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Last year, 12AE late, opening morning, 90 minutes into the hunt.

Made my second trip ever up to Wyoming (first was 2018) and this time I had a mule deer tag instead of a pronghorn tag in my pocket. Two buddies from high school and one from the Army made the trip as well, which is the same group as before. I hope that we continue to make it out every few years and that we can continue to have the same luck as these last two trips. Our first trip we all had antelope tags and went 4/4 to include two bucks that were over 75". Only one guy had a muley tag and never had a good opportunity but we didn't put forth the effort we should have. Fast forward to 2020 and we've decided to go all in on deer tags. Two guys fly to Denver (they had also bought antelope tags) and I drove up from Texas on the maiden voyage of my new (to me) hunting rig. This hunt was the ultimate proof of concept for the vehicle which is a 2011 3/4 Yukon XL that has been leveled, trimmed and fresh Cooper STT Pro LT275/65r20s installed-- gas mileage hovered around 12mpg the whole trip. Also- a huge shout out to Pakmule- a Texas built aluminum cargo carrier that is AWESOME! Mine was mounted for nearly 4500 miles between CO and WY and performed phenomenally, probably one of the best hunting investments I've made in a long time. The two antelope hunters tagged out the day after we arrived, while myself and my other buddy went scouting. We hit a few separate areas and by our third or fourth stop my buddy glassed up a really nice set of bucks who were feeding up a drainage in a rocky flat that looked devoid of life (this is important later). Our final stop of the day we found a really nice buck in a bowl that was well away from where we had counted 35 RVs parked. The buck stayed put for the whole afternoon but eased out to the east at nightfall. He had very strong backs and was a Day 1 shooter candidate for sure... especially because the only muley I've harvested to this point was a fork horn from CO with my muzzleloader. Opening morning found us glassing the bowl and the draws looking for that buck. He was nowhere to be found but we saw several does and good 4x4 skyline over the ridge toward us. The race was on because another group of hunters had driven up to the base of the hill (we had camped back about 3/4 mile). As I neared the edge of the draw about 350 yards from where the buck should be I loaded my rifle... and a shot rang out. The other hunter had also closed the distance and had scored. If you read my Coues deer story from AZ 2015 it was eerily similar to watching a guy kill a 95" Coues on opening morning before I could shake out the lead and make a move. Instead we opted to skirt the edges of the ridges as hunters up high were pushing deer down toward the flats. We had a RZR drive right through the middle of the hillside and heard a shot... only to see a big buck... the BOWL BUCK!! Running right toward us as fast as he could! My buddy made a great running shot at 75 yards, a single 270win (150gr Partition) through the shoulders and it was all over. That buck had 21" G2s, he was a heavy 4x4 with eyeguards and pushed the tape just over 160"... not bad for his first ever Muley! We hunted the rest of the day and 3 more days in a row without any shooter encounters. One fellow had to catch a flight back so then, our final morning, 5th day deer hunting we decided to go back and look for the flat bucks. It was a long shot and we had to be headed home by lunch but we made a plan and first light found us looking down over a flat with many draws and crevices where bucks could hide from the crowds. The wind was whipping into our faces, quartering but sometimes almost full value at 15-20mph. I covered the area quickly with my binos and saw no deer. Then almost like a group of ghosts, 3 mule deer bucks popped up from a crevice and fed onto the flat, nearly 425 yards away. I was laying on a downslope but managed to get into a prone position, using my bino case as a rear bag. When I got in my scope I nearly fainted... a fourth deer stepped out. Noticeably larger than the rest, with a big body and antlers that in a single glance I knew were larger than anything Id seen so far. I settled in, dialed my distance and held slightly into the wind. The buck was facing into the wind and my goal was to anchor him through the shoulders. I slipped my earplugs in and with a surprise the trigger broke and the 250gr Barnes LRX was on its way. I saw the buck collapse through the recoil but stayed on him. I found later the first shot had hit behind the shoulder, and passed through both lungs. I believe it was the sheer energy of that round which took him off his feet, but that was momentary because he looked around and staggered up to his feet, bleeding out his nose. An assurance round followed, through the shoulders as desired and he never took another step. The other bucks were still milling around, I believe the wind and muzzle brake made it impossible to tell what happened and they went over, sniffed the big buck and went back to feeding. My buddy was able to hustle over and make our trip complete by doubling down and taking a great 4x4. We both firmly believe that these were the bucks we had seen on our scouting day!! We haven't taped his buck or fully taped mine but mine was a 3x4 with small eyeguards and had 20" G2s and 26 3/4" wide. Needless to say he is at the taxidermist and we are all planning our return trip!

