2015 Rifle Mule Deer

Colorado is a rare state in the sense that a Mule Deer rut hunt with a rifle is a possibility more than once or twice in a lifetime as it is in several other western states. This possibility was granted to me this past fall and the anticipation began to grow as soon as I saw the “successful” behind deer in my draw results.

 I love hunting Mule Deer. Something about where and how they live connects with my personal idea of western big game hunting. Mule deer are also my favorite animal to rifle hunt for some reason. I prefer a bow on most species of big game but something about taking to the mountains rifle slung on my back with cold air in my lungs and snow underfoot fulfills some childhood feeling of hunting adventure that I dreamed of as a kid growing up in eastern South Dakota.

For this hunt I was joined by my friend Keenan who had done this hunt a few times prior but was the first chance we had to accomplish it together. I had scouted the area quite a bit through the year and pretty intensely a few days prior to the season. I formulated a 5 day game plan as that is how many days are available during the 4^th rifle season here in Colorado. So on day one Keenan and I met up at the agreed trailhead to begin the hunt.

A major snow storm had hit the day before 4^th season making absolutely ideal hunting conditions for this hunt. I was so fired up about it I couldn’t stop smiling. “The table was set” I kept thinking “it’s teed up about as well as it can be” I kept telling people.  In many ways it is critical to success because the snow will push most of the deer to lower elevation where glassing is easier and more effective. It is a rut hunt so finding as many big bunches of does that you can before the season can greatly increase your chances of finding a big buck as they move into those groups to breed the does.

Opening morning we hit the trail early and pushed into an area that was mostly large rolling sagebrush hills with scattered pine north faces that we have consistently found deer at in the past. After hiking about 2 miles we ran into two does and a buck feeding above us on the hill, they did not see us. The buck was a smaller 3X3 both of us decided to pass on but had a good moment watching them meander along in the fresh snow. Even the younger bucks look so impressive late in the year with their swollen necks and winter coats. We continued our hike and began ascending a hill to check the basin on the other side.  Before we made it to the top we spotted more deer. Scanning them with glass we spotted a good deer. He was a solid main frame 4 big and beautiful in the sun against to snow we watched him feed for a moment then bed down just shy of 200 yards in plain sight. I was perfect Keenan wanted to take him and found a big boulder rest his rifle on and take to shot. I looked on through my Bino’s as he touched off the shot and the bullet hit true with a thud. The deer shot out of his bed and quickly crashed again. Just like that on opening morning Keenan was tagged out.

High fives and smiles were plenty as it was Keenan’s largest deer taken yet and had gone down in a very textbook fashion. This was a hunt to be proud of. We snapped some pictures and broke him down for the haul out. A truly great feeling swept over me as me as we began hiking out with heavier packs then we came in with. What a perfect day it was, snow on the ground, sun shining, hunting deer with a good friend in the mountains. In my eyes it’s close to what perfection looks like. One tag filled one left to punch.

 Keenan headed for home that night as he had a meeting the next day that he couldn’t miss. He was to meet up with me again the day after to help me with my effort.  Day two was to be a solo adventure for me.

I started the second day in a place I had planned on hunting day two if it came to that and I only showed up about 10 minutes late to be the first party on the trail that morning. I was bummed because I was very early…..but not early enough apparently. I kicked around heading to another spot but it was getting to the point where if I did make a move I would be showing up to the next spot late. I decided to slow play it.

I had a good view from the trailhead at this location so I just set up and started glassing.  As daylight broke I began to pick up deer. Several small herds were in this area and finding them was relatively simple with all the fresh snow. About an hour in to daylight I heard KAWAM! The unmistakable boom of a high power rifle, deer blew out everywhere!  My heart sank but I kept hanging in there figuring they would stop somewhere in view possibly or maybe some other deer would cycle my way from a different drainage, as it turned out the latter proved true.

At about 8:30 AM a herd of about 30 deer came slowly feeding over a ridge that was about 3 miles from where I was glassing. My heart picked up a bit when through the mirage in the spotting scope I could see a larger main frame 4 towards the back of the group doing his best to keep all the does together. Two other smaller bucks trailed as well. Shortly after they came into view the does slowed down and began to bed. The deer were on a broken timber and sage north face that looked like it had a couple possibilities for approach. I sat there and studied as much as I possibly could on their exact position and snapped a couple pictures with my phone so if I got mixed up when I got close I would have some macro reference on where they were bedded.

