Nov 4, 2026

599 | Bittersweet Success: Lessons Learned from a Quick Colorado Rifle Deer Hunt

In this solo episode, Mark recaps his recent 2nd-season rifle mule deer hunt in Colorado with his hunting partner, Jerud. Despite arriving at a packed trailhead and facing bone-dry conditions, they managed to tag two bucks in roughly 24 hours. Mark breaks down the critical decisions, tactical adjustments, and practical takeaways from the hunt.

Key Topics & Takeaways:

Hunter Presence vs. Hunting Pressure: Why pulling up to 20+ trucks and camps at a trailhead doesn't automatically mean ruined hunting, and how getting off the main trail corridors immediately separated them from the crowd.
Rifle Readiness in the Field: The importance of carrying your rifle in hand and ready to deploy rather than strapped away when you begin moving through prime animal habitat.
Passing on "Good" Shots: Why Mark passed on a solid buck at 400+ yards on evening one—not due to doubting the shot, but because fading light and thick brush created high risk for tracking and recovery.
The Reality of Water Scarcity: How dry creek bottoms and evaporated seeps forced tactical compromises, requiring them to filter out of a single mud puddle, which also influenced the duration of their hunt.
Optics Strategy & Positional Shooting: Running a three-optic system (image-stabilized binos, tripod-mounted high-magnification binos, and a spotting scope), along with executing shots from non-standard positions like standing tripod setups and offhand.

The Hunt Backcountry Podcast is brought to you by Exo Mtn Gear: https://exomtngear.com/