Episode 8: Tags, Time and Experience Lead to Big Bucks with Cody Christensen AKA Muley 73

We are proud to announce that SKRE Gear is our official sponsor! I'll add a link to the website in the show notes below! Now about this episode! Success on mature mule deer isn't just about luck—it's about time in the field, tags in your pocket, and the experience that only comes from hunting season after season. In this episode, host Shane Rasmussen sits down with avid mule deer hunter Cody Christensen to discuss why the hunters who consistently find quality bucks aren't always the smartest or the luckiest—they're simply the ones who refuse to quit.

Cody shares how years of chasing mule deer have taught him that every tag builds knowledge, every failed stalk sharpens your skills, and every day spent in the mountains increases your odds of crossing paths with an old buck. Together, Shane and Cody dive into the value of hunting often, learning from mistakes, recognizing mature buck behavior, and staying persistent when others have packed up and gone home.

Whether you're new to mule deer hunting or have decades of experience, this conversation will remind you that success is earned through consistency, patience, and time afield. If you're passionate about DIY western hunting and chasing mature mule deer, this episode is packed with practical insights and motivation to keep hunting until the very end.

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Transcript

SPEAKER_03 0:17

Welcome back to the Monster Mulies Podcast. Today we have on Cody Christensen, aka Muley73, as he's famously known on Monster Mulies.com. I've known Cody for quite a while. He helped me with an elk hunt in 2013. He has killed some great bucks, some great bowls. He's kind of got it figured out here in the last five to ten years, put the pieces together, and he consistently gets it done. It's fun to talk to him, learn some stuff from him, and just get to know him. You guys will enjoy this one. Also, we have an official sponsor of the podcast, Scree Gear. They have great gear at a very affordable price. One of my favorite pieces of hunting equipment I've ever had is their pharmigan down jacket. Love that thing. You can get 15% off on their website when you use code MM Podcast. So it's tough gear, it's awesome, performs great, and it's affordable. And that's before you use code MM Podcast at checkout for 15% off. Go check them out, support them. They're a great company. All about Western hunting. Alright, guys, let's get started. Alright, welcome to the Monster Mulies Podcast. Today I got on Cody Christensen, aka Muley73. So, as tradition now, Cody, you gotta tell us where you got your handle, Muli73.

SPEAKER_00 1:41

Oh, it's not anything exciting, actually. Um, just 73 was the year I was born, and when I joined Monster Muli originally, that was all uh you know early days of handles and screen names and all that. So that one was available. I actually it actually is Muli underscore 73, and it's just because Muley73 I had for a long time, and then there was something in my sign-in. I probably forgot my my sign-in or something, and so I ended up changing it. And I it's been underscore 73 for probably about I don't know, 15 years now, but originally it was just Muley73 um when uh when Brian first started up the the forums, I think.

SPEAKER_03 2:27

You didn't get kicked off Monster Muleys like old Bobcat Bess and have to change your name, did you?

SPEAKER_00 2:33

Um I did I got I I have I have been reprimanded through DMs by Brian a time or two back through the times, but I never actually got kicked off like like Beth.

SPEAKER_03 2:43

Okay. Yeah, I still don't know why he got kicked off. I'll try I tried to get Bess on the podcast, I'll hit him up again.

SPEAKER_00 2:50

But yeah, he'd be he'd he'd be great.

SPEAKER_03 2:52

Yeah, I'd love to talk to him. Yeah, all right, Brian. So Brian, I uh sorry, Cody. Cody, I met Cody years ago, probably 2013, on Monster Mullies. Drew and limited entry, Elk Tag in Utah. He has some knowledge on the you on the unit, helped me out a ton, um, and it we've stayed in touch ever since then. He's killed us some great bucks, great bulls over the years. Um Cody, um let's kind of I was gonna start off with this question. So, what do you believe today that you were completely wrong about 15 years ago? Does anything come to mind when it comes to hunting mule deer specific or just hunting in general? Is there something that's changed?

SPEAKER_00 3:35

And yeah, I think I think the biggest thing that I have changed, and you know, I I've enjoyed your podcast and I listen to other podcasts, and and um man, I love chasing mule deer. That's that's my passion. I I hunt elk, coos deer, I supplement a lot, but I always come back to you know, mule deer are my passion, and and that's what I want to chase the most. And and was raised chasing mule deer with a family that's super passionate about um management and and you know the species itself and and and the hunting around it and all of that. But um, I think the biggest thing that's changed, in my view, is just the focus that some people have had and like and on chasing those top end bucks and how I've kind of had to change my focus to be competitive on on chasing those older older older age class deer. I I try to I try to focus more on age class than I do just score, but they they are they seem to go hand in hand and and completely understandable. But um, I just think the focus and then you know the different technologies, different approach. Um, I think probably 20 years ago, I was definitely in the boat and and on the team that was like, you know, the next ridge, let's go deeper, let's go higher, you know, if we can get up to that next basin. Um, what I think over the probably the last 10 years, even I've really noticed is that there are a lot of guys with that drive, like like myself, or like a lot of the guys that you've had on that that have had it more than I have and have been better at it than I have, to be honest with you. And so I've kind of like looked at, I guess my strategy now is like it's not just who can go further deeper in or to it to the next basin, it's like identifying those locations where everyone isn't going because I feel like there's a lot of traffic that goes into those areas now. So I I've probably in the last 10 years changed my strategy into finding those places that everybody's driving past or hiking past, or you know, when I look at a map, you know, I I've got lots of examples that I could think of where I see 15 trucks drive past said basin or said canyon go into the higher country or some of that other area. And uh, and so I may focus on an area that there aren't as many people, and I think that's that's probably what's changed the most on my personal aspect. I don't know if that answers the question, but that's probably the biggest change I've made in the last 10 to 15 years on my hunting approach.

