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I don’t think I even loaded the gun; I just sat there thinking about the past for a while. This brought me more joy than harvesting any whitetail and it’s what Ed and my uncle would have wanted to see, my brother and I out in the whitetail woods, carrying on the tradition. 

The hunting industry as a whole has caused so many new hunters to grab on so tightly to the notion that the only hunt worth having is one that ends with a 150” grip-and-grin. And we’re all guilty of helping market that belief through buck shaming and “would’ve been a good one next year” comments. 

The late season is cold, very cold. Yes we get cold spells in the middle of November but nothing bites like that post-Christmas north wind.

There are things that you can do to help cut the chill. Granted, being some level of cold just comes with the territory of late season hunting.

Well the best time of the hunting season has passed and I’m sitting here with a buck tag in my pocket. Some hunters would say “what a shame”. But not me, I love the late season and for many different reasons. Things like cold weather, very few mosquitos and snakes, and hungry deer increase my interest.

I graduated, got a job, saved some money, and did some research on how to get one of these western tags. Through online study and guidance from some relatives that lived in Eastern New Mexico I was able to put a plan together for this mule deer trip. The hunt itself was amazing and fairly difficult to pull off but it was the pure logistics that made the hunt almost not happen.

I grabbed my bow and bugle tube and walked into the tree line sending off a challenge call. The bull quickly responded. I knew it was thick, and I needed to move fast. So, I asked Dad to stay back while I went after the bull. Going back and forth between cow calls and bugles, I closed the distance on the bull. Finally, it came to the point where I knew he was close.

When deciding how to display your trophy there are several factors that you have to consider: money, available space, DIY possibility, and overall aesthetic. Working your way through the previous factors can help point you in the right direction. 

At some point in the night, I woke up to the entire bed and floor shaking. It felt like a train was coming through the cabin. 

Kyle points to the top bunk across the room above JJ and screams as loud as he can, "THERE HE IS, RIGHT THERE!!!" Kyle's dad asks, "what the hell are you talking about?"