Realtree Rewind: Murphy's Monster Muley

Date: October 11-15, 2006

Time: Afternoon

Location: Utah with Western Lands Hunting

Hunter: Arwyn Murphy of Salt Lake Valley, Utah

Species: Mule deer

Weapon: Rifle

Weather: Dry

We had an awesome time from the minute the hunt began. We hunted very rugged and mountainous terrain with elevations ranging from 6,000 to 9,500 feet. Navigating the landscape was hard, but that was part of the fun.

We hunted all morning on Sunday without seeing anything. So, Travis and I decided to head in for lunch at about 2 p.m. I got into the truck and followed a two-track road up onto a ridge. When I broke the ridgeline, I saw a buck 500 yards away that looked like a good one.

I watched him walk a short distance to his bed and then he dumped himself to the ground with his neck stretched out flat and his head resting on the dirt. I wanted to find out how big he was, so we moved closer.

He was about 550 yards out at this point with nothing but scattered sage and one lone cedar tree between us. I began to sneak closer so that I could get a better look at him hiding in the oaks. Travis and I got to just over 500 yards away from him and still could only see parts of his rack. We wondered how we would get any closer without busting him. I then observed the lone cedar and decided that if I couldn't see him, then hopefully he couldn't see me. We lined up behind the tree to sneak in another 70 yards. At that point, the rangefinder said we were just over 400 yards from him.

We waited him out in the sage brush for two hours. Finally, he must have gotten comfortable and thought we had left because he stood up to stretch. I knew that was my chance. I placed the crosshairs behind his shoulder and took the 310-yard shot. Down he crashed.

Taking that buck with my son was a bonus.

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Editor's Note: This was originally published on December 22, 2016.

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