SPEAKER_03 6:14

No, that's great advice and super interesting. Yeah, no, that's that's a little nugget right there. Um now, speaking of that style, uh you probably use that style. You got a pretty big buck in Colorado. Was it last year or two years ago? When did you shoot?

SPEAKER_00 6:30

Um 2023. Um, I did. I shot I shot my highest scoring buck for sure. How big was he? He ended up being 212, is what he grossed, um, which is um he's kind of a unique buck. He's all his outside spread is 22 inches. He's got a 17-inch inside. He just has a really great frame and a lot of extras, a lot of inlines. So he he's a scoring machine. If you look at him, I probably have other bucks that don't score as high that that that you would pull the trigger on at 300 yards a lot faster, but he just had a lot of a lot of extra points. He's he's a cool buck.

SPEAKER_03 7:10

Now, was that on a a high point unit, low point unit?

SPEAKER_00 7:15

It was on, I mean, in 2003 it was a three-point unit, and I think it's up to six now. So it's not a super it was it third season, we we drew that with three points. Um I had I had six points, and I think my son had four, but it was a three-point, it was a three-point unit on that. So it wasn't a great unit. Um, it's a unit known. Uh when I did my research on it, we were there was a group of four of us that went out, or five. I guess it was five of us that went. And uh, you know, talking to the people that had hunted it and doing research and talking with my with my brother, um, who my brother runs an application service. So I I talked to him a lot about different units. Um, we felt like it was a unit that we might run into one or two bucks in the 170 to 180 class, and then we were probably gonna see a lot of 160 to 165 type bucks um if we hunted hard. Like that, not that they were running all over, but that was kind of the the goal we were shooting for on deer. And going into it, we knew it. I knew what kind of country we were hunting. Um, I wanted to go out and hunt Colorado instead of building points. I think through the years, what I've what I've learned and from the guys that I've talked to and seen is you have the ability or the opportunity or or possibility to shoot a great buck on most units in Colorado, especially during third or fourth season. And what I was running into is these guys that were hunting every year, every other year, they seem to run into the years that it was good snow or the rut was good, or it it was that. If if you're building 10, 15 points, it might not be a great year that you draw that tag. Whereas I knew guys that were shooting 180 to 200 inch bucks, you know, every other year they had a tag. And so over a six-year period, they may have three tags and they might shoot two bucks that size, or over a 10-year period, they have four tags or eight tags during that time, and they ran into two really good years and they killed 200 inch bucks, everything lined up. So I kind of changed that. Was another thing that I changed. Instead of stacking points, um, I want to stack experiences and go out and and hunt more. And in doing so, I think it gives you more opportunity to find those big deer if you're there. If you're waiting on points, no, no one ever shoots big deer on points. They shoot them when they have a tag.

SPEAKER_03 9:43

So yeah, if I could go back in time, oh man, I could have had numerous G tags in Wyoming, but I was holding out, and I ended up using them on a unit that I shouldn't have. And then uh same with Colorado. I mean, I I held on to points for 12 years, and I did have a good hunt when I finally drew the tag, but yeah, it seems like in Colorado there can be a big buck anywhere. Higher points seem to get I don't know, in my experience, it seems like if you have more points, you'll have maybe less tags or better access. But not, I mean, but not necessarily bigger bucks. In some cases, sure. But yeah, that's kind of what I've noticed about.

SPEAKER_00 10:25

No, I I I agree with that. You know, I've I've uh I haven't hunted Colorado a ton. I've hunted it a few times through the years. Um, and I and a lot of that was raising kids and and and and playing baseball with my boys all over the country, and and and I just didn't have the money to be to be hunting out of state every single year and building points. So that's I was hit and miss on on what years were you know available. Um but I saw good bucks come off of units. Like I I hear a lot of you guys talk, and and it's true on like landowners. Like I was lucky enough one year that we picked up landowner tags on a one-point unit, but we got them for $150. So what year was that? And and and swing out there. And and it will, it wasn't like it wasn't crazy amazing, but man, I saw two bucks that got that got harvested on that hunt from other hunters that were that were 190 class bucks. Um, they got a ton of we got a ton of snow during that that time. I ended up killing uh a three by four buck that was like 27 wide and mid-160s, and I was excited about him. I I think you know Todd Black actually looked at that deer. I made a comment about like I should have held up for more mature deer. And remember, Todd was looking at him at the house and he said, you know, that's probably a six-year-old buck, and and that's again spending some time with with guys like Todd on understanding like you're looking for mature deer, and it's that doesn't mean it's always gonna add up to the inches that everybody's looking for.

SPEAKER_03 11:57

So yeah, when you got a $150 voucher, what year was that in?

SPEAKER_00 12:01

Oh, that would have been man, probably that probably would have been 2010, maybe.

SPEAKER_03 12:12

Okay. Dang, man, I wish I could go back if I had the knowledge now. Yeah, I was able to go back.

SPEAKER_00 12:20

That that same landowner the next year wanted 1,500 the next year, and which was just for the deer I'd saw, and I at that point financially, I just was like, that was out of my ballpark for sure, you know, at that point of my life.

SPEAKER_03 12:33

Yeah. So that buck, that 212-inch buck, maybe tell us a little bit about him. Uh was it third season? Did you shoot him early on in the hunt? Were you were you kind of looking for Aries?

