It was good to get out for the first real big game hunt of the year. We had 3 buck tags for game units 4,441,214, and 14, basically between Steamboat Springs and Craig. We camped in the Craig Campground (formerly the Craig KOA) and it was a very nice place to stay.
In the past years a lot of us have had great success in this area simply hunting BLM land. Last year Rob shot a real nice 4-oint Mule deer and this year I did the same. The only problem with this area north of Craig and Hayden is once the deer get a lot pressure they start herding onto private land so if you’re looking to get a shot at a respectable buck you need to be in the right place come opening morning.
Opening day of second season we saw our fair share of animals, literally hundreds of deer mostly does and small bucks. Usually by the break of day you’ve heard half a dozen shots in this area but the day started out pretty slow for everyone it seemed. We spotted our fair share of bucks but most were well out of range or on private land. We spent most of the day driving and scouting for potential places to hike in and sit and we came across a lot of good country. As the day drew to a close we pulled into one last section of BLM land and only a couple minutes down the road we spotted a decent 4-point mule deer down in a draw. I was able to get out of the truck and sneak around a plot of bushes and trees and down into the draw aways for a great broadside shoulder shot. One-shot and the animal was down clean.
Check out some of the other pictures we took on the hunt…
Watching a herd of deer, lookin for some big bucks!
Lunch time back at the fort.
Muddin through soup! Literally…
Pre-Deer hunt duck hole
Pre-Deer hunt duck hunt
Shoot straight!
Kris
