Into Thin Air: Bowhunting mule deer at 12,000 ft.

[@TC-CustomZ-Archery]

2:06 - 2:10 is by far my favorite part... “Supp....?” Haha you guys are STUDS!! I’ve watched this about 7-8 times and still all the feels come back.

[@ianpogue8980]

30 miles and 3 days! Ton of respect for you guys, everyone hates to lose an animal but you kept your integrity

[@GOHUNT]

Thank you! When you don't give up, normally good things happen. Gotta keep pushing hard and strive to do better next time. Definitely hurts when it happens.

[@davebeals1718]

You guys are a rare gem in the hunting community! You did everything right. Thank you for sharing your hunt with us. The mountain didn't want him taken away. But....maybe his offspring !?

[@walterlish1902]

I’ve hunted Idaho for 55 years. Shot 1 buck that I didn’t recover immediately. Found him on the 11th day after the shot. I got tired of looking for him but I kept it up anyway. Great video and Aton of work but I don’t think you put in enough effort to find him. Just my opinion.

[@HowToGetToHeaven]

I've watched a lot of hunting videos, but GUYS ... this is at the TOP of my most enjoyed hunts to watch! This thing is Hollywood category! A CLASSIC IMO! Thanks so much for your dedication to HARD HUNTING.

[@GOHUNT]

Thanks for you support! We are happy to hear this.

[@haldermand]

Everybody deserves someone that’s as excited to see them as Lorenzo is to get one of Brady’s Pro Bars.

[@pro-tracker3840]

This is the video that helped us find your company. We are in awe of this video. It was so well done. It touched upon some very serious, and taboo issues among bowhunters. We appreciated this video! We just had to share it. Thanks for the honesty, the article that it went with.... and the overall quality and honesty of the topic at hand. Keep up the good work! We love watching your videos

[@sonyou98]

They didn't look very hard. I don't believe that story about searching. I never saw it.

[@TheGDizzo]

Excellent work and LOVE the edits which show geographically where the players are in the scene when viewed taking in the whole basin.

[@Atlas531]

I have been debating applying for a hard-to-draw early archery deer tag and this video has me thinking I should wait and apply for the rifle tag instead. I have seen deer at these altitudes while I was archery sheep hunting and could not figure out how anyone ever gets close enough for a shot. I eventually got my ram with an arrow, but sheep seem easier to me. I have heard of waiting an hour or so, but I would not have waited overnight like you guys did. Not judging, I just know that for me, staying on fresh blood and possibly getting a second arrow in to him would have been my priority, especially in warm weather like that. You have probably tortured yourselves with that decision ever since, but live and learn. Thanks for sharing your hunt.

[@lanes8237]

I just saw this video. What beautiful cinematography and a great hunt. Very challenging up there. Looks like you guys had fun. Well done!

[@oscarjuarez9785]

Great video ..... Searching for outdoors hunting video and there this was ... Great filming gentlemen

[@richiegonzales6750]

Great video. Can honestly sympathize with that guy wrenching feeling of losing an animal like that. Lost an elk a few years ago just like that. Rain came in and made any and all blood trail vanish. Kudos to both of you for exhausting that effort to find that buck. To those that have said that you should have pushed him have no clue. When an animal is hit and gets pushed the adrenalin will run through the animal and they can go for miles....

[@GOHUNT]

Thank you for your reply! Really means a lot. This hunt still beats me up inside to this day. Brady Miller goHUNT's Digital Content Manager

[@braydonnichols2093]

Such a cool film, loved how it was done. A real heartbreaker!

[@bendrixbailey1430]

That is always a tough call. Middle shot deer don’t usually die quickly and yes, it is possible to push them out of the county. I’ve been on both kinds of tracks and the success in finding the animal is higher when it is allowed to sit for 24 hours before tracking. I’ve also been on deer where we made the call to go after it because rain was coming and we wanted to go as far as the blood would take us. That often does not work out well. Sad when it happens but it does. Learn to live with it or quit bowhunting cause its gonna happen to you too. Nice job boys. Nobody could ask you to work harder than you did.

