 |
Huntin'Fool Article "The Old Faithful Hunt" The
Old Faithful Hunt For all the Huntin’ Fools who are reading this you can probably relate with me when I talk about hunts where nothing you do seems to go right. You hunt your tail off and try everything you can think of to get a shot at whatever you’re in pursuit of, and yet for one reason or another luck just doesn’t seem to be on your side. I can think of dozens of hunts that I have been on that fit this mold. So close, but yet so far! Well, for a welcomed change, this isn’t one of those hunts! This actually begins a year and half ago for any of you Fools who have been around that long. If you’re like me I know it’s hard to think back that far but for one of their memberships drives The Huntin’ Fool had a big raffle drawing held by the senior Fool himself, Garth Carter, where they were giving away some coveted hunts. One of the hunts given away was called the Old Faithful Hunt. Anybody who had been a member prior to the membership drive was put into a hat and a name was drawn for one lucky hunter to go to Mule Deer Heaven for 5 days and hunt with Mike Macfarlane who operates Big Mountain Outfitters in Utah, and I was the lucky one drawn! Being the capitalist that I am, I felt obligated to have to go on the hunt. After talking to Mike and seeing pictures of what some of his past clients had harvested, he informed me it was not a hunt for that year but for the fall of 2006. I felt like a teenager who was waiting to turn 18, time seemed to drag by. I had another slight issue at hand, I am a bow hunter and all the pictures Mike sent me were hunters with rifles, racks, and wide grins. After working up the courage to softly convey my problem to Mike I was relieved when he responded by saying, “If you want to do it with a bow I’ll even give you a couple extra days, you’re going to have an awesome hunt.” Wow, I really liked this guy and I hadn’t even met him yet! I’ll fast –forward a year and half so as not to bore you with what happened in between. The big day finally arrived and I was greeted by a smiling Mike Macfarlane at his ranch, and what a ranch it is. I have been on many hunts in the 27 years since I started hunting but I have never seen such a diverse combination of wildlife like I did on this hunt. I saw everything from coyotes, coons, turkey, trophy deer, and elk. I was even rewarded a look at a nice young bull moose one day as I made my way to the top of the mountain. After a long nickel tour of the ranch, I was left with the decision of where to hunt on all 18,000 acres. This ranch had it all, from lush alfalfa fields down low in the scrub oak country to big timber near 9,500’ elevation where tall tined bucks call home. Between elk and deer tracks, I was sure this was going to be an eventful evening. My prediction was right on, as about an hour before dark the does and smaller bucks began to appear. I was forced to stand on the ground, as none of the trees around the pond were big enough to support anything larger than a squirrel. The predator camouflage didn’t let me down as deer after deer that came in failed to notice the blob with a sharp stick standing within poking distance of them. It was now primetime as the sun was getting lower and the deer count was rising. Just after a doe and her twins left I caught movement through the trees as Mr. Big and his not so small buddy were making their way in for a final drink of water. They trotted into the pond to drink and eat the lush grass that outlined the perimeter. Now I was in predicament. As the berm that made the downhill side of the pond hid the vitals. I knew they were only 22 yards from me as I had ranged the does when they came in to drink earlier. All I could see were their racks every few seconds as they lifted their heads to scan the area for danger. After 10 long minutes I was starting to think maybe things weren’t meant to be as the light was fading fast. I hadn’t felt drama quite like this since the last episode of Desperate Housewives! I just kept looking at those deed forks bobbing up and down. I loved looking at that massive rack but wanted more than a little looky lew. With my heart about to pop out of my chest they started to walk up out of the depression. The time was now as I started to pull back on the tension rod in my left hand. The smaller of the two, which I estimated in the 150’s, was walking perfectly broadside tempting mr to loose one. The thought crossed my mind for a nano-second but the mass and width of the bigger buck was worth the chance of no shot at all. He was the one I wanted, but walking straight away I knew it wouldn’t happen tonight. Then as if on cue, he turned around and walked right back into the pond. Perfect, I thought. With the other buck now gone, I only had one set of eyeballs and radar-like ears to outwit. Another 5 minutes passed and finally, the moment of truth arrived as he walked up out of the pond perfectly broadside at roughly 30 yards. The 70-pound pull came back easy and as if he knew something wasn’t quite right, he stopped and looked right through me. It was too late for him though, the arrow was on its way , however hitting a little further back than I had aimed. I like it when I hear the arrow strike and I didn’t hear it then. After about three bounds he was swallowed by the brush and left with few more bounds in the crunchy dry cover. I heard him stop at what sounded like 40 yards but didn’t hear him go down. I was taking no chances on this one. I stood and waited for an hour in the dark before I made my departure from the mountain. I had an extra bowl of Lucky Charms for breakfast hoping it would help. I returned with Mike and one of his guides. After showing them where the buck was standing when I shot I immediately found my arrow, covered in blood! I told them that after the shot he ran in the brush, pointing off into the distance. There, not 30 yards away, was the biggest Mule Deer I had ever seen in my short 5 hour Mule Deer hunting career! The hit was a little back but good enough to take out the back lobe of each lung and liver. Little did I know at the time, but he had expired before I even set my bow down the night before. Much appreciation goes to Garth and Jason for The Huntin’ Fool magazine and all the valuable information contained in each issue. You guys have made my taxidermist a happy guy in the years since I joined your service. For all you Fools looking for a quality Mule deer hunt, I can honestly say you don’t have to look any further than Mike Macfarlane for that. He has the trophy animals and the average buck taken there on the ranch scores 180. I am happy I could add to that average. I think few others can rival the setup he has for trophy Mule deer and I don’t know of any other person who honestly cares that you have a quality hunt and enjoy the experience more than Mike. For that, another huge Thank You. As the winner of the first annual Old Faithful Raffle Drawing, I don’t suppose I will be lucky enough to ever draw a hunt with odds like this one. Then again, I have drawn a once-in-a-lifetime Bighorn sheep hunt in Oregon a few years back. The odds were a little better on that though, 1 in 562!
Call
MIKE MACFARLANE at 1-801-330-3860 |
 |