Mule Deer
Mule Deer
Mule Deer
Mule Deer
Wild Turkey
Buck on the left has lost a horn in January
Mule Deer
Mule Deer On The Winter Range
Mule Deer
Mule Deer
Mule Deer Buck
Archive for category Big Game
After the fall hunts are over guys like Jeff Brunson are out finding things to hunt with a camera. Here are some of his subjects.
Hunting Friends,
While many of you in Utah were out on the mountain for the opening of the deer hunt today I was off chasing rams on the desert. CONGRATULATIONS to Sam Dallon who overcame a number of obstacles to take this beautiful ram this morning. Sam made an absolutely great 500 yard shot after completing a really tough stalk. During his hunt Sam saw violent weather, lost 14 lbs after we hiked what he swears was 100 miles, climbed cliffs, and watched me reach under my pack to pick it up only to find a rattlesnake curled underneath. Sam was tougher than rawhide and had an incredible time. He can hunt with us anytime. Today was also very special for Sam because his dad Ron was able to be there with him to see him take this “Once In A LIfetime” trophy. Great job Sam. Thanks for placing your trust in us.
Good luck everyone. I look forward to seeing some of your mule deer pics from the opener.
Randy Johnson
Desert Big Horn Sheep - Sam Dallon
Utah Desert Big Horn Sheep - Zion Unit
Our family has a tradition every year of going out on a Christmas tree hunt. Our trips have taken us into some beautiful country and as a bonus, we’ve seen some wildlife. It is a fun way for us to spend Thanksgiving in the Great Outdoors.
Wayne Oberg
Mule Deer
Christmas Tree
Chris Hoffman
Archery Elk Hunting Utah - Panguitch Lake Unit
Monster Mule Deer - 2011
This photo was taken looking through a spotting scope this year during the rut.
Bill Durbidge - Bret Caldwell
Desert Big Horn - Utah's Zion Unit
Hunting Friends,
Congratulations to Bill Burbidge and HIGH DESERT WILD SHEEP GUIDE Bret Caldwell on taking this wide flaring Utah desert ram that looks more like a Dall! Bill is 69 years old and waited a long time to draw this tag. What was very special about this hunt is that both of Bill’s sons could be there with him when he took his ram. Great job guys. Thanks for allowing us to share in this Once In A Lifetime Experience with you. Good luck everyone. It’s sure fun to see your pictures and hear your stories.
Randy Johnson
Greg Kilinger - Desert Big Horn Sheep
Hunting Friends,
I received this very nice email from Greg Killinger, a non-resident sheep hunter from Alaska. Greg really paid the price to take this great Utah desert trophy. He is a great guy and I’m very happy that everything worked out for him, especially after his wife’s accident last year. Super job Greg. You definitely explained very well how difficult desert sheep hunting can be in very difficult terrain with wild variations in weather. Thank you so much for sharing your story with us! Take care everyone.
Randy
Hello Randy,
I enjoy all the notes and photos you send on successful outdoor adventures by fellow hunters. Don’t know if you remember me, but met you briefly last year on the outskirts of the Zion unit while looking for desert sheep at the beginning of the season. I had the unbelievable good fortune to draw the only nonresident sheep tag for the newly opened Zion hunt in 2010. A few days after I met you, things went from great to terrible at the drop of a hat when I found out while up on the mountain that my wife had a life threatening bicycle accident (fractured skull) back at home in Alaska and was medivacked 1,000 miles to a hospital in Anchorage for emergency brain surgery. I heard you were contacted last year while searchers were looking for me in Utah, and I thank you for helping provide information. A year later, my wife is nearly fully recovered, and we realize what real fortune and being thankful is all about.
The rest of the story is that the great state of Utah gave me a variance to postpone this once in a lifetime tag until fall 2011. I just spent two weeks there at the beginning of the season, hunting solo most of the time. Luckily, I met a resident in the Zion unit last year who was helping his son with his sheep hunt. We made a connection, and he and his cousin were out with me the weekend I finally got a ram. Their moral support and help packing him out was invaluable, and they did it all for the love of the hunt and just to be out in the mountains. The hunters, guides and new friends I met in Utah over the past year have been some of the finest, most helpful and generous people you could hope to run across anywhere.
Here are a few photos of the Zion unit Utah desert bighorn that I started hunting in Sept 2010….and finally connected with in Sept 2011. Southern Utah is certianly dry, hot country with shade and water hard to come by, and it took 9 days of hunting to finally connect with this great 9 1/2 year old desert ram. Hunting was at about 6,500 ft elevation in/near beautiful wilderness areas adjacent to Zion National Park. I backpacked into and camped in four different areas of the unit during this hunt getting to know some of the area fairly well. Counting the 6 mile pack out with the sheep, I can truly say this desert ram hunt took as much endurance as most Dall sheep hunts I’ve been on in remote areas of Alaska.
Desert sheep hunting is an absolutely wonderful experience, getting to pursue some of the most majestic big game anywhere in one of the most beautiful areas in the United States. I must express sincere gratitude to the UT Wildlife Board for granting a variance after my wife’s accident, and to all the great people in Utah and the help they provided me in successfully completing this challenging do-it-yourself hunt. Everyone I ran into on or near the mountain was ready to lend a hand or share information. Outdoorsmen, State biologists, guides and a lot of other people I met while in UT were friendly and provided information and help throughout the trip. I am very thankful!
Good luck on all your adventures,
Greg Killinger – Sitka, AK
Garry's Big Horn Sheep - Colorado
A friend from Colorado sent this to me of his friend’s bighorn ram taken in Colorado this year.
Wayne Oberg
Keep in mind that a coyote is about the size of a German Shepherd. Some folks still wonder why ranchers and hunters are not happy about the tree hugger’s decision to re-introduce wolves into Yellowstone eco-system. They have now spread to surrounding states; this comparative picture with the Wolf on the left and the Coyote on the right side will give you an idea of the size of these predators. You wouldn’t have a chance if one attacked you, let alone a whole pack of them.
Wolf and Coyote
Bull Elk - Kevin Petersen - Utah
Received this nice email, pics, and story from Kevin Petersen, an accomplished hunter who loves to get out on the mountain just like each one of you! Thanks so much for sharing Kevin and CONGRATULATIONS on a great bull and outstanding fall “out on the mountain.” That was so neat that you were able to have your father along on this hunt to share in your experience! Great job. I look forward to seeing you at the Western Hunting Expo in February!
Randy Johnson
Hi Randy,
You know I love to hunt sheep, but I thought I would take this opportunity to share a few photos of one of my most memorable hunts to date from this September, that certainly ranks as one of the top highlights of my hunting career, running only second to the completion of my “Full Curl” last year.
This is my Bull from my Limited Entry, Early Rifle Bull elk hunt, here in Northern Utah that I was very fortunate to take…As you can see, there are a few smiles in the photos! It was a great hunt with my father and some great friends…truly a Once in a Life Time experience for me.
Congratulations once again on the all the Outstanding Rams from this fall…
Kevin Petersen
Happy Hunting,