[@ColeHally]

Kuiu Brady is a vibe.

[@GOHUNT]

Haha! A great, great throwback film.

[@tfrost33elkhunter]

Great film, definite bummer on the deer. I can feel that anguish. It happened to me on a bear a long time ago. I still re-live it to this day. With that said, you learn and move on, always keeping that hunt in your mind and knowing the stakes are always high as ethical hunters. Good job and may your arrows fly true!

[@jeremiahholmes8445]

Thank you for showing this side of hunting also. Not always will you get the animal you are after and every once in a while, you lose one you have harvested.

[@jeepman8060]

You have my respect as a Bow hunter, hunting in the open range and not hunting from a F@#king tree...Awesome. what a Ture Sportsman.

[@GOHUNT]

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed the video.

[@holyroller2445]

Thanks for taking me on your adventure. Great vid

[@GOHUNT]

Glad you enjoyed the film!

[@elevationcreationoutdoors8348]

I just got back into bow hunting this year... I watch this video at least once a week for motivation awesome awesome awesome

[@GOHUNT]

Thats what we like to hear!

[@mitchellk3537]

Awesome video guys! Bummer y’all couldn’t find it but you surly did your part!

[@andrewsabey]

Had the same scenario elk hunting g. I hit a huge 7x7 in MT but hit him a little high. Heard him crash so we decided to wait. The. The snow came, flakes the size of dinner plates. We noticed the blood trail disappearing so we went after him. Bummed him up and off he ran right out of my life. We searched for 2 days and no such luck. Your damned if you damned if you don’t. Not sure your comment about big bucks not being in MT is accurate. We have seen a ton of huge bucks killed in the 270 unit and seen a lot of nice 170-190 bucks in the breaks. Sure they are far and few between but based on this hunt it appears they are in WY as well. Great video and best of luck in the future.

[@ZacGriffithcom]

Huge bummer!!! I applaud your efforts to retrieve him. That's tough country to grid! You deserved no doubt!

[@GOHUNT]

Thanks, Zac! Best of luck to you this season.

[@kennethbartlett4700]

The agony and the ecstasy of bowhunting...from 25m I was shouting at the screen "Where is he?! That buck HAS to be close by..."

[@GOHUNT]

Thanks! It's a hard thing to swallow. Especially since this was the first year he lost a deer.

[@Toe_Knee_69]

Awesome filming and editing!

[@RealRadNek]

Real bummer, that's some big country to try to find a deer in with no blood. Thanks for sharing the hunt.

[@GOHUNT]

Thank you! A tough situation for anyone.

[@g-man2228]

Sup! Brady in the mornings….You bow hunt long enough, it’s going to happen! You guys gave it a hell of a search….

[@thomaslawson177]

What a feat, you guys are incredible. Videos like this inspire me to push my limits and help me achieve my goals! Tough loss with the deer, but at that point, it's out of your hands. Nonetheless, congrats on an amazing hunt.

[@GOHUNT]

Best of luck to you this fall!

[@thetotcmband411]

I am certain something had a killer dinner. Great video. That is hardcore hunting.

[@tallcip65]

montanadoctor it would literally take 10+hours of nonstop moving to hike 20+ miles in country like that. Unless you are one of those Midwest farm hunters who count miles driven from home to the farm in a jacked up Chevy and miles in a utv from the barn to the apartment sized deer stand.

[@MrVillamor68]

You guys are inspiring to watch.

[@GOHUNT]

Thank you! Glad you enjoy the films.

[@sterlingwilkey2124]

awsome hunt guys, that same thing happened to my friend years ago

[@burkeylynnadventures]

Excellent video, great hunt, tough outcome. Been there - and yea, it can eat at you. But all well done.

