Swakane, no buck, no problem

[Guy]

That's about the only way I can explain it. I have had a dozen bucks, two of them pretty good, in my range in the past two few weeks. I had a GREAT hunt. I have not felt the urge to pull the trigger once. Not at all. This morning I finally shrugged and told myself that I am apparently NOT going to pull the trigger on a Washington mulie this year. Pretty funny. Guess the pronghorn and the mulie in the freezer from my Wyoming trip are enough to satisfy me.

At any rate, it has been a good couple of weeks of hiking, Jeeping, watching, waiting, and generally enjoying my time in the Cascades. I've seen wonderful things, spent good time afield, and could have filled my tag several times. No, I have no bullet performance report, just some photos to share. My tag is good until tomorrow night, but I'm not hunting anymore. I just don't want to kill another deer this year. So I won't.

Sorry if the photos are generally lower quality, I didn't tote a real camera along with me most of the trip, just my cell phone:

Young buck, just above town, maybe 10 yards:


My only "selfie" this hunt. With the .30-30 Glenfield:


Most of the time I carried the deer-zapping .25-06 Remington, with the 6x Leupold & 115 gr Nosler Ballistic Tip handloads:


The Jeep, with the new Toyo mud tires, did superbly. It went places I'd have been very uncomfortable taking my old pickup, and did so easily. Snow, mud, steep inclines and deep ruts were not problems:


Saw some bighorn sheep:


Some nice sunrises:


Some steep country, that's about 2,000 - 3,000' from the floor to the crest of the ridge:




A little snow:


And plenty of mule deer:




It was a great hunt, and I thoroughly enjoyed! Despite not tagging a buck.

Regards, Guy

[elkoholic1]

 

[HUNTINCOUPLE]

 

[coachcw]

that's what it's about really . I'm glad to see your perspective .

[Curly]

Nice pics and story!

[boneaddict]

A hunt is a lot more than pulling a trigger, sounds like you have figured it out.

[MLBowhunting]

Some of my best hunts are when I come home with my tag still in my pocket.  It is called hunting not killing.   Great pics sir.   

[Guy]

Thanks guys. Took me a while to figure out what was going on in my head, keeping me from pressing the trigger. After all I burned nine points to get this tag. Swakane, 2nd choice. May never draw quality deer again... If I do, it's likely to be quite a few years.

At first I wasn't shooting because I was seeing only little bucks. Then the rut kicked in, the weather got cooler, and I started seeing bigger bucks. Not droves of them, but bigger, and nice. A couple of 4x4's come to mind. Still, I wasn't shooting...

Finally figured out that I had taken two animals in Wyoming; a pronghorn and a good mulie. The freezer was full. There is no room in the house for more antlers on the wall... And I'd killed enough deer this year.

Coyotes after the season? That's another story... Chukar with the dog? You bet! Steelheading with the fly rod? Oh yeah! But no, I guess I just didn't want to kill another deer. Sure did enjoy being up in the Swakane, and hunting in November. It's a good tag.

Regards, Guy

[C-Money]

Looks like a good time.

[DOUBLELUNG]

Kudos to you sir!

[Chad E.]

I have a ton of respect for someone who thinks hunting is not measured in pulling the trigger.

[Birdguy]

Great post  . I know how you feel. I filled my second deer tag in September, kinda cool as my hunitng partner had to use archery gear so he shot first and then I got to go. I got to watch his entire hunt from the rocks less than 100 yds. away. Looking back I should have filmed it for him  , maybe next year. We took my kids during the modern season and while I carried a gun and had another tag there was no way I was going to shoot and I knew it (unless there was a coyote way out there). I was out to see my kids hopefully get their first deer. I took pictures we had a great time and in the end my daughter her first buck  . Hunting for me is about getting out, if all things line up I have no problem pulling the trigger but I am just fine coming home with a tag too. Watching the kids will likely be my goal in hunitng for the next few years. If I draw a late tag I will be in for the hunt as I have never taken a deer I thought about putting on the wall but doing it once would be cool.

Sounds like you had a great hunt, and I thank you for sharing it with us.

[jrebel]

Guy
It was nice seeing and talking to you yesterday.  I was out today and saw 100 deer give or take a few.  Biggest buck was a small 4x4....not worthy of bothering you over.  Glad you had a good hunt .   

Johnny

[zwickeyman]

My son shot his first buck in Swakane on this hunt and I've bowhunted it for years. Mostly unsuccessful but always memorable. Glad you had a good hunt.

[Guy]

Guy
It was nice seeing and talking to you yesterday.  I was out today and saw 100 deer give or take a few.  Biggest buck was a small 4x4....not worthy of bothering you over.  Glad you had a good hunt .   

Johnny

Thanks! After I saw you, I ran into quite a few mulies. Thought about shooting one buck, and just couldn't do it. Guess I was done hunting. Got up this morning. Headed out and just wasn't interested in killing anything.

Yeah, I know this seems weird to all you guys who want a "quality buck" tag so bad you can't see straight. Ah well...

Regards, Guy

[Muleyslyr]

Yeah, I know this seems weird to all you guys who want a "quality buck" tag so bad you can't see straight. Ah well...

Regards, Guy

Not really Guy..I think you'd be surprised how many might feel the same way after an experience like you had. So much more to having a late tag then just killing a buck. In my opinion you did your tag justice, and if you can sleep at night when you get home, then that's enough. Sounds like a good hunt!

[MtnMuley]

Nice to see people like you draw these late tags. The trip and being able to have the chance to harvest is 99% of the fun anyhow, and it sounds like you got that.

[huntnnw]

Good for you Guy! good write up and what its all about enjoying yourself out there and having a tag that put u in some great country and a chance to see something special.

I dont get these people who get so caught up in that they didnt kill anything and it was a terrible trip because of it even if they have a freezer full at home. These people dont deserve draw tags and really should just quit hunting if its all about pumching tags.

[HardCorpsHuntr]

I've always thought of you as top drawer Guy, what a lesson of humility most all of us could use.   The joe is always on....

[Rainier10]

Awesome post, awesome attitude, way to go and really glad you enjoyed yourself. Sounds like you got everything you could hope for out of this hunt without having to pack one out.

For me the anticipation of the hunt and the hunt itself are what it is really about, filling a tag is a distant second to the experience.

Good on you for enjoying the hunt the way you wanted and posting how it went.

[BULLBLASTER]

  glad you had a good hunt guy!
I grew up in with a group of hunters that basically measured success or failure on tags punched. The more i hunt on my own or with huntnnw and my other buddies i am finding and have found that it is sooo much more! You still have plenty of great memories of a great swakane quality hunt!