WA bucks over 180”?

[TimberMuleys]

Just curious how many bucks people know of that have been shot in WA over the last 5 or so years that go 180”+. This seems to be the line for me where bucks if this caliber are much harder to find than your typical 160-170 bucks. I only know of 6 of this caliber killed this year. 3 of those being @karlblanchard, @badnewskruse and I. I also saw a girl with okanogan valley guide service shot one with her bow that was a touch over 200”. And I know Austin Simmons shot a buck right at 184”. I also know of another guy who doesn’t post that shot one that measured out to 186”. Does anyone know of many more? I can think of a handful over the past few years, but I’m curious if there are many more than what I hear, or if most years less than 10 bucks killed in WA go over 180”?


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[hunter399]

I'm sure there's a few more.
The smart ones don't post,or social media there hunts.

[Karl Blanchard]

I'm sure there's a few more.
The smart ones don't post,or social media there hunts.

So I'm dumb 

[Buckhunter24]

Everyone here appreciated the stories from the op and you

[hunter399]

I'm sure there's a few more.
The smart ones don't post,or social media there hunts.

So I'm dumb 

What I meant is that anybody that wants to keep there honey hole a secret,are not gonna post.
It wasn't a personal attack against you or the OP.
I enjoy all harvest pics,try to congrats as many as I can.
Sorry ,I should of said that different.

[TimberMuleys]

I'm sure there's a few more.
The smart ones don't post,or social media there hunts.

So I'm dumb 

It’s okay Karl. I’m dumb too. 5/6 big buck killers I know of this year are also dumb. Maybe we can start a club.


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[TimberMuleys]

I'm sure there's a few more.
The smart ones don't post,or social media there hunts.

So I'm dumb 

What I meant is that anybody that wants to keep there honey hole a secret,are not gonna post.
It wasn't a personal attack against you or the OP.
I enjoy all harvest pics,try to congrats as many as I can.
Sorry ,I should of said that different.

Haha you’re good. I figured that’s what you meant. You have a point to a certain extent. Posting only brings more attention and the wrong people will just try to poach spots. But I want others to post harvest pics because I thoroughly enjoy them, so I post too.


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[Feathernfurr]

I’ve been absent from the forum for a while, honestly just because during hunting season I’m hunting haha. I understand what hunter399 is saying. I’ll be the first person to bust out my phone and show photos and share stories, but I don’t share photos or stories online anymore. I quit social media years ago, and came to HW just recently in hopes of forming some friendships in a new hunting community. I won’t post things here for various reasons, and admit I miss when forums like this had social events and meet ups. I’d love to meet some fellow members, share drinks and stories. Lord knows i have a mountain of sheds I’d love to show people so I can justify keeping them to my wife haha.

 In Karl’s case I can understand posting because it’s a draw unit, and the difficulty he displayed in his story will keep away the lazy people.

But at the end of the day it’s too easy for information to be distributed to the masses online. It’s shocking what you can find out just from a couple of key details and photos online, and I’ve lost too many honey holes to be careless anymore.

[Karl Blanchard]

I have no social media outside of huntwa. The only reason I share things here is because I've always felt a deep obligation to give back to this community in appreciation for the incredible outpouring of support that was given to my family in the wake of my brother being killed.  I've always wanted huntwa to succeed and I've tried hard to champion for her.  SOOOOO many of her Rockstars have moved on from this place over the years and the garbage in-fighting over the last few days are a prime example of why.we are so quick to 💩 on our own.

In the last 24hrs I've been referred to as an elitist hunter who buys my success which is comical because I make like 65k a year at the company I've been with for now 20 years which gives me 4 weeks of vacation in which I burned 3 on killing this year's buck. I paid for zero access to the land he was on. All it cost me was the time and effort to go nock on some doors. Same is it would cost any other tag holder.  Now I'm an idiot for posting about that hard work so others can maybe glean some info or motivation from it.  Takes me many hours to write, edit, and post all the pics. I don't do it because I like it, I do it because I feel it's important to keep this forum alive and thriving (which it isn't). If we all stop sharing and posting this place will continue to die a slow cringy death. It's stuff like this that makes me question why I even try

It's very simple to share without giving away where you are.  In the case of my desert hunt, I didn't feel it was an issue posting the unit because 1) I wanted Intel about the unit from folks who know it and the only way you get that is to divulge the unit itself.
2) it's the most put in for unit in the state. It's no big secret it can and will produce big deer.
3) It's an absolute grinder of a tag. So many people think all it takes to kill a big buck is merely getting the tag.  I really wanted to drive home that it couldn't be further from a slam dunk. 44 days in that unit and the only fun I had was driving home for good the day after I killed

As for otc hunts, just don't post any pictures that give away locations.  And if for some reason someone was able to figure out where I was hunting in say Idaho, And they want to try and go kill a big buck there I say have at it because if they have the grit to go grind that out then they earned it.


To the OP's question, I catch wind of maybe 5 or 6 a season, mostly from permit hunts. There was one other from the Desert this year. 

[Karl Blanchard]

I'm sure there's a few more.
The smart ones don't post,or social media there hunts.

So I'm dumb 

What I meant is that anybody that wants to keep there honey hole a secret,are not gonna post.
It wasn't a personal attack against you or the OP.
I enjoy all harvest pics,try to congrats as many as I can.
Sorry ,I should of said that different.

All good.  I mean, you're not wrong. I'm a mule deer hunter in the year 2024, can't be very bright if that's my passion

[Dan-o]

Karl, many of us realllllly appreciate your posts , your friendship and your sharing.

The infighting is unfortunate to say the least, but we are way better off with you here.

You elitist, you.   

[ASHQUACK]

I'll echo Dan's sentiments. I love reading the success stories. Especially on the larger bucks. Karl, your successful hunt this year is one of the few reasons I continue to apply for that unit.I want my first Washington mule deer to be a good one.  When and if I ever draw it I will do my best to take a buck worthy of coming on here and telling the story.

[fishngamereaper]

I'm sure there's a few more.
The smart ones don't post,or social media there hunts.

So I'm dumb 

What I meant is that anybody that wants to keep there honey hole a secret,are not gonna post.
It wasn't a personal attack against you or the OP.
I enjoy all harvest pics,try to congrats as many as I can.
Sorry ,I should of said that different.

All good.  I mean, you're not wrong. I'm a mule deer hunter in the year 2024, can't be very bright if that's my passion

First step in the recovery process... admitting you have a problem..

 

For the OP
Plenty of deer that caliber hit the ground every year.
Most don't make it to social media...or even see a tape measure for that matter.
Heck i know of a couple that didn't even see the taxidermist...cut at the skull plate hanging in a shop.

[frazierw]

I love this site for the stories, all of them.  I try to read all of the success stories posted, so many are well written and provide a fun read.  I try to post as many success stories as I can (I need to have more success lol) because I am grateful to those that post theirs as well. This isn't really related to the OP's first post, but I wanted to express my gratitude to those that share their success stories.

[2MANY]

Karl really hurt my feelings.
I just don't understand why he needs to be so mean.