Big 09 Colorado Archery Non-Typical

Well, I got back Saturday from my trip out to hunt Mule Deer in colorful Colorado. At least that's what it says on the signs. I came home empty handed, but my buddy Ken got an absolutely beautiful non typical. I had a couple of very close calls but managed to do the wrong thing at every opportunity. That's all part of the hunt and these are memories that I'll have the rest of my life.

We arrived Saturday the 29th with hopes of getting in a little hunting that evening. That plan was cut short by some nice thunderstorms complete with heavy rain and hail. We decided to ease into it by relaxing and enjoying a few cocktails at the cabin. We were hunting a place called the Sugarite Canyon Ranch with Kennedy Hunting Services. This is a very large ranch with mesa country on the tops and beautiful canyon drainages to wander to our hearts content.

We struck out Sunday morning by working up the canyon right behind camp. We ran into some does and elk, but no bucks were sighted. This is fairly heavy cover, so we basically work up trails hoping to bump into some deer. Glassing open areas to see if we spot anything to make a move on. Our evening hunt was cut short by another blossoming thunderstorm.

We did this same program, spotting a few bucks but no real monsters for the next few days. Ken did get an opportunity at a 4 x 4 that he guessed at 27" wide on Monday evening, but felt like he was a little small so early in the hunt. I would have have let fly!

Tuesday afternoon things changed. Ken was hunting back behind the cabin again, I went to the upper end of the canyon to do some spotting off the rim. About an hour later Ken came buzzing up the canyon in a four wheeler, so we knew something must have happened. He reported that he had shot a very nice non typical buck and then proceeded to show me video of the buck that was with him to see if I wanted to give him a try. From the video he looked to be about 30" wide and nice 4 x 4 with deep forks, so you can imagine my response. Ken hadn't followed up on his shot at all at this point, but felt that it was pretty good hit.

We all ran back to the area that Ken had been hunting and proceeded down the little trail, seeing if we might spot the big 4 x 4. Rick (our guide) held us up to glass something ahead and said "there's your buck right there". I took a look through my binos and could see one very large antler sticking up. I knew I was looking at something special. Here is a pic showing the big side.

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After basking in the glow of such a beautiful buck, I worked my way up the hill in the direction the big 4 x 4 had gone. I never bumped into him for sure, but I did bump into three pretty nice bucks. A big 3 X 3, a nice 4 x 4 and an even nicer very wide 4 x 4. I had the 3 X 3 at 30 yards and was waiting for him to clear a tree for a clear shot. Of course he stopped directly behind the tree and had a funny look about him. That's when I realized that the wind was not good. When he bolted the other two bucks came shooting out from below me where I couldn't see them. The wide one took my breath away when his hoofs pounded the ground as he ran away. I tried to make a loop on them and did get another peek, but it was not to be.

The next morning I ended up getting very close to these three bucks again. It was a similar situation, but this time the wind was right. I first spotted the 3x feeding down the hill. He was just browsing along and then a slightly bigger 4x stepped out. About that time the bigger 4x stepped into the open and I totally forgot about the other two. They were all milling and browsing and I really thought I had the drop on them. I was peeking over the edge of a trail and they were about 30 yards out and 15 yards or so below me. I tried to hit the big one with my range finder but it wouldn't lock on. I think my hand may have been trembling enough to disturb the laser. I guessed him at 30 and locked my release onto my loop. He was quartering toward a bit so I waited for him to present a better shot. He turned directly toward me and moved a few steps closer, then started to quarter again. I was ready to draw but before I could he locked eyes on me. Then I could really see his width and heigth, plus a kicker on the back left. I'm sure this was a 190 class deer. What to do! I held stock still for what I'm guessing must have been a minute or so, although it seemed like forever at the time. Something told me to go for it so I started to raise and slowly draw my bow. About the time the cams rolled over he let out a snort and they all bolted down the hill. I laid down in the trail and felt like I would puke. I eventually gathered myself and continued the hunt.

That was the best opportunity I had for the week. I did have another opportunity that went awry, but it wasn't quite as painful as the other encounter. There are some old ski slopes that have grown back a bit and I was working my way down toward those. There is a nice bench with some huge pines, and a couple have fallen down over the years. Perfect spot to sit down and take a break. After taking a little break I decided to sneak up to the edge of the bench and peek over. Just as I was making the last move forward to take my peek, a small stick broke that sounded like a dang .22. Just in time to see a very nice 4 X 4 bound over the hill. Talk about bad timing!

That pretty well sums up the opportunities I had. Ken's hunt happened very quickly, so there isn't a lot to tell but I'll give it a go. He was working his way down a small trail that runs about even with the camp. He was only about 20 minutes down the trail when the big 4 X 4 mentioned earlier stepped out of the heavy brush into the trail about 20 yards ahead of him. He was trying to get his release clipped on for the shot but didn't get that done in time to take the shot. About that time this big non typical steps out into the trail. Believe it or not he really wanted to shoot the other deer. He must have come to his senses and decided this one would do! The deer crossed the trail moved into some brush off to the side. Ken had drawn his bow, but had no clear shot to the vitals. With bow drawn he walked down the trail to where he could get an arrow through. He blasted a two blade Rage right through both shoulders at a distance later measured at 7 yards! The deer ran a short semi circle up hill and back down. He only covered about 50 yards. Talk about Short but Sweet! A 20 minute hunt, a 7 yard shot and the buck of a lifetime.

Here are a few more pictures. It's very hard to get all the points in the pictures, but you will defintely get the idea.

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We scored him very unofficially back at camp. I'm sure Ken will have him measured by a qualified person, but we ended up with a gross of everything at 249+ . The big drop is 10 inches long. He had big mass, but I don't remember the numbers. Inside was 23.5 if I remember right. Beams were 26. I think we ended up with 28 points that were an inch or longer that we measured. There were 13 points over 6" long. I'm stating these numbers from memory and it's always possible that I had a drink or two in me, so don't quote! :-$

Whatever the "official" score ends up, he is one heck of a unique buck and it was a great hunt. Maybe next time the mule deer gods will smile upon me, but I'm very thankful to have the health and means to enjoy such a hunt in the first place. There is nothing like it.

Hope you enjoyed the story and good luck on all of your upcoming hunts! I'll be chasing whitetails around the "hills" of Michigan.