- Joined
- Sep 19, 2014
- Messages
- 3,939
Wow. Where do I even begin on this hunt? It all started with the idea between three buddies to hunt mulies in Wyoming. No idea why we decided on Wyo but when I was asked if I wanted to do it I quickly answered YES! We started getting preference points in hopes of drawing a good unit one day. Fast forward six years and we had accumulated some points but no idea where to go. The idea of a high country hunt had always appealed to me and we started looking into Region G. We really had no gear and no plan so we started getting some stuff together and started training for the demands a hunt like this can dish out. Time slipped away from us and we found ourselves with 8 points going into the draw. We figured now or never it was time to apply! I wasn’t sure if we would draw or not but I ramped up my training, packing weight up and down hills as many times as possible several times a week. My backpacking gear was dialed in and I felt pretty good about the hunt. When the draw came out and I saw the words “successful” it began to get real! I hit the training even harder and so did my buddies. We tweaked and swapped gear and started pouring over maps trying to find some spots to hunt.
Finally after years of waiting it was time to roll out and head West for our first western hunt, first backpack hunt and first time ever chasing mulies.
We had the truck packed and on the road by 12pm Wednesday and drove straight through without issue.
We arrived in Wyoming right at daylight Thursday and I couldn’t help but stare off into the sage brush looking for critters. Tons and tons of antelope and even a moose as we got closer to our area.
Finally, in the distance we could see the Wind River range on the right and the Wyoming range on the left. The closer we got the more surreal it seemed. We got close to the trailhead we had picked and couldn’t help but stop and take several pics along the way. Just absolutely beautiful!
We arrived to the trailhead and saw a couple trucks but nothing bad. We had planned to camp at the trailhead to acclimate to the higher alititude but within 20 minutes we were hiking up the mountain! Lol. We quickly realized we had better find a place to camp and take it easy and not overdue it the first night. We made it half way up and found a nice flat bench on the side of the mountain to set the SeekOutside LBO up.
As dark approached a bull ripped a bugle somewhere on the mountainside. This is what it’s all about!
At daylight we were up and hiking with plans to get to the top and start glassing for some bucks. We made the steep climb and the training definitely helped, but we all ran out of air pretty quick!
Once we hit the top we found a great place to camp and headed out to hopefully find water and some bucks to go after on the opener!
It was early afternoon and hot and dry. We hiked out to the water hole I had marked on the map only to find it was extremely muddy. We glassed a little bit and didn’t see anything so we headed black to camp for a bit.
About 4:00pm we headed black to glass and try to figure out the water situation. As we crested a steep ridge I looked up into a rocky chute and spotted a STUD buck standing 500 yards away! He was just feeding with no clue we were there. As we watched him my buddy looked down and noticed an elk track full of water! A seep right on the side of the mountain was flowing with just enough water to pump our bags full after digging a hole out with a small rock as a shovel and our bare hands. Perfect! Water and a big buck to go after!
Two other smaller bucks joined the big one and we decided to sneak out and glass another area close to camp. Within ten minutes I had spotted another shooter buck! A solid 4x4 with a dark rack.
Confidence was high for the opener and we drew sticks to see who would go after the big boy. Josh drew the winner so I decided to hunt the buck close to camp while his brother Jeremy went with him to help glass.
Daylight broke on the first day and I was sitting below camp glassing the steep hillside for bucks. I didn’t see anything for the first hour but it wasn’t long when I saw two racks in the small pines headed toward a bigger strip of pines. It was a nice and tall 3x4 and a young 4x4.
I had him broadside at 475 but the wind was just ripping down the canyon. I decided i was going to circle downwind and try to get close on the bucks for a shot. I slowly crept through the timber and got within 200 yards but no sign of the bucks. I pushed on. I got within 80 yards of the timber patch and finally caught a glimpse of them. They entered the pines but I lost sight of them. I inched my way forward hoping to catch them bedded. At 60 yards the 3x4 jumped up and stopped broadside. Instinct kicked in and I shouldered my rifle and fired, hitting him right in the shoulder! He buckled and came crashing right toward me in a cloud of dust! He flipped and landed not 20 yards from me. My first mulie down!!
The first thing I noticed is how big these deer really are. Much bigger than the white tails in WV.
I sent an Inreach message to the boys and snapped a few pics. Turns out Josh had seen the big one but he slipped away without a shot
We got the buck quartered and caped and loaded into the packs. I had half the meat, head and cape in my Kifaru Reckoning and it was heavy but I couldn’t be more excited to finally pack my first mulie out of the mountains. Josh and I packed my buck out while Jeremy went back out to hunt for the afternoon.
As we were headed back to the trailhead I got a message from Jeremy that said “BBD! It’s going to be a late night”. We were pumped that he got one but also exhausted and had another buck to pack! Lol. We made the several mile hike back to the top and met up work Jeremy and he had killed the buck we spotted the first day. A 175” stud. Just a beautiful buck! We got him taken care of and packed him back to camp. We finally got to bed at 1am. It was a long, hard but freakin AWESOME day of hunting!
Sunday Jeremy and I caped his buck out and packed it off the hill while Josh hunted.
After getting the buck to the processor we started back toward the trailhead and I noticed a cloud of smoke coming over the mountain exactly where camp was. I was a little concerned but couldn’t find any info on any recent fires online. I lost cell service and tried Inreaching Josh with no reply. I messaged my wife to call the FS and ask about any new fires but she couldn’t get through to anyone. We got to the trailhead and the smoke is definitely close and choppers circling. Not good! Jeremy and I start running up the mountain only to meet Josh completely out of breath. He had run all the way off the top leaving all the gear behind. He said the smoke was so bad up top he could barely see and ashes were landing all around him. I messaged back and forth with my wife and she was able to find out where the fire was. We figured we had some time so we were going to run up the mountain, get our gear and get out.