                I left the truck loaded and ready at 9:15 AM as it turned out I had 3 ½ miles and a little over 1000 vertical to complete in the snow to get there. By noon I was on the last ridge I figured I could blow over without negative consequence so I shut it down and began to pick the trees apart. A series of finger ridges that were about half-timbered lay before me and I picked through them methodically before moving closer to where I figured the deer bedded. I was worried about straggler centuries that could be bedded in any one of those cuts before I could get to the fold with the bigger buck in it. I did find two deer that I was able to skirt by dropping down the hill out of there view. After I gained the elevation back and poked my head over the final bump at about 2:00 PM. There they were! Feeding and bedded throughout the area of about two football fields I began to sort through them to find the deer I had seen. For a minute or two nothing and then Bam! There he was. Upright and feeding he stepped out from behind some blow down he looked awesome. Swelled neck and thick winter coat and dark horns he was the deer I had seen. I sat behind my rifle on the monopod and took the 150yrd shot. He bucked and headed downhill the thud immediately following the shot let me know he was hit and I tried to keep him in sight as he stumbled downward. I couldn’t but it was of little consequence as after a short tracking job, there was my Buck! I was Ecstatic, two mature bucks in two days on public ground! What a hunt!

As I got to the deer and was able the take a closer look I realized this was probably my largest buck to date and he had the body size to back up his headgear. This was going to be a physically challenging pack out over rough snow covered country on my own. If you are going to hunt in the mountains consistently you have to be at least in part a masochist. I was about to get my fix….

I broke this deer down in about an hour and was headed back to the trailhead at about 3 PM The first hour of hiking out  was down a pretty steep grade which sounds great until you add 100 lbs and 3 inches of snow to the equation. This descent blew up my calves and began the fatigue.  From the bottom in was a two and a half hour climb back to my pickup and with having packed out half a deer the day before out of no easy country this haul became excruciating blisters formed on the back of my heals that ended up nickel and quarter sized on my right and left feet respectively.  About half way up the pull my left thigh started cramping fearing that if I stopped I wouldn’t be able to get going again I massaged it as I poked along, I must have looked ridiculous…  About 300 yard from the truck the other one went and I applied the same technique and got to my truck at about 6:30 PM completely ruined…  I had never been so glad to be done with a pack out.  I have done longer hauls out than this with not nearly the same effect. My suspicion is I had not done a good enough job of rehydrating or caloric intake from the day before coupling that with hauling too much in one load over the snow had just destroyed me. As I drove away that night the Gatorade in my truck never tasted so good and I still wore a smile even if it was a weary one. What a great two days to be alive.

Spot and Stalk Colorado Black Bear Hunt

I am of the sort that likes to keep variety in my big game hunting. I like hunting different animals and different places. Adventure, Exploration, and learning are a huge part of why I hunt. The other tendency I have is that different years I get obsessed with different species and different types of hunts. Honestly, I envy people who are so focused and driven on one animal of one type of hunt. Logistically and consistency wise it would be so much easier to give all your energy to one process. That is just not the way I am wired. The only consistency in desire that I have found as a constant is that there is usually one animal and I never know what that will be until it happens, that will consume all my excitement. In 2017 it was Black Bear…

When tag draw deadlines drew near I dumped my 6 bear points on a unit that didn’t take near that many but that I knew held a ton of bears. That is a pretty safe bet in Colorado because this state had the genius idea to put wildlife management decisions in the of a public vote which led to Colorado not allowing baiting, use of dogs or a spring season…This does three things. One pisses me off every spring because I can’t do a bear hunt in my home state. Two makes black bears incredibly hard to hunt. Three leads to a “shitpile” of bears. So we end up with a lot of negative interface between humans and bears and keeps bears over carrying capacity in nearly every GMU in the state. Way to go….

