The Badlands Buck

[IronNoggin]

Well Folks, home and finally caught up enough to try and do this Epic Adventure a little Justice. This will be a lengthy write-up, including a pile of pictures, so bear with me as I get down to it...

The idea of a Southern Alberta Mule Deer Bow Hunt originated a few years back now. Before even then I had worked the area in question, and well understood just what it has to offer in terms of Quality Bucks. Time wandered on as it does, and this year it seemed the stars were finally aligning to make it so. Alberta F&W granted my crossbow permit, the work schedule suggested I would have the time, and my Alberta Partner was heavily encouraging me to get over there (by of course sending me pictures of some of the Giant Bucks he was seeing!).

At the last minute I was presented the opportunity to dress my Matrix 380 with the Dr. Stirrup assembly, so did so, and put in enough practice to know the bow was shooting as well as it ever has. Ordered broadheads into a town down-Island, and paced until they showed up. When they landed there, the decision was made to roll, pick up the broadheads on the way, and hit the mid-morning ferry.

So, as many of my adventures do, this one started off once again in the line up for the boat...



The run to Calgary was pretty much uneventful - dry roads and good weather right through. Landed in Cow Town at 1:30 am, and needed to pick up my tags and permits. So, I simply crawled into the back of my truck and slept a spell. Awoke literally FREEZING my butt off as the temperatures plunged well below zero that night!

Shook that off, collected the required paperwork, then set off for Medicine Hat further south. Met up with my Partner, and it was a Warm Reunion! A little too warm in fact! It had been a spell since we had the opportunity to sit down to a BS & Brew session, and as a consequence we did that up Right!

Those shenanigans put us a day behind schedule, but we eventually swallowed the pain and made our way down towards the mighty South Saskatchewan River. For those that have never been there, that area of Alberta is indeed considered "Badlands" and well fits the description! It can range from Blistering HOT to Incredible Deepfreeze. Often it it the driest, dustiest, windiest place on the planet - damn tough on men & equipment. If it weren't for the over-sized mule deer & elk it harbors, one would have to seriously question your sanity for ever going there!!

And, the ONLY way to access that hell-hole reasonably is via jetboat. Vehicle access is all but impossible, and if going in on foot you better pack more than your own weight in water, and a huge pack to haul anything you might harvest out with! My partner runs a 24 foot custom jet rig, currently sporting a raced up 427 custom engine. The chariot of the day.

Here a shot from the top of the hill as my buddy hauls the rig down towards the water:



Upon arriving bank-side, we loaded up the gear:



And officially launched our latest Adventure:



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[IronNoggin]

The River is a rough but gorgeous place to wander, and we rolled by miles upon miles of great scenery:



Along the way we saw a few whitetails & many mule deer, including a couple either of us would consider "Shooters". But the target of the day was to get down to our chosen camp site, and get set up properly before engaging in hunting.

Here's the views from the site we chose - One of the almost non-existent trees to provide a little protection from the elements.



And a great canyon and flat across the river to watch when in camp.



We struck the 10 x 12 tent, and set a spare 45 gallon drum of fuel on the beach in front of the camp (these boats EAT fuel like nothing else!):



The tent is behind that lonely tree, and you can see the white fuel drum on the beach. Kind of puts it in perspective to understand there is a full sized wall tent behind that tree. BIG Country!!

A little closer look:



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[IronNoggin]

My Partner is the area's local Trapper and Outfitter, never traveling anywhere without his trusty fur-kid along. That pooch Knows exactly what your up to, and spends his travel time scouring the countryside for game:



And when he spots something, he does not hesitate to let you know!

.

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[dutchhunter]

Looking good so far ..thar is some big country. Looking forward to the rest of the story. ..Dutch

[IronNoggin]

The week previous to my arrival, my Partner has guided a fellow to a Monstrous Bull Elk (390" B&C!). In that pursuit, he had seen a most excellent Non-Typical Mule Deer, and wanted me to get a crack at him. So off we went to that area to have a boo...

The trails descending to the water there looked like someone had been running cattle down them for a century!! Seriously Impressive! As this area is classed as a "Desert" (and truly is) when it is warm the critters will come down to the river to drink a couple times a day. Form the looks of things they certainly Liked this spot to do so!



