Mission, Pearygin, or Alta tags

[Skyvalhunter]

Did anyone draw any of the Mission, Pearygin or Alata special permits? If so did you do any good?

[Hunting Cowboy]

I know of two nice bucks from the Alta unit that were taken. Fairly wide and tall. Nice tine length, one a bit heavier than the other. Both fine bucks.

[boneaddict]

Tough year in all of them due to the lack of weather.

[tmbrline]

A guy I know had 2 mission tags in their family. They shot two really nice bucks. One scored 170 and the other 180. I saw them both. I was up in the entiat unit and saw a couple that would go in the high 160's to 170 last week during the last part of the late rifle tag. I really think there were some great bucks around, they just had everyone fooled.

[Skyvalhunter]

I was hearing from friends in the Methow that were just going to put in for points and hope that the deer population gets a little stronger. One was a taxidermist in carlton who said the number of deer brought into him was down.

[MichaelJ]

tmbrline, I know who you're talking bout...  Though which one scored 180?  Was it the father or son's buck?  I haven't seen pics of the sons but hear it's wide as hell, and have seen the father's buck, but he didn't really look 180" to me... maybe it was a bad picture, but I'm assuming it was the Dad's because the son's was a 3 point correct?

Michael

[Wanderer]

Here's the wifes methow deer this year.  Late Hunt.

Michelle is going to make it into a shoulder mount for us.

[Hunting Cowboy]

tmbrline, I know who you're talking bout...  Though which one scored 180?  Was it the father or son's buck?  I haven't seen pics of the sons but hear it's wide as hell, and have seen the father's buck, but he didn't really look 180" to me... maybe it was a bad picture, but I'm assuming it was the Dad's because the son's was a 3 point correct?

Michael

Michael, I left ya a PM.....

[tmbrline]

MichaelJ, the 2 bucks were husband and wife. One was 25'' and the bigger of the two was 28'' with a lot of mass.

[MichaelJ]

tmbrline, not sure who you're talking about now, I was sure I knew who it was...
I know of a 28-29" heavy three point taken in the mission along with a 27" () 4 point taken with great fronts, but mediocre backs...

Michael

[Skyvalhunter]

Nice picture Wanderer. Your wife should be proud of that buck!! Congrats to her. She seems to be very pleased with her buck and rightly so!! Thanks for posting. She drew that Alta tag I take it.

[Hunting Cowboy]

Here's the wifes methow deer this year.  Late Hunt.

Michelle is going to make it into a shoulder mount for us.

Congratulations on a Nice buck....Tell us about the hunt? What kind of a pose are you getting on your mount?

[Bearhunter]

Beautiful buck, congrats did you guys pass on a lot of deer.

[boneaddict]

Hey, Wanderer...ypu haven't seen live pictures of that buck on here have you?  I'd ask you where you got i, but that freaks alot of people out.  I do a ton of photography up in the Valley and was born and raised there, so not really looking for someplace new.

[Wanderer]

Sorry if I hijacked this thread, just wanted to show one that didn't get away.  Although it wasn't huge, the antler mass is real nice.  So, here's the story :