So as I prepared for my Colorado fall spot and stalk bear hunt I chose to focus my efforts on lower county 6.000-8.000 feet where the largest concentrations of bears exist and where I knew I could get large views of places that held a lot of berries. My plan was simple, get to a great glassing location well before daylight and scan large ravines and cuts near water that had berries growing in the shoots coming up out of the creek bottoms. Once I found a bear I would formulate a plan to make my approach and take the shot. As I scouted digitally I lined out 5 different large drainages that I would focus my efforts on and hope to find my bear. These were places where I knew I would have big unimpeded vistas of rolling broken country along each creek.

Colorado bear season begins on the first few days of September and this year it was the second which means it’s still summer. Highs in the 80’s and 90’s are most common and most years it stays pretty dry. Because of this, I decided to focus my energy on morning hunts where temps would be in the 50’s. I assumed that a several hundred pound creature wearing a pretty remarkable parka would not be moving all that much in the 80-degree evening temps we were experiencing at that time.

Day One:

I worked in early to my chosen spot that day well before light and got myself set up on a ridge where I could glass 4 different brushy drainages that held berry bushes. The drainage dropped off below me about 500 feet and abruptly rose on the other side nearly 1000. I could see more than a mile to my left and about ¾ of a mile to my right. The sun began to allow me to see I methodically picked apart the side hill across from me looking for a bear to chase. That day, however, all that as in the cards was seeing a few deer and watching pretty wonderful sunrise hit the hills across from me. As the heat and the mirage picked up I gathered my things and made the sweaty hike back to my truck. No bear that day but I assumed this hunt would a marathon not a sprint and honestly I was excited about the time I would get to spend outside behind the binoculars.

Day 2:

This day started much like the last I was even in the same drainage just upstream about a mile from where I had been the day before. This walk in was quite a bit longer but there was more of the vegetation I was looking for in this location than where I had been the day before. As dawn broke I went to work with my glass memorizing every inconsistency in nature’s pattern looking for the animal that would bring the intensity of my day up exponentially. I love hunts like this where you basically exist in a state of relaxed focus and at any moment you can get hurled into a frenzy that can tax your mind and body many times to the point of extreme fatigue. This day would be all about relaxed focus and I was grateful to seven deer and two coyotes that gave me something to look at other than greenery that day.

Day 3:

On day 3 I was joined by Tyler because the shop is closed on Mondays which gives us a chance to go use all the cool gear we sell. This day I choose a different location altogether. This one would provide a chance of seeing an elk as well which Tyler had a tag for. Our plan was to glass for the first hour and then move up this ridge we were on to check several basins on the back side of this area where elk often bed then make a huge loop back to the trailhead and eventually the truck. This days approach to our glassing point was much further than what I had done in the few days prior. The thought being that if we got something there were two of us for the pack out and we could get a bear or an elk to the truck before the 90-degree heat had its way with it.

In the first hour of the day, we spotted a few deer and one smaller 4x4 elk that was about 700 vertical up the ridge we were sitting on in the path we were planning on ascending to make out loop out and back to the trailhead. Without seeing any bears we decided to head up the hill and see if that small bull was a satellite to a larger herd and hopefully a bigger bull. As we hiked up the ridge I remained diligent in peering every place I could down into ravines on both sides of us. About 300 feet up the ridge I saw something dark in the bottom and pulled my binoculars to my eyes and was shocked to find it was a bear! He was about 200 yards below me and completely asleep under a tree in the grass. I have never in my life found a sleeping bear but I guess there is a first time for everything….I quickly stopped Tyler who was ahead of me and began to try to get a shot. As I knelt down to rest my rifle on my pack I would lose the bear in the oak brush. So I stood bad up and tried to find a window. There were no trees to rest on and we didn’t bring along enough tripod for the job. I typically hike with a monopod trekking pole but of course, had forgotten it that day. I move 75 yards to the left, no shot. I move 150 back the other way, no shot. All the while this bear slept below me. Finally, I just decided to sneak down to about 100 yards and shoot him off hand. I crept down the hill inching closer and closer taking my time not to kick anything loose or crunch the dry vegetation at my feet. As I got to 100 yards I stopped and shouldered my rifle. After giving one more look for cubs I put the crosshairs where I wanted them and touched the shot loose. The bullet hit him square and he stood up abruptly I sent another round and this time he backed into cover as is to plan an attack on whatever was assaulting him. Not long after he charged down the drainage and crashed into the bottom. I had my bear.