SPEAKER_00 12:43

So it was third, it was third season. Um Man, I usually scout a ton. That's that's another thing that's changed as I've got older and my kids have grown up, and and I I've got one son that is an absolute diehard. Um, and you know, he's old, he's in his late 20s now, and so me and him can really go hard, and and we spend a lot of time scouting. Colorado, we had not. Um, I think Colorado's a little different in you know those third and fourth seasons where you have to almost do different scouting. You can scout ahead of time, you can, you know, we call it e-scouting, I guess. And and he had put in a ton of time. I put in some time, but I I give him a ton of credit on, man, he he will dig in on Onyx, and and we look into those areas, and and we went out two days before we went out two days, three days before, two full days of scouting before that. It was the third season on it was a not a not a super cold year. The the bucks were actually a few were with the does, they weren't quite running yet when we started. Um, we looked at a lot of deer. Um, nothing that we were super excited. We saw one buck way up high with some does. Um, it was probably a 180 class buck. And he was just in a spot, he was on the move two days before the hunt. And, you know, my feeling was we could find that buck in the lower country better than if we chased him from up high these two canyons over at 12,000 feet, and and uh it looked like a a mess to get over to him and and get back out, and the likelihood of him being there, we weren't super sure of it because everything was moving down. Um kind of went back and relied on our east scouting. My son had a spot literally marked on the map. I remember it was Friday afternoon before the hunt started, and he said, Hey, this is my number one spot. We really need to get over there this evening and take a look. And it was a spot that he had he had studied, you know, migration routes. It came down through two big, big pieces of of private. Um, but it looked like a a draw that it's basically a big wide draw that has some really good feet in it. It was like an hour and 45 minutes of just beat the heck out of your vehicle, four-wheel drive to get into it. Um and uh we got in there probably 45 minutes before dark the night before the hunt, picked up about a 160 buck and a couple small bucks. The bucks were all bunched up together still, but we picked those up, drove down, and and I'm not kidding, 200 yards from where he had marked the spot on where he wanted to look, we caught two bucks together, and one of them was at 212 buck, and they were about 60 yards on the private, and uh we watched him till dark, bedded him. He bedded about 150 yards onto the private, made a game plan that night um back at our our place, back at camp, and and uh I thought there would be people in there for sure. I thought there'd be a bunch of people in there, um, which is another thing. You know, if it would have been Utah, I think there'd be a pile. Some of these out-of-state hunts, I feel like there's not as many people that that pile in everywhere. We got in there the next morning. I dropped him off up on a point where we were where we could watch the whole area. I drove around to another spot, waited for shooting light, and uh man, shooting light hit, and I caught him right out in the flat, 60 yards from the private. He was on the BLM.

SPEAKER_03 16:18

Um was he chasing does or just hanging out?

SPEAKER_00 16:21

Nope, he was by himself, all by himself. And it was it was literally set. I hunted seven minutes in my Colorado tech, and I shot him, and my son came on the radio and said, Was that you? And I said, Yep. And he says, You just killed a non-typical, and I said, Yep, and he came down and and uh kind of a surreal moment. Like it was it was a fun. I I'll never forget. I I was standing looking at him, and and my son, he would have been 20, uh, he would have been 26 at the time. I think he was 26 at the time, and he's hunted with me chasing big bucks since he was four years old. And you know, he I remember him slapping me on the back and says, Man, this is a moment we've been chasing for 25 years together. And you know, that was that that to me that was the coolest, the coolest moment of killing a buck like that.

SPEAKER_03 17:06

So that is way cool. And so you sp you spotted him from the road, it sounds like both times.

SPEAKER_00 17:12

Yeah, I did. I I mean I I spotted him from the road. I mean, the area we were in, like that's yeah, sometimes it's best. Yeah, like it's it was a spot. No one came down, no one came down into that area till later in the afternoon. We didn't even see another vehicle in there. Um, and it was uh I remember saying that, like we were, we'd looked at, we'd hiked into some place and we were looking, and I'm like, that spot was just it's the spot. It was, I mean, well, we were sitting there taking pictures. My son glassed up another shed that we walked over and got 400 yards from from where where he was laying, and it's a probably a mid-190s buck with some extras. Um, you know, the rest of that hunt, we hunted with with that group of guys. I think they shot a couple of 150 type bucks. And my son, three days, four days later, in that same spot 150 yards from where I shot that buck, um, we caught another buck that was just I think he's 27 and a half, just he must actually pretty close to 28, um, a 170 type buck, um, right there. And no, that was the two best bucks that we saw, probably the whole hunt. We passed up some 160s with him, you know, after I'd shot mine, but lucky, but I I say lucky, but like he put in a ton of work and a ton of time on studying and understanding that I mean the area where we were at, it was really inaccessible, even though it was a truck. I mean, it was I know a lot of guys that wouldn't have drove their truck in. I I am pretty hard on my trucks. Um, I had a couple guys tell me they wouldn't take us side by side in where we were at when we came out. Um, and the feed just looked good. It looked like a drainage, and it was a good migration path. Um, everything just looked like it lined up. I had a buddy that drew the tag last year that I kind of put him on some spots, and and he ended up killing a 29-inch buck that was just a hair under 180 within a quarter mile and that little same drainage. So it was it's just a good spot that we we got lucky and found. And I say I got lucky, but it it was a lot of preseason work on the computer and looking and understanding mule deer from my for my boy for sure to put us there.

SPEAKER_03 19:35

That's awesome. Did your boy get the the 170-ish buck then?

SPEAKER_00 19:39

Yep. Yep, he he ended up shooting him on I think Wednesday night. Right, and I I've got pins of I think they're less than 200 yards apart from where both of them fell.

