I was hunting an area I have hunted before, but hadn't shot anything there before, my son had taken a couple bucks out of the area previously.

I was hunting just below my camp, I only saw the same 7-8 does hanging around my camp lol, I was prepared to shoot the first good sized 2 point I saw as its early yet for getting a good eating Muley. The 3rd day I changed direction and went up the slope, and as soon got up there on a bench I was busted with a snorting buck. I went over about 100 yds and sat down, got sleepy and had a nap.

Woke up and remembered the snorting I had heard earlier, I went sneaking back over there and had to cross about 100 yds of blowdown timber, soon as I had crossed it I heard the thumping of a running Mule deer, saw antlers and realized it was a large open area. I saw him looking at me through the tree's and brush, I moved to a rest, he stepped out for a better look, 50 yds broadside, he ran about 50 yds stood there and went down.

I was alone on this hunt as my son came down sick and had to stay home. I have always hunted alone so, no big deal, but it would of been good for the pack out, this buck may have been the most brutal 400yrd pack out ever for me.
I was alone, forgot my packboard, and also forgot my chainsaw winch, but I had my quad and other tools, but really missed the board and winch. I had to try and find a way up to the buck, I cut a trail up the steep slope, once on the bench I had to cut through a mass of blowdown, I burned 2 full tanks of fuel in doing so. I was also concerned about the approaching darkness and any grizzlies in the area.

I tried dragging him, but after 10ft of that, I knew it wasn't happening, I got my machine to it after several hours, and simply started dragging him back down the slope, the steep part I was dragging him myself, and I took my gunboot off the quad in case of a roll over, yeah, it was pretty steep, so no flop over's. Got back to my camp just at dark.
Today, I am paying the price for not remembering the winch.

6.5x55 swede, 140gr hornady sp, great rifle and bullet. Interesting how sometimes Mule deer bucks will have large racks and smaller bodies, while others can have smaller racks, but large bodied.


This Honda has been incredible.

Looks great , you earned that one..mb

I find Mule deer to be always consistantly good eating, unless into the rut, then it can be repulsive. Its early yet and they are just starting to rub. I have never had a tough Mule deer, some were rank from the rut, but never tough to eat.


The accommodations

I would of put him on the back of the machine if I could of, but lifting him up there just wasn't going to happen. I also normally carry a small yarding block, not this time lol.

Great buck.....
Why didn't you just cut him up on the spot and hand carry the pieces out if you forgot your pack? Even 5-6 trips through deadfall hell carrying a quarter or single meat bag at a time in your hands/slung over your back for 400 yards sounds easier than getting the quad there.

That crossed my mind, my knee's are really giving me trouble now, so no lol. I actually walked the route out a few times trying to figure the best way, either way I had to cut a trail through all the blowdown. The blowdown was 3-4ft high, if I didn't have my saw I would of been screwed.

Great stuff Mate !!!

Not being snide...trying to learn different ways to skin the cat. What's with the cut from Adam's apple to bunghole? Never saw that before.

I do that too.

Remove the esophagus & split pelvis for ease of removal.

Everything come out, through the rear, in 1 big pile of guts.

That's the way we have always done it, unless we were saving the cape. Split the brisket, split the pelvis.
In our area, we can only shoot four point bucks. A four point buck has a life expectancy of about a half day once the season opens. This, if he makes it through bow season. We don't grow many trophy bucks! GD

Nice and I appreciate you leaving the big ones for us older guys.

One moose hunt I pulled the front half out while two guys dragged the back half out, out of Burns lake area, above Taltapin lake.
I hope to try get out, but it will be solo, so will have to look for a little guy like yours.😁

The only reason not to split it is if you can't, because you don't have a bone saw or other saw, or a hatchet to split the brisket, it is easier to clean and it helps with the cooling.
If you have a sturdy knife and the animal isn't that big, like a smaller 2 point, you can use a knife to do the same, I have many times, but not with this buck.

We do have great bucks in the interior, used to be alot better, but the previous regulations were unsustainable, I don't know what they thought was going to happen. Now, with a one buck limit,, that will help, also the massive fires with a vehicle restriction has helped the pops begin to come back.

Mule deer need fire, they only eat certain foods brought on by fire, whitetails eat almost anything.

That was good tip on chainsaw fuel. I always pack a chainsaw and rope.I'll add a fuel can, those Poulan POS don't have big tanks. This year there have been too many visits to the Emergency(3) for me to go out , so I'm enjoying your hunt.

I put this stuff in my trailer for the next hunt, which will be for immature Bull Moose, starting on Nov 1-15.
The packboard I made about 20 years ago, I made one a bit smaller too, works good, but a last resort. The winch is an exellent addition, the saw is the powerhead I use for this winch. My quad saw is a little 170 Stihl.


