Quest for 200"

[jjhunter]

Coming out of a very successful 2016 season, I found myself questioning my approach to finding and killing a truly giant mule deer.  I knew that I had enough points in both Wyoming and Colorado to get into an area where the kind of deer I was looking for lived; Wyoming was easy but Colorado had me stumped.    I had hunted Colorado 4 times in the past, and each time, hunting conditions where less than ideal.  Although I was able to lay eyes on a few giant deer, lack of daylight had failed me time and again.   

As April and the Colorado deadline approached, I reached a state of panic, reaching out to every resource that I knew, looking for any bit of advice that would lead me in the right direction.   I had 8 preference points and ultimately wanted a tag that I would never buy (cost/availability) and in an area that had (traditionally) the genetics that produced giant deer.   While there was no obvious choice, it was my brother who pushed me to an area that was “down in quality” according to the experts, but ultimately still held a few giants.

I applied for an early high country rifle hunt, knowing that I would most likely be holding the permit come June.   When the draw results came out, I had drawn.   The preparation began including gear upgrades and an intense workout routine.   Before I knew it, the summer was gone and I was packing my gear and heading to Colorado.

Although I threw out several invites to friends and family to accompany me on my quest, I had no takers on a backpack hunt that would take us up and over 13,000 feet.   It seemed daunting to me, even though I had grown up in the steep Snake river breaks and had strong legs – what I didn’t have was that kind of elevation!

During the 21 hour road trip, the realization of the task at hand began to sink in.   Alone in the high country for up to 9 days…I thought “wow, this is happening!”

[stew pidasso]

Continue

[PlateauNDN]

Sweet, time to get the popcorn.

[jjhunter]

I reached the Gunnison on Thursday night and ate an entire large Hawaiian pizza, knowing it was the last good meal I would enjoy for a while.   I also took an extra-long shower at the hotel that night, knowing that in a few days, I wouldn’t be able to stand my own “mountain” odor.

Before light, I was checked out hotel and headed up the mountain.   I made it to the trail head at about 0730, checked my pack one last time, and headed up the trail.   I felt good at first, climbing strongly and steadily up the trail.   After 30 minutes, I looked at my GPS and realized that I was only .58 miles from the truck and had only gained 700 feet in elevation.  I thought to myself “Why is it so hard to breathe?”   As I continued to hike, a beautiful basin opened up before me.   As usual, I lost interest in the trail and decided to go straight up the mountain to the West.

[cougforester]

Tag! 

[Timberstalker]

Here we go!!

[jjhunter]

I climbed and climbed, until I was slightly over 12,000 feet.   I found a perfect little patch of pines with a clearing in the center (that was flat!) that would protect and conceal my tent.  I could also glass 360 degrees right from camp (I would later spot my buck at 1.5 miles while eating my mtn house dinner no more than 10 feet from my tent).
I set up camp, drank some water and let my legs rest.  It was 11:30 and in a few hours, I would head over the top behind camp and glass for the evening; hopefully, finding a likely candidate for the opener in the next morning.

At around 2:30, I packed up and headed over the ridge behind camp, overlooking a giant basin that looked promising.   I set up the 15x56 Swarovski’s and glassed and glassed and glassed, only turning up 2 small bucks.   I wasn’t concerned, but a little disappointed given the amount of country that I was looking over.   I headed back to camp at around 7:00 p.m. to get something to eat and a good night’s rest before the opener.

Back at camp, I quickly got the jet boil running and picked a delicious entrée of Italian Pepper Steak.   Since I was alone and bored, I set up my 15x’s looking into far basins to the East.  I wasn’t really expecting to see anything, just killing time.   As I sat there taking a few bites, glassing, taking a few bites, glassing…it began to get darker and darker.   Like a ghost, just before dark, a deer materialized in a small opening in the steep, treed hillside that I had been glassing.   I ran back to my tent, scrambling to retrieve my spotter.   I quickly found the buck in my scope and realized that it appeared to be narrow.  As it walked across the opening, it quickly changed direction uphill, revealing what appeared to be, long velvet covered tines.   Like that, it was dark.

[grundy53]

Tagging along

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

[jjhunter]

I crawled into my tent, tired, and looking forward to what the next day would hold.   I decided that I would hunt the same basin that I had glassed that night.  It looked too good to not hold a big deer.   Soon, I fell asleep.   Although I would wake up every 45 minutes to an hour (I am a heavy sleeper so I can only attribute this to the thin air), morning came quickly.    I drank 16 oz of water, threw on my pack, and headed up the hill behind camp.   As I scrambled over the top of the ridge and set up my 15x’s, the skied began to lighten.   I felt my heart began to race, ever so slightly, as the anticipation began to build.   “What would today bring?”

As the sun began to rise, I could hear two bulls screaming below me and quickly located a group of 30 cows with a 6 point herd bull and several satellite bulls trying to sneak into the action.

[jjhunter]

I glassed for about an hour, spotting a few does and one little buck.  I packed up my gear and headed to the South ¾ mile to get a different view of the basin and open up some additional country in the bottom of the canyon.    I quickly spotted a tall, heavy 3 point below me, but the rest of the morning was a bust and I headed back to camp at around 11:00.

[Birdguy]

Sounds amazing so far.....tagging 

[jjhunter]

As I reached camp, the storm clouds began to roll in.   I was in desperate need of water, so I grabbed my pump and headed to the north, hoping one of the little creek drainages held water.   Thankfully, it did and I brought 5 liters of water back to camp – enough to last me a couple of days.   As I got back to camp, the wind began to howl and heavy rain fell.   I crawled into my tent and fell asleep.   Several hours later, I awoke and the rain and wind has subsided.   I fired up the jet boil and pulled out a bag of mtn house spaghetti for the night.   Like the night before, I set up my 15x’s and enjoyed my evening meal, hoping to catch a buck in an opening on the same timbered hillside.

After several minutes of glassing, I spot a buck.   It is a 30-32” 4 point with a tall, boxy rack.  However, with just decent tine length, he is a 175” type buck and not what I am looking for.   I continue to glass and enjoy the evening, working my way up the mountain, pausing in each opening and looking for movement on the timbered edges.

[fishngamereaper]

 

[jjhunter]

As the sun continued to dip, I spot a deer walking quickly in a long narrow lane between two tree lined bluffs on a mountain to the East.   Tonight, I am prepared and grab the spotter lying next to me, getting the buck in my scope in seconds.   I watch him for about 10 seconds as he meanders out of sight.   “What did I just see?”   It was the tallest, heaviest, narrowest buck I had ever seen!   But, I had no doubt that it was over 190”.   The only problem was that I would have to move camp into an entirely different drainage to hunt him; one that would take considerable effort considering that it was nearly unreachable from any angle.

[outdooraddict]

We want more, We want more!!!!