As I walked up on him I really didn’t know what sized bear he was. He just kept getting bigger as I got closer. It was not until I put 6’ 5’’ wingspan from the tip of his tail to his not that I realized he was well over 6’ long. I had shot a beast. I was blown away by the size and scale of him as I sat next to him. He had a jet black coat with no star and sported a huge scar that crossed most of his face. He was awesome!

After a celebration, pictures, and the breakdown we loaded him in our Mystery Ranch Metcalf’s and headed for the trailhead.  It was a hot pack out….on steep unshaded ground but we made decent time and just basically plugged in for the workout moved it out until we were to the pickup.

This hunt had not disappointed and it was fun to have it happen in the fashion it did. It was also great to share this hunt with Tyler and really lucky he was there to help me pack out. When I took the bear to get sealed the biologist figured he was 7 years old and his skull measured 19” for the mountains he is a giant and I could not be more grateful that I got him. 

Scouting Picks

Just some boys of summer.. I found a few nights ago.

Western Hunting
Mountain Hunting
Sitka Gear
Minox Optics 
Deer Hunting
Mule Deer Hunting
Archery Mule deer 

Icebreaker Hunting Clothing

 

 

Icebreaker Merino has long been the industry leader in Merino clothing in the outdoor industry but until just this year their high quality clothing wasn't available for hunters except in solids.  

 

Just recently Icebreaker entered the hunting world adding Mossy Oak Breakup to many of their most popular outdoor products. 

 

The long benefits of Merino wool become very apparent to anyone that wears it in the field. With unmatched breathabilty and warmth when wet wool has long been the go to for many hardcore western hunters. But there have always been drawbacks to tradition wool clothing first is traditional wool is itchy and hard on your skin. Second traditional wool stinks when it gets wet. 

 

Merino Wool is soft, so soft most people believe it is a poly or cotton blend when first see it on the shelf. Second Merino wool is natural antimicrobial which means it actually keeps scent down and will almost never stink regardless of how long you wear in. Which is perfect for the backcountry hunter. The next generation of base layer is here and it is Merino Wool.

 

*Also our very own Sam Soholt has become the national Sales Model for Icebreakers Hunting Line. So it has to be the real deal Haha

 

2013 Elk Hunting Pics.

And more....

Sitka Gear
Bowtech Archery 
Backcountry Hunting
Western Hunting
Mountain Hunting
2013 Colorado Elk Hunt

2013 Elk Season Continued....

And even more Pics....

2013 Elk Season 
Elk Hunting 
Backcountry Hunting
Western Hunting
Sitka Gear
Bowtech Archery
Easton Arrows 
Eberblestock Packs

2013 Elk Season Continued....

Just a few more pics from our 2013 elk season....

Western Hunting
Sitka  Gear 
Eberlestock Packs
Backcountry Hunting
2013 Colorado Elk Hunting

Elk 2013 Just a few Pics from this fall so far!

 

Sitka Gear 

2013 Elk Hunting Colorado 

Archery Hunting

Bowtech Archery

Easton Arrows 

Backcountry Hunting

Western Hunting

 

Fuel for the Fire!

Cam Hanes "2014" Promo from Branlin Shockey on Vimeo.

Western Hunting demands your very best. How did you prepare for hunting season today?

Badlands Clothing Online

Badlands Clothing

 If you haven't had a chance to look at the new Badlands Clothing we just updated our site with the entire line. Click here to check it out Badlands Clothing

Capt Dumpy

A nice buck we spotted a few days ago with our Minox Hunting Optics.

They always look bigger running away!

Side View

Also On this trip Josh and myself that we needed to start naming deer if we ever wanted to kill a big one. We also decided that they will all be named Captain something just because.

Minox BL 15x56 Binoculars

Just finished up a new video about the Minox BL 15x56 binoculars.  Incredible German glass and for the money these are pretty much impossible to beat.  You can see more information about them on our website if you click here!

