TX_COWDOC said:
Awesome mule deer! Please tell us the story!
Well thanks. Not much story. My best to date and second trip to Sonora. First week of this year, it was terribly slow hunting. This was only second mature buck we saw after 6 days of hunting.
Spotted at about 800 yds and 200' down in a bowl maybe a quarter section I guess, working some does watched for about an hour then decided to put on stalk. 1 1/2 hours later we topped out on a little rise about 100 yds from where he had been and nothing. Tried to sit and wait but wind picked up a bit and was swirling down in that bottom so decided to get out and went back up to original Perch on south side of bowl and watched for a while.
Didn't see him or does, so worked around to north side of bowl maybe a mile and set up to glass. Stayed there about 4 hours hence the sunburn, and glassed. Guides had their spotter and using mine while I used binos. Moved again to east side of bowl leaving one guide on north. After about an hour that guide on north spotted him working one doe towards west side of bowl.
I headed around to that side and was looking for someplace to set up and spotted him about 40 yds away but directly behind doe, oblivious that I was there.
Wanted him to move to get clean broadside because I had about 5" of top of back visible, but after a few minutes took the shot and basically spined him but doe lived to fight another day.
I'd have felt more comfortable with that shot out maybe 100-150 yards because I was sighted 1" high at 200. I normally sight in 1" high at 100 so not as familiar with that trajectory.
Cape was confiscated by a mentally unstable and very unfriendly customs guy for some kind of particle of something not moving or crawling, that fell out of cape during inspection. After that inspector walked off, the original one checking my cape even apologized for the guy having a bad day, but not sorry enough to give me my cape back.
