One Great Hunt

By Billy Jensen 

After glassing many mountain goats it finally happened early on our second day.  Devin spotted a billy through the scope and almost instantly said “he’s a shooter”.  As we all watched the billy through our scopes at over a mile away there was no question he was a shooter.  He had the longest hair out of all the goats we had spotted.  Devin had patiently waited for the last week of his mountain goat hunt before he actually started hunting.  This was to allowing the hair to grow as long as possible.  The goat was amazing to watch as he navigated the steep rocky terrain.  To are surprise he kept side hilling until he went over the last rock outcrop and vanished into a canyon filled with quakies and pines.  Watching the goat enter the timber surprised us because most goats we had watched stayed in the rocks.  

Its go time and Devin’s plan is to get to the rock outcrop the billy was on before he vanished and wait him out.  They were at the rock within two hours Devin with his bow and Dallas with the camera.  Now the waiting game began.  I watched as Devin and Dallas would spend the rest of the day on that rock watching and waiting for the right opportunity.  Patience and perseverance paid off with a great opportunity and some tense moments.  As for the rest of the story Devin will have to tell it.  We will also post the video of the hunt here on the blog as soon as it is edited.  Here are a few photos I wanted to share with all of you.  I hope you enjoy. 

Devin Great Mountain Goat

Group photo after moving the goat to the shade of a small cliff to keep him cool.  

 

 

It only took Devin a few minutes to secure the hide and head to the Full Curl pack by Horn Hunter.   Wanting to keep the hide as cool as possible we put it in a game bag.  With the existing straps on the Full Curl frame it was quick and easy to secure the load.  Hiking back to camp there were no problems with the load.  After arriving at camp in a little over an hour the straps were still tight and the load was still secure.  The Full Curl System by Horn Hunter was perfect for this hunt.  

To check out Horn Hunter backpacks Click this link. 

 

 

No Walk In The Park.

By Billy Jensen

 

Scouring the  backcountry for a monster mule deer is no walk in the park.  As many of you know it is a real test of ones mental and physical abilities.  As I continue searching for that monster buck I am constantly mending sore feet from the miles traveled over the rough terrain.  The heavy pack is an important part of the many backcountry trips and at times it seems to be part of me like a good pair of shoes.  To many hunters the idea of hunting miles away from their comfortable camp does not make sense.  To me I relish in the challenge of hunting the backcountry and all that comes with it.  Time and time again I push myself beyond the comforts of a leisurely hike to get to some remote location with hopes of spotting a monster buck.  More times than not my hopes are not met.  To me this is not discouraging because I know it is part of the process.  There is a reason that monster bucks are sought after by so many hunters, it is because they are so hard to find and even harder to hunt.

Hunting mule deer always seems to be hard work but  every year I look forward to it because I know it will take me on a great adventure through some of the most amazing country imaginable.  

Here are few photos of some of  my friends and I enjoying the backcountry in 2010.

 

 

 

 With the arrival of fall I am looking forward to the many hunting adventures that will take place in the next few months.  I am excited for my own adventures as well as the adventures of others that I will experience through hunting forums, blogs, printed magazines, tv shows, conversation and through this website’s online magazine. I am excited to hear about all of your hunts from this fall and would like to invite you to share your photos with us here at hardymagz.com by sending your hunting photos to photo@hardymagz.com make sure you to give us a short explination of your photo.  If you have already had success this hunting season congratulations and to those that are still hunting this fall I say good luck in your hunting adventures and I hope you find success.

As I continue to search for a dream buck this fall I will now be blogging regularly here and hope to bring you some great adventure as well as a few field photos.  

As for now the search goes on……

Opening Weekend

By Devin Leonard

Opening day of the Utah deer hunt came and went and now I’m back at work, working my life away. I wish I had good news but after three stalks and one miss we came down the trail empty handed. I haven’t found a buck I wanted to go after yet so I spent the weekend trying to help Byron kill his first buck with a bow. We didn’t achieve our goal last weekend but you can bet we’ll be back.

MOUNTAIN GOATS GALORE!

By Devin Leonard

 I just had a little taste of paradise… After spending the weekend with some good friend on the Tushar Mountains I realized I would be hunting in paradise. The scenery from 10,000 plus feet, mixed in with all the colors is stunning. I’ve always wondered what paradise would be like and now I know.

My first scouting trip will go down as a successful one. Many goats were spotted in different areas. One group had over 20 billies in it. Although none of them were shooters it was nice to see a large herd to practice my field judging skills.

 

I know these goats have the ability to go anywhere but after watching them run across the shear cliff I gained a whole new respect for the rock climbing masters. One false mistake stalking in on these goats could end my hunt in a real hurry. Caution will be a good friend of mine on this hunt.

 

My good friend Ryan Tuttle was the photographer on this scouting trip. I would say he did a pretty good job. Lets hope I can convince him to keep coming.

 

Any guesses on how big these goats are?

 

Two more weeks and I’ll be visiting paradise once again. Learning the habits of these creatures is going to be crucial to my success. I’ll be going down several more times before my hunt starts but for this weekend I’ll be looking for a big buck I can lay to rest. Check back soon to see how I do.

Priority Number One

By Devin Leonard

Work has been getting the best of me lately but I’ve still managed to get out twice a week to go scouting. I’ve seen lots of deer in the 170’s but haven’t found that monster buck yet. I’m starting to think to myself should I settle for some of these smaller bucks. A 170 inch, five by six doesn’t really seem that small when you think about it…. Am I being too picky? did I set the standards to high? or is it the challenge and thrill you get from seeing and chasing a monster buck that keeps me pressing forward?

Mule deer have always been number one priority when it comes to hunting. This year is a little different. I’ve got a Mountain Goat tag in my back pocket. Oh yeah, I’m excited!!! This weekend will be my first scouting trip down to the Beaver unit in Utah. I’ll be searching for a monster goat that I can harvest with my bow. I’m not sure what to expect but I’m up for the adventure.

After making many phone calls and purchasing maps I have a pretty good idea where I can find a shooter goat. The trick will be learning how to field judge these goats in the next two months. They say their one of the hardest animals to field judge. I’ve been watching lots of footage and looking over many pictures of MT Goats to prepare myself for the moment of truth.

I’ll post picture of my first scouting adventure when I get back. Wish me Luck!