Had another good season again. It was more difficult than normal, few buck deer due to record heat and whatnot, but overall we pushed on through it and did pretty good.

Year started off with my wife drawing 2 Wyoming Pronghorn antelope tags, a buck and doe. We took a drive up after the season started just to look over the unit hoping to minimally fill the doe tag, and scout more of the unit with the intention of returning for the buck hunt at a later date. We found pronghorn right off, and my wife did an epic sneak from 700 yards out, getting to within 40 yards of 2 bedded does. Easy shot for the old .243





We quartered that quickly and got it back to the truck and on ice in short time and started exploring the rest of the unit. We saw a few bucks that were interesting... but nothing worth going after. A while later we drove around a corner and saw a decent buck off the side of the road about 150 yards away. I asked my wife "what about that one", to which she replied she wasnt sure. I was watching it in the spotting scope and said "You sure? it looks pretty good actually". She replied "let me get out and look at it through my scope" ... LOL. Buck ran down to about 250 yards and stopped again watching us. Well I guess it looked good enough to her as her 243 fired again hitting the buck perfectly which went on a short run and expired right next to a 2 track road.

When we got up to it I was surprised to see it had a HUGE body on it, making the horns seem smaller than they actually were. It ended up being her biggest antelope to date! And we almost passed on it!







From there the next weeks hunt was the Muzzleloader deer season. Weather was HOT and deer scattered / nocturnal so it was rather brutal hunting. I got lucky and shot a young buck for the freezer, my boy had a multi-season tag and I kept taking him out. Apparently he got alot of buck fever this year and he missed 3 different bucks before the season ended.

We took a break after the ML deer ended and went after cow elk on private ground, it was relatively easy compared to the deer hunt. My state has a new "mentor" system now allowing a kid to be mentored and use the same tag as an adult (so both get to carry a gun). We ran into elk litterally right as we entered the private ground and made a sneak within 200 yards. My boy hit this one a couple times really good but it stayed on its feet so and I helped out as well, knocking it down. We were able to get a ATV right to it and drag it down to the truck.





From there, the rifle deer season started and I took my boy up again to try and fill his deer tag. Opening morning was a bust, more people than you can imagine up there in the same spot and very very few deer. That evening a storm blew in, driving fair-weather people home. We hunted in raingear and saw a ton more deer but no bucks. Next morning we returned first thing and were the first ones up the mountain and ran into this guy, a 17.5" 3x3 mule deer, my boys biggest to date.



That finished it off for us. 5 tags, 5 critters in the freezer. My wife had drawn a coveted trophy deer tag but I messed up the application and she drew the wrong side so we turned it back in. She should be guaranteed the right side next year. Its actually a good thing, the freezers are full with no space for anything else.

As much as I look forward to hunting every year, I'm sooo happy its done. My back cant handle anymore LOL! Hope everyone else has good successful seasons.


-DallanC

What a great season for the family! Thanks for sharing the pics!

Great stuff...your family has done really well and the eating will be great...Im just enjoying a Cabernet merlot after finishing venison steak log and chips Nathan helped cook on the 4 burner BBQ he won from radio rhema, he entered at promise keepers which we attended with his uncle a month or two back..so we doing ok too.

Well done, good story and pics. Thanks, I'm jealous.

That's the way it's done...

Sounds like an awesome trip.

Congrats on your success Dallan. Other than some Dove action, our season starts next weekend. You are already wrapping up.

What an awesome hunting season you guys have had mate, and your pics with story put us all out there with you mate.

you see that bright green glow on the south western horizon...that'll be me...green with envy.

Pass on my congrats to both SWMBO and your young fella for a job well done.

Wow you really hit the jackpot! Lots of closures here because of fire danger early on, but the folks I know that hunted eastern Oregon had a good season. Think you should get the smoker out and hone your skills with some game meat. Love having excess meat to play with. Thanks for the wonderful photos!


Suz

Congrats to you and your family on some great hunting and thanks so much for sharing it with us.

Wait! there was sharing involved????
I didn't get my share of any of that meat. No matter, I will put aside my hurt feelings....

When I get my cut!