Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Backpack Hunting Leaving tomorrow

Congrats Jeff.Wondering how you did.

C'mon Jeff, you gotta have 1 pic of the buck among all these feesh...

Thanks Bob! He was just a mid-size model but he was the bird in the hand and I really wanted to nail my first mule deer. I'll raise my standards a bit next time I hunt 'em.

Butchered him today. There was some urgency. The weather was crazy warm up there- even at night- especially considering I was at 8500'! Killed him Saturday, packed my camp out Sunday, packed him out Monday.... then luckily it did get a bit colder at night Tues/Wed so I was able to save myself a 70 mile round trip for blocks of ice. We pulled out Thursday. But he needed to be cut up today.

CLB, my only camera was my phone, which was back up at the tent turned off to save the battery at the time I spotted him then moved in on him. I ran the battery down good on the hike in using it as a GPS with satellite photos overlayed... Anyway no way I was huffing all the way UP to the tent to get it that day.... it was mid-afternoon, and 80 degrees, I went straight to the deer and gutted him and dragged him 50 yards to some shade. The next day I went back to buttress up the shade but a day old, stiff, dirty (dragged) buck with his tongue hanging out and dull eyes wasn't seeming very photogenic so I didn't. I do kind of regret that now.

He was a 2x3 with good body size so, what, a 2.5 year old buck? I can't remember how much of the story I've told but when I went up to gut him a bigger buck, a nice 3x3, popped out of the same cover, ran 75 yards, then stood there broadside looking at me. D'oh! If I'd been patient he'd have come out at dusk I bet. Oh well.

My buddy also shot a 2x3. Mine was considerably bigger. Not that it matters with a 2x3.... grin...

I'm totally addicted to this spot-and-stalk high desert mulie hunting and can't wait to do it again.

Is that what that is? I just thought it was pretty. I've heard of it... what is yarrow used for?

So you spent months debating the right rifle and cartridge, planning everything within a gnat's azz and you didn't take a camera?

He left the skin on it over night and your bustin his chops about a camera? Too funny.

Good on ya Jeff.

Split the pelvis and left it all propped open. There were flies galore, it was dusty, and there wasn't really anything to hang it from.

You think it was a mistake to leave the skin on? It was a first for me but I didn't see much to be gained by skinning at that time and once skinned, the flies and ants were going to be all over him right through the bag.

I'll freely admit I wasn't sure what was best. Neither option seemed great.

Thanks raybass!

80 degrees? No ice?
Ouch.
Glad you did what you set out to do.
Hopefully it will be ok.
Later.

Nicely done Jeff.

Jeff your posts usually drive me nuts but I got to say good job.

Thanks Brad. Got any advice for holes worn into the hide on my hips?

That is a fern, not yarrow. Yarrow can be found in all fifty states and across all of Canada.

Yarrow link

Thanks Mato! It was a truly awesome experience. Couldn't have done it without the 'Fire!

I don't worry as much about flies as I do cooling off the meat. Everyone says their way is better as far as meat prep, but as long as you got it off the hill in good shape your ok. Only way to learn is to shoot more deer, and out here we don't get as much practice as the guys in Whitetail country.

hmm.. It'll be interesting to hear how the meat is. Ice in a cooler in the back of the rig would have been how I'd have done it.

Kill, bone, and hump to ice in those temps. Perfect meat. Headlamps are handy if you ain't afraid of the dark.

I would have packed in ice and a camera.



grin

Jeff, I imagine temps were in the 40's at night?
I have killed a lot of deer in similar conditions, and stayed out for a week with no ice.
What I have done is skin them right away, and covered with a game bag and hang them in the shade, uncovered at night.
During the daytime put a sleeping bag on them to keep the nights cool in the meat, and the heat out.
Never lost any meat that way.
Congratulations on a hunt done your way, for your enjoyment.

Not to be critical... but why did you shoot a buck and choose to head back to camp, leaving the deer at mid-afternoon? Why not bone and bring back to camp? Takes 2 hours at the most to disassemble a buck and toss it in the pack.