And the spot offered a few trees adjacent to the trail to perhaps hide a blind in...



The bush on the right was our decided spot for doing just that:



My Buddy dropped me off with a wave, and wandered off to scope another area as I situated my gear and self in the blind,



The view to my left was a 60 yard kill zone littered with elk and mule deer tracks:



And to my right was where the major confluence of trails hit the water - at 55 yards:



As the hours droned by, my enthusiasm never swayed - I simply FELT something was sure to wander by. Thus I found it quite surprising when my Partner radioed in for pick-up at dusk, and me with nothing to report...

A quick run back to camp, and settled in for the eve...

[GrassyKnoll]

Looking forward to reading about your adventure.

[IronNoggin]

That night the wind ROARED up to 40 miles and hour (good damn thing we REALLY secured that tent!) and in the morning increased to near 50. It trapped us for the day, and did not drop off until late evening. So we sat around catching up on old time, hunts of the past, and the whereabouts of our many mutual Buddies.

After the stint in the blind, I wanted to investigate the country a little more rather than sitting the following day. So off we went to burn some fuel and boot leather checking the surroundings out:







Like I said BIG Country! Easily capable of swallowing up whole towns, let alone a Big Buck or two! But we both are "practiced eyes" and we did indeed scout out many many deer. As I was in Hunt Mode, I took no pictures of those, but may eventually have some video footage we took of several Book Bucks that simply were not approachable.

Not approachable in the sense that alongside our area sits one of the largest military bases in Canada. Hunting, and in fact trespassing of any kind is strictly Verboten, so all we could do was look at those we encountered in that direction. Their signs say it all:



That protection however grows some of the biggest Mule Deer & Elk on the planet, and they often spill over onto the other side of the river. As a consequence that offers some of the very best (albeit Tough!) hunting for these species in the world.

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[IronNoggin]

The day after that I decided to sit the blind again. And again to my amazement nothing showed through a nine hour vigil! Deciding that our Target there had moved, I pulled the blind at the end of that sit.

The first week was nearing an end, and with it the HOT, Dry & Dusty weather decided to depart as well. Temperatures now dropped from day time highs of 75, to less than 40, and night times literally froze our water supplies solid.

With that change, the critters started to move a lot more, and our sightings soared! Over the next couple of days we had a boo at ~ 300 elk (including one Massive Prime Bull we put at over 400"!!) and many many deer both whitetails and mulies.

Opportunities came and went, but ether he wasn't the "Right One" or circumstances conspired to keep me out of bow range. Then the starter in the boat calved. Problem! The back-up stater kicked her over painfully, obviously not well, so we withdrew for a day to re-supply and gather the required parts.

A few more scenery shots on our run out:





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[Green380]

Love the badlands...maybe because I've never been. excited to read the rest of your report.

[amythntr]

....Just spectacular images!....Good luck!

Anthony

[IronNoggin]

While we were out, my Partner's next clients called, confirming their arrival date a few days hence. So we scrambled back to the river to make the best of the time we had left.

Along our run back to our camp, we stopped and set up a larger tent & camp for the incoming hunters:





Again saw several elk and two BIG mulies that eve on the way to our camp, but alas there was no getting close to latter as they were both in the big wide open.

The next day we awoke to freezing conditions, and decided to once again have a look for the non-typical I noted above. This time we shut down the engine and drifted through the area he was last known to be in. Not seeing him (but several other bucks) we kept the drift going further downstream a spell.

Rounding one bend I immediately identified yet another band of mulie does (the bucks were just barely starting to show interest in them at this point)) scattered along a long line of brush adjacent to the bank. As we floated towards them, we both studied their movements intensely. At exactly the same moment, we both saw a flash of white INSIDE the brush that appeared to be far to big to be a doe. With heavy willow screening, it was tough to make out just what he was... Until he lifted his head! WOW!!
At 75 yards the headgear was startling, and the look he gave us was downright PO'd!!

The Buck gave three huge bounds, and disappeared into the heavy brush. Our reaction was to fire the engine, and idle to the other side of the river. There we set up the optics, and watched for his possible departure. Nine does and bambi's drifted away to the right of the brush, eleven to the left. No Buck.

