On Thursday Brian the Barber & I left for Kettle Falls for the late whitetail hunt in GMU 121. Fresh off our Quilomene elk hunt that found us kiliing 2 spikes within 150 yards of each other from one large herd we were looking forward to the late hunt with weather conditions and the rut starting.
We were on a mission, Brian had helped me to killl my first bull elk. Now we were trying for my first whitetail buck and the first time killing a elk and deer in the same year. I know many hunters do that every year but this has never worked out for me in the 35 plus years I have been hunting.
Thursday afternoon we unloaded at whitetail camp which is Brians cousins place with a house and hunting cabin and a meat cooler with a processing room, not really roughing it.
We jumped in the Polaris ranger side by side and headed out in the afternoon to check out our local hot spots. After checking sign in our normal spots we found many had been sold since we last hunted here 4 years ago (We had drawn several permit for different areas 3 years and 1 year was first year of the 4-point restriction in GMU 121. After hiking in to one of our honey holes and setting up for the evening hunt we sat until almost dark and didn't see any deer or sign. Not the start we were looking for our 2013 whitetail adventure. Normally we can at least find a hand full of does anywhere we hunt up here. Our luck was continuing along this theme. When we got back to the Polaris we could not find the key, 5 miles from camp and no cell phone reception. I hike back down in the canyon retracing my route to where I was sitting to find out if I might have dropped the key or the key fell out while I was sitting down glassing the area. No key, hike back out to the polaris. Brian asked if we should start hiking back to camp, I said no I will hot wire the polaris. Brian asked me if I had every done it before, I said no but how hard can it be, they do it in the movies all the time. As it turned out not very hard, might as well leave the key in the rig. Pulled the ignition wires out cut all four wires and stripped the insulation after a couple tries I hit the right combination and the polaris was running. Walked around to the back to put my jacket on and laying in the weeds near the left rear tire was the missing key. Oh well to late I had already taken the ignition apart and parts had flew everywhere. This key won't work again as I will have to replace the entire ignition unit when I returned home.
That night back in camp around the dinner table and four course meal in front of us that Brians cousin Janet (I told you this was a rough hunting camp) had prepared we disscussed the days result with 9 deer tag holders at the table and while watching Thursday night football. Everyone else had seen lots of deer and lots of spikes and 2-points but no shooters. (GMU 121 is 4-point restricted area)
Brian and I decided Friday morning we would head up to the Colville area with the "Hunt WA GPS Chip" in my garmin and find some new areas to hunt. The good news was GMU 108 was a any buck area.
Just outside of Colville Brian and I headed up into the mountains checking out various sections of DNR land. As we turn off a main road we found a nice 2-point with eyeguards standing in a small section of DNR land. A shot was taken, however after searching the area for a couple of hours it was determined that is was a clean miss. ( I will not say who missed this deer only that it was not me.)
We continued checking all of the DNR land in the area trying to decide what area we would hunt for the rest of our time up here. Around 1 p.m. we were driving down this old logging skid after checking for deer or sign and not finding any and Brian spots a whitetail buck that he says is big. He rolls on past it, he told me to get out and check it out. I got out of the truck and loaded my rifle I began hiking up trail to where he had seen the deer. As I rounded to corner I spotted the buck standing behind this small weed. Where I was I didn't have a clear shot because of the brush. I moved about 15 feet further up the trail and found a clear shooting lane. I could seen his left antler so I new it was a buck (GMU 108 is any buck). I took aim at this deer about 75 yards away as he stood there broadside not moving, I guess he thought I couldn't see him behind the weed. I squeezed the trigger and down he went he rolled a couple times and that got him about 10 feet closer to the road. As I put another round in the chamber Brian caught up to me and asked me how big was he, I said that I didn't know I saw his antler and knew he was legal so I just shot him. I showed Brian where he was down and not moving, after a few high fives we headed up the hill to where he layed, watching all the time to make sure he did not get up.
When I got to the deer he was done after gutting I found out why my 30.06 Winchester XP3 180 grain bullet had removed the top 1/3 of his heart and it was no longer attached internally, I got my first look at the first whitetail buck that I had ever shot. He was a 5x5 with trash points around his eyeguards. Brian looks at him and says that he is the biggest whitetail buck he has ever seen in 20 years of hunting this area. So I guess after 10 years of chasing whitetail and only killing does it was worth the wait to kill my first whitetail buck.
After my nerves had settled down a bit it was time to take pictures, the bad thing is I have no digital camera so the only thing I could use was my blackberry phone. The first 2 pictures are as he lay, the next 2 are with me in the field. The next 2 are back at camp showing each antler up close with the trash around the eye guards. The last 2 are a picture of his head at camp and the last one is the 4 bucks that where in camp as we left Sunday afternoon.
When we returned to camp that night we found that I was the only one that had filled my tag. Usually I am the last one to fill my tag or head home with tag soup. Six years I have had tag soup at the end of the hunt.
We hunted that area all day Saturday and did not see any more bucks so Brian didn't fill his tag, only the second time in the last 10 years that it has happened. On Saturday the flood gates opened and 3 more whitetails had arrived from GMU 121 to our camp. Later that night friends of the family showed up with a spike killed in GMU 105 with the proud hunter. This was his first animal he had ever taken after just 2 years of hunting, he was pumped.
On Sunday morning Brian hunted some areas around Gifford before we had to leave for home. He found some areas to check out next year.
So thanks to Brian the Barber (Whitetail Whisperer) and John and Janet at deer camp my 2013 season was by far my best, most memorable and most sucessful season in 35 plus years. The only hunt that was more memorable was my first mule deer buck that I killed with my Dad when I was 14, many moons ago.
