Well this years mulie buck hunt didn’t end the way I had hoped and with only one small buck sighted within range, needless to say I did not take any shots.

But, luckily for me, I had drawn a doe deer tag for the Bear River/Bothwell/Thatcher area.  I had been out one time before a couple of days ago, to a walk in access area West of Tremonton in a small burg called Thatcher.  The area covers about 400 acres and holds all kinds of animals.

These walk in access areas are really great.  The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources will pay a token amount of money to land owners who are willing to let people, like myself, trespass on their properties.  Of course there are rules that need to be followed, like signing in, walking in rather than driving in, picking up your trash as well as others and in general just being a caring human being while enjoying someone elses property.  I have hunted a few of these walk in access areas and I really love it.  I hope some a-hole dink pipsqueek doesn’t come along and ruin it for me.

At any rate, Brandon said he would go with me this morning and I told him I wanted to be “in position” before it got light enough to see.  We left the house at 6 a.m. sharp and drove the 30 minutes from home to the site.  Loaded up our stuff and headed to the hills.  It took us about a half hour of hiking up hill to get to where I wanted to be.  For a 62 year old fella, it wasn’t easy but then it wasn’t like it was straight up either.  We got to the spot right on time.  It was just light enough to see we were overlooking a flat terrace with large sage brush and some openings in the sage.  My farthest shot would be 100 yards to the very edge of the terrace should a doe present herself there for a shot.

As we sat there it got lighter and lighter.  The birds started to come out and chirp and fly passed us in surprise.  Soon it was light enough I could see my sights and suddenly, there came some deer!  They were not really running, but they were not stopping to look around either.  They were coming up the hill at a fast pace!  But, to my surprise they were going to climb the hill we were on to the left side of us and I would not be able to see them to shoot.

I moved to my left about 20 yards and there they were moving up the hill.  More were coming in behind the first group.  A total of about 15 were bounding and hopping up the hill.  Finally a medium sized doe stopped about 20 yards out and looked behind her self at some of the deer still crossing the flat of the terrace.  I settled the sights on her shoulder and let it fly.  Of course she turned downhill and folded about 100 yards from where she was.

It started with the sight of the first few deer and ended within a minute of that.

I’m very thankful for drawing the tag, very thankful for having God on my side to fill that tag and extra thankful that Brandon was there to help drag her off the hill and back to the truck!  Thanks Brandon, you Weasel!

The pic is a bit fuzzy, as the Weasel had not had enough coffee this morning…..he got up late.

I’ve had this rifle for three years and this is deer number three for it!  Thanks Dry Dog for finding this nice $65  rifle!

Bears Butt

Oct. 2011