this tale was brought on by a request from drummond, (complete with photo) of the best non typ mulie i ever guided a hunter to.
Jim was mid 50s and had never killed a mule deer,a nice guy and in decent shape.
After lunch on the 2nd day of the hunt,one of the other guides gathers 2 more of us with a nod ment for just us.
We duck into the guide tent and he spreads a topo map on the closest cot.
His next words stunned Wes and I.
"I put "The Pig" to bed this morning".

The Pig was a legendary beast of 20 + points,
spread over a 38" frame, rumored to be knocking on 300" of headgear.
he drifted thru the area each yr and we would
encounter him only this one week and then he would disappear.
Had missed getting him killed the year before but had killed the buck running with him. He taped out 34 inches and 252 B&C and the difference between the 2 deer was obvious.

Scotty stabs a finger onto the topo map and with that the plan was hatched, turns out there were 7 bucks in this group, including another good non typ and a boomer 200 inch kinda typical.
Scotty's hunter had just arrived, 1 day late
and they would make a run on the group with Wes and his hunter and Jim and I watching
the "back doors".

Jim and I perched a 100 yds above a saddle that is at the head of the draw the bucks are in and Wes was guarding another to the west, an hour later I spot a buck coming up the draw.
Throwing my glasses up i can tell it ain't the Pig but we are going to kill him, he's too good to pass.
The buck is 350 yds out and burning up the country to get to the saddle, I tell Jim to chamber a round in his 270 and we watch the buck go out of sight below us where the draw gets narrow,and 10 seconds later he flashes across the saddle without Jim getting a shot.
We run to the saddle, the bucks going out the bottom and hangs a left into the main draw 600 yds below.
The main draw paralels the ridge we are on
and i turn to Jim and ask "Can you run?.
He answers yes and i take off running along the ridge, watching down the draws trying to keep the big buck in view.We see him go past the bottom of the next draw and i pour on the speed to reach the 3rd.
As I get a clear look down the 3rd draw i see the deer run into a tall patch of sage on the hillside above the main draw, he spins a circle like a dog and beds down facing the way he came,
watching his backtrail.
Jim can run pretty good and is by my side,we watch the buck for a minute and i tell Jim
We gotta go at him, hes bedded, if he gets nervous and runs again ,we'll never catch him".
With that I drop into the bottom of the draw and move to close the 600 yds gap.
When we reach the last bit of cover, we are one hilltop away from the slope hes' bedded on and the distance will be around 150 yds.
We crawl up to the top and crest behind a yucca, the buck is still there.
Still intently watching his backtrail the buck is in full view from our angle and the next bit of conversation between Jim and I goes like this.
Jim,you see the deer?
yea
you got a round in?
yea
ok, then when you feel comfortable, kill him.
Jim peers at the deer thru his scope and says
"He isn't very wide"
he's a good good deer,kill him.
Jim peers thru his scope again and says
"But, he isn't very wide"
Jim, i say. You kill that deer cuz its the biggest buck you will ever see in your life!
Cuz its the biggest buck i have ever seen in My life!!
His eyes get big and he rolls behind the rifle
and i hear the safty snick off. And he misses.
The big buck rockets out of his bed and bounds uphill 3 or 4 times and locks up facing the other way,on full alert but not knowing where the shot came from.
Coiled like a spring, head ratcheting and ears
flipping back and forth, searching for the danger and the 2nd shot rings in my ears followed by the whump of a hit. The buck heads for the top only to run out of steam, his front legs melt from under him and he crashes into the rising ground with his chin, his hind legs still trying to push him upslope.
Later that night we piece together the rest of the story, The Pig couldn't be found when Scotty got back to the bucks and he snuck in to 80 yds with his hunter to get the deer up and maybe see the Pig as they jumped up.
6 bucks got up out of the draw and Scottys hunter emptied his rifle at the big typical standing broadside at 80 yds and it runs over the ridge,the non typ Jim and I killed is still standing there after the hunter reloads and Scotty tells his hunter,
"Kill that one" and his hunter replys "No, i want the typical"
Scotty runs at the buck and gooses him up the draw to us.
We never saw The Pig again....

This was all a few moons ago, but i can still remember the mass and the points that came off those horns.
a total of 19 points and 43+ inches of mass.
And Jim was right "He isn't very wide.But he scores north of 235 B&C.

Here ya go Drummond enjoy,
and the rest of you too, safe travels

What a buck!

Beautiful! Thanks for posting the story.

Wow, you would not have to tell me more than once to kill that buck. Great story, sorry no one got "Pig".

Great buck, great story!

I've heard that story sitting out on the plains of CO within yards of where the deer was killed and I've heard it around the campfire in Sonora Mexico, it never gets old! Thanks for sharing bud! I haven't seen that picture in over a decade. What a slug! Definitely one of my favorite plains deer of all time

Drum

Great story and pics......damn, I love the western life.

