September 2026
Chasing the Cheater: A Utah Archery Velvet Mule Deer Hunt
Hunter: Mitch Simmons
Species: Mule Deer
Location: Utah, limited-entry unit
Method: Archery, spot and stalk
Over the course of nearly two decades of applying for and buying bonus points for a limited-entry deer tag, my mind has had time to bounce around different ideas and scenarios with different hunt options. Should I wait longer for a rifle tag that could give me more opportunities with higher confidence? Or should I risk a muzzleloader tag and hope I can find a good buck before the migration moves in and changes everything? How about an archery tag? Was I that confident in my abilities to locate a good buck, make a textbook stalk, and execute a perfect shot? Well, in the spring of 2025, I finally made my decision, and I applied for an archery tag that I was confident I would draw. Fast forward to the middle of May: the results were out, and the game was on!
Scouting a Utah Limited-Entry Unit
Having been lucky enough to get a spring bear tag for the same unit, which unfortunately went unnotched, my scouting started before I even knew I had the deer tag. Learning roads and lookout points as well as different water sources would all prove helpful later in the year when the deer moved into their summer grounds. Many months went by, and my family, a group of friends, and I made a number of scouting trips, looking over lots of bucks.
August was approaching all too quickly, and before I knew it, opening day had arrived! A good buddy and I made it out a couple of days early to see if we could locate any of our top five bucks and see how many other hunters we might be competing with.
After the arrival of the rest of our group the afternoon before opening day, we made a plan for the next few days. A great four-by-four was turned up by one of our youngest pals, and I decided I couldn’t leave that canyon without trying a stalk. Leaving midday for a stalk down steep and cliffy terrain with the same terrain going up the other side proved to be a decision that left my feet really sore, my legs about dead, and no shot opportunity on the big buck. But it was still an awesome day!
A Miss at Fifty-One Yards
On the second day, a nice, wide four-point was spotted, and I decided to give it a shot! He wasn’t far from where we were, bedded on top of a ridge under a pine tree. I was off on my second stalk of the hunt! As I was getting closer to where I thought the buck was bedded, I kept telling myself to go slow, “Slower than you usually do.” This proved to be effective, because soon enough I was fifty yards from the bedded buck, and he had no idea I was there. I could only see the tips of his antlers and knew I had no choice but to sit and wait for him to stand.
Minutes turned into hours, and things finally started to pick up after both my legs had fallen asleep. The buck was getting a little restless, and I knew my chance was about to present itself. I had ranged the tree he was under a hundred times and knew he was at fifty-one yards, so I clipped my release and waited for him to stand. When he finally did, I could only see the front of his chest and his head. He was broadside, so I only needed him to step forward one step. I had felt the wind swirl and hoped it wouldn’t go his way, but I guess it did, because he took a step, then a bound. I rushed a shot, and it was a clear miss to the right of him.
Spotting the Cheater Buck
I was able to get on this buck another few times over the next day and a half, but he was always somewhere that was just not ideal, and I couldn’t get a clear shot. With each stalk, I learned more things to remember and to watch for. One of the last times I chased this buck, I spotted another nice, tall four-point bedded off the side of the ridge. My buddies confirmed with me when I got back to them that he was the cheater buck we had seen on a couple of scouting trips. I made up my mind that if I was to come across him where he was huntable, I would gladly take a chance at him.
A couple more days went by, and we were looking over buck after buck. There was just nothing that made me excited. By this time, most of our friends had to leave to go back home, which left me with two good friends that I hunt with often. I had full commitment from one of those, but the other had to get back on day four after the morning hunt.
We loaded up in separate rigs and made our way out to where we’d seen the bigger bucks. We stopped to glass the ridge I had spent so much time crawling around on, expecting to see one of the bigger bucks, but we only turned up a small two-point moving through. So, we pressed on!
It was getting later in the day, and we had planned to glass the backside of a ridge where I’d caught a quick glimpse of a buck going over earlier that morning. My buddy let us know he was going to start heading back to camp to pack up and head out. Not ten minutes later, he called, saying he’d spotted a good buck on the way back to camp. So, we turned around and went to see if we could get a look at him. When we arrived, we could see there were two bucks moving through the oak brush; we just couldn’t get a clear view of what each one was. Finally, a head popped up, and we could all tell it was the cheater buck!
Twenty-Nine Yards in the Oak Brush
I grabbed my bow and headed up the hill with hopes of getting in front of them for the ambush! I checked the wind, and it was good. I went slow and made sure my arrow was knocked, my release was clipped, and that I was picking my way through the oak and buck brush like I had feathers on my feet! I knew this could be my chance, and I was determined to take full advantage.
I started to see antlers moving in the oak, so I froze—a buck was coming out, and I hadn’t ranged anything yet. The buck came into full view, staring right at me, but it wasn’t the cheater buck! Where was he? Did they have me pegged? Did he feed the other way? I stayed motionless for what seemed like several minutes until that buck turned and walked off. What a stroke of luck that he didn’t bust!
I wasted no time and ranged the opening he’d come out of; it was twenty-nine yards! Feeling highly confident with that shot distance, a bit of calm came over me. I knew I could make this happen. More movement in the oak confirmed that the cheater buck was coming my way. It seemed like there was nothing one second, and the next, he was there: the cheater buck!
I thought he was going to follow the same path as the other buck, but he did something different: he turned towards me and started feeding right to me. I thought, “I have to draw back and shoot before he gets too close.” Prompting a slight turn of his head, I drew back, stood, aimed right at his lower chest, and let my arrow fly!
I watched my arrow hit and sink in up to the fletching. He turned and started bounding off, and I could see blood! I knew it wouldn’t be long before he stopped and tipped over. He made it eighty yards, then expired. My excitement was off the charts as I ran down to my buddies, who had no idea what had just happened! I quickly told the story, and we made our way back up to where it all took place.
My First Velvet Mule Deer
Walking up to my buck, my excitement grew—as did his antlers! This was my first velvet mule deer and my biggest buck ever!
We made quick work of him, getting him taken care of and back to camp where I could finally unwind, relax, and reminisce about the last several days! A hunt like this doesn’t come around often enough, and I’d like to thank all my friends and family who came out to support me. It means so much to me, and I couldn’t have asked for a better or more rewarding hunt.
Additional Resources
- Utah Application Strategy
- Utah State Profile
- Utah Hunting Regulations
- Huntin' Fool Adventures
- Become a Huntin' Fool Member