Hunting, much like life, is about making the most of an opportunity. We spend months preparing for one opportunity that is often over in the blink of an eye. In many western states, the first step in even getting an opportunity involves a lot of luck or years of applying. In 2018, luck was on my side when I drew an archery mule deer tag on the famed Arizona Strip. Growing up in Arizona, I was very familiar with the caliber of bucks that live in this remote terrain and I was sure I wanted to make the most of this tag.
As soon as I knew I had drawn the tag, I contacted Brec Bundy of Mule Deer Addiction Outfitters. Brec and I first became friends in 2014 when my dad managed to draw a rifle tag on the Arizona Strip. I spent eight days with Brec and his crew chasing giants. On the eighth day, we managed to hammer a 225" giant. In 2017, I was back on the Strip and my wife and dad both had tags. After four days of hard hunting, we had a 215" giant and a 200" typical on the ground. There is something incredibly special about the Strip, and until you have been there, it’s hard to explain.
As I pulled into Saint George on August 22nd, I met up with Brec. We had decided to focus our efforts in an area where there were three to four solid bucks that would surpass the magical 200" mark. Our target buck was a tall, narrow 4x4 that had a kickstand style kicker coming off his left side. After getting directions from Brec, David Brow and I headed out to get our camp set up. We pulled into camp and had a couple hours left to glass, so we promptly headed out to see if we could locate any deer. Although we did not see any deer that night, the excitement was building.
The next morning, David and I headed out to a glassing point Brec had directed us to. As the Strip came to life with the morning light, I spotted “Kickstand.” He was only 700 yards away feeding, and he looked incredible. As fast as he materialized, he was gone.
Opening morning came and went without another sighting of Kickstand. That evening, we were back behind the glass, and as light faded, I found him. He was with three other bucks and had moved into a much better location for a stalk. The light was fading quickly, so there was no time to make a move on him. Sleep was difficult to come by with the anticipation of getting a chance at Kickstand in the morning.
As the light dawned on day two, I had moved into the area where we had last seen Kickstand. Shortly after first light, we had him spotted and the stalk was on. As I moved into position, the deer all began running right at me. The deer passed me at approximately 75 yards, never presenting a shot. This was the last time I would see Kickstand.
I spent the next three days glassing at first light, checking cameras during the middle of the day, and glassing at last light. On the fifth morning of my hunt, I was glassing at first light when I spotted what appeared to be an exceptional buck bedded. He was well over two miles away, and by the time I closed the distance, he had moved into the thick cover. I spent that evening trying to find the buck but with no success.
The next morning, I positioned myself where I would be much closer to where I had seen the buck. During my morning glassing session, I spotted a solid buck I was familiar with. The buck was in a great position for a stalk. I closed the distance to 100 yards and looked to my right. Standing in the sage 200 yards away was a giant buck. He was extremely tall with what appeared to be an inline coming off his right side, and his mass was incredible. I had never seen a buck of this caliber in my life, and I was set on trying to kill him.
I walked away from the unsuspecting 4x4 and replayed the image of it in my head. I realized we had a trail camera video of the buck. It had been captured on a nearby tank by Talen Bundy. I returned to camp that day and immediately pulled up the video. It confirmed it was the same buck.
Based on where I had seen the buck and where the trail camera had captured him, there was no good place to try and glass him. I decided to set a blind on the closest water source and hope the buck would hit during daylight. To complicate things even more, the closest water source was at the junction of three different roads. I knew I would have to deal with vehicle traffic, but I hoped that during primetime I might have a chance.
Over the next five days, I stuck to the plan. Each day, the pond would shrink in size due to the increasing heat and lack of moisture. I knew the buck I was after had not hit yet, and I continued to hope it would happen. I felt like I was doing the right thing, but I was starting to doubt my plan. Thankfully, I had my inReach, which allowed me to text my wife and friends who helped keep me positive. As the days went on, the vehicle traffic in the area decreased and the deer activity increased.
On the evening of my eleventh day, the light started to fade as the sun went behind the horizon. Each day at about this time, the same doe and fawn would continually come in. I began looking out the windows of the blind, expecting to see them, but when I looked out the blind window, I saw a big-bodied deer walking down the road to the tank. When I looked through my binoculars, my heart skipped a beat as I realized it was him. The buck was very cautious as he approached the water. At 63 yards, the buck lowered his head to drink. I settled my 60-yard pin just a little above where I wanted to hit, and before I knew it, my arrow was on its way. The buck immediately wheeled away from the arrow and exploded out of the dirt tank. I watched as he ran up the dirt embankment. As fast as the buck had exploded from the tank, he slowed to a walk and then eventually stopped, standing motionless.
I watched the buck through my binoculars as he stood there. I could only see his head. I was struggling to stay focused on him as I looked through the mesh of the blind window with the fading light. After what seemed like forever, I saw a flash of white and the buck was gone. The events kept replaying in my head. I had worked 11 days for this one opportunity, had I missed? After 30 minutes, I got out of the blind and walked down to where the buck had been standing. I searched the ground, looking for any sign I had hit the buck. I could not find anything, including my arrow. I walked back to the blind and grabbed my flashlight and then I walked back to where the buck had been standing. I turned on my flashlight and walked a few steps in the direction the buck had bolted. To my pleasant surprise, the ground was covered in bright red blood. I couldn’t help but feel an overwhelming sense of relief.
Before following the blood trail, I waited for Brec and Joe to arrive. When they arrived, I told them what had happened. We immediately went to the last place where I had seen the deer. As I scanned the sage with my flashlight for any signs of the buck, I caught a glimpse of a giant velvet antler sticking up. The excitement of what we had just accomplished was overwhelming. We all yelled and jumped around like school kids.
This will forever be etched in my memory as one of the most rewarding hunts I have ever been a part of. Special thanks to my wife, Nicole, for supporting me and my passion for hunting, even when my deer is bigger than hers. I can’t thank Brec and his crew enough for everything they did to make this hunt incredible.
After the 60-day drying period, my buck grossed 225 3/8" and netted 210 7/8" as a non-typical in Pope and Young.
AZ Deer
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