My mule deer hunt
Snake River Marksman
10/19/11 5:43pm
While hunting antelope near Kaycee WY, we had seen several groups of mule deer feeding in the alfalfa fields of the ranch. I had a tag for either sex on private property and figured that if I filled my antelope tag, and time and circumstances allowed, I’d go ahead and try for one of the bucks that we were seeing. These bucks weren’t monsters by any stretch of the imagination, but they were decent size deer and would fill the freezer nicely. On Saturday, after spending most of the day butchering antelope that we had killed Friday afternoon, I set out on foot across the head of the pasture to a hay lot where I could climb on top of the ten foot high hay bales and glass the fields.
After attaining my perch I began glassing the fields on both sides of the road. While I was up there I took note of the steady 10 to 15mph breeze that was going from right to left as I looked west. This wind would negate the plan I had conceived if the deer showed up where I thought they would. That plan was to get into the empty irrigation canal on the north side of the field and follow it down the field until I was across from the deer and then make my shot at about 250yds, prone from the top of the service road. It became a moot point when the deer showed up on the other side of an overgrown fence line.
I studied the deer’s location for a few moments and planned my stalk. There was a ninety degree “jog” in the fence that looked as if it had been a tractor gate at one time. It was about 300yds down the fence, and if I could get to it without busting the deer, I’d be in a great position to get a shot. The only problem was the weeds in the fence line were pretty thin, and the alfalfa was only half way up to my knees. I still felt as if I could do it if I really set my mind to it. I nonchalantly got down off of the hay bales and walked across the head of the field in full view. When I got to the fence, I discovered that there was an irrigation ditch running right next to it. The ditch was only about a foot wide and eighteen inches deep, but it allowed me to crouch over and get down to where I’d be pretty difficult to see from where the deer were standing. If I wanted to get into true sniper combat mode I could have lain down in that ditch and belly crawled through the inch of water and two inches of mud in the bottom, but the buck out in the field wasn’t that big, and I didn’t need this deer that badly.
So down the ditch I went crouched over so that little except my camouflaged hat was showing above the weeds of the fence line. About halfway down I got out of the ditch and checked the position and demeanor of the deer. The buck was standing in the field, a little farther out from the fence than I had seen him before and he was looking right at me. He turned and headed into the fence line, and I thought for sure it was all over. My heart sank. My tag was good for either sex, and the does hadn’t moved so I felt all was not lost, and I continued my stalk. When I got within ten yards of the end of the ditch and the “jog” in the fence, I rolled out of the ditch and belly crawled up to the fence. When I could peer out into the field, the does had walked over to the fence line as well and the buck was standing in the weeds, quartering to me at about 150yds. My heart soared! I took a seated position and pushed the rifle through the woven wire fence, I aligned the crosshairs with the bucks shoulder and thought about those weeds for a moment. Just then the buck turned and disappeared back into the weeds. Once again my heart sank and I thought I’d lost my chance at this buck. A moment later he stepped back into the field this time just a tad farther out with a lot less weeds covering that shoulder. My heart soared!
With the cross hairs back on the shoulder I let out my breath and squeeeeezed the trigger. The 250 barked and the thwaaap of a solid hit came back to me. The buck dashed out into the field a few yards then fell over onto its back so hard that the antlers stuck into the ground. I unloaded my rifle and climbed over the fence. I picked the rifle back up and reloaded it, then walked out to see my deer.
Perhaps the best part of the entire hunt, is that it took place right near our camp and Charlie and Marks sons were able to watch the whole thing unfold right in front of them. When they saw the deer fall they let out a huge whoop! Mark said he knew I’d got my deer right then. They got out the Dead Sled and drove the truck over to the lane closest to the deer so we wouldn’t have to drag it that far.
It was a memorable hunt and not too different from the whitetail hunts that I grew up with back in Maryland.
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After attaining my perch I began glassing the fields on both sides of the road. While I was up there I took note of the steady 10 to 15mph breeze that was going from right to left as I looked west. This wind would negate the plan I had conceived if the deer showed up where I thought they would. That plan was to get into the empty irrigation canal on the north side of the field and follow it down the field until I was across from the deer and then make my shot at about 250yds, prone from the top of the service road. It became a moot point when the deer showed up on the other side of an overgrown fence line.
I studied the deer’s location for a few moments and planned my stalk. There was a ninety degree “jog” in the fence that looked as if it had been a tractor gate at one time. It was about 300yds down the fence, and if I could get to it without busting the deer, I’d be in a great position to get a shot. The only problem was the weeds in the fence line were pretty thin, and the alfalfa was only half way up to my knees. I still felt as if I could do it if I really set my mind to it. I nonchalantly got down off of the hay bales and walked across the head of the field in full view. When I got to the fence, I discovered that there was an irrigation ditch running right next to it. The ditch was only about a foot wide and eighteen inches deep, but it allowed me to crouch over and get down to where I’d be pretty difficult to see from where the deer were standing. If I wanted to get into true sniper combat mode I could have lain down in that ditch and belly crawled through the inch of water and two inches of mud in the bottom, but the buck out in the field wasn’t that big, and I didn’t need this deer that badly.
So down the ditch I went crouched over so that little except my camouflaged hat was showing above the weeds of the fence line. About halfway down I got out of the ditch and checked the position and demeanor of the deer. The buck was standing in the field, a little farther out from the fence than I had seen him before and he was looking right at me. He turned and headed into the fence line, and I thought for sure it was all over. My heart sank. My tag was good for either sex, and the does hadn’t moved so I felt all was not lost, and I continued my stalk. When I got within ten yards of the end of the ditch and the “jog” in the fence, I rolled out of the ditch and belly crawled up to the fence. When I could peer out into the field, the does had walked over to the fence line as well and the buck was standing in the weeds, quartering to me at about 150yds. My heart soared! I took a seated position and pushed the rifle through the woven wire fence, I aligned the crosshairs with the bucks shoulder and thought about those weeds for a moment. Just then the buck turned and disappeared back into the weeds. Once again my heart sank and I thought I’d lost my chance at this buck. A moment later he stepped back into the field this time just a tad farther out with a lot less weeds covering that shoulder. My heart soared!
With the cross hairs back on the shoulder I let out my breath and squeeeeezed the trigger. The 250 barked and the thwaaap of a solid hit came back to me. The buck dashed out into the field a few yards then fell over onto its back so hard that the antlers stuck into the ground. I unloaded my rifle and climbed over the fence. I picked the rifle back up and reloaded it, then walked out to see my deer.
Perhaps the best part of the entire hunt, is that it took place right near our camp and Charlie and Marks sons were able to watch the whole thing unfold right in front of them. When they saw the deer fall they let out a huge whoop! Mark said he knew I’d got my deer right then. They got out the Dead Sled and drove the truck over to the lane closest to the deer so we wouldn’t have to drag it that far.
It was a memorable hunt and not too different from the whitetail hunts that I grew up with back in Maryland.
4,436
Yep it's a 250 Savage. 100gr Hornady softpoints over a near max load of IMR 4895 with cci primers in RP brass. I don't have a Chrono but it should run about 2800 fps from a 22" barrel.