I finally topped The Hide and Seek Buck

[boneaddict]

Instead of milking you guys along, I'll post the meat and potatoes and then if you'd like I'll take you down the journey of this years hunt.   Some of you might remember The Hide and Seek buck.   It hangs on my wall and I have been trying to top it for the last 20plus years.   I think I finally did it.    Here is my 2014 Longbow kill.  At least my multiseason tag lasted more than an hour this year.

[johnnyaustin44]

Wow that's awesome. Always look forward to seeing your hunt every year. Never fails to impress. Congratulations.

[MLBowhunting]

Awesome.   

[Dhoey07]

Absolute dandy! 

[Buckmark]

Love it.... 
Classic Mule deer, wide, thick 4x4 with eye guards....text book

[boneaddict]

Typical of my falls here lately I had to juggle my vacation/myseason/ along with the girls soccer.  School starts and so does varsity soccer along with club ball for my youngest.   Though they don't mind me missing a game or two, I find it hard to.  They are only young for so long.  That being said, I am only going to be able to do this kind of hunting for so long as well.   
Being out of shape more than ever with working doubleshifts and all of the bench sitting, I was going to break my assault into two section this year instead of making it in one day.   Of course that got pushed and I was rushed to do it in one.  I made it.   I am not going to talk distance as most probably don't believe me anyway.   Its a tough haul and much of it isn't on a trail. 

Here is my camp.   Idabooner designed this out of a parachute for essentially elk hunting down in the blues.   Its the lightest material around and is about 30 years old.   I really put it to the test this season.

[coachcw]

I just am glad you took that dink out of the gene pool ! congrats on another great hunt.

[Holg3107]

Love it! tagging along.

Oh yea, great buck Bone!

[bankwalker]

Bone you never cease to amaze me. I look forward to your hunts every year and you never fail to impress me. Awesome buck!

[boneaddict]

THe first days hunt went well.  I was slow at getting out of the sack, but I did, and I started up the mountain.  Its a good hard hour push to get where I start hunting.   I don't like to camp up there as I don't want to "tell" the deer I am there.  That's my excuse anyways, mostly I camp where I do, because that's as close as I can get before "dieing".

The first morning went well.   I immediately got onto two bucks.  A small two and a nice buck with him.  I closed to within 30 and stood and watched for a long time as they fed.   I didn't want to spook them so I backed out and then took a pic with my daughters little PS camera.   Sorry for the crap pics.  I am here to hunt, not photograph, though for most of this trip I wish I had my camera.

This was the first buck I let walk.

[boneaddict]

He was a good three, and by all means a buck I often notch on and then am done and feel I could do better.  Not this year.  What you cant see in the pics is the weather wasn't cooperating very well.   The wind was gusting and being very unpredicatable.  By all means, a bowhunter probably should have stayed in bed.   This will haunt me later.   I made it up to the top of the ridge I like to hunt in the rocks.   It was really blowing on top.   It was near lunch time so I sat and munched on some jerky and a snickers bar and some trail mix.   NOT what this boy is used to let me tell you.  At this point I am noticing a complete lack of usual deer activity.   If you had been watching the news you can recall all the floods in the Methow.  Well that storm hit the high country as well, and really washed the mountain.   I suspected that the animals may have pulled out for the time being and they hadn't returned as the weather had been cooler.      I made my normal hunt through the rocks and found zilch.    I spotted a buck down in a meadow below me.   Well lookie here, its the guy I passed on.

Nice camo don't you think?

[jstone]

Beutiful Buck and Country. How far of a shot?

[boneaddict]

I thought it was interesting that he bedded down and looked up.  Where most in that region seem to bed high and watch down, which is how I usually am able to get in on them.   

I'll get to that jstone.

[coop2424]

Awesome buck and congrats..  I Woukd say this is my favorite hunt I look forward to reading about every year!

[pd]

Along for the whole ride.  Keep at it, wordsmith!