This Lewis chainsaw winch is made in BC and is bad azz, it pulls 4,000lbs, you need a snatchblock to increase the pulling power ie: pulling your truck out of the ditch etc...you have to get it to where you need it, 25lbs for the winch, 20lbs for the powerhead...fuel, 50lbs probably. I use mine for skidding short logs around.


I figure about 180lbs hanging here.

Around our place, we have a Trapper Nelson style pack board my father-in-law made for a prospector when he was starting out . He figured he needed a good pack. The prospector, long retired, had called my wife and asked if she wanted it. They are surprisingly simple. Yeah, the Lewis Winch was first made in New Westminster,but various companies over the years made it. One time, I think in New Zealand, even. One of my friends tracked them down.They were hard to find. Now you can buy chain saw winches from Princess Auto.

For ten years (back in the seventies), I lived in Barriere. That was when the season was a little too liberal but before everyone had motorized access. Doesn't seem that long ago, but I reckon it was! GD

Barriere was exellent buck hunting, not unusual to see several large 4 points a day in the surrounding area.
I saw good Mule deer when I lived in the EK in the early 80's, but there was good Elk then too.

673;
Good morning and congratulations on that nice buck sir!!

It's been a good handful of years since I've even laid eyes on a buck with a body that big. Wonderful stuff.

Good luck on the immature moose and whitetail hunting coming up.

All the best with all the rest of life too.

Dwayne

Nice deer and excellent write-up.

Those hell holes are wonderful! For the game, until some idiot like 673 or me gets in there.

Even then, they get revenge.

Then, when we are old and can't do, we miss it.

if the snow holds off a couple weeks, I'll be out cutting some trail this fall yet.

Into a hell-hole, for moose. Otherwise next spring.

673 - GREAT Deer and a very nice write up on your outing. Thanks for taking the time to pull all this together --- pictures, gear and scenery.

Thank you all for the kind words, I will look forward to your hunting adventures as they progress.

One of the things about Mule deer is the size of their antlers is no indication of body size. I have seen medium size Mule deer bucks, 200-225lbs with 30" thick and high racks, and 300lbs bucks with 20-24" racks, or less.

The largest Mule deer I have ever heard of locally, I never saw, but my friend shot it and weighed it at the butcher and it was well over 300lbs, and it was only a 2 point. My RP Bio friend says that the antler mass will decrease as they pass their prime and enter geriatric life, like people lol.

It would seem like nothing makes big antlers on Mule deer like fire.

Thanks for the story and photos

Great Buck.

How long does a fire benefit their antler growth? A couple seasons? A decade?

Exellent question, I will ask someone who knows for sure when I see them next.

I don't know lol, but there is a reason for that........There has been about 5 big fires within 2hrs of my home, the first 4 fires there were no restrictions on access, vehicle restriction, regulations etc....so what happened is everybody went over and hunted the burns, word spreads fast about big antlers and we call them "gut pile chasers". So I would say after maybe 5-10 years any benefit to fire become void because of the large harvest.

However, recently the largest fire 3 yrs ago, there is a vehicle restriction, you can still drive in there, leave your vehicle on the main rd and hunt, walking or horse only, which I agree with. We should be able to see more accurate the benefit and how long the benefits of fire on antler growth and overall Mule deer pops.

I think it safe to say the quality of the food is enhanced almost immediately after a fire (months) to maybe 10 years. Does begin to have 2 and even 3 fawns, they are larger and seemingly larger bodied. The fire has a much wider benefit of outside the fire area as the pops spill over into the other area's (where I hunt).

The real benefit of fire is in the quality of the browse, imo.

Nice buck, congrats! Extra points for using a Swede.

673 - you sink your teeth into any of that deer yet? If so what is it like? I am expecting a "mighty fine" as any brush mule deer I have taken has made excellent table fare.

Thanks for asking!
I was out several days looking for an immature Bull Moose, found him, no luck however, but gonna get back at it for an extended long weekend.

While out, I was feasting heavily on the Mule deer, steaks, chops, and a roast were all exellent. I have always said a pre-rut or early rut Mule deer is consistantly exellent eating, never tough. I have killed alot of them.

Like others, I always cut up my own game and do the same for friends, that way I am assured the finest quality and cuts I/we want, also wrapped how we like.

We always use Olive oil and Sage, salt, pepper, marinade for Mule deer, trim off any fat, exellent.

A Mule deer well into the rut of any size can be bad to rancid tasting lol, is going to be a sausage buck and even then I will be reminded of the horrible taste.

Nice truck!