2014 Wyoming Rifle Mule Deer

WYOMING BIG LEAGUES: THIRTY FIVE WIDE

A Remarkable Story about the High Country Mule Deer - Thirty Five
By: Sean Morgan

While unsuccessful in the 2013 draw, Dad and I were both fortunate enough to draw non-resident deer tags in the state of Wyoming in 2014. Acquiring more than one deer tag in a single year can either be rewarding or disastrous. With Utah’s archery season opening two weeks before Wyoming’s, the decision where to spend precious scouting time could possibly make or break our hunt.

After harvesting Big Back’s in Utah, the sense of relief was short lived as we were on our way up to Wyoming before we knew it. Having another tag and the potential to take a second big buck in the high country was a surreal feeling. The long drive gave me and Dad plenty of time to reflect and go over strategies for the upcoming adventure. The pure feeling of not knowing what bucks were in our hunting area was relatively new to us, as it seemed we knew every buck on the mountain in our home state.

We reached the trailhead and dispersed all the gear we would need for the five days of hunting that was to follow. Our optimistic minds were slightly dampened as the weight of our packs seemed heavier than expected. Trekking poles proved to be a great advantage as the hike up to camp was more than difficult. Opening morning of the archery hunt had us overlooking some promising basins; however we weren’t impressed with the number of deer we were seeing. Relying on our experience and skills from past hunts proved invaluable as we decided to move camp even further and explore some new areas.

We hunted 11 of the 14 days in Wyoming’s archery season with very few opportunities to take a buck we would be proud of. The final days of the hunt were unusually cold which moved the big bucks much lower in elevation, ultimately making them more difficult to find. Even after adapting to these conditions and changing our tactics, we ended the Wyoming archery season feeling a bit overwhelmed. Hunting so far away and not knowing every inch of the area made us realize how comfortable we were hunting around home. It felt like Wyoming was the big leagues and our back country skills were being truly tested every day.

With Wyoming’s rifle season opening the day after archery closed, the time for redemption was here. Dad and I planned a trip for the following weekend but the weather forecast didn’t look favorable. In a spur of the moment decision, I planned a quick solo hunt just in case bad weather ruined our weekend plans. The timing of this decision couldn’t have been worse. The day prior I hiked countless miles checking trail cameras in Utah and was only going to get a couple hours of sleep before I started my drive to Wyoming. I stopped along the way, set up a target up, and took a few practice shots with the rifle I borrowed from a friend. To my surprise I shot better than expected and couldn’t wait to get back up on the mountain.

The weight of a heavy pack never seems to get lighter, but fueled with excitement I made good time on the grueling hike up. Reaching the top and feeling exhausted, I now had the choice to either rest and setup camp or hunt the remainder of the day. I was eager to see what bucks were still in the area so I assembled my hunting gear and hiked to my glassing spot. High atop the cliffs I was able to look down into multiple basins and found one of the bucks I was after. This same wide buck, named Thirty-Five had given me the slip on the archery hunt and I was happy to see no other hunters had beat me to him.

Not having my usual hunting partner with me, I was indecisive as to if I should take this buck on my first day with a rifle or not. After calling my Dad, I chose to move in closer to get a better look since the buck was still quite a distance away. A short time later I was within 200-yards of Thirty Five, the true size of this buck came into realization and the thoughts of passing him up were no longer there. Twelve days of hunting in Wyoming had me ready to punch my tag on this more than worthy buck. It seemed as if every variable was aligning and with the sun going down, it was now or never.

Thirty-Five was slowly feeding towards some deep timber so I setup my spotting scope and digiscope adapter with camera to film the shot. Settling the crosshairs just behinds his shoulder, I gently pulled the trigger. After the gun fired, he appeared to be hit as he hobbled away. Just before going out of sight I fired again for reassurance. Looking through my scope I was able to see him fall down seconds later as both shots proved to be fatal. Uncontrollable emotions flooded over me as I’d just concluded one of the toughest hunts I ever been on and harvested my widest buck to date.

Walking down to Thirty-Five was bittersweet as this celebration would be alone. Darkness came quick and I still had the challenge of caping, quartering, and hanging my buck by myself. With the threat of bears in the area I was a bit paranoid but finished without any issues. I made it back to camp late that night and was able to get some much needed sleep. The next morning I packed out as much as I could and met Dad down at the trailhead. I was very grateful he made the drive up to help me and we packed out the rest of my buck later that day. Thirty-Five was later aged at 8-years old and truly was a monarch of the mountain to have survived so long in the high country of Wyoming.

I’d like to give a huge Thank You to my father, Ken Morgan for helping with the pack out and a special Thank you to Wyatt Bubak for lending me his rifle. I wouldn’t have been able to do it without your support!