[@MatthewMartinez-fd2nr]

Nice buck

[@williammawk1720]

Dang It All!!! I watched before and I just watched it again hoping he would find it this time but DANG, he never found it this time either,,,

[@LivingSpiritDesign]

Damn ...... that's an excellent video...... such great footage and a huge bummer. Nice

[@GOHUNT]

Thanks, Andy! Never a good thing to have happen. But hopefully a great learning experience for everyone. No matter how much time and practice you put in... this can happen to anyone.

[@Productions-fe8hr]

Great video! What are you guys using for lenses?

[@aburgheim]

Awesome video!! The grit the pain the stalk the logistics the teamwork but above all the defeat....... to film that and let the world in on it......... you guys are real!! No bullshit no religious crap no gear hype no ........... FUCK i loved this!!! I subbed and goin for more in 1 a minute, non of this is goin into thin air!! Next week iam goin down the Yukon and i be thinking of this!! You guys!

[@GOHUNT]

Thank you again for the support! This hunt was special for a lot of reasons... and Brady gave it his all to find that buck. Not the outcome he wanted... but he spent so many days looking for that buck.

[@coloradobackpackhunter2046]

Tough hunt! Thanks for sharing it and putting it out a few days early. What year was this? Reminds me of 2013 archery where it rained to some extent all 7 days of our hunt.

[@Jrjwoodsman]

In the beginning of the video you mentioned using google earth to find the most promising basins. What elements/factors did you use to determine this? I’m basically doing the same kind of hunt here in the north cascades in Washington state. Can’t Scout the area but trying to use maps and google earth to figure it out. Thanks for your help. Great job on this video.

[@vlacula]

Amazing. Thanks for doing tje job of showing Us the strategy.

[@Belbivdevoe]

Dude is a beast

[@JoshSmith-md8cd]

Man! Ive never hit the sub button so fast! I love it. Dude i want to hunt mule deer so bad! I’m so freaking jealous!

[@GOHUNT]

Thanks for the sub!

[@jim_outdooradventures5146]

Dang. Crazy effort.

[@fattybourgeois1014]

I really should go to sleep but I cant turn it off

[@GOHUNT]

It happens to the best of us!

[@mfddoc]

While I do not recognize the specific place the hunt occurred in, I know the area very well. It takes soemone in top condition to do what these hunters did, and the loss of the animal is extremely frustrating. It happened to me on the North Kaibab a few years ago, it was not as demanding physically, but still disturbing to think that the animal went to waste. Of course, the ecosystem has a way of dealing with the remains of animals, the "circle of life" and all that, so the remains are never totally wasted. I too left my tag un-filled for that season....I will say one other thing, it does not make it alight, but....I shot a large 5x5 one season, during late rifle season. He was an old, downhill buck, his antlers were almost black, he walked with a noticeable limp, and when I got to the body, he had evidence of at least 4 other wounds, and in his left front shoulder, and high on his rump, I found two broadheads, fully encased in cystic material, the limp wa from the left front leg which had healed completely, one of the gunshots appeared to have been through and through but the other had a small caliber bullet....so, it is possible this buck did survive, however the idea that he suffered even it he healed is not a pleasant idea....

[@gregyoung1364]

circle of life is right...part of hunting, certainly archery hunting

[@ColoradoStreaming]

The reality is 26% of all meat in the US is wasted at the consumer level. You went out in the wild, took responsibility for the kill, felt the sorrow and frustration of tracking it and ultimately the animal returned to nature. Meanwhile average Americans buy meat in a plastic bag that a factory worker killed, forget to eat it and throw it in a landfill.

[@mrb10d]

Looks like 86

[@davidheinisch8220]

What type of shoes are you wearing with the spikes on them?

[@crawfordsixtyfive453]

Those look like Salomon Speed cross threes

[@davidheinisch8220]

+Crawford Sixtyfive Thanks

[@GOHUNT]

Hi David. Those are Salomon Speedcross 3 shoes.

[@justenberry]

Wow, that was so intense!

[@SheepdogsHeart]

The part that would drive me nuts would be second-guessing the decision to wait till the next day to track. That would keep me up for many nights....

