Other than one other attempt to hunt mule deer up in Alberta, I admit that I have zero experience or knowledge of the species. Growing up in the South meant we focused on whitetail, and it certainly wasn’t by spot-and-stalk method. Each time I’ve been out West, the focus is elk, but after moving our life to Southern Utah less than a year ago and working at the oldest “hub” for Western hunting information, you could say I’ve been exposed to mule deer MUCH more. Whether I’m hiking a trail, glassing, or simply conversing in the office with the Huntin’ Fool hunt advisors, mule deer has been the new whitetail for me.
Arizona has the reputation for having quality hunts for most species, and therefore it’s known for being extremely hard to draw the better units. Of course, with the way the state handles their draws, I always swing for the fence and pick some of the top units because there’s that small possibility that you can be a lucky one in the random draw. I guess that was the right attitude to have, although I admit I only make these decisions because my co-workers guide me through the entire application process in every state. They’re extremely knowledgeable and I trust them.
I very rarely answer my phone when an unknown number is calling, but for whatever reason I picked up the phone that day to hear that I was the next in line for an Arizona 3A/3C archery only, any antlered deer tag. I quickly ran to the other side of the office to tell the advisors and ask their opinion on whether or not I should accept it. For a little background on the unit, in 2019 it took residents 6 points and non-residents 11 points to draw this tag. Of course, there’s always the off-chance that you’ll get lucky, and I’d say that’s the best way to describe my situation after drawing it with only TWO POINTS! Initially I didn’t grasp the situation because again, I’m learning a lot every day about each state’s draw system - they certainly make it difficult enough to understand since they all have different processes and regulations. This is, of course, why Huntin’ Fool exists - we eliminate the headache of planning and applying!
It didn’t take long for me to call back and accept the tag, but here’s the catch: season opened in 2 weeks. I hadn’t scouted or planned - I wasn’t prepared other than shooting my bow a lot, per usual. We made a couple phone calls to respectable outfitters that we endorse through Huntin’ Fool, and I chose to go with G3 Outfitters. I’d be guided by Spencer Burns, who felt confident that we could get it done in a timely manner. The intimidating part was when he said it’d be good if I was comfortable shooting 60-70 yards. That’s not foreign to me, I know that about western hunting and I’ve shot multiple animals over 60, but it’s definitely not my first choice! However, I sucked it up and began shooting out to 80 yards. Every. Single. Night.
We hit the road early Friday morning on August 28th to make the 6.5 hour drive South to Heber, Arizona. We unloaded our stuff to set up camp, I shot my bow, then we headed out to glass for the evening. Spencer and I made a stalk but some mule deer does spooked and the bucks got too far ahead to close the gap before dark. The following day consisted of a lot of glassing and a couple of stalks that didn’t pan out. The wind liked to swirl at the worst times and once the deer fed into the tall pines it was nearly impossible to glass them. I will say that hearing bugles and glassing bulls sure made it tough to stay focused. I’m obsessed with elk and mule deer just don’t fascinate me the same way. It doesn’t help that the unit is known for giant bulls, which we did see one that would make anybody drool.
It was the 3rd morning of the hunt on Monday, August 31st when the magic happened. We left camp extra early to get where we wanted to be at first light. I think we must’ve been glassing for 15-20 minutes when Braxton waved Spencer and I over. He glassed up 6 bucks feeding across a hillside. The wind was perfect, moving uphill, which allowed us to circle around them and come in over top. Braxton stayed on the glass and led us in. Spencer and I took our shoes off immediately and stalked for 200+ yards in socks, careful to be extra silent. We were working along the edge of the pines because it was getting to be mid-morning and we weren’t sure if they’d feed uphill to bed down in the pines or keep working down lower for a bit. After slowly moving forward, a few yards at a time, we knew we had to be getting close. Sure enough, Spencer could see them a little over 100 yards away. We got as close as we could, but decided to let them feed toward us because the brush made it too difficult to have multiple windows. I wanted to have the option to shoot uphill or downhill, and without having them feed right on top of me before I could come to full draw. It was a patience game, no doubt, and that’s what paid off.