For the last 5/6 years my wife and I have been going on a outfitted trip with Early Winters Outfitting of Mazama.  Each year heading out to a place outside winthrop.  I don't think naming the area should cause anyone heartburn as it's pretty widely known..  So, I've been applying for the late hunt for this same area each year.  Finally got drawn this year !!  whoo hooo !!  We've been planning this since the drawing.  As we got closer to the date we're leaving(nov 8th), my wife comes down with a bad cold.  But as she's really wanting to go, we stock up on the cold meds and head out.  Getting to Mazama on the 9th and chatting with Aaron Lee, we discover that I've been applying to the wrong gmu !!  oh, crap 
Am I an idiot or what ??  So we've had this plan in place for a couple months and now we can't go to "our" area....  We have a permit for the Chewuch area-- where the #$#@ is that ??  Luckily, Aaron Lee is very familiar with all the areas and after discussions, is able to come up with plan "B".  Turns out that there is a lot of private land in this gmu but he can put our camp in an public land area.  How you can tell private/public in some of these spots is beyond me.  I guess you just have to live around the area...  He also volunteered to semi-guide us which we really, really appreciated.  So, we get our camp set up friday night in the dark and saturday morning I head up the mountain.  The wife stays at camp as her cold is getting worse.  We're warm enough in our sleeping bags but breathing the cold air is hurting her lungs.  Aaron Lee is going to be back to see us in the late afternoon so I have a little time to walk around.  I spent the morning walking around getting a bit familiar and pass on a small 3x2 that is spending some time with 3 does.    Get back to camp in time to have something to eat just before we head out with Aaron Lee for the late afternoon.  He's showing us some public areas that we can look thru.    Got to say, we're feeling pretty good about our chances just because we're seeing lots of deer including some nice 4 points.  Unfortunately, they're on private property but maybe we can find something on public land.  Sunday comes and the wife is feeling worse.  I'm feeling pretty bad about continuing but she insists that she's ok.  "ok, if you're ok continuing they I'm ok".  So sunday morning, we pass on some small animals(still early, right?)  and get picked up for the late afternoon hunt.  Aaron Lee decides to ask a landowner for permission to hunt their property which they are ok with.  Helps that he's lived in the area for his whole life.  I think it was something like 100 acres or so.  while we in here, we see a bunch of small groups of deer scattered around the property.  Finally, way up at the top of the ridge, right under a cliff is a nice buck.  He's about a half mile away when we spot him.   Now we just have to figure out how to get to him .  After a short discussion, we decide we'll work our way to the right side and see if we can get a shot.  Decide that the wife will get the shot.  We get to the bottom of the ridge ok and head up.  This didn't look so steep from the bottom....Finally get up to the top.  Aaron Lee is already up and has pick out a big rock as a rest.  Good thing as we're about to pass out from lack of oxygen !!  Steph get herself over to the rock and takes a look.  I can't see the buck but apparently he's laid back down almost invisible in the shadows.  I can see a doe standing there but where's the buck??  Steph takes aim and pulls the trigger.  There's a big whack and a big dust plume comes off a rock beside the doe.  The doe takes off down the slope.  Is she shooting at the doe?  Aaron Lee says that he's still laying there.  I stilll don't see him.  So steph takes aim again and whack, there's the big dust plume again.  This time, the buck stands up and I can finally see him.  Aaron Lee is now talking with her saying "he's up..there he is...shoot him !!"  She's saying "where is he..I can't see him..I can't see him".  Finally, Aaron Lee is able to direct her along the cliff face and she says "oh, there he is, now I see him".  In the meantime, this buck is standing there looking around wondering what all the noise is and where it's coming from.  She take aim again and pulls the trigger.  One more time--whack and this time I can see the bullet hit him.  He takes a couple steps and folds.  He's down !!    We walk over the top of the ridge and 11 does and small bucks take off up and over the top.  Apparently he had quite a harem going..  Estimate shot was between 200 and 250 yards.   left the rangefinder at the bottom of the ridge(oops).Two bullet marks in a brown rock about 3 inches apart. pretty good shooting even if it wasn't a deer !!    So we work  cleaning up the deer and getting it down.  As we're getting it done, she mentions how much her lungs are hurting because of the forced climb.  Little did I know just how much they hurt.  She spends the rest of the night and all the next day in her sleeping bag, sicker than a dog...  In the meantime, I'm not seeing the big one and the weather is getting colder(just a trace of snow).  I decide that she needs to get out of camp.  So instead of waiting for the big antlers, go for the big body.  As luck would have it, we see a large-bodied two point and I'm able to take him.  So now we're outta here!
A couple of days in a warm environment did wonders.  While she still coughing(almost two weeks later) at least its gotten better.    Don't think we could have done much better given the circumstances.  While I don't want this to sound like an advertisement, we couldn't have done it without Aaron Lee and his knowledge of the area.  Conservative estimate that we saw between 80-100 deer during the five days we were hunting. most on private land.
Michelle Nelson is going to do the mount for us as soon as she can find a replacement cape.  we ruined the original as we have to drag it down the ridge.  Haven't yet decided upon a pose yet.  Any recommendations?