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"Walter's 225-inch Monster Muley"
Photo provided by: Walter Baker

Walter Baker writes, "After forty-five days of scouting, the opening morning of Colorado bow season arrived. Before sunup, I headed to my favorite spot as I had a big muley buck on my mind. I knew where he was most likely to be based on all my previous days of scouting. I had seen several big bucks, but this particular one stood out from all the rest; he had a really wide frame with several stickers and double eye guards. He was a loner and rarely hung out with smaller bucks. I nicknamed him the Scrub-Oak Buck. In the morning, he would bed in the tall scrub oak and rarely immerge until it was dark. At first, the bucks would run when they saw me on the hills. As the summer progressed they tolerated me in the area and milled around continually feeding.

This year I was hunting by myself. Heading to the top of the hill to glass, I noticed bucks feeding near the top as they were heading to bed on the north-side. The Scrub-Oak Buck was not in the group, so I continued past the bucks to the north-side to glass. Looking down the draw, I finally saw him emerge from the edge of a small meadow. He was headed my way. I went to the edge of the hill where I could intercept his movement, only to see him walk up the other side. I knew the other side was steep and it was going to be tough to get in front of him. Running around the side of the hill, I caught sight of him as I maneuvered toward him. The buck emerged on the other side of a scrub oak bush and I released, only to have the arrow deflect on a twig and crease his rib as he bolted. Not knowing the results of the shot, I waited before tracking. I found no blood, but the buck had left deep tracks as he ran. I lost his tracks after a half-mile and figured that my tag had been punched. It wasn’t until a week later I saw him again heading in the same direction. I got in front of him, but could not get a clear shot in the tall weeds and brush. However, he was alive and my hopes were renewed.

The next morning, the big buck was standing in the twilight, silhouetted against the skyline. As I advanced around the hill toward him, he went lower and I ran to get ahead of him. I crawled through the scrub oak as he was heading to his favorite bedding spot. Before he could get there, I came to a full draw as he kept looking behind for me. He did not know I was in front of him. As he stepped out from the scrub oak he realized I was there and knew he had made a huge mistake. The arrow flew true and he ran seventy-five yards, wobbled, and it was over.

I had nowhere to take a picture that would do the buck justice. I went to my vehicle, retrieved the black ice sled and dragged the buck to the truck. It was all I could do to get him into the bed of the truck. Driving up the road in the advancing daylight I found the perfect place to take the picture, recording it as a memory that will last a life time.

The buck gross scores 225-1/8 and after drying, deductions (stickers and double brow tines) netted out at 199-7/8. He is 34-1/8 inches wide and has perfect velvet."


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