2010 Guided Mule Deer Hunt: Update, 9/23 Mount shipped!

[h20hunter]

We hunted the first day on "The rock" and had some great views. We saw some does, a little spike, and tons of scenery. Many of you know the Omak area but here are a few pics of scenery.

[h20hunter]

The evening my dad got his deer we were hunting from a blind. A 4x3 had been taken off the hill and we were looking for this particular 3x3. From the opening pic you can see that we got him. Here are some pics of us in the blind, next will be the kill story.

[Widgeondeke]

Great wright up an dpics to go with. Congrats. Looks like a nice time was had and Nice buck to boot.   

[Wild Bill]

Good dudes... And thank god for it... Awefully damn big to not be on your side!\

[h20hunter]

The Kill:

So, we began the evening a drive up the hill. We parked and heard the common expression "Oh, it's just a hop n' skip up a little draw to where the blind is". We hiked up a nice little draw and came out on top where the blind was set. I just happened to have killed my archery doe last month about 150 yards from where we were set up. We were looking for the 3x3 or the 4x4 that were using the hillside as a travel route. We had been set up for about 10 minutes when Todd said the magic word. "Deer". 500 yards away on the treeline was a bedded deer. It only took about 30 seconds of glassing and Todd said "3x3", there he is. Game on.....Shake and Bake! We watched for about an hour and he would get up, nibble, lay down. Get up, look around, nibble, lay down. Soon, the shadows began to creep and the temp began to drop. On command Mr. Deer began our way. Oh baby here we go was all I could think. We watched him walk, nibble, walk nibble for about 10 minutes. I was behind the two, Todd had the binocs, I had the rangefinder. 400, 380, 360, closer and closer he came. I was calling out range and dad was on the rifle. We were waiting for a sub 200 yard broadside shot. Make it count we figured. Like it was planned the deer came in on a string, straight at us and at 200 yards turned perfectly broadside. However, he didn't stop. The whole time Todd is saying, "George, you're gonna kill this deer", "George, this is the deer your gonna kill tonight, right now, on this hill." "George, this is your deer". Like I said, little bugger didn't stop. He slipped into a little draw. Well, now, Dad has to pee so bad I figure he is going to wet his pants. We sneak out he blind, let the old man pee, and figure the deer is just ahead, 200 yards out, in the little draw. Todd leans in close and says you guys are gonna have to be ninjas....ready....okay...shake and bake! Off we go. Todd is in the lead carrying the sticks, dad behind him with his Kimber .270 and his custom loaded Nosler Partition 130 grain loads. I am in back with the binocs and rangefinder. We sneak up and I will admit we are poor ninjas. However, at 35 yards from the deer we are good enough. Problem is, dad can't see the deer in the scope, he is to low and we are not high enough. We take a few steps to the side and the deer spooks. He trots about 20 yards and jumps a fence and begins trotting away from us back up the hill at about a 45 degree angle. Now I am saying to myself and the karma gods "please stop, please stop, please stop". At about 100 yards he does the classic stop, quarter, look back move. As soon as his feet stop I am whispering "shoot shoot shoot". Don't know why since the gun goes pop and Mr. Deer seems to be struck by the hand of God himself. Instantly the deer slams to the ground chest first, bounces up, take about 15 steps into a draw and nose dives into the sage. We can't see him and Todd says load another. The bolt cycles and dad is looking for the deer. No deer. I am thinking oh hell where did he go. I should have known when Todd simply smiles, stands upright and says nice shot in a normal non sneaking through the brush playing deer ninja sorta way. I'm a bit jacked up and not really thinking to clearly. By now, Oren (The Man) is walking over from a little knob with a big ol grin. I am now realizing that they know the deer is down for good. We walk up a bit and dad is the first to reach his deer. The shot turned out to be about 100 yards from a standing position with sticks. The deer was quartering away hard. The bullet went in just between the last two ribs, blew away 1/4 of the liver, just about severed the lower 1/3 of the heart, and exited towards the front of the shoulder. Dead Right Now. I figure the deer lasted about 2 seconds from time of shot to crash and traveled about 15 steps. He was dead before he hit the ground. Todd did an awesome job on the stalk. He was like a deer himself. Here is some more hero shots of the deer.

Stay turned for a pretty good side story.

[h20hunter]

Dad and I.

[h20hunter]

dad and i

[h20hunter]

Remember the heart I mentioned. Here is the damage done by the bullet.

[h20hunter]

Now, a side story about said heart. So, Todd is doing the knife work and is checking out the damage done by the bullet. We all agree, major damage. Then, Todd looks over at my dad, then at me, and takes a bite out of the damn thing like an apple. I'm thinking, yep, he just took a bite out of the heart. He offers it to my dad and says you gotta, first deer so you gotta. Dad says no way man. Todd looks at me and says "well, then you gotta do it. Oh *censored* I'm thinking. Well, at this point I'm pretty much obligated. I say okay, give it here. I take my bite. It is still steaming and really not that bad. A little bloody, a lot warm, and a bit chewy. So, I'm chewing this hunk of heart up on the hill and thinking that if I swallow this I'm gonna barf. I figure that I've already taken the bite, chewed, and hung in there. Thinking I'll get ribbed worse if if barf then if I spit I choose to spit. Here is the sequence.

[h20hunter]

my turn

[h20hunter]

Okay, time for dinner. I'll type up some more and post some more pics in a bit. Also, yes, his scope is a lightseeker.

[h20hunter]

Deer hanging.

[h20hunter]

Before I forget here is some info on the outfitter and contact info. Oren Jensen and basically the whole Jensen clan pitch in to give hunters a great outfitter experience. I say experience because if you ask Oren he will tell you that he can't and won't sell you a deer. He will provide an experience. The deer is a bonus. His guides are all great guys, excellent woodsman, and will put you on deer. This is all fair chase so no sure thing but the odds are damn good. Tim and Rita run the ranch house, cook meals, and basically take care of any needs you may have. The most I can say about Tim and Rita Jensen are that these are good people. They are hard working, honest, good people. What more can you want from your hosts. The stories they can tell will keep you up long into the night if you let them. Oren as an outfitter, lead guide, and overall woodsman is top notch. I would recommend Tanglewood Guides to anyone young and old. If you want to hunt with great people, have access to great ground, and as a bonus increase your odds of success you should contact them. By the way, Tim and Rita can also set you up for a little upland bird action on the side. Here is the link.

http://www.twguides.com/

[bighorns2bushytails]

sounds like an awesome time, hope my kids treat me so well when im older

--bh2bt

[hirshey]

Congrats on a great deer and some unforgettable memories! Way to go!