2022 Mule Deer Hunt.

Sam, Shay, Cole, Brad, Shelie, me and Brady.

I have a lot of stuff and things on my bucket list. To shoot a mule deer buck is at the top of that list. Of course, to hunt mule deer you have to go to where they are and this is the main reason I wanted to hunt them. To get out in the Badlands of North Dakota. There is just something magical about the place.

The quest to wrap my tag around a muley buck antler started a couple years ago. My friend Matthew who has spent a lot of time in the Badlands around Grassy Butte told me to put in for that unit, 4C. He said once I draw the tag he will take care of everything else. Wouldn’t you know that I was lucky enough and I drew the coveted tag. I wrote about that adventure here. If you haven’t read it, please click on, “4C hunt.”

Those days hunting and exploring around Grassy Butte got me hooked. I seriously didn’t care that I didn’t fill that tag. Seeing those elk and seeing the sights absolutely blew my mind. I couldn’t wait to get back again. After that hunt a guy name Sam who I only knew through a group on Snapchat, offered to help me chase mule deer in unit 4D if I could draw that tag. And wouldn’t you know it, I drew that tag in 2021. I got to know Sam more and more with our conversations over phone and texts. We had everything lined up, places to hunt and I had my motel room booked. But there was one problem, I got sick. And not just a little bit. I ended up with pneumonia and spent six glorious days in Scamford Hospital & Suites. Good times. You can read all about the blog entry here. If you haven’t read it click on, “Pneumonia sucks.”

I was pretty disappointed missing a chance at that hunt. I thought the opportunity was going to be gone. But Sam told me to apply again and we will just do it next year. I told him, “I am coming hell or high water. I don’t care if I’m on my deathbed!” But I first had to draw the 4D tag. And wouldn’t you know it, I drew it again. So we started making plans for the 2022 rifle season. Sam works in the oil fields and works seven on seven off, Wednesday through Wednesday. So it would work for me to hunt the opening weekend. Sam also drew a buck tag in the same unit but he didn’t care. He said, “I can hunt after you kill.”

Now I had to convince my mom about the stuff and things that were going to happen. She was hesitant but she would do it. I didn’t know at the time but my brother-in-law Brad and sister Shelie offered to go along and help. I am a full-time job. We all decided that we would take off for Medora November 3 the night before the season opens and head back on November 8. That would give me three days to hunt and two days to travel. 

After we got everything packed up and there was a lot of packing, we headed west. It should be around 4 ½ hours to get to Medora from the farm but I am supposed to tilt back 10 minutes every hour. So that adds time. We stopped at a rest area west of Jamestown, rest area east of Bismarck and at my favorite convenience store in the state in Richardton. Of course, the wind was in our face on the drive. Doesn’t it always work that way?

I believe we got to Medora around 3:30 PM local time. We got checked into the AmericInn early and we decided to head south on the West River Road. My eyes were wide with the views. The beauty of the landscape is just unmatched in my eyes. Pictures do not do it justice. We drove and maybe put on 30 or 40 miles. We saw quite a few mule deer here and there. Mostly on the river bottom. To say I was excited would be an understatement.

I got a hold of Sam who lives in Dickinson and told him to meet us at the Little Missouri Saloon for some supper and cocktails while we made a plan for the next day. This was actually the first time I had met Sam face-to-face. He is a character and he fit right in. His mustache is phenomenal. I am envious. That night we also ran into a couple guys from Enderlin, Kyle and David. It’s a small world. We took it pretty easy the first night because of the long drive. So we got a plan together and headed back to the motel. I went straight to bed while the others went to the hot tub. Sidebar: If you ever go to the Little Mo, say hi to Lasko the bartender. Best bartender in the state.

Sam and I. Blood brothers.