50 minutes later I spotted "something" moving behind the brush, headed towards a valley centered behind the heaviest brush. Spotting scope confirmed it was the Buck, and that he was playing it smart, using the cover to disguise his withdrawal. A slow change in our position, and we watched as he bedded up a fair ways up the coulee... Within 20 more minutes, his eyes dropped, and he slid into slumber...

[SEW]

And all the time I thought you were in Arkansas. Thanks for sharing. I'm sure we all agree with the "political correctness " thoughts.

[Buddyshort]

This is great!!! You got me waitin for the next installment and hopefully pics of the giant horns

[IronNoggin]

Fortunately he was on the side of the river we could action.
Well my Partner queried, what do you think?

I hard studied the terrain surrounding the Buck's sleeping spot. From our position it appeared the closest we might be able to get was a possible 100 yards. Ah, but things can change a lot on the ground there, and so I began to systematically pick out an approach along the 3/4 of a mile we would have to stalk.

Mind made up, my Partner asked if I wanted to go it alone. My reply was "Bring the video camera, and step lightly".

The approach was long, winding in around and over the many obstacles along our approach. At 200 yards I saw that we could likely get much closer than first thought if The Goddess were on our side. At 100 yards and hidden from the Buck's last known location, I paused to calm myself. Had to. Something inside said that Buck was still THERE, and my heart and hands were shaking like a leaf!
Five minutes of controlled breathing and looking back towards the river, my Partner finally whispered You OK?

Stone Cold was my reply. And I was.

The last yards were painstakingly slow. I had well studied the rocks the Old Fellow had bedded near, and recognized them as we carefully approached over the ridge. Stopping to range frequently, I knew the Moment Of Truth was close at hand, and there might not be enough time to range the Buck himself.

The last yards took forever, but my calm grew even more. Suddenly I spotted an antler tip in the canyon below the ridge were were sidling along. It moved. He's AWAKE! 60 yards to the rock beside him. Looked quickly at my Partner and flashed "camera on" with my eyes. Understood.

I crawled to the very edge of the ridge, then peered over. The Buck caught the movement, and his eyes flashed open WIDE with surprise! Immediately he jumped to his feet, 3/4ing away from me, and then made his final mistake. He swung his head to look at me. Wrong Answer. 60 yard pin centered on the offside shoulder, the Big John Zombie streaked towards it's target, the Luminok marking it's sure path. DIRECT Boiler Room Hit!!

The Buck kicked it into high gear, and streaked up the canyon floor. My Partner cried What a Shot! and I turned to give him and the camera a Grin and a Fist Pump!

Backing out, we went all the way back to the river to give the Old Boy an hour. Second longest hour of my life!! The internal questioning of the sureness of the shot was un-nerving. Something that will often set in on me under such conditions. Finally the hour passed, and we stole back into the scene of the crime.

No arrow? No hair? No blood? OH NO?

Carefully tracking in the dry sandy soil, 30 yards later... Blood.
Heart Blood. And LOTS of it!
Grin. He ain't far.

At one little hummock my partner rounded on the right, myself on the left. HEY he cried loudly? What? Camera up he said I want your first impression on tape.
First Impression on topping that little hill - OMG! He is a Great Old Boy! NO "ground shrinkage" here!

High Fives all round, then a few pictures...





Easily my Best Bow Buck to date, his antlers were a reflection of a body that weighed over 400 pounds! The drag back to the boat (3/4 mile) took everything we had in us, and the final reserves were spent hauling him up onto the front deck:



Back at the boat, my Partner and I ran a tape over his headgear. Even though he is "only" a 3 x 4 with brow tines, he grossed 186" B&C! If he had not gotten to old to grow that fourth point, he would have pushed well over 190!

We later determined the deer was 13 or 14 years old. Right near the end of his span, and likely the last decent rack he would have produced. A Most Impressive Trophy!!

Surprisingly he actually not only tasted good, he is downright tender! Very Surprising for sure on a Buck that size & age! But given just how much of him there is, I'll Take It!!

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[Buddyshort]

Yes Yes!!!! Haha great story book hunt. Thanks for lettin us in on it. Should be writing for outdoor mags