Mule Deer Fanatic

From the Witchita Eagle:

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This fall, the Satanta hunter, Todd Robinson, shot this typical mule deer buck, killed with a muzzleloader, netted 195 5/8 of typical antler.

Hours before he shot the big mule deer, he’d resigned himself to shooting a doe.Robinson had hunted hard for nine days in Unit 17, having passed up numerous small bucks.

Getting off work early on Sept. 27, the next-to-last day of the special muzzleloader season, sent him to where sand hills met farmed ground.

He spotted the buck in the distance with about 20 minutes of legal shooting time remaining.

“Everything just worked out,” he said. “I had the sun at my back and a light breeze in my face,” Robinson said. “The field had a little dip in it and I used it to get close.”

The 100-yard shot with a .50 Thompson/Center Encore was perfect.

“I knew he was big, but didn’t realize how big until I walked up on him,” he said. “It literally blows you away when you walk up on a deer that big.”

The buck carried antlers with five tines per side and an outside spread of 31 inches. The beams carry exceptional mass from beginning to end.

The buck easily topped the previous state record, a buck of 189 5/8 inches shot in Unit 2 in 2000. Robinson’s buck also ranks second for Kansas’ all-firearms category, trailing a Unit 17 buck of 202 2/8 shot in 1999 with a centerfire rifle.

Two Wyoming hunters and their bucks:

Friend and fellow blogger, Kevin Paulson, sent me this photo of a recent Arizona Strip Buck killed by a hunter named John. Visit Kevin’s website by clicking on the Hunting Life link in the sidebar.

Good work, John

John Baxter just returned from a church mission in time to hunt the Utah archery season.

Having not shot a bow for over two years, John had to make up for lost time. After too many shots to count, John finally killed a very nice buck on the last day of his hunt.

Rock Schardine arrowed a massive muley buck during Utah’s 2008 archery hunt.

The buck grossed 199 2/8 and netted 194.

Rock figures the buck will gross score in the 190’s. Hunting is a family affair for the Schardine family. Three of them ride together on one four-wheeler, and have done so since the boys were little. Rock and his brother are accomplished hunters, bull riders, and hunting guides. “Staying on the ATV is nothing compared to riding a bull”, they say.

I found this article about the reason for hunting and I liked it, but before passing it on, I would like to add a few comments of my own.

Hunting is often referred to as a sport. Detractors may froth at the mouth and call it a blood sport because they do not understand. I have often reasoned that all sports have one thing in common: They provide the participant with a rush-producing challenge. If not so, who would participate?

It is difficult, at best, for me to describe why I hunt, since the reason is so multi-faceted. Camaraderie, outdoors, challenge, wits, adrenaline, all come to mind and yet, this is still only the tip of the iceberg. Someday, I will invest the time to fully describe my enthusiasm for hunting. For now, suffice it to say – I still don’t completely understand it. I do know that I am a MULE DEER FANATIC.

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This article appears in the deerPhD blog and was written by Bryan:

Ask any hunter about the ‘rush’ that occurs as a buck approaches, and he or she will undoubtedly tell you it’s like no other ‘high’ they’ve known. A primary cause of this rush is adrenalin, and it’s another reason why I hunt.

I definitely wouldn’t lump hunters into the category of “Thrill-seekers”. You know, people who jump off cliffs or out of planes, or stuff like that. Granted, I’ve done my share of thrill-seeking in my day: bungee jumping, jumping off of a 70 foot bridge into a river, etc. However, the adrenalin rush that occurs during a hunt is so much different. It’s coupled with peace and anticipation, and if I don’t experience the rush I won’t stop hunting. That is, I don’t hunt for the Adrenalin rush, but if it occurs (i.e., if I see a buck), it’s icing on the cake.

I mentioned before that many hunters will describe the hunting rush as being better than any other high. To illustrate this point, I want to share a story about a hunting guide I once met; his name was Fred. During our hunt, Fred shared his story with me. He talked about how he used to ride be a wild biker and a drug addict. Fred had experienced most ‘highs’ of this world. Fred added that as he started to straighten out his life, he missed the ‘highs’ of his old life…and then Fred discovered hunting. Here’s a quote from Fred as we finished tracking my first wild boar:

”(Loud holler). That’s it buddy! You did it! I get the shakes and I’m not even hunting right now…this is the best feeling in the world! You know, I’ve been drunk and high and everything in between, and I wouldn’t trade this feeling right now for any of that!”

I guess sometimes Adrenalin can be our worst nightmare too, such as when our shaking legs inhibit us from implementing a successful and ethical shot. But that’s one of the glories of hunting. You’ve got to master your prey and yourself to be good.

Here’s to the rush…and here’s to guys like Fred…

The North Kaibab is over-rated, while other units are sometimes under-rated.

Here is Phillip’s unit 5 buck- not exactly a unit where you would expect to find a nice Arizona buck:

Congratulations Phillip

From the Denver Post:

It isn’t easy being pink – unless you’re able to stick a broadhead into a trophy mule deer.

This pink thing has a distinct focal point in the flamboyant personage of Keli Van Cleave. The first thing one notices about Van Cleave, who alternately resides in Superior and a suitcase, is that color. Her company, Pink Outdoors, pretty much says it all about a schtick that starts with a unique pattern of camouflage clothing and continues right down to the shafts of her arrows

“It may sound crazy,” she says of the seeming incongruity of pink camouflage, “but it works because animals are colorblind. Camo is just a breakup.”

Once an observer gets past the color thing, it’s evident Van Cleave is the real outdoor deal. She has taken the largest typical mule deer in velvet ever in Colorado by a woman with a bow. The rack scored 202 1/4.

Of course, she was wearing pink camo at the time. She added, “I’ve shown you can be in the outdoors and still look good.”

Growing up close to nature in Grand County, Van Cleave came by her skills naturally. She began bow- hunting at age 12, in large part because that’s what you do in an outdoor family that didn’t allow television in the house.

“My father had us in the outdoors all the time. I got my hunting genes from my father, but my pink genes from my mother,” she said of what has been a dual path to national attention.

This Monster Muley buck was apparently shot right off the road. The hunter didn’t bother to go after it, but after talking to his friend, they decided it might be worth going back to look for it. According to folklore a number of people knew about this buck and planned on killing it, including some holders of Arizona Governer’s tags.