so, South Dakota didnt go exactly as planned this year.  i was working some whitetails, and getting it handed to me.  i did get close one night, to the buck on the left in this pic.  in fact i had him but i was in a buddies stand, and it was set basicaly at eye level to where the deer were watering.  he saw me when he walked out and never looked away, until he ran away.. here he is.

http://i1104.photobucket.com/albums/h333/huntnmuleys/whitetailididntget.jpg

so, after not seeing him again, i decided to hit up the rutting muleys. been after em all week, saw a dandy a couple nights ago and tried to move on him, but his doe wasnt having it.  ended up working around them and trying to rattle him away but he wasnt having that either.  did find some of his handiwork though...   http://s1104.photobucket.com/albums/h333/huntnmuleys/?action=view¤t=rub.jpg

 http://i1104.photobucket.com/albums/h333/huntnmuleys/rub.jpg

wonderful.  photobucket is giving me fits again. sweet..

so anyway, this morning i went in a different way, and spotted a herd with a dandy.  no pics of him, i ran out of sneakable spots at about 150 yards and the moved off to bed. however, while i was watching this big guy, another group came in behind me, and a different narrow tall buck joined them.  some nice deer around on national forest!

ok, i give up.  now its letting me post a pic, but the size isnt what theyre set at.  have i mentioned how i dont like photobucket lol...

ok ill try some more.  here is that same tall narrow buck joining up with the other group.  i was NOT in a good spot for them, working that other herd that was in front of me, these came up behind.  it was a matter of time before the jig was up, and it was when a doe got to about 100 yards.  they left.  

Keep it coming. Mulies are one of my favorites, second only to whitetails. Seeing them out there in that open country is awesome.

Looking forward to more pics on this one!

here are the first two pics that didnt come out.. the whitetail i almost shot, and the rub from the nice buck a few nights back....    

 

so anyway, i knew these muleys had been moving early, so i hiked back in yesterday around noon.  on the drive out of town i saw a small buck in one spot and some does in another, maybe i was already late?  anyway hiking in to the top i spied that narrow 5 point from this morning bedded alone, but he already had me.  fortunately, he just got up and slowly fed away, the benefit of being may hundreds of yards away.  it is a beautiful area in hunting...  

dang, my camera lens has a spot towards the top. bummer.
anyway, i was going to sit that trail that the deer had went in in the morning. found just the place, about 15 yards off the trail and got hunkered in to the buck brush. the wind made it a cold sit, and things didnt happen as fast as id have liked.
look at this good looking guy!!


and something not so ugly, my bighorn recurve (ok, according to my brother thats ugly too, he HATES that bow).  

but like i said, the sit was slow. it was an hour and a half or so, just after id heard some rifle shots in the distance (it is rifle season, on national forest. no worries i had orange on, a ton of it strapped to my back lol), i saw a dandy buck had come out of a canyon to my left a ways. he was very nervous, and made a LONG trot in a half circle and ended up 70 yards from me.  i thought just maybe he'd want to hide in the dark canyon i was guarding, but just my luck after a few minutes he drifted off the other way, apparantly settled completely down.  

and the long, cold sit continued. this was a total shock to me, i had seen so many bucks in there this morning, and they should be up!  FINALLY, i heard something and readied myself, but alas, just 4 does fed on by.  mid november and the rut in full swing i expected a buck at any time, but it just never happened.  the sun was going down, there was a little on the hills in front of me but i was freezing in the shade.  time to try to make something happen!  
i got up, and hiked up behind me to the rim of the big canyon. i could see 3 or 4 does wayyyy down in the bottom, and heard something get up to leave from right below me in the thick buckbrush.  i looped around the top to get in front of it, but was too late. and what a buck it was!  no pics, but he was 27 inches or so wide, massive as heck, but not deep forked. he wouldnt have scored well, but this was a big old deer and i was busted.  it hurt watching him bound away...

after that, i worked back behind me further, going over a nice looking plateau and dropping off into another when i saw a herd of deer. looked to be 10 or 11, and i saw one deer chasing a doe but couldnt see a rack on him in the distance.  surely there was a herd buck with these guys?

and finally i saw that there was. a real nice buck was working the herd.  through my binos i could see he was tall, somewhat wide and heavy, but his forks were tiny.  no matter, im not that picky, if he gives me a crack hes getting an arrow!  finally one of the does decides to go across the plateau in front of me, a ways you.  she was going to pass me at just over 100 yards. the big guy left the herd to follow her.  just too far...

while these deer were moving, i had got knelt in very close to a bit of buckbrush, and when i realized they werent going to come near me, i thought why not try the ol' can call?  ive had luck with can calls before. as soon as i hit it the big guy stopped and started looking.  unbelievably, after hitting the call a few times he slowly broke my way.  it was getting dark by now but not that dark, and before i knew it this old deer was inside of 30 yards, broadside, but staring me down.  i couldnt move to draw. finally, after what seemed like forever the deer started looking a bit fidgity and turned to look back at his herd, which was still standing and watching all of this from over 100 yards away.  when he turned to look at them i rolled up higher on my knees to shoot and....

i flinched a good bit, throwing my string hand from my face. ive done that before a time or two, and it made my arrow go right a bit.  he was not quite perfectly broadside, a quarter step maybe quartering away and i hit right in front of the shoulder bone, perfect height.  the deer took off like a shot and of course i was in panic mode, until i noticed even in the somewhat fading light that blood was absolutely pouring from both sides of his body.  i got lucky there, only missed by a few inches but what could have been a nightmare was a 100 yard down in sight buck!  id rather be lucky then good...  
 

Great hunt, thanks for posting. I'd love to hunt SD sometime.

Great hunt, congrats.

Wow, Brad, way to getter done the hard way. I just got back from 5 days in the high country myself and only seen 5 does and 1 buck. The dam wolves have really put a pinch on the mules here. Anyway, congrats man, great story and pics.        

       

good job.

Good job Brad!