That climb was brutal. I had packed two bucks out and was just about out of gas, but we made it up, packed our gear and got out of there.
That night we decided to get a hotel and come up with a new game plan.
Finally after years of waiting it was time to roll out and head West for our first western hunt, first backpack hunt and first time ever chasing mulies.
We had the truck packed and on the road by 12pm Wednesday and drove straight through without issue.
We arrived in Wyoming right at daylight Thursday and I couldn’t help but stare off into the sage brush looking for critters. Tons and tons of antelope and even a moose as we got closer to our area.
Finally, in the distance we could see the Wind River range on the right and the Wyoming range on the left. The closer we got the more surreal it seemed. We got close to the trailhead we had picked and couldn’t help but stop and take several pics along the way. Just absolutely beautiful!
We arrived to the trailhead and saw a couple trucks but nothing bad. We had planned to camp at the trailhead to acclimate to the higher alititude but within 20 minutes we were hiking up the mountain! Lol. We quickly realized we had better find a place to camp and take it easy and not overdue it the first night. We made it half way up and found a nice flat bench on the side of the mountain to set the SeekOutside LBO up.
As dark approached a bull ripped a bugle somewhere on the mountainside. This is what it’s all about!
At daylight we were up and hiking with plans to get to the top and start glassing for some bucks. We made the steep climb and the training definitely helped, but we all ran out of air pretty quick!
Once we hit the top we found a great place to camp and headed out to hopefully find water and some bucks to go after on the opener!
It was early afternoon and hot and dry. We hiked out to the water hole I had marked on the map only to find it was extremely muddy. We glassed a little bit and didn’t see anything so we headed black to camp for a bit.
About 4:00pm we headed black to glass and try to figure out the water situation. As we crested a steep ridge I looked up into a rocky chute and spotted a STUD buck standing 500 yards away! He was just feeding with no clue we were there. As we watched him my buddy looked down and noticed an elk track full of water! A seep right on the side of the mountain was flowing with just enough water to pump our bags full after digging a hole out with a small rock as a shovel and our bare hands. Perfect! Water and a big buck to go after!
Two other smaller bucks joined the big one and we decided to sneak out and glass another area close to camp. Within ten minutes I had spotted another shooter buck! A solid 4x4 with a dark rack.
Confidence was high for the opener and we drew sticks to see who would go after the big boy. Josh drew the winner so I decided to hunt the buck close to camp while his brother Jeremy went with him to help glass.
Daylight broke on the first day and I was sitting below camp glassing the steep hillside for bucks. I didn’t see anything for the first hour but it wasn’t long when I saw two racks in the small pines headed toward a bigger strip of pines. It was a nice and tall 3x4 and a young 4x4.
I had him broadside at 475 but the wind was just ripping down the canyon. I decided i was going to circle downwind and try to get close on the bucks for a shot. I slowly crept through the timber and got within 200 yards but no sign of the bucks. I pushed on. I got within 80 yards of the timber patch and finally caught a glimpse of them. They entered the pines but I lost sight of them. I inched my way forward hoping to catch them bedded. At 60 yards the 3x4 jumped up and stopped broadside. Instinct kicked in and I shouldered my rifle and fired, hitting him right in the shoulder! He buckled and came crashing right toward me in a cloud of dust! He flipped and landed not 20 yards from me. My first mulie down!!
The first thing I noticed is how big these deer really are. Much bigger than the white tails in WV.
I sent an Inreach message to the boys and snapped a few pics. Turns out Josh had seen the big one but he slipped away without a shot
We got the buck quartered and caped and loaded into the packs. I had half the meat, head and cape in my Kifaru Reckoning and it was heavy but I couldn’t be more excited to finally pack my first mulie out of the mountains. Josh and I packed my buck out while Jeremy went back out to hunt for the afternoon.
As we were headed back to the trailhead I got a message from Jeremy that said “BBD! It’s going to be a late night”. We were pumped that he got one but also exhausted and had another buck to pack! Lol. We made the several mile hike back to the top and met up work Jeremy and he had killed the buck we spotted the first day. A 175” stud. Just a beautiful buck! We got him taken care of and packed him back to camp. We finally got to bed at 1am. It was a long, hard but freakin AWESOME day of hunting!
Sunday Jeremy and I caped his buck out and packed it off the hill while Josh hunted.
After getting the buck to the processor we started back toward the trailhead and I noticed a cloud of smoke coming over the mountain exactly where camp was. I was a little concerned but couldn’t find any info on any recent fires online. I lost cell service and tried Inreaching Josh with no reply. I messaged my wife to call the FS and ask about any new fires but she couldn’t get through to anyone. We got to the trailhead and the smoke is definitely close and choppers circling. Not good! Jeremy and I start running up the mountain only to meet Josh completely out of breath. He had run all the way off the top leaving all the gear behind. He said the smoke was so bad up top he could barely see and ashes were landing all around him. I messaged back and forth with my wife and she was able to find out where the fire was. We figured we had some time so we were going to run up the mountain, get our gear and get out.
That climb was brutal. I had packed two bucks out and was just about out of gas, but we made it up, packed our gear and got out of there.
That night we decided to get a hotel and come up with a new game plan.