Going to try again

Well its official I am going mule deer hunting again in WY....area J....I was pretty sure I would draw but I learned years ago to never count your chickens before they hatch.....I also drew my antelope tags...so with that combo and the cow elk tag I drew this spring....I should be able to hunt something....My middle son John has decided to go with me so he will be applying for leftover tags as soon as they are posted.....We are pretty sure he will draw....So it should be a real fun time....My other two sons in the past two years have made a trip with me...Last year Mike, my youngest son, went with me to NE Wyoming and we brought home a fine 3x3 mulie, a 74" lope and a doe lope.....The year before my oldest son Jim went with me to MT and we bagged a fork elk and a fork mulie buck....So I am real excited about this trip......John and I are both looking for our first mulie.....I have passed on small mulie bucks myself several times so this year I am really hoping to bring home my first one.....
 
Congrats to everyone out there that have been lucky in the draws....
 
Randy

Hunt safe and courteous for a rewarding hunt.
Hunter Education Instructor since 1984

The G&F website shows there are 636 deer tags left over in Region J, so your son should have no problem getting one.  My buddy and I struck out again in the antelope draw, so next year we will have 3 PPs.

Mike Stephenson
aka Topgun----30-06

Good luck in WY, looking forward to the pics stay safe.

Semper Paratus
Final Approach Pro-Staff
Foiles Migrators Pro-Staff
Rig'Em Right Pro-Staff
Duck Junkies Pro-Staff
Clearwater Fl. Ducks Unlimited Committee Member
TEAM TRIPPLE H
TEAM BUSH QUACKED

 Good luck. Should be able to fill the freezer with all those tags!
 I was not lucky enough to draw a deer tag in unit 89, with max. pref. points....hard draw. 

Good luck, hope you get one or more.
 
I am waiting until 09 to hunt mule deer.  Missed out on some this year as something came up and did not get into the draw in SD.
 
Have not shot one either but have it on my list to do in the future.

T.H. WERTH
US Army (Ret)
NRA
LM-NAHC
Viet Nam Vet

MNbogboy, the results are up for the leftover tags in wyoming.  also going to be going after lope this fall there.  planning on stopping on the way back from the bear hunt for a day.  or two or three.

when out bear hunting, make sure you are at least faster than the slowest person in your party!!!

Hey Randy hope you have a great hunt, take a few pictures for us.

Gerry

7 Mag
Plymouth, Indiana

Well, we made it home, our trip was again a great adventure and both John and I scored on our first mulies....John made a fine 200 yard shot on this beauty of a 2x3, unfortunately he sprained his ankle as he approached the downed deer as the creek bank (probably undermined by beavers at some point) gave way and ended up turning his ankle....I boned the deer on site and packed it out on my back...the climb out of the canyon was very steep but both John with the aid of a beaver chewed cane and I made it with no further problems....as you see even with the painful ankle he was really a happy camper....
 
The next day John's ankle was a little better...he was able to hobble a few hundred yards from the truck to watch me do a spot and stalk on my buck....I picked him up in binoculars at about a half mile on a steep slope.....The stalk took about 2 hours....I jumped the buck at about thirty yards he stopped at about a hundred yards from me where the 120 Nosler Partition did its number to the base of his neck.....I called John on the cell phone and he told me he watched the whole thing....I was pretty happy to finally bag a decent buck after three years of trying.....
 
We decide not to try to fill my cow elk tag as the snow storm the week before had limited our access to some of the elk country we planned to scout and hunt....And besides our freezer was almost full including the buck antelope I bagged on the first day we hunted.....
 
I really want to thank everyone on this board for helping make this hunt a success....Hopefully the pics will upload alright
 
Randy


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Hunt safe and courteous for a rewarding hunt.
Hunter Education Instructor since 1984

I passed on 4 smaller bucks two years ago, 5 smaller ones last year and 4 this hunt before this one gave me the opportunity....It may not be a trophy in any one elses eyes but it really means a lot to me and I thank God for giving it to me.....
 
BTW, I had venison chops for supper smothered in mushrooms and onions and they were real good...
 