Caping my Mule Deer | Montana Knife Company
Mule Deer Backstrap!
Hanging the Meat | Koola Buck Game Bags
Braxton was doing the best he could to tell us which deer was 1st, 2nd, 3rd in line. They kept switching as they fed and the back and forth information was stressing me out! Ha, it’s difficult to think straight when you know it’s almost showtime. The deer continued to sidehill and ended up feeding below us. Spencer asked if I could shoot sitting down. I thought, “I’m from Texas, of course I can!” but I also practice this regularly. I got into position, in front of a tree while sitting on my legs, my bow resting on my thigh. The deer began to feed into my lane and before I knew it he was right in front of me at 62 yards, quartering away, facing to the right with his head down. There was a tree covering up the left half of him, so i came to full draw and leaned back for more clearance.
Pull, pull, pull, release…THWACK! It’s a sound you never forget behind a bow!
Unfortunately when I leaned back, I covered up Spencer’s binoculars with my head and he missed seeing the shot. He thought I might’ve hit low, and I honestly wasn’t sure of anything other than my shot sequence felt so good. I was confident on the release and it sounded like a hit. We watched the deer run down the hill and start running up the opposite face and gaining elevation, then they stopped and looked back. Spencer began counting, “1, 2, 3, 4, 5…I only see 5 bucks” and about that time I noticed some more deer running toward them from below. It was like a delayed reaction. That reminded me of something I’ve seen for years with whitetail. When a herd of deer are together then get spooked by something/someone, oftentimes they’ll run in different directions for a bit then stop to see what just happened. When the deer that’s been shot hits the ground, they’ll take off running again toward the rest of the herd. Seeing that behavior gave me hope, but we stayed back and called Braxton to let him know I shot. I was still feeling a little unsure about everything, when I hear Spencer say, “That rock is covered in blood!”
Oh, the emotions of bowhunting! We slowly walked forward and I began to see an awesome blood trail, but wanted to wait for Braxton. I called my dad and stepmom to let them know I shot one and was on good blood. I hear her say, “Junie, your mom just shot a buck!!” talking to my pup back in Texas. Spencer kept inching forward slowly, then waves at me with an uncertain look on his face. I quickly got off the phone and walked down to him. In a real monotone voice he said, “Well I lost blood and I saw some more deer running up the hill….
**changes tone**
….BUT YOURS IS RIGHT THERE!!!” he hollered. I jumped up and down, hugging and thanking him. About that time, Braxton appeared over the hill with his hands in the air and a huge smile on his face. I ran up and gave him a big hug and we celebrated the success. I’m so glad my deer didn’t make it 100 yards from the shot! It was a hard quartering away shot and it zipped straight through his heart, exiting his chest and sticking in the ground. I couldn’t be happier! What’s neat is that Braxton could see me come to full draw through his spotter, but he couldn’t see the deer from where he was standing. This was definitely a team effort and something I’ll never forget. My very first muley, and a velvet one at that! I’ve talked about wanting a velvet mule deer for years, and I finally got to put my hands on one. Having Braxton with me made it that much sweeter. After all, he’s the one that put a bow in my hand almost 8 years ago. It’s been quite a journey together! Cheers to kicking off the 2020 season with a bang!
Spencer Berns with G3 Outfitters
Braxton Byers, my hubs, best friend, and coach
Soaking the rack upright in VelvaLok
Gear Highlight
Diamondback Bed Cover to keep my gear safe on the road and locked up while we hunted
Canvas Cutter bedrolls for a simple, convenient, and waterproof sleeping option
Vortex Razor UHD 12x50 binos that are the perfect size to keep in a chest harness or throw on a tripod
Montana Knife Company is the first fixed blade I’ve used in a long time and my new favorite for caping
Koola Buck Anti-Microbial Game Bags are great for early season hunts to keep flies and bugs off
Velvet Technologies VelvaLok for preserving the velvet rack in a much more affordable way than a taxidermist