With the help of an early Colorado
snowstorm, this hunter connects on one of the biggest archery bucks of all time!
Tree limbs were popping and breaking.
Mature aspens were down all over from the early season snowstorm the previous night. This
morning the forest was as noisy as I had ever experienced. There were no deer in sight, no
tracks, and not a single sign of a deer on the mountain. Two days before the temperature
had dropped as an early winter-type storm moved in and left six inches of heavy wet snow.
I had had 20 deer in sight from the exact spot where I now stood. This morning’s
weather was not what I had in mind when I loaded up my truck and started the two and a
half hour drive in the dark to the ranch.
Previous mornings I would have already been
glassing the aspen pockets and sagebrush flats at this time of day. However, at daybreak
this morning I was still on the snow-covered black top about two miles from the turn off
that led up to the ranch. Finally I reached the turn off and started up the road to the
area that I had been hunting only to encounter aspens that had fallen down across the road
from the snow. Normally this last stretch of road was a mix of deer and elk in the trees;
this morning all I could see was heavy snow clouds passing through the trees. Opening the
gates on the way in was also exciting with several close lightning strikes amid snow and
hail. I wondered if I should have just stayed home this morning. I closed the gate,
climbed back into the truck, and slowly made my way to the small cabin. The clouds started
breaking up a little.
The ranch is made up of pine and aspen
covered ridges with grassy sagebrush flats in between. I started out this morning working
my way down the ridge below the cabin. I hit the bottom of the ridge and crossed over to
the other side to work my way back up. I encountered two bucks on the way down, one a
small three point, still with all his velvet. The other buck was a heavy 4x4. His velvet
just was starting to peel about four inches down from the top of his tines.
On the way back up the ridge another low
cloud rolled in first with hail and lots of lighting then settling into heavy snow blowing
sideways. By the time I reached the truck on top the ridge I had an inch of snow stuck to
by back. I shook it off and climbed into the truck for a cup of coffee and to warm up.
After a little while I left the truck again to head up to the dark timber above the cabin.
I figured if I was a deer in this storm that was where I would go to set it out. Once in
the dark timber I started to see more sign and more deer, some just watched me move by
them while others bounced off into a flurry of falling snow. I decided to keep heading up
the ridge for maybe another half mile and then cross over to the other side and hunt back
down.
I had just worked my way out of the timber into a small grassy clearing and across from me
standing at about 40 yards was a good 4x5 buck. He was tall and heavy and it appeared that
he had shed his velvet within the last two or three days. I recognized him from one of the
two bachelor groups of bucks that I had seen in the four previous hunting trips. I dropped
back into the timber and down around him to move further up the ridge.
The two bachelor groups I had been watching each contained two or three good bucks. They
seemed to have broken up today. One buck in one of the groups was a very wide buck with a
kicker tine. But the best one of them all was heavy and tall with deep forks. This buck I
figured would score around 200 typical. He carried heavy mass all the way to the top of
his tines, but was very narrow.
I usually pursue deer during the rifle
seasons, but this year I found myself with an archery deer tag. One tries to plan these
hunts and to draw licenses for a particular season, but in Colorado with all deer tags now
on a draw system you run the risk of not drawing a license at all. This was the situation
I was in this year. However, my cousin Larry had an archery landowner voucher that he gave
me opening the opportunity to hunt mule deer this year in Colorado after all.
I had just passed up a 170-class buck back
in the small clearing and was now making my way out of the timber again to the side of a
small draw. It was at the end of this draw that I came across one of the most incredible
bucks that I had ever seen. His body stuck out to the left of some aspens that he was
bedded down by. I had from 50 to 75 yards to close in to have a shot on him. His head and
shoulders were behind the trees and there were antlers sticking out on both sides of the
clump of trees. He was facing away from me but I could see he was definitely a huge buck.
I moved closer. The snow was very quiet to walk in but was creating a lot of noise falling
out of the trees and breaking limbs and trees under its heavy burden. The buck didn't hear
me, but I heard my own heart pounding way too fast. It will probably be the unlikely death
of me someday, but what a way to go! It was very noisy but the buck seemed content in his
bed. I was now within 40 feet and at full draw.
The wind was whirling around carrying more
snow to the ground. The buck stood up, but I don't think he had heard me. Maybe a scent
brought him to his feet. He took a step forward. I released and watched the arrow hit him.
It was a little high but a good hit. He would eventually go down.
The massive deer blew out of there. At that moment I realized I might have just taken the
buck of a lifetime. I gave him some time and started trailing him. With the tracks and
color in the snow it was the easiest trail I had ever followed. It was hard to take my
time and move slowly however. I spotted him up ahead lying on his side. By now I could see
my breath in the cold air and had to look up at the green and yellow aspen leaves to
remind myself it was still fall.
I was within 20 feet of him now and my
heart was racing. He was on his side and his antlers were almost as tall as my waist. They
are wide and heavy all the way up. He has large eye guards and a lot of character around
his bases. He was a monster buck - better that I had ever hoped to take and I took him
with a bow.
 I rolled his cape up to his neck and hung the meat in the trees. It
was getting late and I had a long way back to the truck. I planned to retrieve the meat
tomorrow with a better saw to get through all the downed trees. Once back at the truck I
got out my camera and took some pictures. Still in disbelief I loaded up my bow and the
greatest prize of my hunting career into the truck and headed home. I wanted to show my
wife what all the effort I put forth produced. Big deer come along very few times in one's
life. With the willingness to pass up smaller bucks and the wonderful gift of a license
from a great person I had finally taken one myself. 
Lee's buck is 35 1/2" wide and scores 210 gross and
196 3/8 net P&Y
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From the April/May 2004 Issue of Hunting Illustrated
Magazine - posted March 24, 2004
