Well first of all I'd like to thank Martinhunter for all the help this year with the posts, next year we'll have to hook up and do some hunting together. Also I'd like to congratulate his son on filling his tag this year, nothing better then a youth being successful on his hunt. To my brother, congrats on a hard earned buck. We didn't get the bruisers we set out for this year but I can guarantee it wasn't from lack of trying. We put some miles under are boots, and I think I need to join a weight gaining program because when I went back to work my work pants want to fall off. This year I started with the mind set that I was going to put something on the wall, I hunted a walk in area that no doubt has the quality of bucks that I was looking for. Everyday I hunted this year except a few days during Elk I walked in. We let a pile of smaller bucks walk this year, and on Thursday of extended we spotted a shooter buck with a smaller one that we couldn't seal the deal on. Friday we go back up there and my brother spotted that 3 point pushing some does, he slipped out on us the first time but we waited and a couple hours later and he popped out again and that was all it took, that buck had no fat and the hide was just hanging off him, clearly been running hard. Saturday was very uneventful thanks to heavey fog, just a handful of does. Sunday I decided to take the family hunting as I felt guilty for not doing so all year and my girls love going out, I didn't expect much, just was an outing for us. I hunted all over the first half of the day, I hunted the lowlands of the Winston, Toutle, then hopped over into the Coweeman, all areas I've killed bucks in before. Seen only two does and was regretting letting those bucks walk this year. Didn't take long to remember why I hate road hunting, even short 50 yard spurs that go nowhere had been tore up and hit just as hard as the mainlines lol then there's the guy with the jacked off heavy duty with the 35's on 20's that thinks his pretty pavement pounder is worthy of the whole road, I'd hate for him to scuff a tire as I put my newer truck half way in a ditch to get by, "ear muffs!" Kids. I just had to remember I'm not hunting, this is a fun day. Well I started to climb a little in elevation and started seeing patches of snow, and the kids were getting excited so I decide ill go up in the deep stuff so they can play in it. As I got higher I come out of the muggy foggy bottom I've been in all day out into beautiful blue skys and sunshine, so bright I had to put on sunglasses. Kids were loving this, deep snow and you could see all the way to the mountain. I get way up there and look down on a big hillside with smaller jacks on it with the sun beating down on it so I thought id drive down there and glass across. As I'm coming to the landing I recognize my dads vehicle parked at the end, I thought NO WAY! Sure enough he came walking up over the bank thinking who's this a-hole intruding, what are the odds? He says he has two deer spotted, so I put the spotting scope on one, its a doe, go to look at the other and its gone in the thick. As he's looking through the scope at the deer I turn and look on the hillside behind us and immediately see two deer, for sure a buck and a doe. I tell my dad and he gets down and ready, laying in the snow he's trying to see this thing but his glasses and scope keep fogging up, I range it 446 yards. He say grab your pack, so I toss my pack down for him to rest on. Hes laying there ready to shoot and says shoot it, I ask are you sure, he says yeah, I ask do you want to use my gun, no shoot it. So I lay down and get ready, he asks is that the right gun for the shot, and I say yep. I held my 7mm Ultra mag dead on at 446 yards and put one right through both shoulders. The deer goes tumbling down the hill and falls in hole and we cant see it, so i stay on the landing as my dad drove around and I radio him to the buck. He got right up on it and had to put another in the neck, I couldn't believe it was still alive laying there. Upon gutting I see I hit no vital organ, and after skinning i see I busted both shoulders but hit a little to far forward on the deer. I was in shock this all happened from the time pulling up to the time I shot the buck was about 15 minutes, anybody that's hunted this area knows its big country, the odds of me ending up on the same landing as my dad, and spotting a buck, both of us putting a shot in it, and getting it with my whole family there on the last day has got to astronomical, and the whole time my wife was behind us taking pics of the whole thing going down. Like it was meant to happen, the powers to be wanted it this way. In my quest for a big buck this year I hadn't hunted with my dad at all, he can't get around in them walk in areas like me. This has got me rethinking my hunting strategy, hunting isn't about killing a wall hanger, its about making memories with friends and family. Next year ill make time to hunt with my dad more often. That buck isnt a trophy, but to me it means more then any B&C buck because of the story behind it. This year has been full of highs and lows, but that was the ultimate high of the year, and a perfect conclusion to the end of the season.
