Utah Rifle Opener??

Okay DEADI gets props for being first and successful with his buddy. How did everyone else do? I know there was more peoples out in the hills...so how did it go everyone?

We had 4 tags in our group and tagged out on 2 out of the 4...pics to follow soon.
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ridgetop
It's amazing what two weeks can make. We hunted up high where I had seen all thoughs bucks on the muzzy hunt but this time there was about 12-18" of snow up there and we did not even see a single deer . Not even any old tracks in the snow. (???)
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9er
I also hunted high, saw one elk was it!

jumped 5 does down low, and that was all the deer i seen!

im done with rifle for the year i believe!

9er
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MuleyMadness
Okay here is the first one to share...this is my older brother Craig Wilson with his 2007 Rifle buck!

Forgive me on the picture quality, I know it's not great or 'in field'...I was helping my cousin pack out a deer when he shot it in another canyon by himself...by the time he and others went to help him get it out, darkness was upon us.

So this picture was taken at about midnight back in St. George after the 2 hour drive home.

He was happy with the buck and excited to show his 4 kids/son the next day!

He is a small 4-point and put a great sneak on him and a running shot.

He drove from 5+ hours up north to hunt with his family down south and with limited time to hunt decided to take him.

Plus I think he wanted to redeem himself after missing a BIG one earlier in the day. :)

Thanks for the good times as always CRAIG...your a blast to hunt with...he likes to get after it and hike like I do!

Story of my cousins buck to follow, it was pretty cool and lots of fun also!!
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MuleyMadness
One more pic of my brothers buck! I breaking my new truck in real quick this year...it seems to like Mule Deer hunting! :)
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AGCHAWK
CONGRATS to your brother, Brett!!
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79Ford
Nice buck Brett. Congrats to your brother.

My Dad was able to connect with a 3x3 on Sunday morning. Due to two cancer surgeries and being in the middle of his radiation treatments he was limited to shooting with a borrowed .357 mag pistol and his 9mm carry pistol. He took this buck with one shot to the lungs with the .357 at only 7 yards. :222
http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q117/Mathew98photos/Temp060.jpg" alt="" />


My tag on the other hand is still uncut. I find it interesting that 9er and ridgetop didn't find anything up high. We went up high opening morning and saw probably 50 or so deer, 5 being bucks, 2 of those I should have looked at a little closer because looking back i think they were bigger than I thought at the time.

Sunday after my dad got his deer right at legal light, we decided to hunt down low in the cedars, we walked all day and never saw a deer. Saw very few tracks until we got close to the edge of the hay fields.

So, today we were back up at about 8500ft and saw probably 60-70 deer and 6 of those were smaller bucks (3 point or smaller).

Tomorrow we'll be back up high and hopefully we can see something worth puting a bullet in the chamber for. We're really limited with time because my dad has to be back at the house by 1:00 so he can make the 2 hour (each way) trip to Salt Lake for his radiation treatments. Also we are pretty confined to being close to the road since his energy level depleats quickly.

I'm so used to shooting the first legal buck i see, that seeing all these smaller bucks is really wearing at my integrity to hold out for a big one. But I'll hold out for a few more days and then the little ones will start to get a little more time in my binoculars. I hate to shoot a young buck, but just the thought of eating tag soup gives me heartburn.

Well, that's the deer hunting report from this side of the mountain.
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MuleyMadness
79Ford

Thanks for the report and glad your Dad was successful, after last years buck you better hold out a bit longer. :)

Tough to top that one.
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79Ford
Yeah, havent seen anything close to that this year Brett. This weather has the deer moving around up here like crazy, and they could be anywhere. Too early in the season to settle for a small buck just yet.
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bigbuck92
congrats to your dad 79ford. i swear that ive seen him before. he looks way familiar
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79Ford
"bigbuck92" wrote:congrats to your dad 79ford. i swear that ive seen him before. he looks way familiar
 Hmmm, anything is possible. Just not sure where you'd know him from though.
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killerbee
"79Ford" wrote:Nice buck Brett. Congrats to your brother.

My Dad was able to connect with a 3x3 on Sunday morning. Due to two cancer surgeries and being in the middle of his radiation treatments he was limited to shooting with a borrowed .357 mag pistol and his 9mm carry pistol. He took this buck with one shot to the lungs with the .357 at only 7 yards. :222
http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q117/Mathew98photos/Temp060.jpg" alt="" />


My tag on the other hand is still uncut. I find it interesting that 9er and ridgetop didn't find anything up high. We went up high opening morning and saw probably 50 or so deer, 5 being bucks, 2 of those I should have looked at a little closer because looking back i think they were bigger than I thought at the time.

Sunday after my dad got his deer right at legal light, we decided to hunt down low in the cedars, we walked all day and never saw a deer. Saw very few tracks until we got close to the edge of the hay fields.

So, today we were back up at about 8500ft and saw probably 60-70 deer and 6 of those were smaller bucks (3 point or smaller).

