Our Colorado Muley hunt..................

We hunted a second choice area this year. We applied for a 4th season tag as our first choice but we didn't have a enough PP's to draw. We hunted hard everyday and covered many miles but only saw a few bucks. The bucks we saw were smaller ones and we wanted to get a "shooter" buck, 24" or larger. The night before we came home I decided to shoot this buck and I'm thankful to shoot a muley again, as it's been a few years since I've taken one. Last year I ate tag soup for both Wyoming and Colorado and really wanted to get a mature muley. I shot him right at last light, I knew I hit him hard but I couldn't find him. Cort and I zigged zagged back and forth for 400-500 yards with our flash light but could not find him. We like to use this grid pattern and it has worked for us in the past but not this time. We decided to go to camp and come back at first light and try to find him. In the morning Cort went hunting and I went looking for my buck and around two hours later I found him. He was a tenth of a mile away from where we gave up the night before. I gutted and skinned him out. We decided to quarter him and haul him out rather then dragging him 1 mile "all uphill". It was a good workout and a good test for my pelvis, which was really busted up a few years ago in a car wreck.
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Hiker
Some photos of the area.............
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Mark
Nice buck. Congratulations!

That country looks a lot like northeastern Nevada.
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bigbuck92
great pics and great buck. what kind of gun ya shooting?
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MuleyMadness
Nice buck, much bigger than the "meat" buck I filled my tag with. :)

Thanks for the photos!
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Hiker
Mark, Thanks I've never been to that part of NV before. This area is north east of Eagle, CO.

Cody, Thanks! That's my .300 Winchester Mag. Weatherby Vanguard w/ a 3X9 Redfield, Widefield Illuminator scope. I purchased it in 1989 and have killed close to 50 big game animals with it. It is the most dependable and accurate rifle I've ever hunted with. Both of my sons want it, so I'm going to have to retire it soon and purchase another weapon to build a legacy with so I can pass down one to each son. I think I'm leaning toward the Kimber 8400 in the .300 Winchester Short Magnum. I still haven't decided on which scope yet.

Brett, Thanks! I still would like to see your "meat buck". As hard as hunting is getting in certain parts of Utah, if you get any buck, you did good. I'm hearing so many stories of hunters saying all they saw was orange and does. So again, Congrats my friend. Jeff
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waynedevore
Hiker, Not bad. Nice pics, looks like some real good Muley country.

mnmt
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Who's that guy hauling two front halves and the backstraps strapped in a duffel bag and strapped to back and guide fanny pack. Oh, yeah, that me. A lot of weight for a fanny, it definitely wore my fanny out going up that hill. Passed on a couple of small bucks hunting with Hiker, lookin' for a biggin'!

Anyway, all hunts are good and "the worst day huntin' is better than the best day workin".

All_American_Boy (AAB) - Cort
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Hiker
AAB, Again thanks for helping me haul that thing out. Still shocks me you fit the whole front half in that duffle bag. I really enjoyed our huntin trips this year. :thumb
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bigbuck92
o ok thanks
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AGCHAWK
Hiker my friend..CONGRATS! That is a pretty nice lookin' buck and certainly worth braggin' about!

Great pics of the countryside too. Man, that sure is some pretty country...LOVE IT!
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Hiker,
That one pic looks exactly like where I shot my "meat buck" in '05. Were you anywhere near Castle Peak?
Bill
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killerbee
- thats one to be proud of great job------Question for { mark johns} i should draw my NE nevada tag next year i think with 3 PP's have you ever hunted here ?
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Hiker
sheephunter, Exactly :thumb . Matter of fact we camped at the base of the wilderness area.
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Looks like fun. Wish I had the time to hunt out of state.

Congrats on the nice buck.
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hiker, if you don't mind me asking-how crowded was it over in that area? When I was there in '05 I waited 'til mid-week to go (I had the first combined season tag-season 10 days long). When I went up in there most everybody was pulling out. I talked with one group of guys who swore there was no game in the area...4 hours later I pulled the trigger. Got about maybe 1/2 mile (maybe even less) off the trail and into the wilderness area and had the place to myself, no evidence anybody had been in there all week. I didn't go there this year, did a backpack blackpowder hunt in my goat hunting area in The Raggeds, but sure am keeping this area in mind as a "go to" spot.
Bill
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killerbee
AH question you said goat hunting spot---- does this mean you have gotten a tag for their? how hard is it to get it if you dont mind me quizzin" ya
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I was very lucky and got a goat tag there in only 4 years of applying. Most people apply a lot longer than that. It took me 9 years to get a sheep tag. Also, in my goat hunting area (sheep area also) there are no nonresident tags issued.
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Hiker
sheephunter, We hunted saturday thru tuesday and pulled out. I think you are right and most people do the same, so the later end of the season might be better. We hunted in the wilderness areas quite a ways but never had the place to ourselves. I was impressed with how far other hunters were going in, most on horseback. I noticed that the wilderness areas were pretty thin on bucks, especially good ones. They seem to be in there but went over to that private land that lies in between. No pressure at all on that private land to speak of and the deer stayed put and wouldn't leave, at they didn't while we were there.
Did you get your blackpowder buck? You aren't by chance echo from NAHC are you? He also had a BP buck tag for the Raggeds. PM me if you want any specifics on spots.
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killerbee
#@%$#@%#@ ah im jealous as 1@!$# so you've drawn a sheep AND a goat tag!!!!! I cant draw so much as a picture let a lone a good tag!!! congrats to you i'd like to see them pics
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I know that area like the back of my hand. it is a great place to hunt and there are some great bucks up there. nice buck, and great pictures. i live in eagle county
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MuleyMadness
westernhunter

::wel

Sounds great, lets see some pics from your backyard. :)
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Hiker
Westernhunter, ::wel to Muley Madness. Good to see you over here. :thumb
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Yeah hiker, I am echo from over on tha NAHC board. We did not get bucks on our blackpowder hunt in The Raggeds but had a good hunt none the less. We passed on a number of small bucks, saw one mediocre buck that we opted not to go after, and I did go after one decent buck that winded me before I could get in range. We saw more goats up in there than anything else. I was within a couple hundred yards of where I got my goat up in there back in '98. We got rained on, snowed on, freezing sleet, thunder/lightning, as well as a little sunburn...it was great!!
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Hiker
We got rained on, snowed on, freezing sleet, thunder/lightning, as well as a little sunburn...it was great!!
 sheephunter, You are a true timberline hunter. LOL! :))
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nice one hiker!!!!!!!!!
ronald
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TheGreatwhitehunter
Not bad Hiker for hunting a left over unit with 5000 other hunters and no matter how far you walked there were still hunters everywhere.

:thumb
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