Black Friday Shopping Pays Off with a 200-inch Mule Deer!

by
posted on December 11, 2014
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **

For some, shopping on Black Friday means hitting the malls. For bowhunters like my husband, Phil, and me, it means hitting the sandhills to try and close the deal on a good buck. The plan came together for Phil that morning when he dropped this 200-inch muley.

While seeing one monster mule deer can be a once-in a lifetime experience, we saw two on his Kansas lease that week so whichever buck he got close to first would be the one. Easier said than done. He actually held off on stalking them until his Mathews No Cam HTR bow arrived. Would I be as patient, I wondered? Evidently, Phil knew that new bow would give him the edge.

Phil and his cameraman had several encounters and got great footage of both bucks for his TV show before he finally caught this one trailing a doe. But what were the odds because he was actually sitting with me in my blind as I waited on the whitetail buck I was chasing. Both whitetails and muleys were leaving the crop circle and heading for the sandhills when the heavy buck walked right past our blind. Our HECS Stealthscreen suit and Ozonics likely had something to do with our going undetected--considering they came from downwind. An Easton Deep Six FMJ arrow topped with a Grave Digger broadhead did the trick and the rest, as they say, is history.

Latest

Camp Lede 2
Camp Lede 2

Backcountry Camp Defense: The Tools for the Task

Camping should be memorable, but without forethought about protection it could be memorable for the wrong reason. What follows is a guide for defending one’s site against nature’s top predators.

TriStar Arms Expands KR22 Rifle Line

TriStar Arms is expanding the KR22 .22 LR rifle lineup with two new color options, giving shooters more ways to personalize one of the company’s rimfire rifles. The KR22 is now available in Flat Dark Earth and Olive Drab Green, joining the original synthetic black model that launched the platform.

Trust Your Gut: Deer Hunting Tips from the Stand

Field Editor Bryce Towsley gets a little help in “his” Mississippi stand.

Remembering Former NRA President Robert Corbin

Robert Corbin, a former NRA president and Arizona attorney general, died of natural causes on Sept. 9, 2025, at 97 years old.

Hardware Review: Stealth Vision Tactical SVT 3-18x44mm

Jeff Johnston dives into the Stealth Vision Tactical SVT 3-18x44mm. Check out his thorough review below.

Top 10 New Hunting Rifles for 2025

As the year draws to its inevitable close, we asked Philip Massaro to select his top 10 favorite rifles that debuted in 2025. Without any further adieu, let’s dive into the list.

Interests



Get the best of American Hunter delivered to your inbox.