SPEAKER_03 19:50

That is way cool. Yeah, these these uh private bucks. So I had a Colorado tag last year in a low point unit, and um there's this buck. I you might have seen the video, it's just called Bottom of the Ninth. Um I put on Monster Muleys, and there's this buck, he's not giant, but he's a pretty good buck. I don't know him. Maybe getting close to 160, I don't know. But he has a cheater on him, and he's just laying with a doe, and he's probably 40 yards on the private, and I mean he's you know, he's looking at me like he could not care less. And then, anyways, that night I hiked back in, and that's actually when I shot my buck. It wasn't him, but it was weird because I'm sit I'm watching him, and I'm like, he's just doesn't even care. So I start going up the hill, trying to get to this another other little basin I can watch, and I turn around and look, and the doe he was with had crossed onto public, and he was standing right there on the fence, obviously looking at me, right there on the fence line, still on the private side. And I thought, hmm, is he gonna come off? And so I kept walking, kept walking, got to the ridge of the hill, looked back, he's still just staring at me. And I'm like, okay, I'm just gonna crest over this hill, and then I'm just gonna give it about you know 30 seconds a minute and peek back over and see what he's doing. So I crested the hill, waited for about 30 seconds, peeked back over, and he was gone. So the dough and him, I never saw him again. I don't know. I mean, who knows what they did? Did they drive, did they dive back on private? My guess is no. My guess he crossed that fence and they took off, but it's just super interesting.

SPEAKER_00 21:58

Yeah, it's it is it is interesting. I mean, a buck that I shot, I mean, I don't I didn't aged, I should have. He's the biggest body deer I'd ever killed. Um he was he's a really big bodied deer. And uh those Colorado deer are are big bodied, you know, in that area anyway. Um, but uh yeah, he we I videoed him for a half hour the night before. Like I have I I was so excited that I just got the video and pictures. Like um obviously. I wanted to shoot him, but like the night when we got back to camp, I I was so excited just to have some really cool video and footage. And and uh, you know, we we talked all night and and uh you know I remember my we were we were laying there in bed and it was one in the morning and my son says, I don't think there's anything better than going to bed knowing you have a 200 incher to chase in the morning. And I was like, I I I I agree with that.

SPEAKER_03 22:51

That is way cool. That's awesome your boy was there. Yeah, that's that's awesome. Um yeah, here so on those third season hunts in Colorado, I don't know. I've and some of these rut hunts, I think it's I think it's best to hit the roads and cover ground, you know. I think that's probably one of the best ways to do it. I bet there's been more 180 plus bucks killed from the road than anywhere.

SPEAKER_00 23:14

You know, it's uh I am I see people talk about road hunting and and again I grew up in southern Utah where there's roads everywhere, and I spent a lot of time, um, I spent a lot of time on the pond second and and some of those units, and and I've gone down and and in glass and help be a spotter on for you know for different outfitters and that. And you know, when the deer are on the move and they're they're migrating like they do on the ponds, I feel like they migrate early. Well, I know they they might they migrate early on the ponds. They they're they head off. That's why they move that that season. And and uh and the same up in Colorado, and on my experience when they're they're doing that, 100%, you know, covering ground and and knowing this, you know, knowing the canyons and knowing the draws that they come down and knowing the points to be on to glass, um, and and be patient in those areas is to me that's that is much more effective than somebody like I I have a lot of respect for guys that strap on their pack and they go in all the way in and they and they spin the whole you know up in Wyoming or some of that. But the areas that I that I hunt, which are a lot more deserty and and some of that stuff, that would just be wasting my time, a lot of time, uh, rather than covering a lot of ground and going to the places that I noticed to glass and and look for look for deer. And that's that's probably the difference between me and you know a lot of people that that that hunt the big high country and some of that. And I understand that. I I I live 25 years in Cache Valley, so I spent some time up in that and we do some of that. But a lot of the time that I I spent hunting those third seasons or or other areas. I I I love hunting the the cedars and sagebrush and some of those areas that those deer move into later in the year, or or are even uh local, some of some of the deer are resident deer, not a not a ton, but occasionally there they're some resident bucks in those areas.

SPEAKER_03 25:08

Yeah, no, I agree. There's definitely a time to stay on the roads and cover ground for sure. Um here's a question for you. So if you could coach your so you go back to your 25-year-old self before deer season, what would you tell your 25-year-old self?

SPEAKER_00 25:27

Um, I that to me that's an easy, it's an easy answer. Um to just be more patient. And if you find a big deer, trust that he's gonna be there and hasn't moved out. You know, even if if you bump him or somebody else bumps him, especially early. I used to archery hunt a lot um when I was younger. Um I went when they made it, when they made you choose your weapon, I archery hunted for a long time before I picked a rifle back up. And uh I think it's just patience and and then understanding that the deer are there. The last few years I've had, you know, somebody made a comment to me one time that once you shoot a big deer, then it's a lot easier to to shoot them. And I thought, oh, that's you know, okay. Um I shot the first buck that scored over 180 seven years ago. And since that time, I've killed three others. So I've I've killed the last four bucks I've killed have all been 180, I think 184, 183, up to 212. And I think the difference was is it just clicked in my head to stay relentless on when I found the buck I wanted to chase, believe that he's gonna be there, keep going back, whether it's scouting, you know. I've had big bucks disappear for me at times for you know 10, 12 days at a time, and just trusting that they're gonna be there and and not over pressuring it, find a good spot that I'm gonna glass. Optics are huge. That's the I I would invest in optics a lot sooner. I probably would have picked up a third job or or sold something and got better optics when I was 25. Um, now I I don't go anywhere without my optics and and just set patiently. I I spend a lot of time out on the desert on some of these units that I know a big deer is there, and I may spend three or four days and not see a single deer. Um, but I'm chasing, you know, that certain year and I know he could turn up. You know, my my wife had a tag a couple years ago and we were chasing a buck that I had him on trail camera for four years. I think he hit I think he hit the water source twice in four years um with uh during daylight hours. And that was that was when we when you didn't have to pull cameras. It was before you didn't have to pull cameras. And so we were we were leaving some cameras. I had some buddies that had cameras and we we all checked them together. And I hunted when when she drew that tag, we hunted that buck for seven out of the nine days we hunted, and it was it was about a two-mile hike in to where we were spotting from. Um, and in seven days we saw a grand total of zero deer, not even a doe. But I knew he was there. I knew he was there. I knew, I mean, he had never left there in four years. And uh I think just just trusting that we didn't end up killing that deer. She ended up killing a really good deer on the last day. She decided she was gonna go look for for another one of the last two days, and and and and he made it through another two seasons after that. Um I think he got shot last year, year before last, and was I think nine is where they figured he ended up being when when he got shot.