Rifle season opens at 11 AM local time in Medora. Sam had a plan for us to go down to the Brown Ranch. It was a little over an hour away from Medora on the south end of the unit. Was a little hesitant to go that far but once I got there I was in heaven. We met the awesome landowner Nick at his house, plus we met his beautiful wife Maria and his adorable mother Nikki that first day. Their place is right along the Little Missouri. Everywhere you look is a postcard. It is something to see. As I was tilted back waiting to go on the hunt Nikki told us that Teddy Roosevelt camped not more than 100 yards from the house while he was on a hunting trip through the area. That just gives you goosebumps. Nick and his family are awesome. They made us feel like we were part of the family. After I got done tilting to rest my backside we headed out after I showed them how my rifle mount and elongated trigger works. They were impressed, I think. I brought along my Tikka 270 rifle. Then Sam jumped in Nick’s pickup and we followed them.

We put on a ton of miles that day. We were going up and down and bouncing all around the buttes and valleys on their place. It is something that I will never forget. I just can’t get over the scenery. We took a lot of pictures. It’s hard to absorb it all. We saw some deer that first day but Nick was disappointed that we didn’t see more. We did find quite a few does and one buck that I could have tried to get on. But Nick told me he wanted me to get something bigger. He is neat. That first day we explored most of the north side of the ranch. I really didn’t care about seeing deer. I was in my element driving through that land of history. Nick invited us back the next day to search some more of the territory. He promised me the next day that I would be able to notch off another item off my bucket list. That is to ford the Little Mo with my pickup. So we headed back to the motel and I went straight to bed. The others went to the saloon and had supper. I believe my mom won $600 that night on the machines also. Then they came back with some food for me and they hit the hot tub.

Gate bitch.

The next day which was Saturday we headed back down to the Brown Ranch. This day it was windy. I mean like 30 mph with higher gusts. We got down to the farmstead and there were some other hunters there plus Nick’s mom Nikki and dad John. Plus Mason, one of Nick and Maria’s four children. This kid is entertaining. More stories to come. They were gathered around on the porch trying to get out of the wind enjoying a Busch Latte. I tilted and we got to know the other hunters. They are lifelong friends of the Brown’s. I told Nick that I didn’t want to pull him away from his visitors but he said it was no big deal and we headed out. This time Nick got in Sam’s pickup and we followed them around.

We headed through the corrals and to the south end of the property. It wasn’t too long and we were staring at the Little Missouri. They went first and we followed shortly after. I didn’t think it was going to be as deep as that was seeing there has been so little rain. But it was up to the floorboards or little higher. It was a blast going through until we got to the other bank. It was steep. And there were deep ruts. We tried going up but we slid off the high points and stopped. So we backed up down into the river and this time we gave it the onion. I didn’t look over at the tach but she had to have been close to pegged. The GMC sounded great. Nick and Sam were on the top of the bank and as soon as we give it the onion Nick put his thumb up and smiled. They got back in Sam’s pickup and we explored some more. I don’t know how those guys see the deer they see. They would stop and glass and point out deer. Most of them I have to say I didn’t see. I don’t know how they could see them while driving. They just must have the eyes for that kind of territory. It’s like a needle in a haystack. Soon enough we were at another crossing. This time fording the river wasn’t as sketchy but just as much fun. There were deer here and there up high on the sidehills and one buck I would have tried to get on but he ran like a raped ape for some reason into the other unit.

Soon enough it was getting dark and we started heading back to the house. This meant fording the river two more times. I was in heaven. Going this direction the riverbanks were not so bad climbing out of. I was just glad my mom did not come along this day, she would have been crying and walking back to the motel. She is not a fan of going over old bridges or any type of water. I am the exact opposite. To watch the crossings of the river click here.

L-R: Nick, Mason, Sam, me, Shelie, Brad.

When we got back to Nick’s place he opened the garage door and we went inside. He threw a 30 pack of Busch Light on the floor, we had some libations and talked about the days hunt. He invited us back the next day but I told him I couldn’t do it one more time. I really truly enjoyed going around their property but I was jostled around quite a bit. My muscles were tenderized and I knew I would be sore. I could see he was disappointed but he understood. We stayed there for a couple hours. It was fun. He showed us his mounts of the animals he has been able to take. Pretty sure Jim Shockey would be envious. The stories he told us were awesome. I could’ve sat there all night. I think the highlight of the evening was getting to know their son Mason. He is a card. He asked me questions straight out about everything. I actually told him the truth. He offered to make me a cocktail. He started pouring the Morgan into my mug and my eyes got huge. I think he was trying to kill me. I am laughing as I am typing. I can see the whole thing playing in my mind. To say it was stiff would be an understatement. He also kept straightening my feet. So when he wasn’t looking I would move them in different directions by running into something. When he would come back he would stare at me and straighten my feet again. He was so disgusted with me. He also showed me his switchblade skills. It was entertaining. We also got to meet their other kids Miles and Ava. They are all awesome. But soon enough we had to head back. I so hope to run into that family again. If you guys are reading this let me know if you ever head this direction, I would love to meet up.