Good luck to everybody...We are now looking forward to Minnesota and Wisconsin deer seasons......Be safe out there...
 
Randy


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Glad you had a good time and filled your tags Randy.  I was out in the Badlands just east of Worland for the first eight days of the month.  It was very tough hunting and it was too hot (in the 80s for three days, then the 70s for four days, and the last day it was still in the 60s).  We saw 40+ deer, but only three small bucks.  The two warden/biologists I know out there said we might not see a deer in several days, but the potential for a big buck was there and that's why we decided to try the area.  We left two days early due to the anticipated storm and made it home safely.  The day after we left it hit and by Sunday night they had 18" of snow in Worland, where I left my trailer, and the higher elevations were to get up to 3'.
I'm heading back out there tomorrow night and will pick up the trailer and set up camp where we usually hunt in Region M on Saturday night.  Our plans are to hunt through 11/2 and then I'm going over northwest of Worland into unit 125 for two days to look over that limited quota area with a friend who has a buck tag.  Then we are heading for southwest North Dakota for about a week of pheasant hunting and will get home just in time to head for my place near Kalkaska for our two week whitetail season.   I hope you have a great season on whitetails where you hunt! 

Mike Stephenson
aka Topgun----30-06

Hi Mike,
Sounds like you got out in the nick of time....we arrived in Douglas just as the snow started on Thursday night....got real wet in my homemade camper....Got out Fri morn for the antelope opener...shot a small buck in the snowstorm...got wet again....Hunter (Pete) let us use his garage for butchering and plugged the freezer in at his place...Worked out great as he and his wife were the best of hosts.....It stormed off and on for two more days....but we managed to get some scouting in....The elk mountains were still pretty rough for travel with my 2WD so we opted to hunt deer on the opener...John scored right away the first day and the next day I got lucky....our scouting paid off these were both rather small areas of State land close to civilization....The deer were plentiful...The largest bucks we saw however were all on private land....
 
Good luck on your upcoming hunts and we will talk later...
 
Randy

MNbogboy:
 
Awesome pictures and story!  Thanks much for taking the time to share your pictures and story with us all; we sincerely appreciate it!
 
Topgun 3006:
 
Best of luck to you!
 
Take care and Good Hunting!
 
Best Afield,
 
Steve

Well here we go again.....While waiting for spring to come here in northern MN...We are dreaming about our WY trip again this fall....With a lot of help from Topgun my oldest son Jim and I have decided to head out a new direction in wyoming this year and mule deer hunt in the Big Horn mountain area......And do a little antelope hunting along the way.....Can hardly wait...
Randy

Enjoy your trip this fall. I can hardly wait until the 2010 season and get to show some NM hospitality to TG on a ML mulie hunt here. Hopefully we will have some great pictures as well as a great time. Post your pics and stories also, looking forward to it. Give me a heads up if TG requires anything special besides Pepsi, he already told me he won't drink coffee  

"It is better to rule than serve"

TWELCH---I'm already trying to figure out how to get that Pepsi into camp with you, LOL!  Hunting and Pepsi are my addictions, but I think I will have to do without the pop for those few days.  Shooting a couple big mulies should more than make up for the loss though

Mike Stephenson
aka Topgun----30-06

Twelch thanks for the heads up on TG....
What do you mean you don't drink coffee, Mike?.....Thats all we serve in our camp before dark....and after dark the pepsi is often allowed with a hootch of your choice if you desire.....
My wife drinks diet pepsi day and night and she doesn't drink coffee either and I guess its OK but still hard to believe...
Later gentlemen,
Randy

I don't understand it either. I have the IV hook up so when I go to Starbucks they can just give me the espresso via IV 

"It is better to rule than serve"

So TG how many do you need for a week? You carry them in and I will carry them out. Hee Hee!

"It is better to rule than serve"

What a guy!  Not near a s much as you said you used to drink, LOL!!!  I might try to sneak a few cans in if I can lighten the rest of the load a little!!!  I'd hate to have the shakes when that big buck steps out and begs to get whacked with my ML!!!

Mike Stephenson
aka Topgun----30-06

Going to try and blame it on no Pepsi HUH?

"It is better to rule than serve"