Hunting The Rut

We are fortunate here in Montana. We can hunt Mule Deer during the entire rut. This is a rare thing now days, most states don’t allow it, or it takes too many points to draw. That being said, we kill some dandy bucks before the rut even starts. This big buck in the picture was taken early.

Tony was on a hunt with his father and grandfather. On the first day I was guiding Tony’s dad and we bumped the huge buck, and he ran a couple of miles. The wind was howling, and we couldn’t hardly glass. Next day Tony and super guide Aaron Laid eyes on this big boy. The deer was in a big wheat stubble field laying down with about 12 does. The stalk took the better part of a day.

They found a slight low spot in the field and were able to close the distance to just under 400 yards. After setting up the shooter in the prone position. It would be difficult at best. Tony waited for a long time and controlled his breathing before he made the shot. The rest as they say is history.

The return to camp with such a deer was absolute joy! It was Afterall Tony’s birthday. We celebrated with cake ribeye’s and low-class beer. I’m sure Tony won’t forget this birthday.