I did one a week ago that came out pretty dang good. coated it in Traeger rub seasoning then seared all four sides with direct flame then smoked it at 2:50 until the internal temperature was 135 came out perfect

Get in the gym and lift some dang weight.

My dad might not want his cape If he gets one this year. Of course, it would be for several thousand dollars.

Few miles off the road? ....you’ll cross 3 roads lol

Only way to tell a snakes age is kill it and cut it in half and count the rings.. Or just kill it and walk away. Sorry snake lovers!

I was in 6a during the late rifle bull hunt in 2010. Fs came swooping in on Saturday afternoon while we were in camp on snowmobiles. They told us there were there to “rescue us”. It was about 18inches. We laughed in their faces and they left. We killed killed a nice bull the next morning. Then we drove out in 4x4 trucks no problem. One of us was towing a 40 ft toy hauler. I swear sometimes Arizonans treat snow like lava.

Garcia’s Back in the Mud JH aka Blake is just over 3 years old and is 37lbs. He got his AKC Junior Hunter title when he was around 8month old. At 2 he went to Colorado for the American Brittany Club futurities and placed 3rd in both confirmation (show) and 3rd in Gun Dog Field trials. He ranges between 60-300yards depending on the terrain. His pedigree is loaded with both NSTRA and AKC field Champions. He is intense in the field but calm in the house. He has his hips and elbows OFAd as good. PM me if interested or if you have questions.

I have three 5 gallon propane tanks up for grabs. Tanks are expired so only good for swapping out if need an extra. Let me know. Must pick up in west valley. Pm or text 602327zero4two4. Nick

I feel like in need to insure all my ammo and reloading supplies these days. Its outpacing my 401k.

No medal, but ....

I went out on Monday, saw lots of birds but they were so dang wild. The area must have been pounded over the weekend.😷

Hay Vern, how do you like my new redneck motor home/ mobile shooting blind? Just finished it last night. What do you think? Cool huh!?

On a bull elk, @55lbs with a 24inch draw? Cause that’s what the op is shooting

Been doing a lot of evening glassing. Bringing my youngster with me. Been taking the pellet gun and some little targets with me anf making him shoot while I glass. Just getting him used to finding the targets. Just a small thing you can do and cheaper then riring rounds, especially right now.

Lots of good info here! Including them in all the aspects of the hunt are important. They need to be part of it and struggle a bit, but most importantly they have fun!! We just got back from a youth hunting trip, there were two things I noticed that we could have done different this past season that would have made a big difference. 1. Make sure their hunting/hiking boots fit and are comfortable. Worst thing you can do is let them put old boots on from last season or hand me downs that don't fight right. Have them break them in or even wear their shoes to school before the hunt. One way to ruin the hunt quickly is with sore feet. Sportsman's or Big 5 are great places to look for kids hiking boots. 2. Make sure they can shoot in different positions and are comfortable with shooting. Nothing worse than having to track a wounded animal. After all this is one part of the hunt that has little margin for error. Accuracy is paramount when hunting.....even with kids!! Also, Camping in a group or letting them take a sibling cousin or friend can make it a lot more enjoyable.

One of the best threads on here in awhile. I have 3 young boys and their was some great information shared! My oldest just killed his first javelina and after he took the shot he ask me if i was shaking too. Priceless.

Neither side wanted to find out how far the other was willing to go. Bear can afford a certain amount of damage, a single wolf can afford zero injuries, how many pack members is Alpha wolf willing to loose? I guess nothing was worth going "to war over" that day. If it got serious bear rips the pack up quite a bit but if all 11 dive in bear might sustain to many injuries. I believe we call it Mutually Assured Destruction.

Covey after covey this weekend! Ended-up with limits in our usual spot(s). The good ol' days are right NOW!

I treasure the time in the kaibab. We both were looking forward to a few days in pine trees and somewhat cooler temps, brought enough chow for at least 4 days. We arrived Thursday..someone in our favorite spot (turkey hunters I think) so we just found another spot down the road and set up camp. Friday morn we head out and get near the spot we were heading towards..and by 7am it’s all over. I told him next hunt just to bring a cot and a sandwich. We decided to head back home and put her in the freezer. Ethan gets it done in 2020. Only 1 year left - hope he gets drawn 2021.

Nature girl? .......bob?

Wouldn't even bother posting about that

Ford truck?

"watch out folks he's a fairly dangerous man". i use that quote for idiot observations at work a dozen times a week.