king' s outdoor world - Index

king' s outdoor world - Hunting Illustrated April/May 2008 - Index

be in the bush. When the snow melted enough that we
could walk in the bush, Alexis and I split up off of a main
trail. She went off to the side and I went up and worked
my way out. I came back in on another main deer trail
and BINGO, there it was - the other side to her monster
non-typical mule deer. I yelled out that I had found a big
antler and that it might be the other side to hers. Alexis
was only thirty yards away and coming up on that very
same trail. As she walked up we took some pictures and
then I told her to pick up her antler. She promptly told me
that I had found it. I insisted that she be the one to pick it
up. It was only right that she have the honor of picking it
up and putting the match together. I don’t think I’ll ever
regret it.
Earlier on in the spring, I had the luck to fi nd a
match set of a double-drop mule deer. I had found the
one side and looked again for about three weeks before I
found the match. To be honest, I had almost given up hope.
But that day, I had my lucky lady with me! Lexy and I
literally stumbled onto it. My tracks were not more than
Alexis not only enjoys shed hunting, but to one-up the
guys with the huge sheds she continues to fi nd
50 HUNTING ILLUSTRATED.com
fi fteen yards from it. But, with the heavy snow we had
had that winter, it had been covered. We were on top of
the world. I had shed hunted for over ten years and never
found anything like it.
While out scouting earlier in the spring, I spotted
a big mule deer buck. He was still packing both antlers
and looked enormous. I had found a big match set of
antlers in this area last spring and wondered if this could
be the buck that left them. I got out of the area so that I
wouldn’t spook him. The next week I went back in to have
a look. It didn’t take me long before I found a small antler
and one side off of the big fellow. I looked for the rest of
the day until, fi nally, about one mile away, I came across
his other side. I hit the ground hard and gave my thanks.
As I put the antlers together I knew it was the same mule
deer as last year. He hadn’t gotten much bigger, but had
put on a lot of mass. Was I ever happy.
On one of the trips looking for the match to
Lexy’s big antler, I found a nice whitetail shed with a split
G2. I wanted to try and fi nd the other side but, like the
Enjoying time with his wife and family, the author was
able to fi nd a great matching set of double drop sheds