As I saw my draw results for deer, I could not have been more excited about the hunt I had drawn. I was lucky enough to draw this tag with my friend. This unit was very close to my house, and I would be able to scout all summer and hang out with my dad.
The first days of scouting, we mostly found does and small bucks. As we made some more scouting trips with some friends who knew the unit better, we finally found “him.” We first found this buck on July 27th. I immediately was in awe when I saw his very big frame and big points. I knew this was the buck I wanted. We made a few more scouting trips into more remote areas to try to find a backup buck in case he did not work out. We eventually found a backup buck that was in an extremely remote area with little to no pressure. I was excited to find this buck, and it made me even more excited for the hunt.
As the hunt approached, I was there every morning and every evening, and there he was every single time. The final evening before the hunt, we watched him bed down in a very easy and visible spot that we knew we would see him in in the morning. With excitement and nervousness from both my sister and me, we were able to get a little sleep.
As morning came, there was anticipation in the air. I felt we were going to find him. When we arrived at the spot 30 minutes before light, I could not wait to hike up the hill and find him. We waited for Ben, our cameraman, and his wife, Kailey, to get there for extra help and support. Then we waited for the light. As it was just cracking in the sky, we set off for the top of the hill. When we got to the top, within one minute, my dad found the buck and we went after him. As we were getting closer, we saw two trucks in the bottom that were looking our way towards the buck. As we got into range, I laid down and dialed to my ballistics. I took two dryfire shots before saying, “I am solid.” My dad reminded me of the ballistics and the yardage of 508 yards. I slowly squeezed the trigger. As I saw the deer immediately drop, I knew it was a great hit. Everyone watched my deer run until everyone took their eyes off him at the same time. They all rushed to find him again, but no one could. Assuming he was dead, we all went down there, except Ben who tried to get a different vantage point to see if he could find him.
As we got within about 100 yards of where everyone last saw the buck, we got a call from Ben saying, “Don’t move. You are within 50 yards of the buck, and he is still alive.” We quietly backed away and went over to Ben to get a second shot. After getting different angles, we found a good area to take the shot. At 256 yards I squeezed the trigger. He ran about 70 yards and fell over. I was so excited. We started to give hugs, and everyone was congratulating me.
I walked down to my deer and passed him by accident. My dad hollered, “Here he is!” I ran over and was in shock when I saw him. I could not believe that my two months of scouting would pay off this much.
While we quartered him out, we talked and laughed about all that had happened that day. When we carried him back to the truck, we decided to tape him. He was a nice big-framed four-point with a kicker on his left side, and he scored 173". Not too shabby for my first mule deer. The two trucks at the bottom of the hill congratulated me on my amazing trophy.
The next day, I went and helped my friend who I had drawn the tag with kill his very first buck. He was extremely happy. I could not be more thankful for the people who me helped me and for the meat in my freezer. I would like to thank Ben, our cameraman, Kailey, Ben’s wife, my sister for getting up and helping me, and my mom for making the food and supporting me. Finally, thank you to my dad for scouting and helping me with all my hunting pursuits.
Arizona Mule Deer
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