and miles, both on foot and in the
truck, we finally found an area we
thought had a high probability of
success. It was the second week in
September, and we hoped the deer
would stay in the vicinity until Cher-
ri’s arrival on the 25th.
In the meantime, my dad and
I hunted the area whenever we
weren’t at work. We did our bestto get to know each buck individu-
ally and memorize his daily rituals.
Because the early archery season in
Idaho is pre-rut, the deer are quite
patternable — if you have the time
to devote to learning their routines.
One morning, I decided to put a
stalk on a massive three-point buck
we had been seeing in the area. He
was a mature deer with giant forksand really nice eye guards, but I
wasn’t quite able to get to a com-
fortable shooting distance — 89
yards with a bow is quite a long
shot — before the wind switched
and he smelled me. Although I was
a bit disappointed, I was grateful
for the experience, and I still had an
un-notched tag in my pack, which
meant I got to keep hunting.88 PETERSENÕS BOWHUNTING 09 • 2019
(Topleft)Bowhuntingfriendsare
the best kind of friends, as Cherri
Teutsch and the author prove.(Above)Takinga momentto restand
relive the hunt. Pictures are worth a
thousand words, but photos of big
muleys can leave you speechless.(Left)Proficiencywitha bow
requires time and effort. Christensen
credits her years of archery experi-
ence, especially the off-seasons she
spends shooting in archery tourna-
ments, with helping her take this
beautiful mule deer.Equipment ListBow: Prime Centergy Air
Arrow: Gold Tip XT Hunter
Broadhead: G5 Outdoors Montec CS
Sight: Spot-Hogg Tommy Hogg
Release: Carter Just Cuz Plus
Bowstring: Droptine Outdoors
Optics: Meopta MeoStar
Outerwear: Kryptek
Boots: Kenetrek
Bow Case: Elevation