September 27 - Jason Edney

Hunter: Jason Edney
Animal: Mule Deer
Location: Nebraska
Weapon: PSE Bow Madness XL

I've always had access to some pretty good Mule deer ground in Western Nebraska but always looked at them as a bonus during the rifle season. This all changed 3 years ago when Britney and I participated in Dream Season 4 "Couples". The first group hunt that season was in Wyoming and part of the hunt was a spot-n-stalk archery hunt for Mulies. Seeing those huge antlers and the challenge of getting archery close set a fire in me for "Big" Mulies with the PSE!

Since that hunt in WY I've done everything to pick up new tracts of ground here in Nebraska that have the potential to produce giant mulies. Nebraska is often overlooked when circles start discussing mulies but when you have the habitat, the nutrition and age you have the recipe to produce a pig!

2009 started with the emphasis put on the whitetails roaming the Platte River bottoms in NE. After the rain let up I had a client ready to get in the hills and try his luck with the Mulies. After a few conversations with the landowners and locals I had an idea where to start. Bingo! The first alfalfa field had two shooters in it, but with the sun setting we elected to put the stalk off and wait till the next day. The next day found us waiting at the alfalfa. The deer showed up but they were late. The sun was setting and the time was ticking away on an opportunity. This was Kevin's last evening to hunt so we pushed the stalk a little hard and blew the deer out. I was kicking myself for trying to push a stalk but hopefully the deer would not completely blow out of the area. After we finished the second early season hunt of the season up I couldn't help but think about the Mulie eating in the Alfalfa so I loaded up and went after him.

It had been a couple of days since we blew him out of the field but I figured he still had to be close. After a few hours of glassing I got lucky and stumbled on to him lying in his bed above the alfalfa. Everything was perfect for a stalk instead of letting him come to me so I started making my way to him. With any evening stalk the thought stayed in my mind that he was going to get up on his feet any minute and head to the field. Luckily though he stayed in his bed and I was inching within striking distance. I slowed to a snails pace because of the lack of cover but this time the stars aligned and I was within 30 yds of him in his bed.

As I was preparing for the shot..up he came and bolted a few yards, but as a lot of mule deer do he had to stop and see what crawled up on him. That’s when the Bow Madness XL preformed flawlessly! In open country you need to take advantage of every opportunity when they present themselves even if that means stretching the yardage out farther than typical whitetail shot. It was a great feeling to watch the arrow sink into the spot and watch the buck fall.