Today could have been the greatest day of my muledeer hunting career, if things had gone a little smoother.

In early August, my pal Randy Norrie and I spotted a muledeer buck that was indescribable… an absolute king! Every spare minute I have had since finding this buck, I have been in the same area, just hoping to get another glimpse at him, or maybe even get some footage of him.

I didn’t get a second look at him until October 7th. He walked out into a hayfield right at sunset, in a spot where I was positive I could set up a blind and have a great crack at him! There was just one pothole in the road, I had to leave the next morning for a wedding in California for the weekend. My father and I built the blind at daybreak the next morning before leaving the country for four days.
Once back home, I have been sitting for the buck in my blind every night that the wind has permitted, for a total of four sits. Three nights ago the buck walked out half a mile way down the field, but I decided to keep sitting in my original blind.

The wind was right again tonight. So I planned to be in my blind at four bells waiting quietly for things to happen. At 2 pm my buddy Chad Laing called to inform me he couldn’t make it to video, giving me only two hours to find a new cameraman. My brother Brandon, came to my rescue and agreed to run the camera… Only to cancel at the last second, five minutes before departure for the blind I was flying solo.

So, I came up with the stupidest idea I have ever mustered together. I had no choice but to video myself.

Just after sunset, two bucks walked in to view, coming straight for me down the game trail I was set up on. The second of the two bucks was him! I turned the camera on and zoomed up on him. I filmed the buck walk half way to me, before locking the camera on the tripod, and framing the viewfinder on the edge of the hayfield where the buck normally jumped the fence. I picked up my bow, and hooked my release to the string. The buck walked right up to the the blind, and turned to walk behind me!!! There was no way I could get the camera on him, and get a shot off before he winded me, So… I took the shot… without capturing the killshot on camera!!!

I’m a little bit lost for words right now… Big mulies are my passion, but capturing footage is my job, and I just did a very selfish thing.

I lost control, and there was no way I could let this breathtaking animal pass by. I regret what I did, but don’t think the outcome would be any different if I had to do it over again.