[@GOHUNT]

So many things we keep thinking about... should have we went right away due to the coming rain? Or should have we waited a few hours and went down in there right before dark?

[@derekwendt2855]

What unit was this in?

[@thatguy928]

What GMU? I’m in CO and just curious. My guess would be White Forest.

[@petemercado9106]

Lorenzo, what watch were you wearing in this video? Need to upgrade mine and like the look and altimeter function of that one and Can't seem to track that one down.

[@GOHUNT]

This was a Suunto Core watch. Really amazing for any backcountry activity. You can see some examples of them here: shop.gohunt.com/collections/gear/electronics+watches

[@drested1793]

That was a great bow hunting video! Sucks about that buck but the effort was awesome.

[@GOHUNT]

Thanks! A tough situation to deal with for sure. Appreciate it!

[@neal386]

Phenomenal video.

[@GOHUNT]

Thank you!!

[@jacquesgrochowski3440]

Great video!

[@ndalton7219]

"Montana doesn't have this kind of Mule Deer."....Did this guy fall and hit his head?

[@jacemiller3456]

What's the music in the beginning? I love it.

[@GOHUNT]

Hey Jace. This is own music. Our video guy creates all the music in our film. It's great having a guy as talented as him.

[@jacemiller3456]

Yes he is very talented! I've been trying to find music similar for my own hunting videos because I love it that much. Thank you for responding

[@nathanmain3273]

good work boys

[@mothman7922]

Great video guys. Next year stock up on pro bars! Both of you lol

[@GOHUNT]

Haha you can never have enough pro bars

[@danelobe2524]

Man that sucks, to kill your biggest buck with a bow and not recover him. Them big ol mule deer are so tough. I killed a big old Montana buck one time in the Bull mountains. I shot him with a.264 @ 500 yards as he ran up the hill I could see his intestines getting pulled out of him. I found him 3 days later 1 mile away. Someone one day will find his skull and wonder what happened .... tough break. great video, great scenery, enjoyed it all.

[@GOHUNT]

Yeah it is a tough one when you cant recover the animal, but it's a part of hunting and something we all have to deal at some point.

[@danelobe2524]

@@GOHUNT tough ? No it's emotionally brutal on your heart. Its the absolutely worst scenario of hunting you can ever experience. Clean misses on trophy class animals are second. There haunting, expecialy if its an equipment failure. Indiana hunt, 200" whitetail in Big Oaks. 80 yards fireing pin hits primer, shell never goes off. Sickeningly surreal. Factory ammo. 1 in a million.... in so many ways. Go hunt !!!!

[@williammawk1720]

If these guys think Montana doesn't have big bucks they don't know much about Montana.

[@GOHUNT]

Hey William. I lived in Montana for 11 years before I moved away to work for goHUNT and continue to hunt that state each year and I believe I've hunted Montana close to 20 years now. No doubt there can be some great opportunities for mule deer, but the state could be even better. The late hunts in the rut really hurt the potential for even more big bucks in Montana. I'll say those late hunts are a blast, but if you look at the management of other states, you'll see that their system creates bigger bucks. Best of luck this season! Brady Miller Digital Content Manager of goHUNT

[@MountainRat]

Man.. I was really hoping you would find him.. Good work though.

[@GOHUNT]

Thanks, Mountain Rat!

[@zachherold8812]

awesome hunt! what gators do you have on Brady?

[@GOHUNT]

Sorry for the late reply. Brady runs Outdoor Research Endurance gaiters on all of his hunts.

[@zachherold8812]

goHUNT no problem, thanks for the info!

[@scottdinger2599]

feeling your disappointment. But rejoicing in knowing you will try again.

[@GOHUNT]

Thank you! You're right... just gotta keep pushing on and attempt to do everything right the next time. Thanks for watching.

[@rnorthern21]

was this an over-the-counter tag?

[@GOHUNT]

All of Colorado mule deer hunts are on a draw system. But this hunt didn't take that many points to draw. That's the beauty of Colorado... just about any unit can easily be draw for archery and produce a fantastic hunt.

