SALT LAKE COUNTY, UTAH. I wasn't guaranteed a buck mule deer tag this year, as most folks only get one every other year, depending on the unit you're applying for. But Utah introduced a new, extended archery-only season and unit that apparently no one knew about other than me. I applied, got the tag, and was ready to get after it when the middle of September came. But this year's mule deer hunting was one that was sort of put on the back burner of my schedule.
Not because I didn't want to chase these rad and wily animals, but because my hunting season blew up in some very cool ways.
First, there was the very unexpected boon that was my once-in-a-lifetime limited-entry elk hunt, which consumed four weeks of August and September, which cut into my scouting for mule deer. But that time spent in the woods, nine days in total over those four weeks, paid off in the most gnarly way, allowing me to harvest a bull elk that is epic in every sense of the word. Seriously, I round the corner of my hallway, entering my kitchen every morning, and am greeted by this magnificent animal that's now bolted to the wall.
