2013 Palouse Whitey Down!

[zackmioli]

After working until 8:00pm on Friday night, I rushed to the airport to hop on a quick flight at 10pm into the Pullman airport to be picked up by my father and godfather at 11pm. Everyone else had arrived to camp around noon on Friday so everything was set up and ready to go. Got into camp and went straight to sleep to get ready for opening morning. Woke up early and started my walk down to an area I wanted to hunt, unfortunately as I was walking up the trail some other hunters were about 50 yards ahead of me (dang, knew I should have left 5 minutes sooner). One of them stopped to let me know their plan and I adapted around them. Mind you, this is private property with limited hunters so I wasnt too concerned with them getting up there just before me. I moved over a couple draws and worked my way slowly up the ridge as the deer like to move thru the brush into this area when they get pressure in the draws the other hunters were going to be working. I jumped a few deer as I made my way up the ridge but could never get a good view of them. I got up to the fence line (border of the property we could hunt) and looked out over the area just to take in the view. I knew other people in my hunting group were a few more draws over and I saw some deer out in the fields moving towards their positions, I sat and watched for awhile but nothing panned out for them. I noticed 2 deer in the group were bucks so I kept my eye on them, just then a doe came up out of a draw and spooked the bucks, one of them headed my way out on the fields. I held tight and waited, knowing that the deer like to cross the fence near me to get into a very brushy draw I was skirting. Sure enough a nice tall buck showed himself right at the fence line, I had him in my scope just waiting for him to jump the fence and land on the property I was hunting, unfortunately 4 or 5 cows had moved into the draw and made a big commotion in the brush and spooked the buck back into the field. That was the most excitement day 1 would have for me, I saw more deer in the evening but all does and 1 buck that I had no shot at.

Day 2 came early and I headed up to a draw straight above camp where I watched 2 bucks the day before work towards but get spooked out of due to the doe busting out. I have sat in this exact spot many times and I almost always see deer movement. My Godfather was 1 draw over from me where he played cat and mouse with a buck the day before. About 8am a buck pops up on the fence line just like they had the day before, I knew immediately that he was legal he worked over the fence and down the opposite hillside towards me, I took one shot as he moved towards the thick brush at the bottom and knew immediately that I had pulled to the right just slightly. Fortunately the wind was in my face, he never saw me, and had no clue where the shot came from. He got into the brush and I could see all escape routes so I knew he wasn't getting out of there without me seeing him again. About a minute after my first show he was trying to slip just below me thru some trees at 30 yards. I clicked off my safety which stopped him perfectly broadside, I fired and immediately saw blood on his side. He took about 15 steps and then I watched him fall over backwards, kick a couple times, then come to his final resting place about 55 yards down the hill from me. Perfect shot that took out his heart and 1 lung. My Godfather had worked his way over the top of the ridge to meet me at the deer, my Dad and Step mom also were somewhat close by and came to hear what happened and hold legs while I gutted him out. Then I drug him down off the hill into camp to be hung up, skinned, and bagged! Meat in the freezer baby! He is a real funky 5x5 with a typical 4 point with an eyeguard left side and a thick palmed fork horn with 3 crazy eyeguards on his right. Very cool character to this buck, and he weighed in at 128lbs at the butcher meat and bones!

[hambone]

good looking whitetail

[C-Money]

Dang nice buck!! Congrats!!

[bowhunterforever]

Nice whitey, congrats

[ShaneTyTrey]

 

[zackmioli]

thanks fellas! very happy with him.

[The Big Game Hunter]

Nice looking deer! It's always great when it comes together like that.

[rasbo]

sweet buck congrats,Im gonna have to hunt them one day