foreword A
timeless human dilemma: preparing one’s life for something, but not having the slightest idea of what it might be. (Maybe it’s just me…)
Among other things related and unrelated, I possess a lifelong love of the outdoors and the natural world. In addition, I have a perpetual fascination with deer, the magnificent animals that grow and shed deciduous bone annually. I’ve been mesmerized since childhood by deer and deer antlers. In them, I see great beauty, proof of life, and a call to wild places. Even more narrowly, I hold a great interest in mule deer. They live in California, where I was born and raised, as well as throughout most of the West and Midwest, many parts of western and central Canada, and in the deserts of northern Mexico. Though most frequently noted as the “Deer of the West,” the mule deer shares its range with two other, albeit smaller-bodied, but nevertheless great deer—the Columbia blacktail of the Pacific Northwest, and the Coues’ whitetail of the Desert Southwest. Although I have now spent nearly half my life in the Carolinas and white-tailed deer country, I am perpetually drawn back to the mule deer. I’ve had the pleasure of reading about, studying, hunting, photographing, and occasionally and unapologetically dining on these magnificent animals. I have also enjoyed countAlong with thousands of trophy entry files from over a century of records-keeping, the Boone and Crockett Club archives also include numerous letters and newspaper clippings like this one from Arthur J. Mozzetti that shows a “freak” deer his brother shot in the Kaibab in 1956.
less hours viewing thousands of photographs of deer, deer antlers and taxidermy, and discussing mule deer habits, habitat, observations, and hunting with friends, outfitters, game wardens, field biologists, writers, artists, taxidermists, and other hunter-conservationists with similar, oddly magnified attachments to this deer. These folks, and many other people concerned with wildlife and wild places, share a deep desire to know and see to it that these deer and their habitats maintain a place in this world alongside us. When the Boone and Crockett Club began its Retrospective books series, I knew it was just a matter of time before the mule deer would have one of its own. Earlier this year, I had the distinct privilege of spending a week at the Club’s headquarters in Missoula, Montana. There, I was able to dive into the vast records files specific to mule deer and Columbia black-tailed deer. Official records book entry materials and score charts, fascinating photographs, inspiring and sometimes odd stories, and many peculiar notes and annotations—in several cases, tracing back to the late 1800s; far more material than even I could have imagined. Luckier still, I was able to sequester and immerse myself in these materials in one of the towers of the historic train station that houses the Boone and Crockett Club’s library, fantastic museum, storyboards, archives, and incredibly dedicated and hard-working staff. It just doesn’t get any better than that— the best 60-hour “work” week/vacation I could ever imagine! My heartfelt thanks to Director of Publications Julie Tripp and the folks at Boone
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