Buck Fever

[Mtnwalker]

He’s quite the internet celeb this year. They don’t get much better looking!

[fishnfur]

   Very cool pic!   

[Mallardmasher]

Are the Bucks you photograph, huntable. Or are they bucks that no one can hunt, so they grow old and massive. Your pics are Awsome, showing bigger bucks they I thought the state contained.

[methowman]

Awesome Buck ...Thanks for the inspiration !!

[boneaddict]

Are the Bucks you photograph, huntable. Or are they bucks that no one can hunt, so they grow old and massive. Your pics are Awsome, showing bigger bucks they I thought the state contained.

Up until the last two years 99.9% of my bucks were from Washington.  Now , besides realizing how much the WDFW has tanked the deer, I have been venturing all over.  My hunting has evolved much into photography. I’ll concentrate on areas that I’d love to hunt but can never draw a tag.    That applies Even here in Washington.  I’ve been bouncing ideas off going to the Henry’s this fallfor example.  I’d love to hunt there but will never get to.  I still have to approach it like a hunt.  I still have to commit the same resources, learn the country, find the deer.   For instance.  My cover buck last year.  I had seen photos of him consistently from a guy who lives in Bend Oregon.  I drove down there to look for him or any other deer.  We didn’t see a thing.  My wife and I decided to check out some other country on our way home.  I spotted a giant buck in a wooded area by a field.  It was private so couldn’t get closer.  I took documentation pics.  When I got home I realized it was the buck I was after.  We drove back the next morning and I got lucky.  I had the greatest photo shoot ever with him.  He had crossed out of private.   Later in the day, There was an outfitter guy camped on him as well. I thought he was a hunter, but turned out to be a scout.  This buck turned out to be almost a pet to some people.   He wasn’t to me at the time.  He was harvested this fall by a “lucky hunter”. 
I have sensed a negativity when sharing photos since I’ve gone to places like Utah.  I have seen plenty of giant deer in this state, and hope to still film them.  I just share what I take.  I find it a lot harder to take a good image of something than it is to kill it, even with my longbow.  There are plenty of places I’d still like to go.  I’m a family man with a modest income that works a full time plus job.  I do what I can.  I have today off. I was headed to Republic.  I decided I didn’t want to drive 5 hours, hunt all day, then drive back, because my kid has a soccer game.  I’m going to stay home and do fall stuff.  I might pay my photobucket account so I can still share pics here, since it came due this weekend lol.

[fisheral87]

How National Geographic hasn’t picked you up full time escapes me.

Al

[Kazekurt]

That's a beautiful buck!  I dream about the Henrys too as the Genetics in that area are off the charts, but going there could skew ones reality of what a nice buck is.  In my entire life, I've been blessed to see maybe 2 or 3 bucks walking around with 200+ antlers,  but I've seen Utube videos of guys passing up low 200 bucks in the Henrys.  It does show you though what the right combination of genetics, management, and habitat can create.  Bone, have you ever been blessed to actually harvest one of your calendar bucks?

[boneaddict]

🤔.  I’ve harvested bucks I have photographed.  Not sure if any have been in my Calendar.  I’ve found sheds.....had multiple of them killed just after the photo was taken,  by members even.

[boneaddict]

How National Geographic hasn’t picked you up full time escapes me.

Al

Thank you.  I’m humbled by the works of many of the folks I’ve run into that I now call friends.   

The guys that make a living at this have more pressures than I do. 

[nitroelk]

that is an awesome buck. and thanks for sharing. You do a dang good job with the camera for sure.  I'm jealous of the time you obviously get to spend out there getting it done. That's half the battle.

[bowhunterforever]