Austin, me, DB.

Like I said it is a little over an hour back to Medora. On the ride home I was contacted by Stephen a friend who lives in Beach. He said him and his dad Andy would who was visiting would meet us at the Little Mo. Was also contacted by Kristy and Tyler who also wanted to meet up, they live in the area. But they were not able to make it. Stephen and Andy did though. It’s always is good to see them. Too bad there was a band at the bar and it was too loud to really have conversation. While we were there Austin and DB came strolling in. These are also two guys who are in that same Snapchat group as Sam and I are. I had never met these guys face-to-face either but it didn’t matter. It was a blast and there were plenty of libations to go around.

I was glad to wake up that next day which was Sunday. Sam had a plan to hunt closer to town. He said him and his buddy Brady had some land I could get on that there should be deer. I was still in bed at the motel when Sam got a hold of me. He said he had a buck bedded down and it was just off the road. I could hear the wind howling in my room and I knew it was going to be a sketchy day shooting anything. We got packed up again and Brad, Shelie and I headed out west of town. It wasn’t long and we ran into Sam. We made a plan of driving past the buck, then I would get out of the pickup and get the rifle mount and rifle strapped on my wheelchair. This time we would use his 300 Norma Mag with 230 grain Berger bullets. Sam said we should use this because the heavier bullet would cut the wind a lot more than the 150 grain bullets I was shooting. When I had everything ready Sam and I would go alongside the pickup as it was headed the other direction so the deer could not see us. They are more afraid of people walking than vehicles. It was brutally cold, around 25° and winds were at 40 mph. I was shivering uncontrollably.

When we got to a good angle that I could get on the buck, we snuck around the backend of the pickup. The buck was bedded on a hillside amongst trees. It took a while for me to see him but when I did I could see the two antlers pointed straight up. He was cool looking. He was also in velvet which is weird this time of year. He looked like the devil. Looking through the glass on his Vortex Razor Gen 2 scope was a treat. I could see the cold air coming out of the buck’s nostrils. He was a little over 200 yards. We were all set up and I told Sam I was on him. He reached forward and took off my safety. Right afterwards the gun went off. Sam didn’t have time to cover his ears. For some reason by elongated trigger set off the rifle trigger when the safety clicked off. Sketchy. But we got the whole shot on video. I was inches away from bagging that buck. The buck and a couple others ran around but had no clue what happened. They were actually going to bed back down but we made the decision to pack up and figure out what went wrong. 

When Sam was taking off my rifle mount my controller on my wheelchair got stuck under my tray. This put me into a flat spin like on Top Gun. I spun around once and Sam asked, “Are you doing that on purpose?” I responded, “Hell no!” I spun around quickly two more times uncontrollably and Sam was able to grab the handles on the back of my wheelchair and he held me in place, thankfully. Shelie saw what happened, jumped out of the pickup and lifted the tray off of my controller. I thought for sure I was going to spin and end up tipped down the ditch. I would’ve been flopping around like a crappie on the ice. What a scene. I wish that was on video. Or maybe I don’t…