Great Deer huntin story!
I am always a sucker for a story with a happy ending, great buck and story ravenr.

Very nice story and well done...congrats to you and the hunter

Great story!

I can't imagine looking at that buck and NOT SHOOTING....

Incredible! Deer of a Lifetime!

Very nice buck.

Looks realy big from the east

Great story,Super Buck!!!!!!

thanks all
how do you like the "purple plains" camo?
it was all the rage in the early 90s
And i met my wife,while wearing that hat!!

Drummond
thanks for prompting me
and now its your turn.
One of my all time favorite mulies, is the
big non-typ that you killed in Sonora.
You know the one, he was the BIGGEST deer
to come out of Mexico that YEAR.
Uncle Drummond tell us a story.........

ravenr.Wow what a buck,and story to go along!

Drummond..what about that mexico buck?

Great story and buck.

I like the camo. It makes the deer think you are just the local rancher. Do you still have the hat?

I own fancy camo pants, shirts, coats-- and have killed the majority of my deer and elk while wearing blue jeans and non-camo top (decent weather days). My last PY type archery mulie buck I killed wearing hunter orange- spot and stalk style. My PY state record moose I killed wearing camo pants and a navy-hoodie with a red ball cap-- again spot and stalk style. So I like the photos of non-camo'ed up hunters.

What an awesome buck! Great story as well. I cant' believe the guy wasnt going to shoot that buck because he "isnt that wide"! Ive got a 211 NT mulye that is only 20" wide but has lots of mass like that one. Agian, congrats on guiding to that monster!

I wish there was a great story about this buck but its really just about being in the right place at the right time.

It actually started in January of 2002 when we were just about to have lunch at the ranch house and the vaquero, Guatcho, comes into camp and told us about a "buro grande" laying out under a palo verde tree with a doe that was out in the open. He had just seen them 10 minutes previous. We all loaded up and Guatcho took us back to the area. The deer were not there but I was able to follow their tracks to our property boundary. We were literally seconds behind them but could not make it happen. Guatcho told me that the buck was wide and high and very massive. He made the motions with his hands when he described the extra points and I knew there was a drop tine. We never saw the buck again but Guatcho saw him horseback one more time when checking cattle.

Fast forward one year and we were back at the ranch. It had been a dismal season so far, we had killed a couple of good bucks but it was hot and dry, combine that with a full moon and a weak rut and I was pretty damn frustrated. About 3 days before he showed up my hunter, Chris, told me not to worry because he was lucky. He had killed a 196" net typical with me the year previous and I knew he was packing a "Golden Horseshoe" somewhere. Anyway, a couple of days into his hunt, driving down the ranch road in the same area Guatcho had seen him the year before the giant drop tine buck steps out behind a doe and Chris made a great shot as he was trying to leave the country.

Chris's buck was the largest buck killed in Sonora in 2003, he has a gross score north of 230"





Here is the giant 196" typical he killed with me the year previous. His buck is on the right

Awesome bucks and stories! I would of liked to see the "pig". I can't get enough of big mule deer just something about them.
Jeremy



___________________________
Jeremy Gugelmeyer
www.sagebrushhunts.com

quote:

I knew he was packing a "Golden Horseshoe"

With those Bucks I'd say for sure!!

Outstanding bucks! Congrats to you both.

Hey Ravenr,

I dont get on here much but I had to say I truly enjoyed that story so much I went and read a bunch of your old posts and have to say, it's truly impressive to hear stories from a guy that's "been there". There's only a few guys on these boards that have these kind of credentials, and you are definitely one of them!!! The only thing that would make your stories better, is if we were around a fire sipping on Pendleton!

Jared

that top Mexico buck is unbelievable!!!!!

NMpistolero
thanks for the kind words
and i've been known to haunt N.M.
from time to time,
make mine a jack and cranberry.....

Great stories, Great bucks, Thanks for sharing with us.

quote:

Originally posted by ravenr:
And i met my wife,while wearing that hat!!

Of course you did - it's a Stormy Kromer! Without it, you'd have never stood a chance!

Great Story - well told and colorful! Many thanks!

friar

p.s. For those who aren't familiar with Stormys, they've been made in Michigan's UP since 1903 and are THE BOMB!

ranvenr & drummond,

Magnificent trophy mulies!! A big mule deer buck is probably the hardest
trophy to achieve here in the West. I know many good, experienced hunters who
have spent years trying to bag something close to what you guys have posted.
Hard to choose which I like better, mass or width, certainly nice if they have both!
Jim

ravenr AKA Uncle Joe,

Perhaps you are a pretty good guide but you definitely are not afraid to take chances in the fashion department.

Mark

[QUOTE]Originally posted by ravenr:
thanks all
how do you like the "purple plains" camo?
it was all the rage in the early 90s
And i met my wife,while wearing that hat!!


Has your wife since regained her sight ?

Perry