New hunter back from 3-32

[Pemby_mess]

So I am trying to get back into hunting after doing some as a kid with my dad and as a young adult both with minor success.

A friend of mine (almost completely green) and I decided to go for a four point Muley this last week in 3-32. It may have been a little ambitious in hindsight but I think we learned a ton and had a great time even after suffering a bit.

Im here to share our experience and to appeal to the experience of the board here to help us hasten the learning curve.


We drove in as far as we could get on Tuesday afternoon, up to about 1600m or so and started hiking. Few Kms down the trail we ran into a doe and another one soon after. We already knew that the big buys were up high so we started heading straight up through aspens and meadows. Tons of fresh sign got us pretty excited. Made camp at 2100m and were up before first light glassin all the south facing basins from the ridge.

By 10am had seen nothing so we decided to move west down the ridge. We were out of water so had to move quickly into a northerly basin that held some. Sat quietly at the creek for a while and nothing so again started westerly again on the ridge. Ran into a great big flock of ptarmigan so took a couple of those with the .22 to supplement our MH dinners. Soon after around 4pm as we were back glassing one of the basins off the ridge, we scared up a doe and two point buck in their bed of krumholz. The buck stood there 30 yds away staring at us broadside for a couple minutes before taking off down the cliffs into the basin we had just been searching.

To be honest, if he had been in season we probably would have taken him then and there. So off we go again searching for something bigger and sure enough as we're walking a group of three bucks is walking up a scree slope below us towards the ridge. I immediately hit the deck and told by buddy to get down. At this point they saw us and took off into the basin. There was an older buck, at least three points but could have been greater, wish I could upload the photo we took cause he looked massive and two smaller bucks two point or greater.

If we had seen them earlier we may have been able to set up for a real close shot on the ridge. Alas we spooked them enough that they took off around the next ridge system. We attempted a stalk to get a closer look at the bigger guy, but we couldn't find them so as darkness set in we retreated to the valley for dinner and bed.

Next day we were reluctant to haul our sorry asses up the same ridge system and wanted to see some new country anyway so we set off on a 20km round trip up into a high pass at about 2000m via a new ridge system.

Again lots of fresh sign but no deer. Buy the time we got to the pass the only tracks we were seeing was grizz and lots of wolves. There were lots of trails up high in the scree however.


We were both pretty bushed at this point and decided to hike down the 10k to the truck seeing an other doe at 1800m beside a creek. We were back at the truck late thurs night. All in all we saw 4 bucks, 5 does, one possible shooter in two and half days - about 35kms of ground and quite a bit of elevation.

We learned that to ensure success in the future dealing with this kind of terrain one of us will probably need to get a quality spotting scope, and both of us will need to get comfortable taking long shots.

One thing that made me uncomfortable, is that we couldn't seem to locate the deer without them seeing us at the same time. Is there anything we could do in the future to improve this?

Were we covering too much ground? Not enough?

Really appreciate any and all help and/or tips you guys are able to provide. Thanks.

[Ltbullken]

Yup, you were moving around a lot. Find a good looking basin and glass then plan a careful stalk on the deer once you spot them.

[Gateholio]

Slow down, glass lots...Sounds like you had a successful trip, even if no deer came home with you.

[swampthing]

Your doing it right. It will happen. Be ready for buck fever and how to control it. 3-32 is a favorite of mine.

[Gilmore]

Sounds like you had a good time! In my experiences depending on the weather early season muley hunts can be tough on the patience. If its warm which it is a lot of times, deer are gonna be in the open for a couple hours after first light and an hour before dark. They are starting to get there winter fat going and standing out on an open hillside with direct sunlight in the heat of the day is a little uncomfortable. If you find a ridge or a bowl where you know bucks are feeding be prepared to get there in the dark, get hidden and wait for daylight and hopefully they will come out in a spot where you can put a stalk on them. As well when its warm don't ignore the shadier north and west facing slopes.

[Pemby_mess]

Thanks - that sounds like really good advice. We might try the same area again before the end of September. When would you guess that the bigger bucks would start coming down out of the alpine?

How would a snowfall in the alpine affect their distribution and habits?

Does anyone hunt this kind of terrain with just binoculars or are you looking for motionless animals in their beds with a proper scope?

Thanks to all the replies - really hoping to maximize the learning from this one.

[ravensfoot]

Big Bucks don't come down till the end of the season. You'll be hunting in the deep snow at that time. They are there and they are huge.

[kennyj]

Sounds like you did every thing right. You just needed more time, and definitely a spotting scope.
kenny

[ElectricDyck]

Sounds like a rewarding trip, now you just need a camera so I can be rewarded too!:-D

[M.Dean]

Man, after reading what you guys seen, and the ground you covered about the only thing I'd say if the Deer are seeing you first would be to maybe slow down a bit. What I found out over the years is all animals see movement long before we do, when I could walk I'd go dog slow in good country, and glass every time I had a bit of a new view. If you can, knee down and glass as much as possible, with good Binos you should start to see Deer before they see you, and if for some reason the Deer are spooked every time your glassing, maybe check the wind, they maybe smelling you long before they see you! Also, if you are in the market for a Spotting Scope, I've got a brand new one, still has the price tag on it, 483.99, I'd like to get 350.00 for it, it's never being used, I can't walk much, so why in hell do I want to see critters 2 or 3 miles away!it's a Vanguard 661Signature Plus, 15 x 45. If your interested PM me and I'll e-mail you pic's. it comes in a locking case, and has a soft case for back packing. And, from the sounds it, it's simply a matter before you guys hammer a real decent Buck! This was a excellent story, very well written, keep up the good work guys!!!

[sparkes3]

m.dean you have mail

[The Dude]

If you know you're in the right country, and you're moving more than looking, you're doing it wrong.
Move quietly from cover to cover, and stop and look. Don't ever skyline yourself.
If you can find a nice lookout get into it slowly and unseen, settle in, and use your optics.
Watch your wind at all times.

[open-sights]

Mulie hunting vs whitetail hunting, dont worry that mulies are spotting you before you see them, chances are there were 20 times the animals around that you didnt locate. When I am on foot in the same area, I have harvested a 4 point 5 of the last 7 years, of which 3 were shot after I spooked them before spotting them. Sometimes it can work to your advantage. Whitetails are different again, if they spot you - chances are you will never see them again, the white flag goes up and it's the last thing you'll see from them. Recently in region 3 I sat and watched a mule deer watching me for over 1/2 an hour and it would not move, I had hiked within 20 yards of where he had stood and had a buddy locate him as we were further down a trail looking backwards. Many times we sat and glassed open areas and were ready to move on when a buck was spotted. thats the thing with early season hunting, too much cover. Sounds like you had a good time. Well done

[seanps]

Sounds like a great trip regardless. Nice work!