Dave started our 2000 Mule Deer hunt harvesting a "Monster" Buck scoring in the 185" range.  Some may think a 185" Buck is not a "Monster", but when hunting on public land in a non-limited area with a lot of hunting pressure, a 185" Buck is hard to find...trust me!  It was opening morning, Dave and I left camp at 5:20 a.m. heading to our hot spot for glassing.  We found out on the way that my "automatic hubs" were not engaging properly, so we had to park the truck and continue on foot.   We proceeded on foot for about 1/4 mile and began glassing an area were Dave took a nice Buck the previous year.  It was getting light enough for us to locate a few different groups of deer heading for their bedding areas, but we didn't see any bucks that were of interest.  We decided to walk a little further, allowing us a different angle on a south facing slope.  Suddenly, I noticed Dave stop and load a round in the chamber.  He said something to me, but I was unable to distinguish what was said.  I think his excitement got the best of him, because all I heard was mumble.  I saw him raise his rifle and knew he spotted a buck.  The buck was heading up to the ridge top with his harem of does.  Dave fired his first shot hitting the moving buck.  The buck continued up towards the ridge top when Dave fired a second shot, but missed.  Dave fired his third and last round hitting the buck.  It seems Dave decided not to bring his day pack, since we were "only going to glass the area for a short time"… just his luck.  We were not expecting to stumble upon such a "Monster" so early or so close.  He needed to get to the truck for more ammunition, which allowed me to start tracking the wounded buck.  Dave was sure he hit the buck, so I decided to find the blood trail, but not push the animal knowing he would bed down as soon as he felt safe.  I located the spot were the buck was first hit and immediately began following the blood trail.    After a few minutes, I decided to let off and wait for Dave to return.

When Dave caught up to me, we continued the tracking down through some thick junipers following a good trail of blood in the small patches of snow.  The trail indicated it was only a matter of time before we would find the expired trophy.  Then suddenly, the trail was gone.  We would lose the trail every few feet and then pick it back up.  The sun had melted the snow in this area and blood was thinning out making the tracking more difficult to follow.  I then began to wonder just how serious the buck was injured.  Things didn't look good at this point.  We got down on our hands and knees and continued searching for the smallest of blood spots.  It also appeared the buck was back-tracking on us making it even more difficult to follow.  About 30 minutes had passed and we both knew we needed to locate the buck.  We decided to split up.  It had only been a couple of minutes when I heard the fatal shot from Dave's rifle.  He had turned around, in an attempt to return to the spot where he last saw the blood trail, and noticed the buck heading back up through a deep ravine.  Dave looked through his binoculars identifying the buck as being the one we were tracking, and put the final bullet right on target.  He hollered at me; "he's down and he's a Monster".

It was going to be impossible for me to drive out of here without my 4-wheel drive.  It would take my chains on the rear tires to get me out and on my way.  I finally arrived on the other road and started the trip back to Dave.  He had brought the front quarters close to the road and went back to retrieve more of the buck.  I meet up with him a few minutes later and took some pictures of the two.  We made the first trip out placing the head and front quarters in the back of my truck and headed back for rest.  When we returned, we were greeted by a local Guide/Outfitter who noticed the antlers sticking out of my trucks bed.  It seems the Guide glassed the same buck a few days before and sent his friend to the area, only to find out his friend was hunting the wrong side of the ridge.  He congratulated Dave and offered to score the buck at his shop.  The buck would score an impressive 185" gross B&C points.  Finding such an animal on public land in a non-limited area and being a do-it yourself type hunt made this trophy even more special.  It was also Dave's first "Monster" buck.

I told him to stay put until I caught up to him, I wanted to see the expression on his face when we reached the fallen buck.  We were surprised by his body and antler size, he didn't look this big at first sight.  I decided I would return to the truck for our frame packs and drive to a road that was closer for us to pack out.  It took me about 45 minutes to reach my truck, only to find myself stuck.  The sun had melted the ice and snow turning the ground to mud.