Doubled up on Youth: Hunting Mule Deer

Introduction

Among some of my favorite activities is helping friends and loved ones join the ranks of the hunting public. If you’ve followed me for very long, you’ve surely seen and heard about some of these adventures. In fact our story today is strangely similar to last years Junior Mule Deer Pro-Am. You may want to give that story a read before or after this one. Our story today is about two young hunters, our youngest boy Santiago shot his first deer last season. And one of my nephews who we’ll call Kevin was along on his very first deer hunt. Perhaps his first real taste of hunting at all, and one that would soon get quite intense…

EAA, european american arms, balikli, blue label, shotgun, 12 gauge, over under, youth, kids, trap, — both boys preparing for hunting season

Preparations

New hunters have the benefit of naiveté, not knowing what to do nor what not to do. With that in mind my brother in law and I took the boys out to get some practice in earlier this year. Kevin is relatively new to firearms in general, though he did get a nice Mossberg 12 gauge for Christmas last year. Santiago on the other hand has become my stand-in for photography and shooting shots. He comes with me shooting, often once a week. Which has resulted in him becoming something of an old hand when it comes to shooting.

Both boys would be shooting a 308 Winchester rifle this year, so with rifles in hand and some targets hung we put the boys to work. Both of them did great at hitting their marks, but they knew that under the pressure of the hunt there might be some stress involved. So before opening morning, we discussed a variety of topics to help the boys prepare for the day. Additionally explaining the age old prank that we are old guys now, so they were gonna need to do all the dragging should we be successful. As it turns out, it wasn’t far from the truth.

A Cold October Morning

As we made our way into the dark Rocky Mountains, excitement was in the crisp air. It was opening morning, and light was on its way. Pouring over the beautiful fall colored forests. Having spent some time scouting the area, we positioned ourselves in a location that I was sure would at least give us a shot.

As shooting light neared, both boys were prompted to prepare their gear. Making them each responsible for both their own well being and their ability to be successful.

this deer would also end up in my hands later that week

We began picking out various groups of deer as the light developed. Before there was even enough light to pick out antlers we had found a few different groups. And lucky for us, we spied two unidentified deer who seemed intent on rubbing their heads together in a combative fashion. We decided to stay focused on them, waiting for the sunlight to reveal their antlers.

As we watched, more deer appeared around them in the high altitude sagebrush. Once there was enough light to genuinely see the deer, it became quite apparent that among the dozen or so deer there was more than two bucks among them.

Shooting Positions…

We moved into a position we could get on the deer with both boys. Despite the deer being around four-hundred or so yards upwind of us, they seemed quite suspicious of us. And they should have been.

Both boys were looking through scopes identifying the deer, while we whispered back and forth until everyone was on the same page. I don’t know why I had expected either buck to stand still for very long, much less at the same time. We decided instead of trying to get both deer in a command fire, we would simply shoot one, and go after the other.

wolfpack armory, remus, remus 30, suppressor, dmls, 3d printed, bergara, preier canyon, 308 winchester, steiner, steiner optics, h6xi, 2-12, shooting supported from a rock in the mountains, — picture from a practice a few days before the hunt, note the **Steiner H6Xi 2-12×42 riflescope**

Since it was his first time hunting, we decided to let Kevin take the first shot. Both boys continued to track the deer in their scopes, until the first shot broke.

Killing Time

The first shot might have been influenced by some buck fever, or something else entirely. But it went right over the buck’s shoulder. Deer began to scramble upon hearing the shot, and Santiago recognized his opportunity was now or never. The buck he’d been following in his scope stopped, giving a broadside shot at 420 yards, he fired a shot that sent a 175 grain Sierra Match King right through the buck’s heart. He bounced down hill maybe three bounds before toppling over and tumbling further.

mule deer, deer hunting, heart, heart shot, 175 Sierra match king, — Santiago’s shot passed through the business end of the heart

Closer up the ridge where the action had started, we all focused on the remaining deer. One of them was still obviously a buck, and we all directed Kevin to him as we watched through our individual optics. The quirky little buck seemed unaware of how hunting season work in these parts, as he began feeding into a draw of deep grass and sagebrush. Kevin followed him as he moved, waiting for the best position to shoot. As the young buck gave us a broadside shot, out went the call for the shot. Again, a 175 grain Match King knocked the buck to the ground. He tried to get up, and scrambled a few yards with legs flopping around. But the deep red stain running down his side was indicative of a massive vascular hemorrhage. He laid down for the last time.

mule deer, deer hunting, gutting, cleaning, — giving my nephew some pointers

Recovery

Shooting light had barely come and gone, and we found ourselves elbow deep in deer already. But before we got too excited, I wanted to put hands on both bucks. And since we are old fellas, my brother in law and I waited and watched as the boys made their way down to the bucks. We guided them first to Kevins buck, which lay about 380 yards downhill. And later to Santiago’s buck. Once both deer were confirmed dead, we made our way down to them with knives and packs ready for action.

hunting, deer hunting, mule deer, — the boys following blood trail

Both boys found curious differences when they got to their bucks. Santiago’s deer we had initially thought was a three point, but on closer inspection he turned out to be a 3×4 with some cute little eye guards.

mule deer, deer hunting, buck, antlers, bergara, premier canyon, 308 winchester, hunters posing with mule deer, — Santiago’s rifle is a **Bergara Premier 308 Winchester** fit with a **SilencerCo Harvester**

Kevin’s buck turned out to be a little goofier than we’d anticipated. He had a standard fork on his right side, but it appears his left antler was damaged early on. We started calling him “coat-hook” after the interesting way his left antler had grown.

Hauling Out

We’d told the boys that they needed to bring their muscles today, and they both dug deep for them. We split the 3×4 at the pelvis, and the boys carried and drug the deer back towards the road we came in on. After which, we pulled the second buck whole to the same place.

mule deer, cleaning, evisceration, butchering,

After returning home, we skinned everything out and washed both deer down. Cold water to remove any left over blood or contaminants, and hastened the cool down of the meat hanging in the cool morning air.

mule deer, deer hunting, packout, quartering, — packing out

After a week of aging in my woodshed, they were brought out to be butchered. Selecting choice cuts for special meals, and trimming every usable scrap for burgers and sausage. We love eating deer around here.

The Learning Curve

Both boys were exhausted by the days activities, and they’d both been through all kinds of fun. Perhaps one of the greatest parts of the day was earning their spot on the team. Earning the right to quip and joke back with adults in the same way they were often teased. If even for just the day, they felt they were one of the guys. They both came away with more confidence and some pride in their efforts, and with a freezer full of tasty venison to remember it all.