Two out-of-state elk hunts this fall cut deeply into my ND mule deer bowhunting. I only hunted one weekend the entire fall before the early December hunt with Big Fin. After five days of enduring the brutal weather conditions and listening to Big Fin and Photo Fin rave about the “tropical weather” and endlessly debate the merits of living in ND 
, I decided I needed to thaw out and regroup.
I went out to the Badlands again the weekend before Christmas. I tried a new area and saw good numbers of deer and bucks. I worked on one nice buck for five hours on Saturday and made two stalks, but could never get closer than 120 yards. Sunday was a complete bust with thick fog all day and no chance of spotting anything.
This weekend was the end of the ND archery season so it was time to get it done. The Badlands just received 18 inches of snow and lots of wind in the storm that hit most of us over Christmas. Add to that a balmy 28 below zero temp (before you factor in the wind chill) when I got out of the vehicle on Friday morning and the hunting conditions were less than ideal! The only good news was the extreme cold and snow made it necessary for the deer to work hard at finding enough food and they were actively feeding most of the day.
First off, the bigger bucks that were laying low while Big Fin was here must have heard he left the country after tipping over one of their brethren and felt it was safe to show themselves again. It was great seeing some of the better deer and I made two stalks Friday morning, but couldn’t connect. While slogging back to my vehicle after my last failed stalk, I looked into the bottom of a draw and saw a smaller 3x4 all by himself feeding in my general direction. I dropped off the butte I was on and got the wind in my favor. I got a big juniper between me and the buck and looked down into the draw. The buck had moved next to a large sagebrush and was standing in the sun chewing his cud. I watched him for a few minutes and decided he looked quite comfortable and wasn’t going anywhere fast.
I made a quick loop around him and peeked over the edge of the butte he was standing below. He hadn’t moved and didn’t have a clue I was there. My rangefinder read 41 yards with a very steep downhill angle and I nocked an arrow. Though it was cold, there wasn’t a lot of wind and therefore very quiet. As soon as I touched the trigger on my release the buck heard the noise, instinctively dropped to the ground and spun away. Fortunately for me, my arrow went right where I was aiming, high on the chest and behind his front leg. Unfortunately for the buck, as he dropped and spun to the left his head got in the way of the arrow. My first thought was ""Ouch. I bet your going to feel that in the morning"!! The arrow hit him dead center in the back of the head, between the ears, and he went down like a sack of potatoes!! Now I need all the help I can get and bucks who choose to stick their heads in front of my arrows are always welcomed.
I have always said any spot and stalk mulie buck with archery equipment on public land is a trophy. This buck is no exception. Considering the challenges of deep snow and frigid weather conditions, I will remember this buck for a long time. I have been blessed to hang my ND archery tag on four mulie bucks in as many years. Next year I will have more time to dedicate to bowhunting mulies and will be looking for another bruiser, but if the end of the season rolls around and I find another buck like this I will be happy to go after him. Especially if next year’s buck is as willing to run into my arrow as this year’s was!!
Notice my good luck “Michael Jackson” glove I got some much crap about in December from Randy and Troy. I would be willing to bet Randy is wearing a similar pair next year!!
I might mention Grizzly drove out to the Badlands today, as it was the last day of the season and he still had his tag. We hunted together all day and he has a bloody arrow in his quiver. He should be making a post shortly. :hump:
, I decided I needed to thaw out and regroup.I went out to the Badlands again the weekend before Christmas. I tried a new area and saw good numbers of deer and bucks. I worked on one nice buck for five hours on Saturday and made two stalks, but could never get closer than 120 yards. Sunday was a complete bust with thick fog all day and no chance of spotting anything.
This weekend was the end of the ND archery season so it was time to get it done. The Badlands just received 18 inches of snow and lots of wind in the storm that hit most of us over Christmas. Add to that a balmy 28 below zero temp
(before you factor in the wind chill) when I got out of the vehicle on Friday morning and the hunting conditions were less than ideal! The only good news was the extreme cold and snow made it necessary for the deer to work hard at finding enough food and they were actively feeding most of the day.First off, the bigger bucks that were laying low while Big Fin was here must have heard he left the country after tipping over one of their brethren and felt it was safe to show themselves again. It was great seeing some of the better deer and I made two stalks Friday morning, but couldn’t connect. While slogging back to my vehicle after my last failed stalk, I looked into the bottom of a draw and saw a smaller 3x4 all by himself feeding in my general direction. I dropped off the butte I was on and got the wind in my favor. I got a big juniper between me and the buck and looked down into the draw. The buck had moved next to a large sagebrush and was standing in the sun chewing his cud. I watched him for a few minutes and decided he looked quite comfortable and wasn’t going anywhere fast.
I made a quick loop around him and peeked over the edge of the butte he was standing below. He hadn’t moved and didn’t have a clue I was there. My rangefinder read 41 yards with a very steep downhill angle and I nocked an arrow. Though it was cold, there wasn’t a lot of wind and therefore very quiet. As soon as I touched the trigger on my release the buck heard the noise, instinctively dropped to the ground and spun away. Fortunately for me, my arrow went right where I was aiming, high on the chest and behind his front leg. Unfortunately for the buck, as he dropped and spun to the left his head got in the way of the arrow. My first thought was ""Ouch
. I bet your going to feel that in the morning"!! The arrow hit him dead center in the back of the head, between the ears, and he went down like a sack of potatoes!! Now I need all the help I can get and bucks who choose to stick their heads in front of my arrows are always welcomed.I have always said any spot and stalk mulie buck with archery equipment on public land is a trophy. This buck is no exception. Considering the challenges of deep snow and frigid weather conditions, I will remember this buck for a long time. I have been blessed to hang my ND archery tag on four mulie bucks in as many years. Next year I will have more time to dedicate to bowhunting mulies and will be looking for another bruiser, but if the end of the season rolls around and I find another buck like this I will be happy to go after him. Especially if next year’s buck is as willing to run into my arrow as this year’s was!!
Notice my good luck “Michael Jackson” glove I got some much crap about in December from Randy and Troy. I would be willing to bet Randy is wearing a similar pair next year!!
I might mention Grizzly drove out to the Badlands today, as it was the last day of the season and he still had his tag. We hunted together all day and he has a bloody arrow in his quiver. He should be making a post shortly. :hump:
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