Well, my Muley season is over.

Well guys and gals, my WA Muley season is over for another year. After 6 days of hunting I finally went back on Saturday and took a small 3x3 that I passed on three other times during the season. he was my "slump-buster" in case I didn't get an opportunity at something bigger. He was right were I left him the last time I let him walk.
I didn't bring my camera on that last hunt since I was heading straight in after him and straight back home BUT I did take a few photos (Below). I'll have my wife take a couple pics of my buck and email them to me so that I can post them. (She's still at home and unfortunately I am back at work!)
Opening day was GREAT and we saw a LOT of deer and elk. I packed my camera on that day and took a few pics.

-Pic #1: A couple bulls having a wrestling match on my way across the state. Just a couple raghorns but they were fun to watch!
-Pic #2: The red circle is were my son and I spotted one of the biggest WA bucks I've seen in a while. I caught him with my spotting scope and watched him feed along that draw for about 2 hours. My son and I spent the next 6 hours trying to put a LONG stalk on him but during the long hike down our side of the canyon and back up the other side provided the big buck with enough time to elude us. No worries, I saw the same buck last year and am confident that he will be in there again next year.
(I KNOW where I'll be opening morning next year!)
-Pic #3 & #4: A couple pics of the country we were hunting
-Pic #5: A couple cows across the canyon from us
-Pic #6: A big 6X6 bull that was "escorting" the cows across the hillside.

Again, we saw a LOT of animals including a BIG 2X2 Muley that would push 28". He was an older, silver-faced buck that was certainly on downhill side of life. I spoke to a warden later that day and he said "If I could give ya permission to kull him from the heard I would". Woulda been nice!

I have a spike elk tag that is good for this area also but with my upcoming deployment I will be unable to use it! Too bad too because there were elk ALL OVER in there!

Take care my friends and enjoy the pics!
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AGCHAWK,

Hey thoes are some great pictures and sounds like you had a great hunt. I really hate that you are being called up to serve our country. But i want to be the first to thank you for serveing our great Nation and you stay safe over there.

And when you get back i am going to hit you up to take me Mulley hunting ! :)
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bigbuck92
Great pics Hawk. How long do you have to be deployed over there and when will you be able to get out of the service? will you be able to get on the computer while your over there like ABert does? Well thanks for serving are country and stay safe when you get over there
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gilamonster8
Man you take care of yourself and if you get a chance atThe greatest trophy of all time(OBL) I will pay for a full body mount. Thank you
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Well, looks like you had a great hunt. Again, good luck and I'm sure I'm one of many that would go in with gilamonster8 on a full body mount of Osama!!
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9er
cool pics, thanks for sharing

take care of yourself over there and thanks for serving!

9er
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killerbee
sounds like it was a great hunt shared with your son! thats the most important part. i look forward to the buck pix, nice to have a buck you can " just run in a shoot", that would be perfect for any hunt! congrats and stay safe over in the war!!
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AGCHAWK
Thanks guys! Yea, we had a lot of fun out there again this year. Sure wish I could squeeze my spike elk hunt (in the same area) and my Idaho whitetail hunt in this year but the upcoming deployment has put the kabosh on those outings. I'll be out there next year though!

Bigbuck: I'll be gone for a total of 8 months and SHOULD be back in AUG08 (My orders are open-ended so I don't have an exact date yet). Once I get back I'll have 9 more months until retirement. As for computer access, I'll be able to check in now and again like ABert has...but I am not sure exactly how much at this point.

Killer: Thanks my friend. However, I didn't exactly "Run in and shoot"..LOL. I knew where he was hanging out, knew that there wasn't much pressure, and was PRETTY sure he'd still be hanging out in that general area. I suited up that morning, headed out, and sure enough I located him within an hour. A little luck is always good!
My wife should be sending the pics to me within the next day or two and I'll post them then.

roybram: Thanks my friend but you don't need to "hate" the fact that I'm heading over there. To be honest, I volunteered for this assignment and actually had to fight to get it (My command thought I was more valuable stateside). I just had a hard time dealing with the fact that I was sitting comfortably in the states while young Americans where over there facing danger 24/7. It really ate at me. No grand ambitions mind you...I just want to help do my part. I spent 15 months in that region already and can certainly handle 8 more months. I REALLY appreciate the kind words though.
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Torch
Hawk,

Great pics....I always enjoy your posts. I'm glad to hear you had a chance to get out and do some hunting with your son before you leave....that's what it's all about! Thanks for serving our country and be safe over there! :thumb
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BOHNTR
Very cool Hawk......yeah, a 28" forkie would be a cool addition. The 3x3 will eat better though. :) Thanks for the photos......some neat country that looks like a bowhunter could have a field day in.
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waynedevore
Hawk, Great pics! That is some magnificent country you got into. And congrats on scoring on your Muley Buck.

I am always grateful to you people that are working hard to keep the rest of us safe and free. THANKS! Best of luck to you, and keep an open eye. I think a good muley hunter has advantages in war time. Keep in touch. :thumb
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MuleyMadness
Hawk,

Love the pictures with the story, that looks like some really tough country with huge steep ranges. But man does that look fun to hunt, very cool country.

Any ideas on how big the BIG BUCK was?

Anyway thanks for the update and congrats on the buck.

Sounds FUN! :thumb
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AGCHAWK
Yea, it is fun to hunt. I hike in there a lot during the off-season too just for the fun of it.

There's an old homestead at the base of that canyon (The only things left are the homemade chimney and a collapsed outhouse) and the creek that runs through there is great brookie fishing.

As for the buck we saw opening morning, he was far enough up that opposite ridge that even with my spotting scope it was hard to tell exactly how big he was. I believe I saw the same buck last year (and blew the stalk on him then too!) and he was a nice 4X4 with about a 25"-26" spread then. Although he was too far away to count exact points I can safely say that he's added a couple more inches to that spread number. Certainly a big buck for WA.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the third time's a charm and I can get on him again next season. The pressure is pretty light in that region and I've seen no one on that other canyon for the last two seasons so I'm betting that he'll be there again next season.
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a_bow_nut
Congrats on your hunt HAWK. =D>

Sounds like a fun time. I could think of worse ways to end your season.
Great pictures and story so far. Can't wait to hear the rest of the story and see the pictures.
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