SPEAKER_03 28:45

Nice. Do you know what he scored?

SPEAKER_00 28:47

Um, I believe he was like 201 when he got wouldn't it when he got shot. The year we were chasing him, I felt like he was probably 205, 207.

SPEAKER_03 28:56

Okay. Yeah, no, uh, so on these hunts now where you stay patient, like on these early hunts, would you say, what if it's a rut hunt? Um, and I know they say though these bucks cruise like crazy on the rut, which I'm sure they do, they do, but I do I have seen them pop back up in the same area, you know, quite a few times as well. What's your thoughts on that? Say it's a rut hunt and you you've spotted a good buck. Are you still gonna stay there or not really?

SPEAKER_00 29:25

I think if you know the area and you know the the deer in them, um, you know, one dry boot, I was listening to his pod, you know, his his um last night actually was was listening through it, and you know, he was talking about how you know he found those sheds and ended up shooting the buck on like day four after he'd he'd passed in the year before. If I'm in an area that I that I think is holding here, like like Colorado, um, we went back and I knew that deer was there. We stayed in there with my son for the next four days because that area would, you know, we found the good shed. We were seeing a little bit older age class deer in there. And so, you know, we stayed there. And there was another buck in there that that didn't come off the private that we had seen. We saw at the opening afternoon after I had shot mine, and uh ended up seeing him again on Wednesday morning. And uh he just never came off. And then this buck that that he uh that he ended up shooting, you know, popped up. So I think if you if you're hunting low enough that you get into those areas where where you're finding sheds, those bucks are gonna stay somewhat in that area. I I know they roam a lot when they're when they're rutting, but once they have migrated into that area that they're probably gonna stay, I think that you run a good chance of finding them and i if you stay patient on something with that. So maybe not like the summer on the early hunts where you're staying patient with with it, but if you're seeing good sheds in an area and you've seen a good buck, I feel like there's a good possibility that he's staying close to that and you're gonna turn him up in that area rather than than chasing all over.

SPEAKER_03 31:01

Yeah, I would agree from my experience as well. Yeah. Um you got a few tags this year?

SPEAKER_00 31:10

Um I I do have a few tags.

SPEAKER_03 31:13

I got more than a few years on a on a few, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 31:16

I've got, I mean, I I do I'm on my second year of dedicated hunter in Utah. Um man, I hunted last year a grand total of four days on dedicated hunter in Utah. It Utah is tough for me to get excited about. Um and that's kind of been the theme on a lot of the guys that I've heard you talk about. And that and it bum it bums me out that that's the case, but it just kind of is. It's when I when I'm super busy with work or I have a lot of tags, I just feel like those general season tags um just take less precedent. Um, I haven't shot in the last 15 years, I've shot two, maybe 16 years. I think I've shot two general season Bucks in Utah. I and I was one of the ones that played the game on understanding how to draw my second choice forever and build my points up. I've done dedicated. Um, you know, I just got done with dedicated for three years, switched to a unit with zero points, and drew dedicated again, so I'll have a tag six years in a row. Um I the last I shot a buck that was in the 160s. I well, it would have been 16 years ago, and he had a couple cool little extras. I was really excited when I shot him. Um, and then I shot a buck, I think 12 years ago on the last day at with 20 minutes of daylight left. There was a 20-inch four-point that somebody had hit way up high in the back leg, right in the ham there. And he was limping really bad and hurting. I could tell, and right before dark. I was I was hunting another buck that my brother-in-law had seen in there. My son had a tag on a different unit, so we were spending time over there. And I I had about a day and a half to hunt once we got my son's buck, and I was looking for a bigger buck. And this buck with 20 minutes was coming down the hill, and I could tell he was struggling, and I ended up that was probably more of a mercy killing than anything. I kind of felt bad for him. I was a little bummed because it was the buck I was chasing was coming out right at dark. And I'd hike I'd actually hiked quite a ways in and was hoping he would come out. And I watched this buck for about 10 minutes and and my my conscience got the best of me. I ended up shooting him and and uh and tagging that buck. And that that was the last general season buck I've shot. And I think I've had a tag most years. So this year it's tough to to I don't know. You can find them, but but when when the time is there, it's hard to go chase or go look for 160 bucks and hope you turn up that needle in a haystack of 170 to you know 180 bucks, which is what I'm kind of looking for usually.

SPEAKER_03 33:56

Yeah, the more yeah, the more. Oh, go ahead, Cody.

SPEAKER_00 33:59

No, go ahead, go ahead.

