High hunt 2020

[kbrowne14]

Last year I attempted the high hunt and failed miserably in the preparedness category.  I took in on almost haphazardly. 

This year, I put a lot more time and effort into it.  Time is somewhat of a commodity for me right now.  So I spent a lot of time e scouting, Researching, and even though I couldn’t get up there, my hunting partner did, we figured the water situation, and found a camp spot. 

We got up there, it was about 9 miles in, not too much elevation gain until the end.  Then it climbed a thousand feet in a mile.  Set up camp, went to bed, and woke up opening morning.  Right out of the gate we spotted 4 bucks in a field 1200 yards away, I packed in a nightforce spotting scope, which weighs like 47 lbs, but with all the smoke, I just couldn’t put a 3rd antler in any of them.  They were young bucks, because they were running around playing, chasing each other, and fighting deadfall trees.  So we didn’t go immediately on the chase.  They bed down in some trees but we could see exactly where.  We moved across the valley and set up for evening where we thought they would come out.  We waited there all day, then we got antsy, and decided to walk a trail first to see if anything was bedded down on the tops of the ridge, then we would slowly make our way back to the 4 bucks. 

Well, as we were walking I saw a deer standing up from below a cliff face, right at the top of a ridge.  I glasses it, it was 100 meters away.  But the way it was looking at me I couldn’t tell how big of a buck he was.  All his antlers blended.  But then he turned and I saw he was legal and decent size.  The hill he was on was steep, but I aimed and shot and hit.  He tumbled 80 yards down the hill towards us and stopped when he hit a log.  I ran up and put him down.  I got little excited when I shot and hit higher than I should have, which was right where I was aiming because I didn’t take into account the up angle and where the bullet would exit.  So I clipped his spine, which caused the tumble.  I still hit lung, but my shot could have been better.

We packed him him 2.5 miles to back to camp went to bed, woke up with the game bags covered in bees.  Apparently bees eat meat?  Deboned the meat, fought off the bees, loaded up camp and headed down.  Our packs weighed 90 and 93 lbs.  it was the longest 9 miles I can imagine.  I don’t know how some of you guys do it every year, multiple times a year.  This morning I feel like I was hit by a car.  Probably one of the hardest things I’ve physically had to do.  Props to those who do it multiple times a year, year after year.  I have much more respect for the backcountry hunters.  This was definitely one those, it’s only fun once you are done types of
Hunts.  Good luck to anyone still going out.


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[Stein]

Great buck, great scenery!

[Fatherof5]

Congratulations! I enjoyed reading your write up. Well done.

[Jason]

Congrats on a successful hunt and buck!

[Karl Blanchard]

Great buck man congratulations!

[Sutherland]

That's a sweet buck, thanks for sharing with us all!

[Ridgerunner]

Great buck, they are for sure earned up there.  Sounds like you earned this one. 

[KP-Skagit]

Sweet eyeguards!

[Watimberghost]

Good buck! That sounds like a tough pack out. Those are the ones that create the best memories. Nicely done!

[jstone]

Awesome
How was the smoke

[archerykraze]

Congrats on the success, well earned. 

[ganghis]

Awesome, congrats!

[Magnum_Willys]

Awesome
How was the smoke

Congrats !  Nice buck.   Buddy and I got to the trailhead Monday, dozen rigs already there,  but at 64 & 69 we had scratchy throats from the smoke and decided to chicken out and cancelled for now.   

[full choke]

Congratulations!
Pretty buck. Great job!

[GASoline71]

What a great buck!  Great end to a great hunt!  Congrats!

Gary