2008 ND Archery Mulie
- Thread starter Buschy
- Start date
I found this buck on public land during a summer scouting trip and spent many hours watching and patterning him. I have never taken a non-typical mule deer and really had my heart set on taking this deer. On August 28, the day before the ND archery season opened, I found him in his usual draw and watched him take all of the velvet off of his antlers. The next morning I found him at sunrise and followed him through the buttes for quite sometime before he bedded down. The opening day for most big game seasons in ND starts at noon, not sunrise. I know it’s goofy and don’t know the reasoning behind it! I went back at about 6 pm on opening day and found him in his bed. I watched him for two hours until he worked his way into a creek bottom and started to feed. This was my chance.
I got the wind in my favor and work to within 90 yards of him. He was slowly feeding through the creek bottom and working his way out onto a flat below me. I got set up and ranged where he was going to walk out at 55 yards. I watched him feed and work closer to a perfect set up. It was at this point I got stupid! I listened to the little man in my head who said “Greg if you slid down the butte 10 or 15 more yards, you will only have a 35-40 yard shot. Now I would like to think I know better than this, but I don’t. I tried to slide down the hill and he picked up movement after about five yards. Instead of bouncing away, he walked closer. At 40 yards he walked behind a sagebrush and I drew my bow. He stopped and looked right at me for about ten seconds. He then bounced away threw the creek and stopped on the other side. He gave me a long shot which I missed. I was disgusted and at this point realized I was an idiot!! Many people have told me this before, but I didn’t believe them.
I watched this buck three more times through September and October. He was never in a position for a good stalk and I had drawn a rifle tag for this area so I was hesitant to push too hard. During rifle season I hunted hard for this buck over six days and never saw him. I finally crossed trails with another great buck (below) that I just couldn’t pass up.
I planned on hunting again the second week of December, but was stormed out. My last trip to the Badlands to find this buck and fill my bow tag was over Christmas. I hunted Christmas Eve day and passed on three nice bucks I am confident I could have had good shots at. I passed on another nice deer Christmas morning. I kept telling myself I had worked too hard over the summer and fall to take a “nice” deer. I wanted the non-typical, but would settle for anything I thought would go over 155 at this point in the game. That afternoon I spotted this buck walking out the head of a wooded draw, feed a bit, and bed down in a little bowl below a snow bank. I quickly got the wind in my favor and started working toward him. I came in from slightly above him on the top of a sage brush covered butte. When I figured I was within about 90yards I stopped and ranged some land marks. I couldn’t see him or any other deer, but was confident I hadn’t busted them out so I put an arrow on and waited. I didn’t have to wait long. A yearling fed out of the bowl at 50 yards. It looked at me but didn’t seem to realize what I was. The next deer I saw was the non-typical. He walked out of the far side of the bowl and gave me a very long quartering away shot. I practice all summer for this and felt comfortable so I took the shot. The arrow placement was not where I wanted it. I hit him in the neck and he was off and running over the top butte and out of sight. I was concerned. I worked my way over to where I had hit him and found this:
I got the wind in my favor and work to within 90 yards of him. He was slowly feeding through the creek bottom and working his way out onto a flat below me. I got set up and ranged where he was going to walk out at 55 yards. I watched him feed and work closer to a perfect set up. It was at this point I got stupid! I listened to the little man in my head who said “Greg if you slid down the butte 10 or 15 more yards, you will only have a 35-40 yard shot. Now I would like to think I know better than this, but I don’t. I tried to slide down the hill and he picked up movement after about five yards. Instead of bouncing away, he walked closer. At 40 yards he walked behind a sagebrush and I drew my bow. He stopped and looked right at me for about ten seconds. He then bounced away threw the creek and stopped on the other side. He gave me a long shot which I missed. I was disgusted and at this point realized I was an idiot!! Many people have told me this before, but I didn’t believe them.
