Western Mule Deer

As this story comes to life on Women's Hunting Journal, I will be miles away with visions of venison backstrap on my mind. The western mule deer rifle season opener is this Saturday, October 3rd. I will once again be in Klamath County in southern Oregon for my mule deer hunt. After finishing my first season bow hunting elk, I am still very much intrigued with archery elk hunting. So much so that I have ordered Cd's about calling early season bulls when the rut is in less than full swing. Thanks to a Tom at Base Camp Legends for the tip on the Cd's, I will be practicing from here on out and be ready for next years hunt.

The archery elk season ended this past Sunday and as is typical the weather changed on Tuesday. I am now building fires in my wood stove and watching the snow and rain come down. Such crazy weather here in Central Oregon. I went out the other day and made sure my Remington 7mm Mag is still shooting where it needs to. All went well, it is so much louder than my bow(lol). I may need to try my hand at bow hunting mule deer too. There is something magical about the quietness of a bow and how close one must be in order to get a shot. Granted, the Native Americans set down their bows once they were introduced to rifles from the settlers. Still, I remain a student of hunting and the various approaches with which one can pursue game. I will be looking forward to spending time in the great outdoors searching for a mule deer buck. I am not a horn hunter. I am interested in putting meat in the freezer. I have heard many stories of hunters passing on small bucks or bulls in hopes of finding that once in a lifetime animal. All for not in the end as they came home empty handed, perhaps wishing they had not passed up that last forked horn or satellite bull.

Last year I was fortunate to get a tall forked horn on opening morning. I got to within 15 feet of 2 bedded bucks and it was an incredible sneak with the weather and wind in my favor. Read Wetlands Buck. I was so close that my rifle scope was a concern. It was an ideal stalk for a bow shot, and after getting so close I began to better understand bow hunting. The fact that yes, if the weather conditions are hunter friendly it is possible to get within yards of your prey. What an experience!

I start this hunt just like every hunt, with an optimistic and open heart. Excited to become a part of the dance of nature and without a doubt knowing I will return home the richer for it. There is nothing as incredible as being a witness to the natural world and all there in lies. For there is always something to see and learn, enriching my life in ways that only wild spaces can do. There is a calm which comes over me when I hunt. Letting go and decompressing away from the social expectations of the modern world. Without a doubt, hunting is where I come home to myself.

Women's Hunting Journal Integrity For The Hunt