Mark and Chris return to a familiar place to hunt Coues deer on Arizona’s public lands.

Nate Simmons backpacks through Idaho’s backcountry in pursuit of mule deer on public land.

Nate Simmons backpacks through Idaho’s backcountry in pursuit of mule deer on public land.

Chris Denham returns to Kodiak for a second time along with some of his good friends from Arizona.

Chris Denham returns to Kodiak for a second time along with some of his good friends from Arizona.

I lowered enough to stay out of sight and nocked an arrow. I drew my Hoyt and found my anchors. My heart was pounding, but I consciously took a slow breath as I settled my 60-yard pin.

Brown bear hunting is something else. I highly recommend if it’s on your bucket list that you MAKE IT HAPPEN! You won’t regret it.

Now at less than 15 yards, I let out a soft cow call to stop him for a shot. The bull was so close that you can see my perfectly-placed arrow.

During application season in 2020, I knew I wanted to chase velvet mule deer above the timberline. I decided to go all-in for an archery tag in Colorado.

Am I really seeing this? It just seems too good to be true. A group of good bulls on public ground in the middle of rifle elk season, leisurely feeding on an open plateau. I started to formulate a game plan, but it wouldn’t be for that day or even that season.

It’s difficult to understand how a dream materializes, but for Storie Ratcliff his came in the form of a monster buck 7 years in the making.

There was no wind; my pin was steady. I pulled through the release and snow exploded as the buck lunged forward and disappeared into the trees. I sank to my knees, drew in a deep, ragged breath, and waited for my nerves to unwind. The shot looked perfect, but time would tell...