Cabela's Ulitmate Adventures Mule Deer Hunt

 

The allure of hunting mule deer bucks in the rut is undeniable. My dad's business associate and friend Randy McGuffin spent a couple of weeks on the Titus farm in Oregon watching the frenzy of the mule deer rut and decided that he HAD to hunt rutting mule deer bucks. In search for the perfect outfitter, I immediately thought of Brent DuBois of A/Z Outfitters one of my favorite hunting territories in the world. Truly unique one of the last road less hunting territories in the East Kootenay Mountain Range of the Purcell Wilderness Conservancy. 

In years past, Brent has gone 100% on mule deer, granted he does not boast of 200" bucks, but of nice mature deer and life long memories. This was the perfect place for Florida resident Randy and my dad Lewis who had never been on a guided hunt. All of the excitement had me going and I decided to invite myself and Cabela's Ultimate Adventures television along for the amazing journey.
The adventure began right away...dad and I had gone through three weeks of paperwork and vet checks in order to bring along our own livestock for the trip just to find out at the border that our documents were not prepared correctly by our vet and the mules could not cross the border. Three hours of discussion and inevitable defeat, we ended up backtracking and boarding our mules state side so that we could continue our journey into Canada.

One of the things that I love the most about hunting with A/Z Outfitters is the feeling of going back in time, staying in one of the three cabins along the Dutch Creek trail, the horses and of course the wonderful people that help make your dream hunt a reality. Along the trail you are almost certain to see Moose, Mountain Goats and Elk, not something most have even had the pleasure of encountering.

I love riding up that long trail, to places where few men have traveled, a place that is truly wild. Unfortunately for us, the snow started to fall our first night and did not stop until we left five days later. Our high country mule deer hunt plans were fouled by Mother Nature with nearly 5' of snow accumulating in the high country in a matter of days. The bucks were no where to be found and from our best guess were held up in heavy timber somewhere between their fall ground and winter range.

There is no such thing as a guaranteed hunt and what I love about hunting with an outfit like A/Z, what you are guaranteed is a remarkable experience and fond memories that will last your lifetime.
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