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Not an elk. It is however my first mule deer. I normally don't hunt mule deer, I go after whitetails. Its not even my best deer. At 3:30 on the last day of season, I stalked up on him and 5 does, and the rest as they say, is hamburger.
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Also not an elk. It is my longest distance shot on a big game animal. It was a 317 yard head shot. Those of you who know I normally shoot long distance might be surprised that I don't have a longer big game kill shot. I don't try for long shots on big game and I never wait till I get a longer shot. Until two years ago my longest kill was under 200 yards. Then I took a 297 yard antelope and this year I took a 317 yard shot. It was only a head shot because the buck turned and backed up when I shot. My normal point of aim is the place on the shoulder where the white and brown make a little corner.
As for elk, I drove across the state just to spend my week of vacation in a mechanics shop getting my truck fixed. Of course there is a tale of adventure with that but it will have to wait till I have more time.
No elk, but nice work putting meat on your family's table, anyway.
ReplyDeleteAnd a 317-yard kill is nothing to sneeze at. Good job!
How does one live in Wyoming as long as you have and not kill a mule deer till now?
ReplyDeleteI like eating whitetail better. The other reason has to do with when the season is open in the unit I live in. This is the first time it was open till the 20th. For the first 9 years I lived here I owned a great bird dog and I spent my free time hunting with her. Bird season and muley over lapped but whitetails were open till latter in the year.
ReplyDeleteI can't say I can tell the difference.
ReplyDeleteOur mule deer is a little closer to antelope in taste. The whitetail I grew up eating was mostly corn fed. So when I first had mule deer it was different. I don't mind either but it was eaiser for me to hunt whitetail so thats what I did. Prior to saturday I only went out muley hunitng 1 time in the last 12 years of living here and I passed on a buck that day.
ReplyDeleteI try to hunt them with the bow when we are in the Hills over thanksgiving on years that we don't draw a rifle tag. Or after the rifle tag is filled.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, that really sucks about the pickup. I'd have gone out of my mind.
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