Eastern WA Raffle Deer Tag

[Red Dawg]

bravo, way to stick to your guns. i would hope you will be rewarded for your hard work in years to come. i don't think i would have been able to do the same. congrats and have a happy new year.

[nwhunter]

Actually it is my understanding that with your general season tag you can draw a special permit and hunt both. For instance 300 could have drawn a entiat late rifle tag and hunted both that and his raffle hunt to the end of the year. The gov east side elk tag winner got lucky and drew a branched bull tag in the general draw so he was able to take two 350 plus bulls in Washington this year! I don't really think this is fair as one of those tags is enough for one year in my opinion but I believe that is the way it is. nwhunter

[cowboybilly]

i say congrats. you have hunted longer and harder than most of us could ever dream of. i would hope that i could do the same as you have all season long. it is easy for me to think that i would rather eat tag soup than settle for a lesser buck but i am not in your position. what ever happens you should be proud of how you used this tag of a lifetime. congtats again.

Amen!!! All kidding aside buddy, you have no reason for regrets, but you already know that. I'd give my left.....well, you know, to have that same oppertunity to skip out of work and be in the field as long as you were able to this year. memories are as valuable if not more so than a head on the wall. Especially when you concider the many friends you have made in the process!!!! Thanks for sharing all this with us in the office and also on the forum!!!! i think you deserve a large group hug!!!!

[GoldTip]

Congrats to you 300, way to stick to your guns and go after only what you started after.  Thanks for the stories and the updates along the way.

[cowboybilly]

Actually Dano was just confiding in me that he came home early because on the last day he was tracked by a cat back to his truck and it shook him so bad he did not have the nerve to step foot back in the woods. He was able to snap one picture before it ran off.

[MichaelJ]

Congrats 300 on an AWESOME example!  It's almost cooler that you can look back and say you passed on all sorts of bucks and held out until the end!  Rather than say you shot a 160 buck on the last day because you didn't want to go home empty handed!  Definitely an awesome hunt that will be remembered on the board forever!

Michael

[coonhound]

I'm in awe, I don't think many of us would have been as diciplined as you.  Your the man for sure.  Hope you took some pics for us all to see.  I'm sure it was a great ride, it sure was for us.

Coon

[huntnphool]

Something all of you might think about in the future should you have a similar opportunity. Take a good camera and lens with you and snap lots of pics of deer you pass on. For me it helps curb the nausea of not tagging the buck you were lokking for, you can look back and proudly show a 177 class buck you passed on because he just wasnt quite what you wanted. You should see the look on friends faces when you show them and tell them that, almost as much fun as dropping a monster

[boneaddict]

I'm hoping he did just that.  At least on some of them.

[rosscrazyelk]

Hey 300,I have not read every page on here but I am just curious, Did you ever check out the blues or selkirk areas? I have seen some dandies around there.

[Wea300mag]

Thanks for all the positive replies.

Ross, no, I did not hit Selkirk and the Blues. I spent 11 days in the Entiat, 6 in the Desert, and 3 in the Methow. Plus 2 days in each unit pre-scouting.

[Cougeyes]

What turned out to be the biggest that you saw in the desert?

[wastickslinger]

180 ish is the biggest I have seen in 3 months. August/September I saw a few bruits. There were 3 desert rifle bucks that grossed 180+. One of them we have been watching for a few years.

The problem with the desert is that you really have to know it. There is no migration and herding up. The deer stay where they are at all year. Well in a general area. They lay low in the thick crap until the sun goes down.

There are times when i will go weeks without seeing a good buck and then boom there he is, and just that fast, he is gone.

I hope the added youth tags help with a handfull of the dinker 3 points and four point in the coming years.

[Wea300mag]

There were three bucks that come to mind. The first was a 26" 4x6 non-typ I saw while the permit guys were hunting. It had a great looking 6 side and a weak 4 side. It might have scored high gross but it was an ugly looking rack. The second was a 150ish net 4x4, great looking symmetrical rack but a little small all the way around. Finally, there was the 28" 3x3 regressed buck with great main beam and really weak tines. The deer was the size of a horse, I just wish I would have seen him 2 years earlier.

[wastickslinger]

300- just out of curiousity, did the 6X4 have inline extras. Like turkey feet?

Seems like we always see a few of the big regressed 3's every year like you mentioned. That tells me that they are very good at hiding out.