Last day of 2012 Colorado Elk Season

Well today marks the end of our 2012 Colorado archery elk season.

 It has been a very long time since Josh and I didn't have at least one of us fill an elk tag and honestly we have been spoiled over the years. At the same time I can't remember a year where we have worked as hard. We were lucky enough to spend time in some of the most beautiful and rugged country North America has to offer. We had countless close opportunities and even passed a few opportunities to fill our tags early in the season holding out for a trophy. Overall I have never had such a run of just poor luck from fog and rain to swirling winds and bad timing with other hunters as this year but at the same time that is western public land hunting. The good the bad and the ugly of it.

Throughout the entire season Sam was there dragging along a camera heavy pack doing his best to capture the journey. And even though we never ended up with the Trophy photos/video we were working so hard for Sam was able to capture the journey in an amazing way. Throughout never complaining and always staying positive and for that I can’t thank Sam enough.

But rest assured our 2012 season is far from over with Wyoming and Colorado deer hunts plus some journeys back flatlands of South Dakota and Kansas to relax and just sit in a tree or two and wait for a deer to make a mistake. There are many more tags to fill and days left in the field this year.

With the end of elk season we come to a bitter sweet ending of our true high country hunts for the season. Sweet because physically everything just got easier for the rest of the year by 10x it’s all a walk in the park from now on! Bitter because there is no more rewarding and chalanging place to hunt.

There is something that keeps you going back to the backcountry there is a truth and a prospective that hunting the backcountry brings. There are few better places to find yourself, test your limits, resolve and determination. Hunting the backcountry is not for the easily dissuaded, there are no short cuts and nothing is given that is not earned. To love the backcountry is to love the challenge and to embrace some of the most unforgiving and unchanged land there is. As people we forget how truly easy our lives have become, we have a habit of making luxuries into necessities.  Sometimes is takes the brutal unforgiving beauty of the mountains to bring back prospective.

Until next year! Bring on the easy hunts!

Photo of the Day 36

Wish we would have had a run in with the bull that made this rub!  Pretty crazy how big this tree is and how deep that rub is.  However, archery season for elk just didn't quite pan out this year.  Bring on 2013!

Photo of the Day 35

Anyone else like camping on top of the world?  When I get a chance I'll sit down and write up the full story about this hunt but here is just a little preview.  On the 6th day of our trip we glassed a big herd of elk in a basin that had to be at least 4 miles away.  Tyler thought there was a trail that was a bit shorter to get in over the top so we packed up our camp and hike all the way back to the truck.  After heading in to town and having a super healthy meal of Wendy's, we found out that the trail we thought was shorter actually would have been close to 10 miles.
Then the punishment began.  We ended up hiking 1800 vertical in just over an hour and twenty minutes just to find another valley between us and the elk.  Exhausted, we set up camp for the night at 12,000 ft.  The next morning we made a play on the herd and came about as close as you can without hauling meat out.
Anyway, the Big Agnes Copper Spur 4 worked awesome even in a rain storm that night.  We also learned a valuable lesson.  No Baconator if you plan to hike even a little.

Photo of the Day 34

You'll have to excuse the pause in the photos of the day.  When hunting season starts it is hard to focus on much more than that!  Here is a picture from our first trip of the year.  This one is of Tyler Matthews on the edge of what we named Narnia (too far to walk to, but we still managed to get there twice).  Amazing how big the country is up there.  Shown in the picture is tyler in his Sitka Core Long Sleeve and Sitka Cap.

Photo of the Day 33

Here is a sneak peak to the preseason trailer that will come out Friday.  If you have anything else you need for the upcoming season be sure to check out our website.

Photo of the Day 32

So here is a photo of me on my way back up from setting a Minox Trail Cam.  At this point I'm thinking to myself, that was a really bad idea to go all the way in there just for that.  Getting excited to check that camera in a few days!

Photo of the Day 31

The decal looks pretty good on the back of Tyler's truck!

Photo of the Day 30

Josh drew a good Muzzleloader deer tag this year and we went out the other day to get his new black-powder rifle sighted in.  Can't wait for September 8th!