Tomorrow we'll be back up high and hopefully we can see something worth puting a bullet in the chamber for. We're really limited with time because my dad has to be back at the house by 1:00 so he can make the 2 hour (each way) trip to Salt Lake for his radiation treatments. Also we are pretty confined to being close to the road since his energy level depleats quickly.

I'm so used to shooting the first legal buck i see, that seeing all these smaller bucks is really wearing at my integrity to hold out for a big one. But I'll hold out for a few more days and then the little ones will start to get a little more time in my binoculars. I hate to shoot a young buck, but just the thought of eating tag soup gives me heartburn.

Well, that's the deer hunting report from this side of the mountain.
 AWSOME!!! congrats to your dad on the deer! 7yrds, with a pistol, i'd say thats an awsome trophy! great job :thumb
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Default Avatar
Fine deer. The pistol kill is truly awesome.
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hound_hunter
We had 5 tags in camp this year and filled 4 on the opener. I'm in the pic. in the middle but that's my little brothers buck, I got mine on the archery :) [-o< - He decided to take it at the last second after we spotted him and looked him over for a while, we thought he was a 2X2 (and really that's all he is, haha) but my little bro wanted a 4 pt. as he does every year, me and the old man talked him into taking it saying that it would be a great first buck for him - As luck would have it with this kid (you don't understand, he is the luckiest punk i've ever met - always wins guns and 4 wheelers in raffles and that sort of stuff) it's a little 2X4, haha. Also has the smallest body i've ever seen on a deer. Smaller than an antelope even! But anyways the bro was inside the cabin cleaning up some and these other guys were about to head off so I figured i'd get a pic of all the bucks. The one missing is my uncle who downed a 3 pt. a lot like the one on your left in the photo, only it was a little narrower and a bit taller. The 2 guys on either side of me are my cousins friends, they usually come down and join our family for the hunt.

Overall, not a bad year - I think everyone was pretty happy with what they got. That snow was nice!! Now I got Colorado in 2 weeks, CAN'T WAIT! That's when the REAL huntin' starts 4c

http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m42/hound_hunter/DeerCamp07.jpg" alt="" />
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AGCHAWK
hound_hunter/79Ford, CONGRATS to the families!
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Default Avatar
I had cousin tag out on the opener, and his brother shot at five different bucks today, but never connected. Then a buddy missed a nice buck this evening. I'm not sure how big he was cause when I saw him through the binos he was 800yrds away toping the ridge.

Glad to see some success from the rest of you though. Hopefully I'll have somethingt to post next week when my Pausnagant hunt starts.
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Torch
Congrats on the success everyone! :thumb

I dropped the hammer on a good buck, but I just got home so I will try to get a few pics up in a couple of days.
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9er
Im gonna give it one more try tomorrow and see what i can find!

9er
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Shedfreak88
I shot a 30inch strait 4 point on the second to last day
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MuleyMadness
Shedfreak88

What are you talking about, there IS NO big bucks left. :)

Just messin with ya man! Sounds like a HECK of a buck, look forward to some pics. That's sounds like a whopper.
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Shedfreak88
there are no big bucks left now ha ha. he was the biggest buck we saw. i shot him and then we went back to camp and found that we had trail cam pics of him two days before the hunt. i didn't no it was him when i shot him lol it was pretty cool.
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MuleyMadness
Sweet, when we get the pics. (???)
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Shedfreak88
ill post a pic when i get them on my computer.
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ultimateshedfreak
congats to all of you for your success on a great hunt.
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79Ford
Missed a big one today. We pulled up to the base of the highest peak in our hunting area and there he was running as if he knew the fire and brimstone that would be headed his way if he stuck around. When I saw him he was coming out of a small group of pines, and he had about 60 feet before he was going to disapear into the dark timber. I was able to get two shots off before he disapeared. When I got up to where I saw him last I thought I was on the wrong set of tracks because his tracks looked like smaller elk tracks. Had to be the biggest set of deer tracks I have ever seen. I walked back on his tracks and found where my bullets hit the snow and I was hitting just about right in his tracks. So at 300 yards my bullet was hitting over 24" low. (???)

So, now I'm sighted in (again) and ready. Hopefully he feels safe enough to come back in the morning, cuz I'll be there waiting for him. Chances are slim, but it's worth a shot.
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a_bow_nut
79Ford,

Good luck on finding that buck again and congrats to you da on that buck with a pistol. =D>

A fine bunch of bucks taken by all on this thread. congrats to you all on some fine hunting.
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79Ford
"a_bow_nut" wrote:79Ford,

Good luck on finding that buck again and congrats to you da on that buck with a pistol. =D>
Well, couldn't locate him again. Being my last day hunting i'm willing to take a smaller buck and took a fat 2 point just before dusk. Not what I was looking for, but he'll be good eating. There's always next year. Looking forward to it allready!
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MuleyMadness
Here is our groups other buck from Rifle.

Hunter = Doug Wilson

http://www.muleymadness.com/forum/files/doug_5_428.jpg" alt="" />
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