SPEAKER_03 34:00

The more I think about it, um this is just I mean, this is just kind of what I've noticed. If you um say you're a resident in Colorado, or you're a Wyoming resident, or you're someone that can get uh vouchers in Colorado or you're point sharing in Wyoming, um the pr the truth is you're probably gonna have bigger bucks than someone that's 95% of their hunting is just General Season Utah. And I've had a couple people ask me about that, and I'm like, yeah, and you know, I do think it makes a difference. And but it's just and it is what it is. Like I spent a lot of time on General Season Utah. Well, I never did until about the last four years. I would I was just like you. I'm like, I I'd go like maybe one or two days, or not even hardly. And but I'm like, you know what? This is this is the tag I can get. I'm gonna try to hit it hard. So I hit it harder now. But yeah, it's like, well, Shane, you're gonna have to be happy with you know, uh 160 bucks, pretty dang good, you know, and so that and that's just it's just the bucks, like Robbie Denning said, I had him on. It's like just hunt the best bucks. You're gonna have to be okay with hunting the best bucks in the area you can get tags for. So that's kind of what I've noticed a little bit here. It you know, it does matter where you're hunting for sure.

SPEAKER_00 35:23

Yeah, it's it's I mean, it's you know, other you know, that's a perfect example. Like last year, I I had um an Idaho tag, and it was it was just uh you know, October 10th to the 24th. Um, I made it up and hunted a couple of days, the first two days, and then and then had to be back for work. But we you know, we still have the wall tent set up. My son was staying up there still hunting. And when, you know, it was the Friday before the opener of the Utah hunt, and I went back up to Idaho. I was like, I'm gonna go back up to Idaho because you know, I'd scouted some during the summer. I knew what you the Utah unit, what I'd found and what I'd seen, and I knew what I'd seen up in in the Idaho unit. And so I I went back up to Idaho and we hunted up in Idaho for for that weekend, Friday, Saturday, Sunday before I came down and and and hunted a couple days in Utah. But I'm it wasn't even a choice to me. Um and I look at it this year, and I drew that Idaho tag again this year, the same tag, and I'll be back in Idaho. And if I if I haven't killed one, I'll I'll definitely probably be focused more on that unit in Idaho than I will. I will be in Utah. And and maybe that's just because I've spent more time. My son spent a lot of time up in Idaho. We've we've cataloged some bucks. You know, the buck I shot last year, he'd been watching for three years. We knew he was there. Um, and we got, you know, we finally caught him in a spot that we could get in on and uh and get a shot at him and and uh kill him. I I kind of felt bad. My son had shot a nice buck two days before, and I I wished he would have uh still had his tag and I would have had him shoot the buck I shot. But but yeah, it's it's tough. I'm excited to go up to Idaho. I'm excited for Utah. I'll go down and bow on it for a few days, but then I'll probably you know shift up to Idaho and hunt. I've got a Montana General tag this year with my dad and a couple of his buddies, and and they're getting a little bit older, so we're gonna go up and I I've already got a couple spots. I'm gonna probably look for Mule there. They want to kind of look for Whitel and I'll look for both, but that's gonna be a fun hunt just with them, and and it's not gonna be too crazy or physical. It's more gonna go spend some time with them. And then I drew a uh good tag in New Mexico for Koos Deer. I've haunted the unit three or four times, and if I'm looking at how I'm taking time off, it's gonna be for Idaho this year for Mule Deer, and I'm I'm gonna take you know the full hunt off to go chase coups down there because I probably shouldn't say it because it's monster muli, but I would rather go chase big coups deer than what I'm finding in Utah most of the time on. Yeah on the and and maybe it's because it's a new adventure, that's part of it. Like I am the older I get, the more I chase the adventure of it um and the experience. You know, like I said, me and my son, we went up to Prince of Wells and chased Blacktails year before last, and we didn't shoot giant bucks, but that was as far as that was a that was a definite all-time boon and crockett adventure experience for us backpacking in up into the Alpine and shooting the bucks we did and and backpacking out, and and it was an absolute you know butt kicker. It it I wanted to see if I could still do it when I hit 50, and I did, but I don't know if I would do it again.

SPEAKER_03 38:40

Yeah. So how old are you right now?

SPEAKER_00 38:46

I am 52. Okay.

SPEAKER_03 38:48

So yeah, no, that the experience, I think that happens with all of us. Same with me. Um when uh you start getting older. Like I just yeah, like I want to my biggest fear is being on my deathbed and being like, oh, I should have done this, I should have done that. And you know, and so I try to have quite a few adventures, and the experience is a huge part of it. I mean, I want like you said, I'd rather have experience and than points. That was you that said that, right?

SPEAKER_00 39:14

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I would I yeah, yeah, memories. I I gain a lot of memories out on the mountain, but I I don't like my yeah, my points don't generally uh turn into memories. I guess they can if you hang on to them, and and there's some guys that hold out and they shoot 230-inch bucks and 400-inch bulls, but that's even getting harder now nowadays. Points, points don't guarantee anything with the way the systems are.

SPEAKER_03 39:38

Yeah, no, I was gonna ask you if you have any uh if you've never buck you've never gotten over losing, or you got a funny buck fever story, not even about yourself.

SPEAKER_00 39:49

Um man, I could, yeah, I know I do. I have I have plenty.

SPEAKER_03 39:54

Like I have I have had or one of them.

