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

NRA Foundation Logo LEDE
NRA Foundation Logo LEDE

NRA Foundation Donates $30,000 to Help Feed Missouri Families

The NRA Foundation has once again stepped up to fight hunger in Missouri, donating $30,000 to help feed children and families across the state through a partnership with the Conservation Federation of Missouri (CFM), Feeding Missouri, and the Share the Harvest Program.

New Video Demonstrates Benefits of School Programs on Conservation

The latest Partner With a Payer video released by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service highlights the impact of youth shooting sport programs and the role they play in long-term conservation funding.

Hardware Review: Barnes Harvest Collection

Check out Bryce Towsley's review of this fall whitetail slayer from Barnes.

New for 2025: Alps OutdoorZ DU Legacy Line

For those seeking a fusion of classic looks and continued performance from their waterfowl hunting accessories, the Alps OutdoorZ’s DU Legacy Line Accessories are worth a look.

Hunting with a Twist: Rethinking the .30-06

In a world where the wheel seems to be continually reinvented, ballistically speaking, what about working with an existing platform to achieve new performance goals? Come with me as we take an academic tour of an American icon and its versatility as a worldwide critter getter. Let me re-introduce you to the .30-06 Springfield.

First Look: AirForce Airguns Condor-SL and CondorSS-SL

AirForce Airguns, the American manufacturer of high-power, modular Pre-Charged Pneumatic rifles, has announced the release of the Condor-SL and CondorSS-SL.

Interests



Get the best of American Hunter delivered to your inbox.