Ahtanum Thanksgiving Youth Buck Hunt Success - Pics

[Magnum_Willys]

My 15 yr old son was double lucky this year drawing both a youth cow moose tag which he filled in October and also a Ahtanum private-access youth buck tag – one of two tags for that area.   With basketball getting in the way he only had Thanksgiving Day and the day after to hunt so we planned on going from dawn to dusk to make the most of it.

Thanksgiving morning, an hour drive from Yakima we met up with another hunter – a heckuva nice guy named Tim-  at the access gate and he was kind enough to show us the access roads and viewpoints.   With 6-12 inches of powder we didn’t need to chain up the suburban but almost – temperature was in the teens.  From one viewpoint knob we could glass a couple square miles and we immediately spotted a half-dozen small bucks and one shooter about a mile out.   We decided to hike across the sage flats and work our way over to the buck hunting our way over.  Going up and down the heavy sage gullies with the foot of powder was a slippery process and we jumped a nice wide but low 4x4 on the way over but my son said he was holding out for that big one – at least on the first day.  We jumped a couple elk and watched another herd of a dozen cross the sage flats.  After 3 hours we took a lunch break and just as we headed out we spotted the big boy across a canyon going over the ridge – we’d have to go after him the next day.

By the time we got back to the rig we had walked for about 6 hours and we were both ready for a breather so we road hunted the last two hours and had a shot at a huge 2x2 but my son said he was holding out for a 4x4 on the first day.

The second day we chained up and got up to the top at daybreak to hunt for the big buck again only to find the mountain fogged in so we dropped down and hunted through some scrub oak and pine and saw only a couple does and one buck we couldn’t get a good look at.  The legs were a little stiff from the day before.  We did see a nice 5 or 6 pt bull elk.  After the fog lifted we drove back up to the view knob and glassed for two hours spotting some smaller bucks but no shooters. 

 We were now down to the last afternoon so we decided to drive down the hill and make a last chance hunt side-hilling around the mountain where it didn’t look like there had been any hunting pressure – hiking through the sage hoping to get a shot across one of the deep ravines.    My son is a big kid but I could tell that after a day and-a-half of tromping up and down those gullies through the snow that he was ready to pop something.   

We  worked our way around ridge through the head-high sage and came right upon a big buck with its head down walking and feeding down the ridge not 40 yards away - but right over the crown of the ridge.  My son had just a second to size it up and get a shot off through the sage before the buck disappeared and he only needed half a second to get the job done.  It took two more shots to make sure it didn’t flop down the mountain another quarter mile and we celebrated a very nice last day 4x3 heavy-horned old buck.    We had a good 2/3 of a mile pack so we boned it out and after letting the meat cool in the snow we filled our day packs and I also carried a hind quarter while my son packed the head with cape.  Fortunately it was all down hill back to the rig.   

We made it back to the rig with an hour left in his season and moved the meat into game bags and headed home.  A big thanks to Tim and Mike for helping us and to the Ranchers who work with the WDFW to allow access for this youth tag.  Another big thanks to my wife letting us be gone on Thanksgiving for a hunt again ( and again) !  It was a great hunt.

[Small_Savage]

That's awesome!  Congrats to your boy!   

I look forward to having a kid to take hunting and show them the outdoors in general. 

[buckhorn2]

You have had a great season. We got 3 bulls out of the coweeman and just got back this morning from Montana we were in the snow too.

[400out]

very good job! your boy has a great memory and buck there 

[runningboard]

good job on drawing 2 tags and putting to good use, congratulations!

[BLKBEARKLR]

Great job, getting drawn on two tags and filling them both.. Congrats on a real nice deer.


Joe

[joebear]

I love it. there are some great bucks hideing up there!

[carpsniperg2]

sweet! nice buck.

[brackens]

Congrats and what a great job with such a short hunt.

[saylean]

I like the bomber hat! Congrats to you and your boy. Nice chocolate antlers.

[Superhunter333]

great buck and story congrats to your boy

[cowcall]

Good story and pics!!!! Way to get the job done in that short a time!!!! Congrats to Cole!!!! Awesome buck!!!! Way to fill two awesome tags" Sharp Shooter"!!!! Too kul!!!! Good huntin memories!! (I'm sure Lynn didnt mind the time to herself.......its called..." Vacation") Ha!Ha! 

[Magnum_Willys]

If anyone's kid has the other youth tag for this area pm me and I'll be happy help out.  Its a good tag to put in for next year if you have a youth hunter in the family - only costs $3.75 !

[mtndew]

Very nice buck!! Congratulations!

[Pathfinder101]

Nice job!  He gets "cool points", just for the hat...