Melissa Bachman bags 177-Inch Alberta Mule Deer

Melissa Bachman, of Winchester Deadly Passion, is thrilled with her giant mule deer, which she took during a recent hunt at Diamond T Outfitters with her husband, Ben Bearshield. Photo courtesy of Winchester Deadly Passion.

If you read the Rack Report on Ben Bearshield’s monster Alberta mule deer, you know that he and his wife, Melissa Bachman, were in the bucks nonstop during their hunt at Diamond T Outfitters in Valhalla Centre, Alberta. With time running out and a deer tag still in Melissa’s pocket, she was up to bat.

“It’s nice to hunt big velvet mule deer up there because there is tons of agriculture — canola, wheat, and barley — along with tree rows on section lines and other locations,” she said. “The bucks like to bed near the trees, so we often use the trees to our advantage. We go out in the mornings and try to locate a buck, watch him bed down, and then make a plan to stalk him.”

DON’T MISS: Bowhunter Nails a 190-Inch Mule Deer In Alberta

Of course, it’s far from a slam dunk.

“The canola height can affect stalking and shooting,” she said. “Obviously, if it is high, you can stalk without crawling because the buck’s eyes are down low enough that he cannot see you coming, but getting a clear shot is tough. When it’s shorter, the deer are more visible, but you have to stalk more carefully.”

Melissa said that her goal was to shoot a 180-inch-or-better mule deer, and although they aren’t around every bush, the area supports a selection of such animals.

“Once it was my turn, we got on a group of seven bucks with three shooters,” she said. “We used a section line with trees to move in. The problem was that the bucks bedded right along the trees. We got within 20 yards, but there was no shot because of the trees. I didn’t want to risk sitting there all day for the chance that they’d stand and walk our way because I knew they could easily go the opposite way. I decided to push in a little bit tighter to see if I could get a shot. Unfortunately, we didn’t know where all seven bucks were, and one of them busted us.”

Windy conditions made for difficult shooting, but Melissa took her time and steadied the pin before releasing her arrow, which nailed the buck’s heart. Photo courtesy of Winchester Deadly Passion.

The crew stayed strong and went looking for other bucks. They found several bucks in a big canola field, and Melissa stalked a big 3-by-3.

“I got within range and drew back on him,” she said. “I held at full draw for 1 minute and 13 seconds. It just didn’t work out and he busted out of there. The field was so big, and there were other bucks to go after, so we were in that field literally all day. We didn’t have any water, and it was extremely hot. But, we had our eyes on a big buck.”

They then watched the buck stand up and feed.

“We paid close attention to how he bedded,” Melissa said. “We’ve had instances in which we’ve gotten close to bucks, but when they stand up, they’re at a poor angle for a shot. We didn’t want that to happen with this one. I moved to within about 20 yards and waited him out. Ben was videoing about 20 yards behind me, and our cameraman, Martin, was about 20 yards behind Ben.”

Check Out Our Latest Camo Pattern: Realtree APX

The moment the huge muley rose, Melissa drew her Mathews LIFT bow.

“I think he was looking at either Ben or Martin,” she said. “I had been sitting on my butt when I drew back, and I went to my knees thinking I would be able to shoot, but the canola was too tall. I got onto my feet and slowly stood up. It was really windy, and I just waited to shoot until I was nice and steady.”

Melissa’s arrow nailed the buck in the heart.

“The Easton 4mm FMJ arrow and Rage Black Series broadhead blew through both shoulders,” she said. “I recently made some changes to my arrow setup because I had previously experienced a lack of arrow penetration. It performed very well, and I was able to watch the buck drop in the field.”

Ben and Melissa enjoy hunting together and have a lot of success doing so. Photo courtesy of Winchester Deadly Passion.

Melissa said that one of the challenges of stalking in on a world-class buck and waiting him out is the mind game. Often, you must wait long hours for the buck to stand and present a shot opportunity, but you have to be ready to act immediately when he finally stands up.

“You don’t know how much time you have to make the shot,” she said. “I also knew that it was a risk to stand up while my buck was alert, but I knew I had to in order to get a clear shot.”

DON’T MISS: Can North Dakota’s Deer Herd Recover?

For Melissa, having Ben looking over her shoulder always makes a successful hunt that much sweeter.

“I’m on the road constantly,” she said. “I let Ben look at my schedule and pick the hunts that he wants to join me on. Hunts with him are the most fun, and we can be more effective in gathering content. During our Alberta hunt, for example, we filmed two episodes. To me, that is worth a lot, and seeing his smile and reaction were big bonuses.”

Although you can view teaser videos of the hunts on Melissa’s social media pages, she said the full hunts will air on the Sportsman Channel in 2025.