mule deer hunt

this year i was fortunate enough to draw a late archery mule deer tag for area 10, which is the ruby mountains. its a really great tag to have cause thats where the muleys migrate to and its home to the largest mule deer herd in nevada. its also great cause its during the rut and the big boys are really on the prowl looking for love. my hunt started on wednesday, november 10th. i set out for lamoille canyon where i had scouted the week before and found some nice bucks. the big one was there! he is about 33 or 34 inches wide, really heavy, tall, and would score close to 200"! well, the wind wasnt in my favor that day so i started after another buck. this really nice 4x3 came out and i shot. i must have just given him a haircut cause he ran off unharmed. i misjudged the distance so that one was on me. the next day i got 30 yards from the giant buck, also referred to as the "houdini buck". however right before he came out where i could get a shot, the wind swirled and he was gone. it was pretty disappointing since i had been stalking him for 5 hours. the next day went about the same. however, sunday i got really close! i made a 3 1/2 hour climb up the mountain and came down on the houdini buck in some aspens. he started up the hill towards me and it was a sight to behold. his horns were so big he kept getting them hung up on the trees as he walked. anyway, he came 42 yards from me and i was at full draw. however, there were too many willows in the way for a clean shot. its a big responsability to take an animals life and as any hunter knows, a clean, quick, ethical kill is the only way. he deserved better than to get wounded so i let him walk. believe me, my heart sank. it was back to work the next week. finally saturday came and the hunt for the houdini buck continued. however, he was gone! hence the name, houdini buck! so, we spent the rest of the day looking for other bucks in ruby valley. i tried to put a stalk on a nice 4x4 but the wind was swirling so i decided to back out and not spook him. sunday morning i awoke to a blizzard. i told my buddy i was going to use the cover of the storm to get into the trees where i saw the buck the night before and when the storm lifted id be there ready to hunt. so, i started up the hill. it was 16 to 18 degrees, 60 mph winds, blinding snow, and 50 ft visability. i had ice in my beard and eye brows! i made it to the first batch of aspens and decided i would sit against a willow tree and wait till the storm lifted some, cause i could no longer see. i hadnt sat down 5 minutes when i saw deer behind me, like 10 yards away. i grabbed my bow and as i was doing so i could see a good rack. the deer saw me and didnt know what i was so he started grunting and ran towards me. when he stopped, he was 3 yards from me! i was at full draw then and squeezed it off. i made a bad shot but it proved to be fatal. it was a success! he isnt a big buck by any means, but with the weather conditions i faced, the hours spent hiking the mountains, and time invested, i am proud of him. i love my whitetails, but the physical challenge of hunting western mule deer with archery tackle is something i always want to do. ill never forget my first muley. the end!