My son, Weston, and I decided 2020 was the year we were going to burn some points on a Colorado self-guided mule deer hunt. This was going to be Weston’s first western hunt and my 26th year since I had been on a mule deer hunt, so this hunt seemed to fit the saying “once in a blue moon,” especially since the blue moon was going to occur toward the end of our hunt. I called the Huntin’ Fool staff and was put in touch with Logan to confirm the unit we were targeting was a good choice. We discussed what to expect on a second rifle hunt and then entered the drawing and received our tags as expected.
Our plan consisted of having a base camp in the high country and using the mobility of the truck to help us access different areas until we found one to concentrate on. We had never stepped onto this unit, but I had hunted two adjacent units in years past. I had planned on scouting the unit, but the Covid pandemic nixed that idea. If needed, we were prepared to go in deep and hunt from a spike camp. We were committed to hunt until the last day if necessary and had hope that the hunting would improve as the week went on.
As we drove into the unit a couple of days prior to opening day, it was apparent the extreme drought conditions had taken their toll on the countryside. We arrived at our first-choice location and were shocked with the lack of feed for the wildlife. We quickly decided to relocate to our backup area and headed out, nervous about what we might find. After a rough ride, we located the second-choice area and were pleased to find plenty of running water and at least a hint of some green vegetation. We proceeded to set up camp.
We had a couple of days to scout, so we started scouring the country looking for some good bucks. We were able to put glass on three separate mature bucks. The largest was wide and tall, and we decided to go after him on opening day. The fires were becoming very concerning as smoke was getting thicker and our camp had one way out. Luckily, a front was supposed to hit a couple days after opening day and was forecasted for cold weather and snow, which would be a game changer.
Opening morning consisted of high winds, warm weather, and a haze of smoke with no deer sighted. We continued to hunt in the general area for one of the three bucks without any luck. After the morning hunt on day two, we decided to go for a drive to check out a different area and spotted a really nice 5x5 mature buck. Weston decided he would go after him, but he wasn’t able to relocate the buck.
The temps began to plummet Sunday night, and early Monday, we awoke to 8" of snow and single digit temps. We had made a plan to head up a wilderness trail that morning to see what we could find. The area looked good, but we didn’t see any mule deer. That afternoon, a game enforcement officer checked our tags and we commented to him that we were seeing very few deer but a lot of moose. He was very helpful and suggested a couple other areas better suited for mule deer.
The next day, the front had cleared and we decided to check out the closest area the officer suggested. We hiked to a ridge that overlooked miles of semi-open country to glass, hoping to see deer standing out in the new snow. We had just started to glass together when Weston saw two good bucks walk out within bow range right below us. However, they saw him first and took off back the way they came. We decided to stay on the ridge to see what we could before committing to jump in. We were seeing some bucks but nothing that excited us, so we decided to split up to cover more country.
On Wednesday, I glassed two bucks and a doe moving toward me until the larger buck bedded 275 yards away, watching his backtrail. He was a tall 5x5, slightly wider than his ears. I contacted Weston to come take a look, and he showed up with 45 minutes of shooting light left. He looked through the spotter, promptly got on the steady sticks, and waited for the buck to stand up. The buck stood up at a severe quartering away angle and stood still until shooting time ended, not offering a better shot. We didn’t see much the next day and decided we were going to start staying out all day with the goal of venturing in deeper.
The Friday morning hunt came and went with no sightings of deer, so I started working around the crest of the plateau I was on, entering new territory. I worked into blue spruce timber and immediately started to see good buck sign. I slowly worked in deeper until the sign looked too good to keep going as I was worried that I might bust out the game, so I started backing out to regroup. Before I left, I picked out a high spot in the distance that I would return to. After a quick lunch and rest, I returned but changed my approach to minimize my impact on the area. I finally reached the high point, and everything looked perfect for an ambush. As I started to set up my packable stool and shooting sticks, I glanced down into the timber and spotted what looked like a big mulie standing broadside 200 yards away. I promptly put glass on him but couldn’t get a good look at his rack through the timber. I could see that he had a big body and could see a pot belly, which told me he was probably a mature buck. He was staring back toward where I had stopped and backed out earlier, which confirmed I made a good decision. As I was chambering a round, he looked up the hill toward me and I could see his horns were quite a bit past his ears. I proceeded to put my crosshairs behind his shoulder and squeezed the trigger. I heard the whop, saw his reaction, and knew my shot was lethal. He didn’t go far, and after I located the downed buck, I was quickly reminded of how big the body is on a mature Colorado mountain mulie. He was a 4x5 with good mass and width.
I texted Weston, gave him the good news, and described the general direction of where I was. We celebrated and commenced to quarter the buck out with help from the bright light of the full blue moon. We were able to get him out in one trip and slowly made our way back to the truck.
It was now Halloween, and Weston was down to two days to put a tag on a buck. I suggested we go back to the same general area where I had shot my buck the night before since it had good sign and I saw another mature buck on the way out. He liked the idea, and on the way there, we spotted a shooter buck by himself. Weston decided to switch plans and go after this buck. I dropped him off and decided to take my buck to town to get it CWD checked and return right before dark. I returned on time and called Weston on the radio to let him know I had made it. He answered that he was almost to the truck, which I thought was odd since the last hour had proved to be the best hunting. He soon arrived at the truck, grinning sheepishly, and commented that we needed to take a walk to see what he got.
After a fairly short walk, we came to the buck we saw earlier, laying on the ground. Weston told the story of how he sat for several hours, seeing nothing, so he decided to still hunt up the draw. After clearing some trees, he spotted the buck 50 yards away, looking right at him. The deer hesitated for a second, offering Weston a quick offhand shot that was perfect. We high fived and started the quartering and hauling process again with the help of the light of the full blue moon.
We had both tagged out with one day to go. Both bucks were very similar in size with each having 27" outside spreads, good mass, and being 4x5. Our adventure exceeded our expectations. On the drive home, Weston asked where we were going on our next adventure, and I commented that in a couple of years, both of us would have enough points for a great Wyoming bull elk hunt!
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