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Searching for Utah

While at a winter expo over three years ago, I had an experience that rang a chord inside me. I came in contact with the trailer to a film that was to be released the following fall. It was called &ldquo;Searching for West.&rdquo;

After watching the trailer half a dozen times I was beyond excited for the actual film. It promised to be a hunting film unlike any other. Commentary from the trailer repeated itself in my mind time and time again, and when the film was released in August of 2012 I was not disappointed. The artistic filming, authentic backcountry hunting, full effort dedication, and the greater commentary on our sport inspired me.

It&rsquo;s been incredible to watch ripples expand throughout the entire industry from &ldquo;Searching for West.&rdquo; And on a personal level, the film got me stoked for every part of the upcoming season. That fire has persisted every year since.

This year was especially great. After building up reference points for a general deer permit in Utah I was ready to cash them in on a unit I&#39;ve wanted to hunt and explore for a while. The area neighbored my home state of Nevada and had the high desert features I grew up hunting. I knew it was going to be challenging to find a mature buck, but that only made the area more appealing. I imagined long days of glassing, following big tracks for miles and doing anything and everything to make something happen. I invited my dad and two brothers to hunt with me, and we were all super excited.

The first day found us working our way into a basin full of junipers and pinyon pines. We came across plenty of big buck sign, but didn&rsquo;t see anything. We found a good glassing spot and spent the rest of the day scanning oak brush and aspens. We saw quite a few deer, but nothing close to the mature deer we were after.

We decided to hunt the thicker cover the next morning, then move into an open burn in the afternoon. We made a loop and scoped out some thick basins that worked their way into a ten-year-old burn. We worked the area fairly well but didn&#39;t see the mature, old deer we were after. Then we came across fresh sign. Our plan to move into the burn was still on, and with about an hour and a half left of light we found a group of five bachelor bucks with one very mature mule deer with tall tines and great character.

<img border="0" src="//images.ctfassets.net/g2i64tmz0zdu/41HdIkEjUznWMfkScHUat8/f0e433749db4b660a4189134b6b88274/utah.jpg" />

I immediately prepped for the 1,800-yard stalk. I layered down and set out with my two brothers. My dad stayed at the original location where we spotted the bucks. Our plan was to get to a set of white cliffs that we thought would give us a great angle as these bucks fed up a ridge dense with new oak brush, sage, and remnants of torched juniper trees. The wind was perfect. But when we got to the cliffs, we realized we needed to get about 300 yards closer. By now the hillside was starting to open itself up into the canyon and became more exposed to the ridge the bucks were feeding on. We got to a point to where we ranged the bucks at 380 yards; my goal was to get to 350.

Then they started to move to the backside of the ridge, almost out of sight, but my big, old one continued down. I made it another 15 yards to a rock outcropping that provided a great vantage point. The buck moved out into an opening right on top of the ridgeline and stopped broadside. We ranged him at 365 yards.

The setup was perfect. My rest was great and I felt very comfortable. The crosshairs found the right spot and I fired. My brothers caught the vapor trail finding its mark and we heard the telltale &nbsp;&quot;whack.&rdquo;

<img border="0" src="//images.ctfassets.net/g2i64tmz0zdu/3gQgLu4G0qO6ukwMJLHm4P/f8cf120ea48c0d8a4db38aaaa3fa00ff/utah_2.png" />

As light was fading fast we made our way over to the buck, reliving and recounting the events of the afternoon. We felt grateful for experiencing this together. Upon walking up to this mature mule deer I was amazed at his character and impressive tines. The shot placement was ideal. Feelings of respect and gratitude overwhelmed me as we all gathered taking photos and taking in every part of the experience.

This year I went searching for the oldest and most mature buck in Utah, and with the help from my family, I found him. The effort we put it made it a success story and created an experience that none of us will ever forget. 
&nbsp;

&amp;amp;quot;The setup was perfect. My rest was great and I felt very comfortable. The crosshairs found the right spot and I fired. My brothers caught the vapor trail finding its mark and we heard the telltale &amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;#39;whack.&amp;amp;#39;&amp;amp;quot; - Tribe Member Stefen Gale&amp;lt;br /&amp;gt;&amp;#13;&amp;#10;

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