2015 Hunting Season Review – Deer & Elk

Coming off of an awesome start to the 2015 season we couldn’t be happier with the Antelope taken and the memories forged with every hunt. Since we decided Antelope, Deer & Elk could be separated into separate posts because they were so large, we will now highlight the outstanding Deer and Elk taken during the year. The horn and body mass growth was just unprecedented in our estimation. Again, coming off 2 consecutive amazing years of moisture and foliage growth, all of the nutrients and habitat requirements for healthy animals were perfectly aligned.

DEER & ELK HUNTING

The first harvest on the ranch was actually an awesome bull taken in September by a very experienced and accomplished hunter in Ryan Trenka. Ryan was lucky enough to have an Area 7 Elk tag and was going to try his luck again with a bow. We had multiple herds of elk frequenting our alfalfa fields nightly and this was an excellent opportunity for Ryan to get in close to the awe inspiring Elk Rut.

2015 Elk

2015 Elk

The second animal taken in 2015 was yet another amazing bull that we can safely say is one of the coolest and most unique looking Bull Elk harvested on the ranch. Our first true Non-Typical and taken with bow too, by long time hunter and friend Scott Butts, from Ohio. Amazingly, we had never seen this Bull prior to Scott harvesting it. This just goes to show that in the wild, when hunting fair chase in Wyoming, you never know what to expect!

2015 Bull Elk

The was a ton of anticipation for the first group of deer hunters as always, and the weather was just amazing. It was more like September than the middle of October. A group of very experienced black-tail deer hunters from drought stricken California did awesome and were an absolute pleasure to be around all week.

2015 Trophy Mule Deer

Jason, lead of the week with an opening day monster near the top of one of the highest peaks on the ranch. We had to navigate through and around other bucks, black bear and a monster bull elk to get a last light shot on this non-typical stud! This was truly a special hunt and pack out and the pictures actually don’t do this spot justice!

2015 Trophy Muley

2015 Trophy Muley

2015 Trophy Mule Deer

Vince, Nick and Mike also connected with some slammers in the following days. These deer were all superbly healthy and had tons of character to add to their impressive antler growth. Talk about a haul to take back to California! We can’t wait to get this group back out to see what they can do for round 2!

2015 Management Muley

2015 Trophy Muley

Ryan and Bobby both came out last season and we were really pumped to have them back out again in 2015. They both took the biggest Muleys they have ever taken. We couldn’t have been more proud of the time spent with these guys.

2015 Bull Elk

Bob hammered a stud alfalfa foraging bull on a beautiful October Wyoming evening along ranch Owner/Operator Doc Woods. This was a combo that was sure to not be beat! We had a hell of great time getting to know Bob, and a ton of his sayings and knowledge will be passed on and admired in the years to come for sure! #timberedup!

For the next group we had seasoned hunters and outdoor professionals from all across the country and even Canada! We finally got some October weather and this shook up the deer movement to add to the excitement of the hunt. We were honored to have another group of hunters from Swarovski Optik. We use and partner with Swarovski Optik for all of our optical instruments at the Cross C Ranch and we couldn’t be more confident in these tools. We spend countless hours that add up to days each year behind our glass. I can’t imagine doing it with another brand of optic.

2015 Management Mule Deer

Al lead off the hunt with a stud mature Management Buck on a very patient and well thought out approach along with master guide Jay Sweet. Below is a pic of Al’s buck just before the final stalk took place.

2015 Muley

2015 Management Muley

Tom followed suit after Al in connecting with the largest Management Muley we have taken in years. This buck was supremely massive with tons of trash and knarley character on his bases along with some extra palmation to make this mature buck very special. Tom’s buck probably had the largest bases of any deer we have taken in quite some time!

2015 Trophy Muley

2015 Trophy Muley

2015 Muley

Randy, Victor and Joe hammered some awesome bucks with the new Swarovski X5 riflescope. These hunts were all very special as we had nearly the entire group to participate and share in the enjoyment of the hunts in one form or another. The tactics and hunting prowess of this group of hunters was unreal!

2015 Trophy Muley

Chad without a doubt proclaimed the shock and awe of the season with his toad of buck harvested with a perfect 303 yard shot after a 5+ mile hike weaving in and out of groups of deer. He had an encounter with this buck the night before during an extremely foggy and low light situation where he wisely decided to hold off for a more ethical and high probability shot. Chad’s patients obviously paid off, this buck is truly incredible! He was frequenting our alfalfa fields all summer and fall, and was his health was certainly evident.

2015 Trophy Mule Deer

Eddie and John hit clean-up for the week and found some great bucks to top off the hunt.  What a blast it was during each and every hunt this week. Everyone became very close friends and the hunting camp was unbelievable. We can’t wait to get Eddie, his wife Dallas and the rest of the guys back as soon as possible.

2015 Trophy Mule Deer

2015 Management Muley

What a year!

Innovator, right here…