No better to get fired up for this year than a timely delivery of last years success.

I have several europeans on the wall, both whitetail and mulies. Size has never been a real determining factor in what I do with it, it takes something like character or meaning of the hunt to make the animal truly valuable.

For this deer it was a couple of things, one being that it was my first mountain hunt and the shot this deer presented was truly the western experience. He was on a wide open hill side feeding and I was on a rocky knob 420 yards away with absolutely no cover or geography that would allow me to get any closer... The second reason was the fact that I had always made these "western" hunts truly epic in my mind, when I was a kid they held the same mystique as Africa or Alaska mainly due to the fact I was in eastern Kansas and mountains were the cool place to hunt.

This deer was not huge from a score standpoint but he embodied the image I always had in my head of a Utah mulie. Not alot of mass, wide, 4x4 frame, and a bonus of decent eyeguards.


Thanks for looking and listening to me ramble through my excitement!

Nick

Congrats on a memorable hunt, and a great buck. That's what it's all about IMO.

Nick,

That's a really nice buck - congrats!
I like the semi-sneak form too.

Looks good...congrats.

He's going to look great on your wall.

Looks great, I can see why you're a happy man.

Congratulations!

Congrats on a fine buck.

Beautiful buck! What did you get him with?

Nothing fancy, a Savage 116 in 300 win shooting 180gr. Federal Trophy Coppers. No point in handloading when these shot into a half inch.

It was the first animal I've taken with an all copper/ guilding metal bullet. Given the range I was very impressed with the lethality and effectiveness of the design.
Thanks,
Nick