Monster Mule Deer - 2011
This photo was taken looking through a spotting scope this year during the rut.
Archive for category Utah
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
Mule Deer Buck - Nevada
Mule Deer
Rutting Mule Deer Bucks
Mule Deer Buck
Rutting Mule Deer Buck
Young Mule Deer Buck
Young Mule Deer Buck
Last week I went out to find some Rutting Bucks and here is some of the bucks I found here in Utah and Nevada.
Steve Sillitoe
Randy Rosenthal
Desert Big Horn – High Desert Wild Sheep Guides
Desert Big Horn Sheep
Hunting Friends,
We had an incredible day “out on the mountain” today. “CONGRATULATIONS” to our non-resident hunter, Randy Rosenthal from northern California who took this massive 171.5 ram this morning. We worked hard and the “sheep gods” smiled upon us as everything fell into place. I nicknamed this old ram, “Spartacus” because he was the victor in his arena of battle. Great job Randy, you hung in there with us all the way. Thank you for placing your “once in a lifetime trust” with HIGH DESERT. My partners Brett Caldwell and Bryant Johnson were right there when all the action took place. Good luck everyone on the opening Utah deer hunt. Stay safe.
Randy Johnson
Bull Elk
LaDell Eyre took this picture with his Stealth Cam Camera some time in September 2009. When I fist saw this picture all I could say was WOW!
Mule Deer
This photo was sent to findmeahunt.com by cell phone. One more big Mule Deer buck taken on Antelope Island Utah by Mossback Guides & Outfitters
Dessert Big Horn Hercules
Team Photo
We got it done! What another great day for me and my crew in the valleys, hills and ledges of some of Utah’s most scenic and rugged country. Thanks for the vote of confidence after I sent you the pictures of “Hercules” last week. I was about 90% certain he would be that book ram we were looking for, but all my angles, pictures and video was always from above him, so it’s tough to know sometimes until you get just the right look. Well with our 22 year old hunter AJ Dorance with us, we got that look we finally needed on Saturday afternoon. I spotted “Hercules” from about 2 miles away as he was scratching out a bed to lay down in. The sunlight hit those heavy horns and I knew it was game on! I told AJ to get his gear together, drink some water and drop what you don’t need! We had about 2 hours til dark to get to the top of the world on foot, and it was straight up? With all the boys and AJ’s Dad John on point to watch as we made our most improbable stalk we pushed ourselves like never before! It’s a lot easier to go that hard, and that fast when you know what’s waiting at the top for you? We carefully had to work our way through 7 ewes and a 5 year old ram at the top of the stalk. Luckily they went down hill after our 15 minute stand-off. Now it was just us and “Hercules”! We got the wind in our favor and snuck in to a rock out cropping 60 yards above him, I set AJ up on his back pack, got him comfortable, had him wipe the sweat from his brow, turned his scope on his 7mm Mag to 3x power then told him to take a deep breath and to ‘Just” squeeze the trigger. The shot was money at 54 yards, the giant ram stammered and I said ” Put another in him” I wasn’t taking any chance’s! After the second slug hit him we watched the Giant roll 150 yards down the 40 degree slope. I could hear the joyous sounds of his Dad’s excitement coming from vantage points miles away! This 22 year old young man gave me everything he had to make this hunt of a lifetime happen. ( not willingly sometimes! But with a little pep talk here and there between uphill pushes he did it!) Thanks to AJ & JD Dorance (AJ’s Dad) for putting your trust in us to take the Ram named “Hercules”
“Hercules” right side taped out 87 2/8″ & his left side taped out 84 6/8″ and like I told The Dorance’s 3 weeks ago “It doesn’t matter what the ram scores, he has WALL APPEAL”
Thanks to friends of The dorance’s Mark, Scott and Grag for coming along!
And My Team Mossback Boys: Decker Landis, Troy Ence, Chad Gates
Jesse Shipp
Mule Deer
Mule Deer - Bryan Carter
Mule Deer Buck Rutting
Some of the pictures were taken through a spotting scope with a cell phone and some were taken with a digital camera with a 60x optical zoom. The spotting scope was a Swarovski on 60 power.
Rutting Mule Deer Buck
Mule Deer Rut
Here is a nice 5×5 buck in Utah. The picture was taken by Chris Sillitoe this November 2011 during the Mule Deer Rut.