By this time, I was freezing. Brad and Sam helped get everything loaded into the pickup and we followed Sam to Sentinel Butte. There we were going to meet his friends Brady and Cole. We met at the gas station which is also the local coffee gathering spot. That place as quite the story. It was even featured on Oprah. The owner opened the back door so I could get in and I tilted back. Shelie got some tea and the owner heated up for me. I was so cold, my left arm wasn't working well. She had to work my controller for me to work my tilt. After I was done tilting, I started sipping on the hot tea. I don’t even like tea but that didn’t matter at the time. It helped me warm up. The owner also brought out a platter of baked goods including caramel rolls and pumpkin bars. It did not suck. While we were there, we figured out that when we put the elongated trigger on the trigger guard of Sam’s rifle it must’ve been too close to the trigger. That is what made the gun go off prematurely. But it worked great earlier when we tested it. Brady said we could use his 300 Win Mag that shoots 215 grain Hybrid Berger bullets. His rifle is topped with a Vortex Viper Gen 2. Very easy on the eyes. The elongated trigger worked perfectly on his rifle.

Brady said they had some family land that I could hunt on. Brady shot a 200-inch mule deer on this stuff with his bow. Crazy. It was number three or four in the state record books when it was shot. Brady and Sam hopped in his vehicle and we would follow them from the gas station. I later learned that I am the only person other than family who has hunted this piece of property. I truly am the lucky boy in the wheelchair. We headed from Sentinel Butte. We pulled into an old abandoned farmstead and we made a plan. Brad, Shelie and I would stay at the farmstead in the warm vehicle while they did some scouting. It wasn’t long and I got the call from Sam that they found a good buck bedded down.

It took us a bit to get to the spot. But it wasn’t nearly as rough as the stuff I had been through the last couple days. Brady was concerned about the roughness and Sam said with a laugh, “He’s been through a lot worse.” When we got to the top of the hill there was a field of harvested peas. The wind was pretty much directly in my face. Perfect to get on the buck. It was perfect but blowing 40 mph with higher gusts. I got out in that wind and I knew it was going to be a hard shot. Brad, Brady, Sam and myself made the sneak up to the edge of the hillside and got prepared for the shot. The deer was bedded 290 yards away from my position. My tray was vibrating and my chair was blowing around like a kite. Brady grabbed one side of my chair trying to hold it still and Sam on the other. My eyes were watering and I was shivering. I was miserable at that moment. It took me a while to get on him with that wind. And then once I was on him the wind would bounce the scope around terribly. But I finally felt like I was on him so I took a shot and it went right over its back. The buck had no clue where the shot came from. He got up and ran maybe a hundred yards and bedded back down. I was ready to give up but they said he ain't going anywhere. So, I got back in the pickup for half hour to warm up. Then I got back out and we reattached the gun mount and Brady’s rifle. We then made the second sneak. We got up to the hillside and he was bedded 130 yards away. It worked perfectly. For some reason it was just as windy but at that spot the wind wasn't affecting me as much. I moved my chair to get in line, adjusted my elevation by tilting a little, looked in the scope and he was right there. The crosshairs were right on him! Sam grabbed one side of chair and Brady on the other. I said, “I'm on him.” Sam dialed the scope in a little and I said, “That’s good, I'm taking the shot.” I pulled the trigger and didn’t even feel the trigger or the recoil. It felt good. The next thing I knew Sam, Brady and my brother-in-law Brad were screaming like school girls. “He got him! He got him!” I got a little choked up. It was quite the moment. We congratulated each other and I thanked them all. 

Me, Shelie, Brad.

Brady, me, Sam.

They then helped me get everything back into the pickup. Then Brady and Sam went down to the buck and tagged it. They told me to head back to the abandoned farmstead where Brady’s brother Cole was with their cousin Shay. I later learned that these two videoed the whole thing a thousand yards away at the farmstead. You can see the video here.

After the shot, Cole and Shay drove up to help load the buck. It’s a good thing they did because Brady’s fuel pump went out on his pickup. What are the odds? So they threw the buck in the back of Cole’s pickup and made their way down to the farmstead. We then all got out and went over the events that just took place. It was a great time. It was now time for pictures. We found a good spot next to an old building and took turns capturing the moment. They then gutted it and told us to follow them to the Grandpa’s farm so we could quarter it out.

