Week four is upon us, and Outdoor Channel has asked us to air our Colorado mule deer hunt as episode #4. So, that is what we are doing.
This hunt was a 4th season hunt in west central Colorado. Given the tough winter of 2007-08, and the resulting die off, a lot of guys did not put in for tags. The tag numbers were cut, but I was the lucky hunter with 4 points who drew a tag that in past years had taken 6 or 7 points.
Those of you, who hunted Colorado 4th season last year, know how hot it was. That, combined with a very heavy winterkill the previous winter, made for a very tough hunt. Yet, it was a very fun hunt, even if there were masses of elk hunters in the woods while we hunted deer.
If there is one down side of this hunt, it is the fact that in the world of TV production, “things happen.” The best kill shot of the year occurred on this hunt. It went like this.
A group of does busted out of the oaks on a small ridge about 125 yards across from us. Knowing the rut was on, we decided to hang out and see if a buck would come by. Within ten minutes, a very nice buck cooperated and came weaving through the oaks.
He walked up to where the does were bedded, licked the ground, and did the classic mule deer lip curl. Almost as if on command, he walked two steps into the small patch of sun that was hitting that narrow opening. His hormones caused him to disregard that a hunter might be watching him. He paid no mind to the fact that I had the cross hairs on him, and when the camera guy gave me the command, I fired.
He buckled hard, and slowly struggled down into some brush, where I gave him a second shot. From there, he headed down off the mesa, through some of the worst oak mess you can imagine. On an incline so steep it was hard to navigate, even with the oak limbs to hold on to.
My buddy, Tony Melillo and I climbed down to where the deer had come to rest, as his antler hung him up in an oak cluster. Thank goodness, or he would have slid another two hundred yards. We boned him and packed him the long steep distance to the truck.
Now for the bummer. Normally, both camera guys stay with me. But, in this hunt, we were having a hard time finding much for deer, so the other camera guy split off to follow my buddy, Vito Quatraro, who also had a tag. That left us with one camera on the buck when I shot.
Upon arriving at a TV, we decided to check what we knew was world-class footage of a mule deer buck doing the classic rutting routine for two minutes before I shot him. We took over 20 hours of tape on that hunt. We had three minutes with a bad spot on the tape, and what three minutes do you think it was? Yup, you guessed it. The footage of the buck weaving through the oaks and doing his thing in the sunlight.
The tape did clear up for the second shot, so we did get that on tape. And that is the only part of the kill shot sequence you will see. Still a great public land hunt, with great friends, but I would give anything to have the original shot on good tape. It was classic. Everything you think of when dreaming of mule deer hunting.
Such is the case when you decided to put these highly technical devices and their flimsy tapes, to the extreme elements of public land hunting. A little more demanding on equipment than the indoor sets most video equipment is designed to operate in.
Anyhow, still a great hunt. I hope you like it. If you want to read the story of me trying to find Big Fred, here is the link on Hunt Talk.
Colorado Deer - Hunt Talk Link
Like all of our episodes, I think you will find the story lines to be “real” and the scenic shots and videography to be “of the charts.” If you want to see a preview, go to the “Video” page of the site and you will see a link at the bottom of the page.
If you like our episodes, I hope you will email Outdoor Channel and provide positive comment. They put more weight in your emails, than any other feedback they get.
Here is a link to leave feedback with them – Outdoor Channel Feedback.
This hunt was a 4th season hunt in west central Colorado. Given the tough winter of 2007-08, and the resulting die off, a lot of guys did not put in for tags. The tag numbers were cut, but I was the lucky hunter with 4 points who drew a tag that in past years had taken 6 or 7 points.
Those of you, who hunted Colorado 4th season last year, know how hot it was. That, combined with a very heavy winterkill the previous winter, made for a very tough hunt. Yet, it was a very fun hunt, even if there were masses of elk hunters in the woods while we hunted deer.
If there is one down side of this hunt, it is the fact that in the world of TV production, “things happen.” The best kill shot of the year occurred on this hunt. It went like this.
A group of does busted out of the oaks on a small ridge about 125 yards across from us. Knowing the rut was on, we decided to hang out and see if a buck would come by. Within ten minutes, a very nice buck cooperated and came weaving through the oaks.
He walked up to where the does were bedded, licked the ground, and did the classic mule deer lip curl. Almost as if on command, he walked two steps into the small patch of sun that was hitting that narrow opening. His hormones caused him to disregard that a hunter might be watching him. He paid no mind to the fact that I had the cross hairs on him, and when the camera guy gave me the command, I fired.
He buckled hard, and slowly struggled down into some brush, where I gave him a second shot. From there, he headed down off the mesa, through some of the worst oak mess you can imagine. On an incline so steep it was hard to navigate, even with the oak limbs to hold on to.
My buddy, Tony Melillo and I climbed down to where the deer had come to rest, as his antler hung him up in an oak cluster. Thank goodness, or he would have slid another two hundred yards. We boned him and packed him the long steep distance to the truck.
Now for the bummer. Normally, both camera guys stay with me. But, in this hunt, we were having a hard time finding much for deer, so the other camera guy split off to follow my buddy, Vito Quatraro, who also had a tag. That left us with one camera on the buck when I shot.
Upon arriving at a TV, we decided to check what we knew was world-class footage of a mule deer buck doing the classic rutting routine for two minutes before I shot him. We took over 20 hours of tape on that hunt. We had three minutes with a bad spot on the tape, and what three minutes do you think it was? Yup, you guessed it. The footage of the buck weaving through the oaks and doing his thing in the sunlight.
The tape did clear up for the second shot, so we did get that on tape. And that is the only part of the kill shot sequence you will see. Still a great public land hunt, with great friends, but I would give anything to have the original shot on good tape. It was classic. Everything you think of when dreaming of mule deer hunting.
Such is the case when you decided to put these highly technical devices and their flimsy tapes, to the extreme elements of public land hunting. A little more demanding on equipment than the indoor sets most video equipment is designed to operate in.
Anyhow, still a great hunt. I hope you like it. If you want to read the story of me trying to find Big Fred, here is the link on Hunt Talk.
Colorado Deer - Hunt Talk Link
Like all of our episodes, I think you will find the story lines to be “real” and the scenic shots and videography to be “of the charts.” If you want to see a preview, go to the “Video” page of the site and you will see a link at the bottom of the page.
If you like our episodes, I hope you will email Outdoor Channel and provide positive comment. They put more weight in your emails, than any other feedback they get.
Here is a link to leave feedback with them – Outdoor Channel Feedback.
