Cody Webber writes, "Here is my 2006 Utah rifle buck. I haven't shot a deer in 11 years. Well after this weekend I'm hooked on mule deer. Late on Saturday night, me, my dad and friend, Steve Dempsy, were glassing up five bull elk, two small bucks and a coyote just before dark. I saw the yote and told Steve to check it out when he threw his glasses up they landed on a huge bodied deer. He said "check out the size of that deer". I knew it was going to be a big buck, but how big I didn't know.
I looked through the Televid 77 and saw my buck for the first time. He had good width and big G2's. He looked like a big 4x3, so I wasn't sure if I wanted to take him. My dad said, "lets get a closer look", so we hurried down the hill to a knoll where I could take a shot.
On the hike over, I decided I was going to shoot this buck no matter what. We topped the small ridge and I ranged him at 432 yards. I threw down my pack and hit the ground, laid my Browning A-bolt 300 WSM across my pack, pumped a little ice through my veins and pulled the trigger.
Oops! I forgot to take the saftey off so I guess that was my practice shot. He was quartering to his right, so I held my Leupold B&C 400 mark on the top of his back and let one loose. My ears are still ringing from that stupid muzzle break!
At the shot, Steve said "he jumped, I think you hit him". He started moving down the hill towards us. I chambered another Accubond and found him and gave the trigger another pull. Steve then said "you broke his back leg". Then the buck went a little further and piled up on the ground. My dad took off like Carl Lewis so I had to pull a Ben Johnson, without the juice, and pass him. I reached the buck and there was no ground shrinkage here. I was pumped to see he was a 4x5 with an inline between his two and three. 24" wide with 17" G2's. After a few hugs and high fives we took some great pics. (Thanks Steve)
(Thanks to my awesome, most patient wife Lisa. If it wasn't for her I couldn't have done this.)"