2013 late archery non-typical whitetail

[Doublelunger]

It started in 2012.  My usual honey hole wasn't panning out like it had in years past.  A few days before the late archery season started I moved a few cameras to a new spot to see if I could locate some good bucks. What I ended up finding blew me away!

[Watimberghost]

 

[Birdguy]

Two GREAT bucks! Nice find. Good luck tagging either of those  .

[Biggerhammer]

Gotta like those drop tines.

[steen]

Hope you get him!  Wow!

[bowhuntersd]

Great deer. 

[Doublelunger]

I set my sights on the bigger, more typical buck....obviously.  An encounter with the drop tine buck would normally be a no brainer but knowing about the other buck (who I nicknamed the Beast) made him an in the moment decision.  I ended up having two encounters with the Beast while in the stand but could never get a shot.  I never saw the drop tine buck on the hoof that season.  I ended up passing a lot of bucks and eventually eating my tag...which wasn't hard to do.  I hung up by bow and my treestands and started dreaming about what 2013 might bring!

[Doublelunger]

I had my cameras out in early Spring.  I was hopeful that the Beast would be back and that he would still be a giant.  I was also curious about what the drop tine buck (who I nicknamed Curly) might look like with one more year under his belt.  I soaked the cameras all spring and summer.  I ended up catching Curly on camera a few times while he was in velvet. And then he showed up again hard horned just before the late archery started.  I never caught a glimpse of the Beast until just a few days before the late archery season opened.  Curly had put on a massive growth spurt over the past year.  The Beast was still a giant but had gone from a 7x8 to a strait up 6x6. I was definitely excited about the possibilities!

[skidynastar33]

http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,141710.0.html

the beast was poached sorry seems like its definatly the same buck

[bowhunterwa87]

Sure does look the same 

[Doublelunger]

I was in my stand and hopeful opening morning.  In the days leading up to opening morning I had been seeing an increased number of rubs and scrapes.  I was sure that the rut was going to peak early this year and that mature bucks would be wandering all hours of the day soon!  Well that didn't happen. As a matter of fact it was the opposite. I saw almost no bucks and very few does for the first 5 days. I had a few night time pictures of the Beast and Curly but that was it.  I was starting to lose hope like a bowhunter sometimes does when he has countless days in the stand with no action.  On day six I was given renewed hope! I had my first daytime picture of Curly.  He had come into one of my sets at 8am.  I ended up playing musical treestands with Curly for the next 2 days. I would sit at one spot and he would be a quarter mile away at another set during legal shooting hours.  I woke up on Nov 17th with a weird feeling.    I cant explain it, but I really felt like something was going to happen that day!  I made my way to a tree stand that Curly had been frequenting.  I was there 30 minutes before sun up and as vigilant as ever.  I didn't see much of anything that morning.  I stood most of the 4 hours I was in the stand and had an arrow nocked and ready the whole time. Around 10 am I heard a noise behind me and to my left...it was Curly!  The wind was perfect and he never knew I was there.  He made his way down the old skid road I was set up on and got to just within 20 yards.  I drew back and he never flinched.  I Put an arrow through both of Curly's lungs!

[bowhunterwa87]

Ahhhhh....theres the as he lay story...; )

[Skillet]

 
Not a big WT guy, but... wow.  Lets get some more pics of that rack!

[mulehunter]

 

[Dhoey07]

Amazing buck! Congrats