My earliest recollection of hunting takes me back to the rolling hills and creek bottoms of Nebraska. I was fortunate to harvest two mule deer bucks in my first two
November seasons with my dad and brother. Those bucks were “trophies” in my mind, but the experiences surrounding those hunts undoubtedly ignited a passion, and in many ways, an unyielding obsession for the outdoors that has grown steadily each fall. Little did I know at the time, but it would be almost 25 years until I would put my hands on another mulie.Despite the many twists and turns of life, hunting with family, predominantly chasing corn-fed Midwest whitetails, was always a priority. A few years ago, we moved from the Midwest to Arizona. I knew hunting would be vastly different, and it almost felt like starting over. I used the Huntin’ Fool magazine and online resources to learn about hunting in Arizona and dreamed of pursuing mule deer on the famous Kaibab Plateau. Come late June, I was beyond excited when I learned I drew a Kaibab early archery tag. I immediately picked up the phone and called Huntin’ Fool Adventures (HFA). Within hours, the HFA team had me connected with Chad Rhoton at A3 Trophy Hunts and I was booked. HFA made the entire process seamless. Shortly thereafter, I received a call from Jake Lile at Gear Fool congratulating me on my hunt. He provided recommendations for the hunt based on the gear I already had. I appreciated the honesty and excellent customer service to assist in upgrading my rain gear to a set that could withstand the afternoon Arizona monsoons.A few weeks prior to opening day, I made a weekend scouting trip to the Kaibab. I quickly realized why this place is home to world-famous mule deer and admired by the likes of Theodore Roosevelt. The diversity of habitat was unlike anything I had ever encountered. Despite being a lifelong hunter and spending countless hours researching the Kaibab Plateau and its mule deer herd, I was out of my league and very thankful to not only have a guide, but a legendary guide in Dean Dunaway.Dean has over 50 years of guiding experience in the western U.S. and a hunting pedigree that rivals anyone, anywhere. He has hunted with folks from around the globe and has stories of more trophy animals than most of us could even dream of. After spending just a few hours with Dean, it is safe to say that he has likely forgotten more about hunting than I will ever know. Despite all his accomplishments in the field, Dean is an even better human being. He is the kind of person you may only know a few days but feels like you have known your whole life.The anticipation and excitement I experienced upon arrival in camp reminded me of my earliest deer hunts decades prior. Dean had a wall tent camp set up in the tall ponderosa pines, almost completely isolated from humanity aside from a family who later set up camp down the way. Opening morning saw us atop a ridge trying to close the distance on some feeding bucks we had spotted the day prior and again at first light. Unfortunately, the bucks were spooked by other hunters, but I was learning on the fly and optimistic. It quickly became apparent that hunting pressure, or lack thereof, would likely dictate our success over the next seven days.We spent much of the next four days trying to find deer that weren’t being pressured. Despite putting in miles of hiking, playing the wind to our favor along each ridge, and even sitting water when the days got warmer, we just weren’t turning up mature bucks. I reminded myself to embrace the grind and stay positive, something that was much easier hunting alongside Dean.Each night when we returned to camp, we stopped and talked to our neighbors, Ben and Bebe Fletcher, with their son, Krieger. Given Dean’s personality, we quickly struck up a friendship while sharing hunting stories. Ben had drawn a Kaibab archery tag the year prior and now Krieger had a tag. The Fletchers were incredibly kind, gracious, and welcoming, often inviting us over for a meal, always rejecting our reply that we had plenty of food. It became readily apparent that they were also very accomplished hunters. Krieger had multiple close encounters with some Kaibab giants the first several days of the hunt. We shared in their gut-wrenching disappointment after a narrow miss on what they described as a “once-in-lifetime” buck. Without batting an eye, Ben and Krieger told us to head in after the big bucks they had patterned. We immediately objected, but they countered with, “We had our shot,” rejecting anything to the contrary. I was in disbelief at the degree of generosity that was shown to me, an absolute stranger, in the middle of the Kaibab.On the morning of day six, we spotted a group of bachelor bucks in a new area. I was able to circle around in front of them undetected. They bedded down in the tall pines, and I was finally in the game with three shooters in the group. The wind wasn’t great, but I was able to close the distance and get into range. As I stepped from behind a tree, the wind swirled and the bucks immediately bumped out of their beds. I was able to get the biggest buck in the group, the kind of buck dreams are made of, to stop within range. Unfortunately, I was only presented with a near head-on look, which wasn’t the right shot. The buck gave me a split second and then bounded over the ridge. I knew I had made the right call, but it didn’t make me feel any better. I beat myself up the next 24 hours knowing that may have been my only opportunity. Dean was nothing but supportive of my decision, always positive and optimistic.The last morning, we were again on a group of bucks at first light. As they entered a thick patch of aspens, I hustled downwind to try and close the distance, but they gave us the slip. We met up with Krieger and Ben who had a similar story with a different group of bucks. Krieger and I, both on the last day of our respective hunts, decided to team up and head along a ridge where we believed the bucks I encountered may have headed. Almost immediately, we found a group with multiple shooters feeding in our direction on the opposite side of a deep ravine. The bucks bedded in some thick aspens out of range. Krieger was comfortable shooting to 60 yards. We were limited in our options to close the distance due to the thick timber, but a longer shot was possible if we could find a small opening. Just as I worked into range and found a clearing, one of the shooters stood up, still unaware of our presence. Fearing he would take a step and my opportunity would be gone, I steadied and let the arrow fly. Nearly halfway between the deer and me, there was a branch I hadn’t seen. It was a direct hit. The bucks bounced over the ridge unscathed, not knowing what had happened. At that point, I had accepted my hunt was likely over. I was thankful for the opportunity and was at peace with spending the remainder of the day slowly stalking through the woods with new friends.Krieger and I decided to cross the ravine and head up the ridge where the bucks disappeared. I told him to take the lead in the event we turned something up. As we slowly approached the top of the ridge, Krieger immediately ducked down and nocked an arrow. The bucks were bedded right there. The buck closest to us stood up broadside, and we ranged him at 68 yards. Krieger looked at me and said, “You take the shot.” In disbelief, I whispered, “What!?” He reaffirmed, “It’s too far, 68.” I leaned toward him to clear a ponderosa and stood up just enough to allow the arrow to fly over top of the grass. The shot was true. The buck turned and ran out of sight. I marked our position, found my arrow, looked at my watch, and then heard Krieger say, “He’s down right here!” I was thankful for a quick, clean kill, and the buck didn’t go far.Collective celebration after a successful hunt is something to be treasured, especially when faced with adversity. I was overwhelmed with emotion and in near disbelief when I placed my hands on this beautiful Kaibab buck. Why was I the primary beneficiary of unprecedented kindness and generosity by a group of individuals I hadn’t even known one week prior? Krieger, Ben, and Dean had all exemplified the absolute best of what hunting can be. I take every opportunity I can to share this story with any outdoorsman or outdoorswoman willing to listen and look forward to the time when I can pay it forward.