Eastmans' Official Blog | Mule Deer, Antelope, Elk Hunting and Bowhunting Magazine | Eastmans' Hunting Journals
Hard Work
By Tony Kasper | MD-MT-GD-PV
“. . .a lot of work and re-training myself on how to pull through the shot and squeeze the trigger, made all the difference in the world.”
I’ve struggled with target panic before. Maybe it was being patient or not rushing the shot. Whatever it was, I was gonna make sure that when I was out West on my mule deer hunt, I wasn’t going to go through any of it. I spent months listening to the Eastmans’ Elevated Podcast, working out, practicing target shooting daily, even if it was only a few arrows. I made sure I had all the right equipment. I had to buy new boots and broke them in taking hikes with my wife all summer. You name it, I did it. So, when I spotted a really good buck 700 yards away with my binoculars, the first day of my five day hunt, I knew I had what was needed to fill my tag.
This buck looked to be a really nice 3×4 with good eyeguards. I was archery hunting so it was going to be a lot harder to sneak into position on larger bucks but I wasn’t gonna compromise. I had to catch a closer look at this potential shooter.
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Once we got into position, we sat there for a long time. The buck was in a spot where I couldn’t see all of his antler’s bases. I just kept thinking I don’t think he’s the buck I’m looking for. I turned to Rod and said, “We have to pull away, we have to keep looking.”
As I was walking away I asked myself if that was the right decision. Never pass up a deer you would shoot on the last day on your first day. But, I knew in my gut, I was ready, I had worked really hard to be physically and mentally prepared. I felt that if I saw a good buck, I had what was needed to get to him. I wanted a good, mature mule deer. One that required the “hunter’s game” to be strong.
We headed down the ridge keeping an eye out for our shooter. We found a group of five bucks bedded with one shooter in the mix. We moved in closer. We were on a cliff walking across shale rocks, trying to be as quiet as possible to not run them off. I was able to get within my effective range. As I was watching this nice old 3×3, I could feel the wind kiss the back of my neck. My gut sank as I knew the wind had given us away. All the bucks scattered. A little 2-point almost ran right over us in all the chaos. Did that just really happen? To have stalked two bucks and be within range on the first day. I knew my chances for a kill today were getting more narrow.
We started crawling back up a nearby ridge. It was a blistering 98 degrees and we had no water on account of leaving it at the truck. We stopped to take a break. Sweat was dripping down my face. This was what I came here for, this was what I worked so hard at preparing myself for. I looked over at Rod, gave him a smirk as I nodded and said, “This is really fun!” He looked over at me, smiled and said, “Yup.”
As we got up to work our way back, Rod spotted a heavy 4-point bedded down by himself. When I looked at him, he appeared to be a buck that was very mature and very heavy. I wanted a closer look. We worked our way down the ridge.
As we were getting closer, I could only move when the wind blew to try and cover up the noise of the sagebrush I was walking through. This buck was in a shaded hole, finding relief from the sun’s heat. The only way to see him and get a visual, since he was in such a shaded hole, was to crawl to the edge of the coulee which was 15 yards from him.
The closer we got to him I couldn’t believe how much mass this old boy had. I’m usually not a fan of shooting a deer in its bed but from the angle I had, It was like the position of hunting perched in a tree stand. I was trying to calm my nerves before bending the limbs back. Once I was at full draw, I held the pin on him as if I was trying to pick a piece of hair that I wanted to hit.
Now, this is where I’ve had issues in the past with rushing the shot and punching the trigger, but a lot of work and re-training myself on how to pull through the shot and squeeze the trigger, made all the difference in the world.
As I found my spot on the deer I just let the pin float and kept squeezing on the release. I kept squeezing till the shot finally broke. The arrow connected and he shot up and bolted downhill. My heart was pounding, as I sat there and watched the deer run through the sagebrush 150 yards, tumbling to the ground at least three times.
He finally stopped and bedded down with his head alert and looking around. We waited for some time and nothing was changing. I knew I had to get another arrow in him, I wasn’t gonna wait any more. I started in, making a stalk on him knowing it would be pretty difficult to get in close.
I was able to get to 60 yards and he winded me. He stood up broadside. I set my sight, pulled my release till the shot broke, the arrow hit its mark and the buck went down! I let out a huge sigh of relief.
As I was walking up to this heavy buck, his mass just got heavier and heavier. There was no ground shrinkage at all. There is nothing like walking up to an animal and taking in that moment before picking up the antlers. I looked at him, my adrenaline pumping, I couldn’t believe it. His velvet was perfect! He had great mass, good forks and long beams. His burr was 8 inches! This deer was a mature 4-point, with mass just shy of a soda can.
I’ve never felt so confident in being prepared for an archery hunt in my life. Hard work and preparation pays off every time.
