Gov. Tag

[huntnphool]

Does anyone have any info on the gov. tag holder this year? Who he is, where hes hunting, what hes seen etc.

[wastickslinger]

Okanogan Valley Guide Service is assisting him. He is on call most of the time and then he will be coming over to look around the Wenatchee area and Desert unit for the next few weeks. He is looking for a 200" gross. I have not met him yet but hope to real soon.

[GoldTip]

He's gonna have to hurry unless he wants the horns to come off in his hands when posing for trophy pics!

[jackelope]

is it jim cook again??

[wastickslinger]

Not Jim Cook this year.

[boneaddict]

Got to give it to Jim for eating his tag last year.  That takes nerve as far as I am concerned.  He had to see some nice ones.

[wastickslinger]

Gold Tip- are you seriously seeing horns falling off already? Every year at this time I see a rare dop. I have been watching a lot of bucks and I have not seen a shedder yet.

[boneaddict]

The desert boys hold onto theirs alot longer than the northern boys.  They are just starting to drop, and as you know the bigger ones usually do first.  Long ways to go though before the bell curve hits. 

[wastickslinger]

Makes sense. I generally only get to watch the desert bucks. Man some of them suckers pack until the end of march. It kills me. That 200"+ buck we watched last year still had not dropped by March and I lost him for a few weeks. Showed back up and what do you know, no horns. No friggin clue where he lost em. I think he has a spot where he goes every year and knocks them into his pile.  I am starting to wonder if he is alive still. He should have shown up by now.

[boneaddict]

I can't tell you how many miles I have logged out there, and how few of bones I have found.  I know they aren't all picked up as 300 just found a nice one I guess.  Its just a spot in between where I normally go, and if there is late snows or something, I'll go out there, as you know it rains there more than snow up north.  Then I find all the bucks packing still well nto March.  I usually give up on them and go elk shedding then.  I hear ya.

[WAmuleyHunter]

good luck to the guy.  Cant wait to see or hear how he does.  I know last year at this time we started to see bucks dropping, young ones and older ones.  Watched a nice 170 class 4x4 for about a week, one day he only had one antler and about two days after that none.  Was not a good feeling at all.  But then again i watched a group of nice bucks hold on to their horns until march last year too.

[GoldTip]

wastickslinger, at least back home in Montana we will go shed hunting the morning Christmas eve and we have had anything from finding 3-4 drops between several us to finding 20+ drops in a morning, and thats mulies.  I know my Dad has already noticed several deer back home that are no longer packing the bone.  That certainly doesn't mean they all do, but it would sure suck to grab a horn and have it come off in your hand, or worse yet he has two when you hit him and when you get to him he only has one after he's ran through the brush.

[boneaddict]

That happened on one of Zumbos shows.  I believe he shot one and when he went to get it, one of the antelrs had shed.  I know a guiy did it on a december hunt down in unit 45 as well in Idaho.  He shot his deer then both sheds came off in his hand when he went to grab them for pictures.  That would just bite.

[wastickslinger]

If it popped of in your hand is it still scorable. I would say not but just curious. That would suck. At least you would still have it to have mounted.

[boneaddict]

Not scoreable.  Could make for a very cool mount though.  I've thought about doing it using natural sheds.