Didn’t take long and we are at their Grandpa’s place. He was very inviting and a great guy. He was pumped for me. He let us use his garage to hang the deer and it didn’t take Sam and the others long to skin and quarter Mr. Big. We all enjoyed some celebratory beers watching Sam work. I was also tilting during this time. I was so cold I couldn’t my left arm, so Shelie had to run my wheelchair controller. But one of the guys got a propane turkey fryer going right next to me. The flames got me warm. They threw the tenderloins and back straps in one game bag and the quarters were in a couple other game bags. Then they threw everything in my Uncle Joe’s big cooler that was in my pickup box. They didn’t even know me an hour earlier and they rolled out the red carpet for me. Forever indebted.

Before butchering we couldn’t see where the bullet entered. But when we looked at the heart we knew where the bullet hit. The top half of the heart was completely gone. The bullet entered his right side went through the heart and Sam found the bullet on the other side in between the ribs and the skin. That bullet and the casing will be with me forever. Forgot to say that we caped the buck also. I texted my taxidermist Shad Stoddard and he said get it here as quick as you can. I will have to find room on my wall for another shoulder mount. That’s a good problem.

I can’t believe how everything worked out so well. I was ready to give up a couple times. Because I was happy with just being out there. Glad the fellas urged me on. Could not have done any of it without the help of my new friends, old friends and family.

After we got the buck in the cooler the boys got the garage cleaned up and looking just like it was when we got there. I thanked Grandpa for helping and he said any time. I thanked Cole and Shay. They were smiling the whole time. Grandpa told us the shortcut to get back to Medora so Brad, Shelie and I headed back to town to raise a little hell at the Little Mo. Brady hopped in with Sam because he now had no vehicle and needed a ride to Dickinson. We told them to stop at the bar to have some supper and cocktails. Which they did. We all had a great meal and a great time reminiscing the day’s events. We weren’t there very long, I think we were back at the motel by 9 PM. Sam and Brady left earlier. When we got to the motel I went straight to bed. The others went to the hot tub. I didn’t sleep very well that night, I think it was because I was little excited.

The next morning which was Monday, November 7 there was snow on the ground. I looked at the forecast for the day and it said strong southeast winds with snow showers. So we would be bucking a headwind heading east also. Just lovely for a long road trip home. Checkout was at 11 AM and we had everything packed and ready to go a little after that. The roads weren’t too bad until we got to about New Salem. But then they got really sketchy when we got to Mandan. The passing lane was pretty much not usable. The temperature was just right and the highways were warm enough that things were starting to ice up. When we were going down the hill towards the river, we were driving 5 mph. There was an accident somewhere up ahead. We were almost stopped on the bridge going over the Missouri River. It was slow driving all the way through Bismarck also. 

Only stopped twice to tilt on the way back. Once in Richardton and once in Steele. I just wanted to get home and lay down. The weather added an extra hour and ½ to the trip. I think I was home and back in bed a little before 6 PM.

While mom was helping me get in bed Brad, Shelie and my dad helped unload everything. They also made a plan to bring the cooler of meat to the locker that night. My dad works at Maple Valley Meats in Enderlin. That is quite handy. They also brought the buck’s cape to the locker. The next day my friend Don B brought the cape to the taxidermist. It takes a team. I am a lot of work. Ha.

Shelie and Mom/Deb.

I knew this hunt was going to take a toll on my body. But I didn’t care. I figured I had all winter to rest up if I needed. And I probably will need it to recover. Check that, I will let my body recover after I fill my bow tag. Priorities.

Nick and Brad.

I still can’t believe how everything came together. The whole thing was just perfect. There wouldn’t be anything I would change. Everyone that I met was so awesome. They didn’t even know me and they were willing to help in any way. I am forever indebted to everyone that was involved. There is no way to say how thankful I am to everyone. It’s not about the kill, it’s about the memories made. And I sure made a lot of memories during this hunt.

Thanks for reading, Clint.

Another sidebar: Grandma Nikki sent me a message and told me that she enjoyed having us down and really loved the conversations we had. I told her if I ever make it back down to be warned because I might never leave. She told me, “The house next door is empty!” That just goes to show what kind of people they are. Just another reason why I love hunting and meeting new people. Lifelong friends are made. I will cherish my time I spent with everyone I met during this hunt.

Sam with his bow buck. Shot 11/8.