[@timothyknutsen5212]

Great effort gentlemen. Sorry about that Brady. Must have dog to relieve you of 30 miles of searching.😟 Still 🤔 very impressive effort.

[@delosturner2344]

Great video footage. To bad on the deer.

[@GOHUNT]

Thank you! It will forever hurt to look back on situations like this. Especially since this was the first season he lost an animal. But hopefully others can learn to never give up... but hopefully that never give up attitude will lead to a recovered deer for someone.

[@BekahEmma]

Not judging, but why not go after him the same day. if he was hit reasonably well he should be dead in an hour.

[@GB-wh3kg]

BekahEmma Let it lay down and die. If you push it before it is dead they jump up and run making your tracking job way longer.

[@realtimberbucks7612]

montanadoctor He said not judging because he's actually asking an honest question as to why Brady got back to camp with sunlight in stead of trying to find the buck. Yes it is better to let them lay and die but with the kind of weather they had been having might have been better to go as far as you could with that blood trail. Just our opinion, not judging:) We understand that it's part hunting now and then and it sucks.

[@realtimberbucks7612]

I want to add that this happened to a buddy of mine once. He shot a real nice buck and the rain came in within the hour after shooting him. We never found any blood due to that and never found the buck. Sickest feeling one can have especially on such a toad! Sometimes we can only do so much.

[@braydonnichols2093]

They weren't able to due to the danger of the incoming storm.

[@bobiker9285]

Should of pushed him knowing the storm was going to wash the blood away

[@davidburns3807]

colorado has the most big bucks in the record book by far

[@GF_Burke]

Damn man. Feel ya. Happened to me last week. Largest mullie doe I've ever seen. Good pass-through.. anyways. This weekend I made up for it.. but.. ya... shit.. she was f'n massive like a horse. Yo from the Owyhees.

[@shawndean8358]

Hopeful lesson learned, don't jump the gun on moving game at that distance, patience man , have to have it. Know your limits and don't go paste no matter what even if you are gonna eat a tag plus all the hard ass effort of just getting to that spot in time. Better luck next time.

[@d-arts7139]

too cool for skool

[@toomanyfingusernames]

What a beautiful movie. Thank you for sharing the good times, and the not so good times. For what it's worth, I think it takes serious guts in today's age of outrage to post something like this. If you hunt long enough, chances are you will lose an animal. Good on y'all for giving it your absolute best effort. And also, you look pretty nice clean shaven and I'm a woman who likes bearded men :)

[@drewhatcher8662]

Needed a retrieving dog

[@TransRights6969]

OTC land always gonna be other hunters

[@Randy_Savage_ohyeah]

Bummer.....

[@GOHUNT]

Thanks, James. To this day, Brady is still pretty torn up about it.

[@almoffatt5344]

Damn waste of a real nice buck. You rushed the shot. He was walking. Anyway.. whatever tho. Good video. I've done it too. It sucks.

[@GOHUNT]

👍

[@sonyou98]

So, everybody saw you guys leave a big trophy mule buck dead on the mountain. Of course that deer died! Everybody saw it jump 5 feet! Now your talking yourself out of FINDING THAT DEER. Sad.

[@chandlermalichanh5126]

This video needs a dislike button. They gave up too easy. What a waste.

[@fisher9276]

6:11 No bar. what a ass. Good vid aside for making the dude dance for a snack

[@GOHUNT]

Haha!! Glad you enjoyed it.

[@billbrowning50]

Not exactly fond of shooting and walking away. It didn’t seem as though you put much effort into finding him.

[@ziruk-king4466]

My philosophy bowhunting-- if you can't guarantee the shot you are usually to far.

[@zackboothe1228]

nothing is guaranteed on the mountain. man he did his part.

[@drested1793]

No shot is guaranteed, especially bow hunting, especially in those conditions.

[@almahazirahphj]

@muhamadkhairul

[@sonyou98]

Bullshit comments about tough luck losing that deer. This is all bullshit!