Entiat tag filled

[buglin4bulls]

Well it all started when i got a phone call while at work from my dad,(aka Luv2hunt) I answered the phone "Whats up Bro" Dad answers" Tags are out, i got drawn for ENTIAT!"  I don't remember what i said after that, but it was along the lines of "Are you $$$$ing me!" We were jacked up! The count down began till the season open, and the evenings were full of scouting the forum, google earth, other maps,  to learn the area better. Opening morning finally came for us on Saturday the 7th. We got to our first area and was surprised to see a very respectable 3x4 trying to rut some does. We glassed him and decided it was just to early to take this deer. With the rut just starting, we decided on the last day if he had not shot one yet we would come find him. The rest of the day Saturday and Sunday was filled full of small basket 3x3 and 4x4 bucks but nothing that jumped out at us. We headed home and back to work. After talking things over, we both decided to take some time off work and head back over to hunt Friday-Tuesday. Our goal was to kill one by Tuesday, due to us both having to be back at work.

 We hit the hills early Friday morning hoping to see snow high in the hills and the thought of big deer moving down but the snow was nowhere in sight. It was beautiful out, sunny and 50 degrees. Not what we were hoping for this time of year. We saw a few new small bucks again but nothing worth shooting yet, as we still had 4 days left. The day was coming to a end and we started heading down out of the hills. As we approached the pavement we spot some does off the road only 50 yards, and behind them was a buck pushing them around. We couldnt but make out a heavy 3x3, so we decided to leave him and check him out the next day.
  Saturday morning came, we were greeted with clouds and rain. Instead of hiking around and getting soaked first thing in the morning we decided to stay in the truck and do some glassing from there. We turned up some small bucks but again, no migrators. Just before noon we were heading up a road and a saw some legs sticking up out of the back of a truck, so we swung into the guys camp to check it out. We jumped out of the truck and introduced ourselves to the guy and his wife, and turns out to be Peter, (aka GASMAN) and his wife had shot a nice 4 point. After hearing her story and bs'ing for a little bit, he shared some info on where they had missed a nice 4 point and also some of his spots to check out. It was great getting to meet another forum member and was happy for her success. We left his camp and went to check out where they missed the 4 point. The rain was still falling but decided to beat feet in the canyons to go look for him. We didnt find him, only small bucks and does filled the draws with the exception of a tall 3x3. With light fading fast we decided to hunt our way out, and we were almost out to the pavement again when we spot some deer up off of the road. We pull off  the gravel road and start glassing.It turned out to be the same 3x3 the day before but this time he was 400 yards off the road and we had time to see what he was. We pulled out the Vortex Razor HD and saw he was a main frame heavy 3x3 with eye guards and had a 5-6 inch kicker coming off his left side near his eyeguard shooting out over his eye. He was a very unique buck. After not seeing many migrators and with the weather supposed to turn even more crappy and the roads getting even more slimy and worse, this buck made us think. We decided to pass on him tonight and maybe get a closer look tomorrow.
  Sunday morning came and again we were greeted with rain and fog and ripping winds.  Overnight it did snow up high, which we were excited to see. We decided to headed up the Entiat unit and check it out, but the clouds and fog were socked in so we turned around and headed to where we saw the 3x3 the evening before. We hiked down the ridge where we had seen him, and he was right where we thought he would be and was rutting some does. After glassing him again we decided it was still to early and we could find him on the last day if need be. Our plan was to go check out a new area we had not hiked into yet on the other side of the unit toward Chelan. We contemplated taking the highway because it was faster or driving through the unit. We decided to drive through the unit because you never know what you might see, and thought maybe the snow moved some deer down. As we were driving to the spot we wanted to hike into, we spot some does in a draw about 1/4 mile off the road so we pull over and pull up the binos. Instantly we both see a buck chasing them around so we shut the truck off and grab the spotting scope. We find him in the scope and realize he is the biggest buck yet and we need to go after him. He was pushing the does up the drawn and away from us so we lock the truck up and head up wind from them. After hustling our butts off climbing the hill up wind of the deer we get to the top and find them still in the draw below us. They have no idea we are here. I pull up the range finder and he is at 184 yards.  We belly crawl to an old cattle fence on the edge of the hill so dad can get a rest on a post. The buck finally take a brake from pushing the doe he was on and turns broadside. BOOM!!!!!! He jumps strait up and runs down hill 10 yards before he flipped upside down in the bottom of the draw. The next couple minute were full of hugs and high 5's and thanking the Lord for this opportunity.  We hike our way down to him, snapped a couple pics and the work began.  We decided to gut him and drag him out whole even though we probably should have quartered him up on our pack frame.  We drug him for what seemed like hours. The first half down hill, the second half up. We would pick out a landmark and try and drag till we reached it before we would take a break. Sometimes we would make it, sometimes we would only make it half way lol. We knew we would get it there, just didnt know how long it would take. But we did not care. We finally got it to the truck and boy were we spent! Our legs and arms felt like they were gonna fall off! But that is what hunting is all about.
I was so happy to be able to spend this time with my dad and watch him finally fill the tag he had put in for all the years. The hiking and hard work was worth it when i got to see him smile and notch his tag for this buck. I would do it all over again because that is what you do for your best friend.
Love you dad and congrats on a awesome deer.


Also thank you to everyone who shared info with us. It was very helpful and we will return the favor to the next guys who draw the tag looking for pointers.

[blackveltbowhunter]

Awesome Buck! Congratz

[HUNTaHOLIC5]

Outstanding buck! 

[3ShotMcgraw]

Heck yes! Congrats on a real nice buck!

[Rainier10]

Great story and great buck.  Is he broke off on the right side?  Love to see a side view of him.

Congrats on a great deer.

[scoyoc5]

Wow great deer...congrats to you guys

[BullPacs]

Nice job!

[Skyvalhunter]

Congrats on a fine animals

[buglin4bulls]

Here is a side view of his right side, he is broken off. One of his ear also has a huge slit in it from fighting.

[Rainier10]

Here is a side view of his right side, he is broken off. One of his ear also has a huge slit in it from fighting.

Thanks for the photo, looks great from that angle also.  Way to go.

[niceshot]

VERY NICE!  Glad you got to make a memory that will last a lifetime. 

[gasman]

Awesome buck 


And good meeting you guys 

Just got back from dropping off the wife's buck at Charlies

[rittem1]

fantastic buck! Congrats and thanks for the story!

[Boss .300 winmag]

Nice buck. 

Don't forget to post him in the 5 point thread.

[Mark251]

Great story...great buck