21" Muzzy Whitetail

[jjhunter]

Two nice bucks in two weeks.....things are looking up this season.  

Well, I finally caught up to one of our big 4-point whitetails.  Here's the story:

I was unable to hunt on opening day since I had a wedding to attend in Spokane.   I was not happy about wasting a good day, let alone OPENING day, but it turned out to be the right choice!   Sunday Morning I left at 5:25 and headed about a 1/2 hour away to my Uncle's farm.   I hadn't seen any good mule deer and decided to try some more tradional whitetail country.  I saw a couple 140" class 5-points at first light, but nothing that got me excited.  Hmmmm, I thought - I made a quick decision and hauled a** back to the river.  I came down the road and stared hard into the draws where I had seen my whitey buck back on 14 August....nothing.  I continued around the bend and way on top of the ridge saw a whitetail head over the ridge, I hit the accelerator and flew up the opposite ridge on an old dirt road.  At the top is my favorite lookout.   I put up the spotter and watched two decent 4-point whitetails work up the ridge....where is the big boy?   I pan up the ridge 200 or so yards and see antler tips moving up the bottom of the draw, when he turns his head and looks my direction, I smile.  This is a 21-22" whitetail and he is headed right behind the house!   He runs over the ridge and I know he will bed close as the sun is coming up fast.   I run down to the house and grab my dad.  "I found one of the good ones and I need a ride to back end of the place."   He takes me about 3/4 of the way and I decide to walk the last mile.  Not taking any chances!  As I work up the fence row, I start getting a little discouraged.  It is HOT and I got to bed LATE (1:30 a.m.); not to mention the fact that there are endless places for a big whitey to hide.   I know the area he is in and start to think that maybe I should come back just before dark?  I decide to check a couple draws, if he is not there, I will come back later....no sense in pushing deer around for no reason.   I continue up the ridge and check the first draw - there are a bunch of deer, but no whitey.   I check the second draw.....big mule deer buck bedded alone!   Could be the big 4-point I saw earlier?  I sneak around on him in the noisiest CRP I have ever walked in.   Slow going...after 45 minutes I have closed the distance to 100 yards.  I glass down the draw and catch movement - a small whitetail buck!  I sat and watched for about 5 minutes and finally see what I have been looking for.  The big whitey is bedded in a thick patch of green russian thistle.   The hunt is on!   I circle around the ridge on come down a small depression.   1.5 hours later, I am 75 yards and can't get any closer.   I have the nice mule deer at 45 yards, two smaller whitetail bucks at 50 yards, and an inconsistent, but light wind.   I sit and wait....and sit and wait.....and sit and wait.  Two hours go by and mule deer bucks gets my wind......he takes off up the hill.  I look hard at the big whitey and he is calm as can be.   Another 20 minutes goes by....I am dead tired, hungry and thirsty.  The sun is beating down on me.   All of sudden they are up.  Must have winded me.  The big buck is covered up by another buck and they are about to bolt.  He looks away and takes two steps.  BOOM!  A cloud of smoke and he is running at full tilt.  He is just about to go over the ridge, I throw up the swaro's and see that he is breathing out of three holes!  He isn't going far!   I run up and over the ridge and he is nowhere to be seen.   The smaller bucks run up the other side of the canyon and looks back - a good sign.   I head down to the bottom and up the other side.  I look back against the opposite hillside and see my buck piled up in a patch of skeleton weed.   He is mine.

[lazydrifter]

Nice story and a very nice buck.

[coop2424]

Nice buck.  Not to far of a drag I take it?

[jjhunter]

I had to drag him about 800 yards by myself up out of a steep draw, but the tractor packed it about a mile

[257 Wby Mag]

Nice work jj!! You have a smoking Idaho tag too don't cha? Later

[huntnphool]

Nice buck

[M_ray]

Very Nice! 

[Bullsnot]

Awesome buck JJ.  Love the tractor shot.  

[Gringo31]

Is it me or does it look like the tractor operator is naked???

[Ridgerunner]

Dang nice whitetail for sure. 

[bowhunterforever]

Nice whitey! Congrats, Are you gonna put that one on the wall?

[runningboard]

congrats! good story and nice buck.

[andrew_12gauge]

way to go jj and you still have your best deer tag of all left

[BLKBEARKLR]

nice whitetail, congrats to you.

[boneaddict]

Nice JJ