorado and have a good time. Who am I to disobey my doctor?
We arrived in camp a little late on the Thursday before and set up the wall tent. This actually went well considering we have never been in a canvas tent before let alone set one up. We had set up on the eastern half of the unit and hunted hard the next 3 days and nights. Nothing. I had been texting with Bill’s friend trying every surefire spot he knew. Nothing. Day 4 we drove a lot to the western half of the unit and finally started spotting deer. Maybe 40 or so Doe and once small 2x2 on private. Don’t hunt Colorado without an OnX map or the like, this on your phone is the only accurate way to distinguish public from private and opens up a ton more country because you are certain where you are.
Day 5 we headed west again and saw our resident does mingling but again no bucks util about 1430. It was a nice wide 3x3 and on public property.
I had to cross a wash about 25’ deep to get to the flat land between us as the shot from this side was pushing 350y in a stiff wind. I set up behind a bush on the other side but now my angle was off and the flat he laid up on was out of sight for me and I was upwind without a shot. My buddy crossed the wash to help me locate the buck and 20 or so minutes later he stood up lasered at 250y and was behind a similar bush. No real shot could be ethical. Another minute of this then he busted out of the hill to our right. We attempted to close the distance, watched him cross the road into the tall sage.
First legal buck seen and I had blown the stalk. Back to the truck where we regrouped and talked about this good watering hole we have seen earlier.
Right about now my buddy realizes he left his rangefinder at the bush. Back across the wash and field to get his equipment. Once in the middle of the field (some cattle scattered about) he looked up and was 80y, face to face with a meaty 5x5 staring back at him. He froze and quickly turned himself into a rancher and started walking normally while faking dealing with the cows. He then backed himself behind cover, downwind, and motioned vigorously for me to get may a$$ across the wash. The deer went back to eating.
Minutes later I’m set up. Last day of the hunt, 4pm, and 130y from a very hearty deer. He was showing me his bum for 3 or 4 minutes then finally turned right. I put a 6.5 Creedmoor 143gr ELX right into the heart and he kicked and ran about 30’. Being as close to private as we were I hit him again, double lung, and the deer dropped and tumbled.
My buddy jumped on top of me punching me and screaming in joy. A look 200y to the right and my brother was jumping up and down crazy with excitement. We had hunted and pushed ourselves hard for 5 days and killed an amazing Colorado buck.
Thank you to Bill and his friend for their continuous help. Thank you to Lee for assembling such a classy group of men and women who share his passions. And special thanks to my 2 sherpas who without them I’d still be in that wash with a dead deer. And a special thanks to fate, because had my friend not forgot his rangefinder we might have never seen the buck.
I reached out on this forum for advice on a unit and our fellow Bill Fowler responded. Bill and I conversed about him hunting a specific unit and it sounded right for my situation. He then put me in touch with his good friend of his on the Western Slopes and he and I spoke many times about a plan of attack and good spots to set up camp. With it being a high preference point unit I’m not stealing deer that these guys can chase every year, or every 5 for that matter.
I called my little brother and my best friend and told them “I’ve never dropped this before but I have stage 4 cancer and I’m pulling out that card. Here are the dates, we’re going hunting in Colorado.” Without missing a beat they were both on board. My best friend even quit his overseas job a month early to make that happen which is something I’ll never forget. I even almost had to cancel because of 2 migraines the week before that put me in the ER at Mayo, It was a reaction to some meds but my oncologist said stop taking the meds and get to Colorado and have a good time. Who am I to disobey my doctor?
We arrived in camp a little late on the Thursday before and set up the wall tent. This actually went well considering we have never been in a canvas tent before let alone set one up. We had set up on the eastern half of the unit and hunted hard the next 3 days and nights. Nothing. I had been texting with Bill’s friend trying every surefire spot he knew. Nothing. Day 4 we drove a lot to the western half of the unit and finally started spotting deer. Maybe 40 or so Doe and once small 2x2 on private. Don’t hunt Colorado without an OnX map or the like, this on your phone is the only accurate way to distinguish public from private and opens up a ton more country because you are certain where you are.
Day 5 we headed west again and saw our resident does mingling but again no bucks util about 1430. It was a nice wide 3x3 and on public property.
I had to cross a wash about 25’ deep to get to the flat land between us as the shot from this side was pushing 350y in a stiff wind. I set up behind a bush on the other side but now my angle was off and the flat he laid up on was out of sight for me and I was upwind without a shot. My buddy crossed the wash to help me locate the buck and 20 or so minutes later he stood up lasered at 250y and was behind a similar bush. No real shot could be ethical. Another minute of this then he busted out of the hill to our right. We attempted to close the distance, watched him cross the road into the tall sage.
First legal buck seen and I had blown the stalk. Back to the truck where we regrouped and talked about this good watering hole we have seen earlier.
Right about now my buddy realizes he left his rangefinder at the bush. Back across the wash and field to get his equipment. Once in the middle of the field (some cattle scattered about) he looked up and was 80y, face to face with a meaty 5x5 staring back at him. He froze and quickly turned himself into a rancher and started walking normally while faking dealing with the cows. He then backed himself behind cover, downwind, and motioned vigorously for me to get may a$$ across the wash. The deer went back to eating.
Minutes later I’m set up. Last day of the hunt, 4pm, and 130y from a very hearty deer. He was showing me his bum for 3 or 4 minutes then finally turned right. I put a 6.5 Creedmoor 143gr ELX right into the heart and he kicked and ran about 30’. Being as close to private as we were I hit him again, double lung, and the deer dropped and tumbled.
My buddy jumped on top of me punching me and screaming in joy. A look 200y to the right and my brother was jumping up and down crazy with excitement. We had hunted and pushed ourselves hard for 5 days and killed an amazing Colorado buck.
Thank you to Bill and his friend for their continuous help. Thank you to Lee for assembling such a classy group of men and women who share his passions. And special thanks to my 2 sherpas who without them I’d still be in that wash with a dead deer. And a special thanks to fate, because had my friend not forgot his rangefinder we might have never seen the buck.