I watched this buck three more times through September and October. He was never in a position for a good stalk and I had drawn a rifle tag for this area so I was hesitant to push too hard. During rifle season I hunted hard for this buck over six days and never saw him. I finally crossed trails with another great buck (below) that I just couldn’t pass up.
I planned on hunting again the second week of December, but was stormed out. My last trip to the Badlands to find this buck and fill my bow tag was over Christmas. I hunted Christmas Eve day and passed on three nice bucks I am confident I could have had good shots at. I passed on another nice deer Christmas morning. I kept telling myself I had worked too hard over the summer and fall to take a “nice” deer. I wanted the non-typical, but would settle for anything I thought would go over 155 at this point in the game. That afternoon I spotted this buck walking out the head of a wooded draw, feed a bit, and bed down in a little bowl below a snow bank. I quickly got the wind in my favor and started working toward him. I came in from slightly above him on the top of a sage brush covered butte. When I figured I was within about 90yards I stopped and ranged some land marks. I couldn’t see him or any other deer, but was confident I hadn’t busted them out so I put an arrow on and waited. I didn’t have to wait long. A yearling fed out of the bowl at 50 yards. It looked at me but didn’t seem to realize what I was. The next deer I saw was the non-typical. He walked out of the far side of the bowl and gave me a very long quartering away shot. I practice all summer for this and felt comfortable so I took the shot. The arrow placement was not where I wanted it. I hit him in the neck and he was off and running over the top butte and out of sight. I was concerned. I worked my way over to where I had hit him and found this:
Attachments
I was no longer concerned as I figured I had severed the carotid artery. I found him just over the top of the butte piled up. He only went about 125 yards from where I had hit him. Out of this world pumped would be a poor explanation of what I was feeling!
He has eight scorable points on the right and six on the left. I had guessed he would gross 170+ during the summer and unofficially have him at 175 right now. I have been blessed the last three years to take three great mulies on public land in ND. I can’t wait for summer to get here to start scouting for next fall. Have a great day and New Year
He has eight scorable points on the right and six on the left. I had guessed he would gross 170+ during the summer and unofficially have him at 175 right now. I have been blessed the last three years to take three great mulies on public land in ND. I can’t wait for summer to get here to start scouting for next fall. Have a great day and New Year
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The Hedgehog
Well-known member
- Joined
- Dec 19, 2000
- Messages
- 11,679
Wow! What a great Christmas present. Congrats.. that's a beautiful buck. Thanks for sharing.
BuzzH
Well-known member
Nice buck! Congratulations.
Lots and lots of character on that one.
Lots and lots of character on that one.
elk_hunter
Active member
He's a beaut! Congrats, Buschy!
Calif. Hunter
Active member
Great deer and great story! Thanks for sharing this.
AZ402
Well-known member
Awesome! congrats..
Bwana
Well-known member
Yet another awesome buck, way to go Buschy!
noharleyyet
Well-known member
What a story & buck! Congrats.
ashersdad
Well-known member
Wow!! That is a great looking bunch of bucks. Love the blood trail pic. Way to get er done.
You Da Man Buschy!
Holy Smokes. What a great deer. Huge size, and off the charts on the character factor.
To do it with a bow, in the cold and snow, is an amazing feat.
Great story to go with it.
Congrats Buschy. That is a Christmas you will remember for a long time.
Don't give up that grudge. It seems to be helping.
Holy Smokes. What a great deer. Huge size, and off the charts on the character factor.
To do it with a bow, in the cold and snow, is an amazing feat.
Great story to go with it.
Congrats Buschy. That is a Christmas you will remember for a long time.
Don't give up that grudge. It seems to be helping.
T Bone
Well-known member
What a buck! Nice work. Nothing more scary than watching your arrow go awry, nothing better seeing it work out anyhow.
JoseCuervo
New member
Those are "once in a lifetime" bucks, and you seem to be piling them up frequently.....
Congrats on some nice story telling about a nice buck.
Congrats on some nice story telling about a nice buck.
BOHNTR
Well-known member
That's an awesome muley.....congratulations!
