Late Season Mule Deer

Story #127 by Larry Potterfield 14 November 2012 Near Miles City Montana
By the time we got him dragged out of the cedars and into position for pictures, the light was completely gone.
By the time we got him dragged out of the cedars and into position for pictures, the light was completely gone.

The things I remember most about this hunt were that it was cold, there was snow on the ground and we didn’t see many deer. Mostly we drove around in pickups, stopping now and then to glass out the windows; but on occasion we would leave the comfort of the heaters and walk to the edge of a canyon, where we would hunker down and glass the other side for a while. The snow sure made glassing easier.

This was a three day hunt with David Allen, President and CEO of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation; so of course it was filmed for Team Elk (season three). It’s always a pleasure to hunt with someone, like David, who has a lot of hunting experience and a great knowledge of hunting and wildlife conservation. David also has a broad background in business, a great attitude and personality – and is a joy to spend time with.

This was big country so we split up to cover it better; although there were times when we were in sight of each other, we were always covering different territory. Neither of us saw a lot of deer, and really only one shooter.

The sun was down and light was fading, when I finally got a shot. My gun is a Remington 700 with a Shilen Barrel, chambered in 300 Win Mag.
The sun was down and light was fading, when I finally got a shot. My gun is a Remington 700 with a Shilen Barrel, chambered in 300 Win Mag.

The terrain was mostly ridges and canyons, great mule deer country, and we spotted this buck on the side of a ridge, several hundred yards out. He was with does and they moved off, up and over a small ridge, headed east. Fortunately a nearby ranch road took us to the opposite side of the general area, but from the truck we saw nothing. We stalked slowly back to the west, on foot, and hadn’t gone but a few hundred yards when he slowly came up over a ridge

It was an easy shot; I lay prone in the snow and the buck presented himself broadside on the point of a ridge, about 235 yards out. The challenge came after the shot; the deer stumbled and slid down off the steep point and piled up in a large patch of cedars near the bottom – about 50 yards downhill. It was so slick we couldn’t pull him out from the top, and had to go around and pull him out from the bottom. Then, it was a tough, slippery drag for the guide and me to get him back up to the top of the ridge and to the truck. Overall a pretty neat hunt.


The local folks all know that if you’re going to be hunting in Montana in November, you had better bring warm clothes. We had a lot of sunshine and not much wind, and were quite comfortable.
The local folks all know that if you’re going to be hunting in Montana in November, you had better bring warm clothes. We had a lot of sunshine and not much wind, and were quite comfortable.
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