SPEAKER_00 39:56

Yeah, I mean, I have a couple of that that are I I it all it happens a lot to I guess not all of us, but it it happens a lot. I lost a buck that I hit with my bow on the Ponce Gant in '92. Um, and we tracked him out in the sand and stuff for literally four days. I I think he probably lived. Um he quit bleeding after probably 300 yards, and we were just able to follow him in in the sand. And uh he was he was a buck that there was an old videotographer that's actually he's actually an anti-hunting guy now, but there was a guy named Ted Steinkey that used to do a whole video series called Bullbusters, and he had some deer hunting videos, and now he's a really great photographer, but he's he's kind of gone anti-hunting. But he had this buck on video, and he was they figured his frame was about 210, typical, and then he had about a 12-inch drop time, and they figured he was 34, 35, and I uh I think about that probably weekly still losing that dick.

SPEAKER_03 41:04

So you that's the buck you hit?

SPEAKER_00 41:06

Yeah, yeah. So that was that was uh that's that's one that sticks with me, and then um I had a buck on the cash. Wow, probably it would have been probably 14 or 15 years ago that me and my son, and this is when I before I had improved my gear and and changed things up, and we shot at a buck a few times across a canyon that was didn't have a range finder. He was a long way away. Um, he's completely killable with the gear that I hunt with now, but at that point I didn't have that gear, and we missed that deer a couple times, and that deer was probably uh oh, I at a at a low, I would put him at 215, and he might have been in that 230 class. He he was probably the biggest deer me and my boy have seen, um, body-wise and just big inlines, huge frame, heavy. Like he was he was I've seen some big deer. I've chased some deer, um, I've helped kill some deer that were you know in the 230s, 220s, and he was he was probably the biggest deer that I've ever seen on the hoof um overall score. So that one that one kind of haunts me, but it's all right. It's a great memory. Me and my son laugh about it, and you you learn from it, and you uh I think you prioritize differently. You uh figure out a way to have a range finder, which a lot of that stuff's more um accessible and and and uh affordable these days, but you start spending more time at the range, you you know, you dial in your stuff. Um, I wouldn't consider myself a long-range shooter. I have the ability to shoot long range. Um, I ended up killing my Idaho buck at 700 yards last year, which some people would say, uh but if you're gonna put that much time and money and effort into it, um, you know, I say about the long range, most of the guys that I know that are long-range shooters are also some of the best bow hunters, best muzzloter hunters. They're just bet it's just an added tool that they've added to the quiver to be killers, if that makes sense. So I think I've tried to learn to do that.

SPEAKER_03 43:19

Yeah, that those are some big old bucks. Yeah, I mean, it's funny back in the day, like I remember thinking like 300 is about the limit. That used to be the limit. And this year, my daughter shot a buck, I think it was 565, you know. And it's just like, yeah, it's crazy. Yeah, 300 is nothing now, but yep.

SPEAKER_00 43:41

Oh, it's it's yeah, it definitely has changed the game. And and you know, I I have all of the gear. I mean, you in all transparency, I shoot a gunworks with with you know all the bells and whistles. I I have my br2 rangefinder plus my range finding binoculars. I spent a lot of time shooting at that those distances. We've shot some stuff at long range. I would honestly, and I and I say this in all truthfulness, I think it would be a huge benefit. And I know that some people are gonna argue with me with this and and talk about the wounded animals, and and I just I firmly disagree with the what the overall um the overall win would be. If if you banned range finders, it would you Would cut success rates. I firmly believe that. Um that, you know, I shoot all that stuff. My dedicated hunter that I have right now is on a restricted. I hunted with with open sites last year, had a blast off on. If I see a great big giant deer that is too far for me to shoot with open sites, then I'll have that memory and I'll be excited about it. So I I push for those. I I wish they would do that on more units. I'd like to see them do it on more units. I think it addresses, it helps address the biggest factor that I think we have right now within especially the Mule Deer community is opportunity versus um age class and deer or buck to doug ratio or you know, success, any of those. I I think that's we address a lot of the social aspects more than biology. We claim it's biology, but at the end of the day, we uh we address the social side of it. Um and I'm probably getting too political on this, but uh but uh I uh I shoot long range, but I would push for shorter weapons because I think it will it will extend the life and the betterment of the resource. I guess I would say that for my kids and my grandkids down the road.

SPEAKER_03 45:47

Yeah, no, I just had um Mike Wardle on, he's the new big game coordinator, took over for Daxamangus. You'll have to listen to that episode. We talk a little bit about the primitive weapon hunts and tag allotment success rates and all that. You'll yeah, give that a lesson, see what you think.

SPEAKER_00 46:06

Yeah, no, I I I'm interested. I I've got I grew up with with family on the boards, my little brother's on a board again right now, and I've I've looked at that. And I I think it's anything that you can do. I'm not an anti-opportunity guy. I want people to go hunt, I want kids to hunt, I want all of us. I love to hunt. Like I I've told everybody if I could draw a tag for a naked rock hunt, I would apply. Like I would go run around in a loincloth and throw large rocks if they would give me a tag to do it. Um, but uh that being said, like I I love Mule Deer and I just I I stress or I worry. I I've grown up with a family that's that's watched that that resource dwindle from a lot higher. And I understand all of the all of the things that cause that to be higher to where it is now, and it it uh it's definitely a it's a concern that and it's probably why I shy away a little bit from putting as much effort and time into Utah's because I feel like they're that's not the direction they have gone. They've gone more opportunity than than uh protection or sure resource.

SPEAKER_03 47:11

Nope. They would, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 47:12

So that's the that's the not fun stuff that I like talking about. I'd rather talk about chasing big bots or bulls or any of that stuff. I love I love all that. And I and I still do it no matter what. I'd if there's only if there's only two points out there, you'll still catch me out there uh going out and looking at them and and glassing them and and and taking pictures.

