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My dad and I had the fortunate opportunity to go hunting with Taylor Horton, Josh Nash, Rick and Matt aka “Cooky” of TnT Outfitters this past week outside the Historic town of Durango Colorado. Taylor met us mid-day Friday at the local Wal-Mart and walked me through the process of getting my hunting license and mule deer tag, which made it very easy. We then followed him out to the ranch, which ended up only being 16 miles out of town, 4 miles of asphalt then 12 miles of ranch roads. Who would have guessed we would have been on a huge ranch within sight of one of Colorado’s most visited towns. But make no mistake the ranch was secluded, electricity was provided by Honda and they did have a hot water system for the shower and sinks. As we pulled into camp, I noticed there were two outdoor toilets off to the side, which told me there was going to be some “Good” cooking going down in this place. While stepping out of our Jeep I seriously thought we were go to be hunting with the Duck Commanders. Everyone was growing out their beards and living the true Mountain Men experience. I was ready to jump on board because I didn’t bring a razor either. Nonetheless, the guides were very friendly and very excited about hunting. Everyone treated and spoke to us like they’ve known us forever. After unpacking the jeep, with the help of everyone, we took off with Josh in search of the Big Muley’s that Colorado is known for. As we pulled to the top of a mountain, it seemed like you could see Wyoming from these peeks. And all my dad and I could think about is, “how in the world are we going to find a deer out there?” But it did not take long with Josh’s trained eye to locate a Doe. Actually it took longer for Josh to explain to us where it was standing. These Gray colored Mule Deer hide so well in the brush. We had one staring at us for who know how long, 30 yards away, and we never saw the deer until it started walking. Back at Camp, Cooky whipped us up some Steaks, Mac-n-Chees, squash and salad for dinner, and let me tell you that boy can cook. The next day had us riding, walking and looking for these majestic creatures. I’m guessing Josh found 12 deer to my 1. We did see plenty of does with yearly’s, which is a good sign being the amount of Mountain Lions in the area. With dusk setting in upon us, we knew I was time to call it a day. Back at camp we sat around the camp fire laughing and lying about past hunting excursions while sipping on a few adult beverages. Between the laughs I kept thinking about finding that one big mature Muley. After a heavy helping of fried catfish and potato salad we were off to bed for the much needed rest. The next morning had us back on top of the mountain overlooking the valley named Poppin’ Johnny’s. The area got its name from an old oil well pump motor that use to pop so loud you would have to wear ear plugs while glassing the mountain side. We looked over the area for about 20 minutes until Josh wanted us to glass the other side of the mountain. As I watched these black squirrels playing in a nearby pine tree, Josh spoke up after sighting a Mule Deer. It took me forever to find it. I could not tell if it was buck or a doe because it kept its head down and it was about ¾ of a mile away. Josh knew what sex it was, he looked up at me stating, “I’m going to get the spotting scope….and your GUN”. “Really?”, Holy Cow that must be a buck down there. After setting up the spotting scope, Josh determined that we were looking at a mature Mule Deer Buck. Josh took off back to the other side of the mountain to get my dad and his remaining gear. While he was gone, Kevin (Josh’s old college friend) and I used the spotting scope to look at this so called Buck. When I finally found it I swiftly stated to Kevin, “Whoa, you gotta look at this Monster”. Josh came back with my dad and saw both our faces with big smiles and our eyes ready to pop out at any moment. Josh asked, “do you like it?”. “What, are you kidding me, that thing is huge”. Josh, “okay, let’s go get him”. The stalk was on. Josh and I started covering ground while Dad and Kevin stayed perched on the mountain top above the valley. As we slowly crept along the brush Josh stopped, looked back at me and said, “he is right there and he has us pegged”. We had to make this quick, so we scooted over about 6 feet to set up the shooting sticks so I could get on the deer. The deer was standing behind some brush and was not moving. 20 minutes went by as we stayed in a Mexican Stand-off with this trophy of an animal. Finally the Beast walked out from behind the brush and I squeezed off a shot. He jumped straight up into the air. Josh stated “put another one in him.” I quickly reloaded, moved over and saw the horns through the scope. Big Mistake. Now I’m shaking all over the place and my heart is beating faster than before. I told Josh, “I can’t shoot, I’m staking to bad”. Josh replied, “just breath Jake, for God-sakes, just breath.” I pulled the trigger and knew I missed, but I quickly gathered my senses and the 3rd shot dropped him. Josh and I were screaming like little school girls in excitement. Meanwhile, Dad and Kevin watch this all unfold from almost a mile way through a spotting scope. This was a true Spot-n-Stalk mule deer hunt. I’m so happy to get this Trophy Mule Deer, but I’m mostly happy that my dad was able to be there with me. TnT guys were a great group of hard working individuals that made this a trip of a lifetime.
I feel this is what it is about! And it is so nice to know one thing you do can be a memory to someone for a lifetime! Such a cool story!! :)
If you are a hunter or know one look up tnt-outfitters.com and book a hunt with some young, fun, hardworking guys! You will not regret it! :)
Until next time!
