Because the hunting takes place within a Cooperative Wildlife Management Unit, Red Creek Outfitters can offer hunts for velvet-antlered deer in September through to snow-plowing migration hunts late in October. We were hunting in September but a few days after the bucks had begun rubbing the velvet from their antlers. Most of the bucks we saw were hardhorned, and boy, did we see a bunch. For the best part of two days we drove, hiked and still-hunted all of the best country, from deep, dry canyons to high, wind-swept ridgelines, glassing bucks in all age classes.

Accommodations consist of a spacious log cabin built by the Woolstenhulme family. Inside, the walls are adorned with big mule deer, several of which were mounted by RCO's Stephan Woolstenhulme.

At one point Stephan spotted a bedded buck that required a closer look. Through a spotting scope he looked like plenty of deer to me, with nice height and good forks. But taking that buck wasn't my decision. Aaron, however, knowing what the country was capable of producing and with a few days left to hunt, passed on the shot.

"You can shoot it if you like, Lee," he suggested.

This is the biggest mule deer buck I've ever seen while I had a tag, was all I could think of as I steadied my rifle over my pack.

"I really don't think that's the buck you came here for," Stephan suggested. "I think that if you shoot it, once you walk up to it you'll be disappointed."

Aaron Cummins' buck was the largest he and the author saw during their hunt and a great example of the type of bucks taken by RCO's client (right) Careful glassing revealed numerous bucks each day. Good binoculars and a spotting scope are more important than your rifle when hunting open-country mule deer.

But it's the biggest…, I thought. I'm no trophy hunter by the strictest terms, and nothing I've ever tacked a tag on has brought about disappointment, but it really wasn't my turn to shoot. We were hunting for Aaron, so we packed up and moved on.

The following evening, after looking over maybe thirty bucks, Aaron's opportunity seemed imminent. We had maybe a couple of miles to walk back to the Jeep as the evening was growing darker, and as we neared the bottom of the ridge Stephan grabbed Aaron and pointed downhill into a clearing. Few words were spoken, and I followed behind the two as we slowly made our way downhill. Below us was a buck that had both of them excited--to the point where Aaron sat down and chambered a round in his rifle. However, in those last seconds of shooting light the deer made its way into the shadows and never afforded a shot. So you can guess where we were heading the following morning, on the cusp of a storm that weather reports indicated would bring several inches of early snow.

As the sun was rising and gray clouds moved in, we were backtracking along our exit trail from the evening before when Aaron caught a glimpse of what appeared to be a good buck drifting across an opening and into a stand of aspens. Standing there, we studied the situation, second-guessing one another as to where the buck might show up next. Then we all got a big surprise. The deer had abandoned its aspen cover and was running straight for us (or the woods behind us). In the morning light its bright antlers, not long out of velvet, bounced like a beacon, drawing our full attention. They were big, with deep forks on all corners. Five hundred yards, 400, 300, 200--the buck closed in, unaware of our plans.