2009 Mulie

[BRUSS]

Here is my try at getting a photo up of my 2009 buck.  I have spent many hours over the last year reading all the posts after finding this site and really appreciate the stories, information and amazing photo's.  I did not get to hunt last year so had nothing to show, however I did make it over to the east side this year with my father and younger brother and found this guy.  This buck was taken on public land in the Republic area.  Since I consider you folks experts I wanted to post this buck and get your opinion on the antlers.  I have not seen a mulie like this, whitetail rack, over in the area before nor has my father who has hunted over there for nearly 40 years.  Largest buck I have ever taken, so I am very pleased.  Widest outside dimension is 25", bummer both sides don't match.  Thanks for any opinion on the rack.
Brian


I apologize in advance if my first try at posting the pic does not work.

[NWBREW]

Thats a nice mulie....very unique. I have seen mule deer antlers like that before.....not very common though. Congrats and welcome to the site.

[huntnphool]

Thats a dandy buck Brain, congrats and welcome to the site.

[hunterofelk]

Great looking buck!  Are you have a shoulder mount done?  What did you guess its live weight was?  Muleys do produce antlers that resemble whitetails, as long as the back beams don't fork.  Here is a younger buck than yours I got that had whitetail like antlers.

[Track-er]

Great looking Mulie and I like the rack.




                              Mike

[BRUSS]

Great looking buck!  Are you have a shoulder mount done?  What did you guess its live weight was?  Muleys do produce antlers that resemble whitetails, as long as the back beams don't fork.  Here is a younger buck than yours I got that had whitetail like antlers.

Thanks for the reply and the picture.  He was 156# hanging at the meat cooler in town, a fun drag.  I see what you are saying on your buck, this one just flattens out so much like a whitey.  We had a great hunt the morning we got this guy and he seemed to find me.  Stopped just long enough to for me to drop him.

[BLKBEARKLR]

Awesome looking buck, congrats on that one. Love those antlers on it

[Axle]

If you were a mule deer surrounded by a bunch of whitetail does, wouldn't you try to blend in too Brian?

Might get more attention from the ladies that way

[BRUSS]

Good point Axle.  Funny year this year for our camp and others who cover the same ground up there.  I did not see one whitetail this year.  Usually, we see them all over the place.  Even in areas where we go to see whitey's we only saw mule deer.  So I guess the weedout seems to be working.

[bowhunterforever]

Nice looking buck Congrats

[Birdguy]

He is a good looking buck for sure. It is possible he has some whitetail in his past. We hunt just west of there and all we saw were whitetails. A few years back we saw a buck with a 4 point mule deer left antler and a 3 point with an eye guard on the right. I had a late whitetail tag and he had a mule deer rump and tail so we let him walk. Pretty cool to see.

[BRUSS]

I have to share a story about this buck.  The meat is more about the lead up to the buck rather than the story of the shot.  As I mentioned earlier in the post my dad has been going over to this area for nearly 40 years and started bringing me along almost 25 years ago.  It seemed easier back then to grab your kids out of school for a week or so to go hunting.  Last year I was not able to make as work, family and a fishing trip in the spring used up my hunting ticket out.  So I planned better this year and managed to make it over to the hunting grounds for a 5 day hunt.  The past several years have been long drives for a couple days of hunting, so this year was going to be special.  My dad had been desperately looking to replace a run down pickup with one less run down and not have to get a 2nd on the house to do so.  After some ups and downs of searching he found a beautiful truck a family member was selling that fit perfectly, a 93 4x4 with 73k miles.  All he could ask for as anything else that age or many years newer had hundreds of thousands of miles on it.  Now that we had some more time to hunt he needed a replacement truck to drag over his trailer so we could camp in lieu of staying at our long time friend/hunting partner who lives off the grid over in the area.  So we were going back to that way we used to hunt the area and would miss watching the baseball playoffs on satelite TV at our friends cabin.  So on Sunday of opening weekend he gets packed up and off he goes new(old) truck and trailer to get a spot in the woods.  Everything is going great the entire way (8 hours or so) until he is about a 1/2 mile past another long time friends camp, out of cell phone range and the tranny pukes on the perfect truck! Luckily a fellow hunter on his way out pulls over and says, "so now what?" Well, he gave him a ride down the road to my buddy's camp and they proceeded to: hop in their truck, feed my dad a couple drinks, unhook his truck, tow it forward, hook up the trailer and tow it to the site he hoped would be available, tow his truck to their camp, feed him dinner and then my buddy hands him the keys to his wifes suburban and says bring it back by Wednesday.  To shorten this part, AAA, takes his truck to Colville and he gets to spend $3,800 on a new transmission, cooler and big dose of hunting kharma.  It was brutal not being with him during all of this.  I can't say enough thanks to all the folks that helped him out.

[BRUSS]

Okay, so the hunt.  My brother and I get over there late Tuesday night.  By then the suburban is returned and he is borrowing a truck from our friend who lives over there.  Feels so great to be in camp and together with family on the hunt.  First hunt will be in a spot my dad saw a monster the year before and was seen after hunting season.  So we get there way before light and finalize our plans in the car before we hit the trail in.  We've been there for about 2 minutes and another car turns into our parking spot, turns around and parks down the road about 50 yards, the doors slam and off they go.  So jump out and hit the trail.  By the time we work through a draw and get to the ridge, we are surrounded on all sides with orange.  We count out 9 other hunters, don't see much sign at all and not a single deer.  A couple trophy squirrels and blues (of course they wait until the last second to go, I love that about them).  That morning hunt ends after few miles and no deer, and 2 cars parked right along side our car.  Lots of help, but that is the beauty of public land and so I can't complain.  Next day we decided to try another spot where my dad took a deer a few years ago.  The hunt for the most part is an out an back with several draws and areas of open old clear cut areas.  The fog had rolled so visibility was always changing.  We watch a group of deer in the fog for a while and see a little spike x 2.  We keep for waiting for a larger buck to show, but nothing else.  They feed their way into the fog.  We see another 3 mulie doe and still no buck.  After watching them for a bit, we take a snack break in hopes the fog will lift.  At about 11:30 or so we are half way through this hunt and start working our way back towards the truck.  We kick out another mulie doe of the timber and it dives into the draw below.  Visibility is still not good.  We are about a mile from the truck and now are together again walking up a trail.  They are about 30 feet in front of me looking for some grouse that had spooked earlier and I hear a thump thump on the other side of thicket of sapling's.  I take a couple steps back and this buck stops to see what the heck spooked it.  I swing my gun up and quickly take the shot and he drops in his tracks.  His head actually ends up under his body.  My shot scared the bageepers out my dad and brother.  We walk up to him, give him little roll and take the picture I posted.  I thank them for walking by the bugger and for the big auntie up on the hunting karma.  We finally had picked up a big beautiful mule deer together! I wish I could say there was this long stalk and shot, but sometimes you have to take what is given to you and be lucky.  Sorry, a little long winded...

[Pathfinder101]

THat's a gorgeous buck.  THanks for the pics and the story.  I think a few guys would look at it and say "that's a hybrid", because of the placement of the back tines, but he looks all-muley to me.  I think he just has an odd antler configuration, that's all.  Great buck.

[ELKBURGER]

Dandy for sure Brian. I,ve got many blacktails that are similar, just much smaller. Mount him if you can, he's a beaut!!