So Warren worked in on the tree. "I got to where I could see the little buck, and that's when I saw the big boy, bedded down between the tree and the cliff. It was like he just disappeared on the hill. I could just see the tops of his tines. He was just 20 yards away but I didn't have any kind of a shot." Warren tried to get closer but the small buck spooked. "When he blew, the big guy stood up and ran," says Warren. "But he didn't know what he was running from. He was confused. So I grunted, and he stopped to look around and gave me a shot.".
SHARE
{!! $img_subtitle !!}
Montana big-game outfitter Remi Warren (montanaoutwest.com) didn’t have any clients last week, but he had a coveted mule deer tags for District 270, one of a handful of permit-only deer units in Montana. “I had heard a rumor of a big buck,” said Warren, “but you never know if you should take rumors seriously.” Still, he followed a hunch and hiked into the area anyway. He passed on several 170-class bucks the first day. The second day, Warren and hunting buddy Brett Hinkley found a gang of eight bucks, including a very heavy 4×4. “Once I saw him I knew I wasn’t hunting any other deer.” As they were working in on the bachelor herd, the deer spooked and ran up a steep ridge. Warren decided to hook around so the wind was in his face, and sprinted up the back side of the ridge, hoping to intercept the bucks as they topped out. “I looked over and they were 130 yards below me, so I laid down and waited on them. An hour went by and they still hadn’t come over, so I stood up and spotted a little 3×4 under a small tree.” Because he couldn’t see the big buck, Warren skirted the ridge and spied the rest of the herd. No whopper among them. “I figured he must be with the little 3×4.”
{!! $img_subtitle !!}
So Warren worked in on the tree. “I got to where I could see the little buck, and that’s when I saw the big boy, bedded down between the tree and the cliff. It was like he just disappeared on the hill. I could just see the tops of his tines. He was just 20 yards away but I didn’t have any kind of a shot.” Warren tried to get closer but the small buck spooked. “When he blew, the big guy stood up and ran,” says Warren. “But he didn’t know what he was running from. He was confused. So I grunted, and he stopped to look around and gave me a shot.”
{!! $img_subtitle !!}
Warren connected at 47 yards. The buck jumped and ran uphill before folding up about 60 yards from the impact point.
{!! $img_subtitle !!}
Finally, Warren had time to admire the buck, the incredible mass and the deep forks, the bladed G3s and the junk, small sticker points that kick off the main 4×4 frame. “I’ve seen a lot of these Bitterroot bucks, and I’ve had clients take some really great deer, including a 218-inch buck. but I have to say this is one of the best-looking mule deer I’ve ever seen. He has it all, really heavy, great fronts.”
Warren green-scored the buck at about 205 inches as a typical, with no deductions. By the time the deductions are discounted, it’s likely to measure somewhere in the 190-class as a typical. “I don’t care about the score,” says Warren. “He just looks awesome! And it was a great hunt.” Warren will guide clients later this fall to other District 270 bucks. Will he show them photos of his monster? “Probably not,” says the outfitter. “I want them to be happy with whatever buck they take.”
PICTURES: Monster Montana muley taken a few days ago in the early season.