SPEAKER_03 47:31

Yeah, yeah, no, that's awesome. Um I might have a podcast on here where I get on Monster Mules and just ask someone to sell tell some uh buck fever stories. I don't know, those crack me up, but yeah, the ones that get away, it's funny.

SPEAKER_00 47:45

Sometimes those ones that get away, they for I don't know, for they're the most the most memorable, or I I had a ton of fun and it sucks they got away, but you can't stop talking about yeah, I I don't have I don't have um I don't I don't get I feel like I don't get burned out and I don't get um I have never been one I've hunted with with guys and I and I I know some some some really good guys that are I mean it means a lot to them and they and they folks and they put in a ton of effort um I have never been one that is like I want to shoot big deer I like to to chase big deer but I don't I try not to let it ruin the experience or get to me um I'm okay to eat tags I've ate a lot of tags um so if I see a big deer like like I said you know back to Colorado I was so excited just to get that buck on video and get some pictures and be able to go look at it like shooting it was was a bonus it was you know I even made a comment to my son I'm like well man I waited you know I had six or eight points I think for Colorado and I waited and I hunted seven minutes I was a little bummed about that he had a tag so we still got a hunt he told me I wasn't allowed to do that because it was a big deer and I I totally get that um but it it I haven't ever I I don't get burnt out I don't let it hammer me you know I've I've had some you know I hunted the desert unit down by my down where I currently live you know 2000 I 2018 2019 2020 I spent over 240 days out like that's not full days like I worked during the time but either morning or night I was out on that unit 240 something days and I shot a buck in 18 on day 48 that I had been out between scouting and that and then I killed a buck with my bow the following year and and I think I ended up spending 70 something days of scouting and hunting total with that and then the following year was a whole ton of time again um and I never got burned out at all I was I was excited the whole time I loved it um you know the archery buck that I had the number one buck that I had looked for got shot opening morning 200 yards below me um I had some other bucks that were my backup bucks that I was so I was a little bummed that buck ended up being 206 and I had a bunch of really good pictures of him and was excited to hunt him and and somebody somebody beat me to him and and did a great job and got him shot opening morning. I had a blind set up where some bucks were coming out into a burn and the opening that opening night I set on that passed up a 180 buck at 31 yards because I knew there was bigger bucks in there and I thought oh this is going to be easy came in the first night exactly they had been while we were scouting um I set in that blind for eight more nights and had one doe come by on day eight like night eight I knew the bucks were still in the area I was seeing them in the mornings traveling um and then I set seven more days before I ended up shooting the buck that I shot so I set 15 days in that same blind and I saw three deer total um but they were there and I don't ever remember feeling like I was burned out or angry or anything. I guess I enjoyed you know the little burrowing owls that came into the blind and and looked at other stuff. So I try to keep that mindset that I run a pr a pretty fast paced life in my work life. So anytime I can be out I I try to just make the most of it and enjoy all aspects of it.

SPEAKER_03 51:33

Well that's awesome.

SPEAKER_00 51:34

Yeah well thanks Cody yeah thanks for jumping on here loved your stories your knowledge sure the the guys will love this podcast anything else you want to say before I let you go or no I just appreciate you putting in the time I appreciate um you know Brian keeping the keeping the forum up um and I've I've met a lot of great people through the years um you know my dad spends a lot of time on it I feel like that's his you know his entertainment and and and tight friend groups we've we've created some great friends there's a lot of crazy bands or a time that goes back and forth but um I I mean I I don't know of a of another outdoor forum that has I mean the characters and the and the fun and that people helping each other and it it it really is a a really cool community. I'm excited that you're doing a podcast with it so we can hear a few more people I'm ex every time I see somebody's name pop up I'm it I'm excited to hear what they have to say and and uh I appreciate you you know Brian uh letting you do this and you taking the time to do it and and everybody that's on there even when I argue with people on it I I I I know it's people that have the same passion I do and at the end of the day that's what we're all we're all uh joined together with.

SPEAKER_03 52:48

So awesome thanks Cody yeah it's crazy how many good hunters are on that website and the knowledge and yeah it's pretty good resource.

SPEAKER_00 52:55

Oh way way better I I I I told you when you asked if I wanted to be on I'm I'm I don't I think I'm lucky and I wouldn't consider myself a good hunter.

SPEAKER_03 53:03

I just um grew up in the West and I grew up in an area where I get opportunities and I has has learned to play the game a little bit and and you get out and and occasionally a blind blind squirrel finds a nut so it's funny everyone I talk to to be on it to be on the podcast most of them are like well man I don't I don't know if I'm that great but I think we're all we're all pretty good.

SPEAKER_00 53:29

I think you know there's a lot I grew up like I said I grew I grew up down in the Ridgefield area and I grew up around um I spent a lot of time in Jay Ogden's tax dermy shop and and spent a lot of time down on the ponds and and I got to see a lot of really big deer really big deer growing up um and put my hands on a lot of really big deer so um it it definitely is a passion it's something that it's the thing I love to do the most is chase mule deer um but yeah it's uh I I hope I I hope I never lose the passion I hear some people say they're losing it and I I haven't yet so I hope I I still keep it and and if it's if it's not mule deer then it's gonna be elk or coos deer fly fishing somewhere like I just love being outdoors.

SPEAKER_03 54:16

Same well that's awesome Cody will I'll be cheering for you this year and I'm sure we'll be in touch and send in text how we always do pictures.

SPEAKER_00 54:24

I I for sure I've got 12 points in Wyoming now so hopefully I'll be talking to you about goats and I'll be hiking into all those basins that I was just saying borrow the goats any days we'll maybe we'll have to point share.

SPEAKER_03 54:37

There you go there you go all right man good talking to you thanks Shane