MASSive muley and the wifes first buck!

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I promised to post a story and here it is.   Me and my wife drew the late Swakane rifle tag.  After muck thought we decided to take the last two weeks of the season to hunt 4th-20th of November.  I normally hunt archery so I know the area fairly well but with some tips from friends decided to go somewhere new.  We set up our camp in Derby canyon.  We were going to focus on getting my wifes deer first and  the first day up showed promise, she decided to pass on a 4x4 with eyegaurds.  He was up high on chumstick mt. traveling down toward Swakane canyon.  I would have been stoked to have this as my first buck, but I guess after six months of everyday talking about the huge bucks she was going to see and this being the first day i think she made the right call.  Later that evening our friend Rick glassed a big bodied bruiser and I had to try to make a stalk on him.  Its funny how focusing on your wife deer can change when the buck is really big   He to was on the move lower and I didnt get the chance to connected with him.  Day three my wife stays at camp with our two year old and Rick and I head up to Chumstick Mtn. once again.  We were driving to different vantage points and glassing draws, bowls, tree lines when all of the sudden Rick say holy $h!t look at the that big buck bedded down in the sun right in the middle of the mtn.  My first thought (which I exclaimed and still get mocked for) was "hes not really that wide."  "Yeah but look at that mass if he looks that big from here... " Rick said "man hes really heavy"  after about 20-30 min of talking and looking through the spotting scope I told Rick I still wasnt sure but would try to put a stalk on him and would decide when I got close.   After deciding how to go about it I was off.  I was going at it blind, I was going to drop down and follow low behind a ridge that was between us and the buck.  When I got to a determined tree I was going to ease over the ridge and the buck should be within a couple hundred yards.  So it all went perfect just as planned. the end!  Ok it didnt, I slipped and fell right away sliding down into the draw on some of the snow that didnt see any sun from the day before.   I looked back at Rick binocs up still so ill keep going, slower this time picking every step carefully.  When I got to the tree I heard a bounding away and then some snorts. Oh crap I thought did I blow it?  Im now looking through the little trees to find the deer i had just busted when again I glassed back in Ricks direction.  Hes still looking in the direction of the buck so it must not have been him I thought.  So I kept going, he didnt know it at the time but I was using him as a way to tell what was going on because i couldnt see the buck.  As I got to the top of the ridge and can see the spot where the buck "should" have been bedded I got a little discouraged.  He was gone I thought.  But what I didnt know was that the buck had got up and started feeding and he was feeding in my direction. So as I was coming up the ridge he was feeding down and I wasnt able to see him.  "Landmark" Rick was still looking that direction and was way higher up then me he said later that he could only see the tips of his antlers at that time.  Then the sound every hunter hates, I could hear it and I could feel it, the bounding away of a big deer.  I then stepped to the side around a tree and saw him bounding back up the Mnt.  I whistled and nothing came out then licked my lips and whistled again he stopped broadside, I raised my gun, got him in the scope and took a breath, there was no question about it BOOM!  He dropped, I hear yelling behind me  "WOO HOO! I F@$#ing love you!"  And thats when everything slowed down except for my breathing.  I had just taken my biggest mule deer buck.  I enjoyed the walk up to that deer, all the time, scouting, and hard work, not just this season but of passed seasons. My friends were with me, my family too, it was a pretty cool feeling!  When I got to the buck I couldn't  believe how heavy he really was.  My fingers wouldn't fit around his 7" bases,  there were extra points, huge eyegaurds I was in heaven. All in all he was a 6x7 with eygaurds.  He had 5 on one side 4 on the other with extra points coming off around the eyegaurds and a 2" drop on his left side.  He is currently being mounted by Moro Taxerdermy.  I've had him called the moose buck, the prison shank buck, and MASSive he's atteracted alot of attention for a buck thats "not really that wide"I will post my wifes story soon as it takes this construction worker a while to hunt and peck for keys and im now tired. 

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Wifes buck

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back view

[ANDERWAGON]

Great write up and awesome bucks.  Congratulations to both of you! 

[CedarPants]

  That thing is a brute!  Your wife's buck is awesome too!  Congrats to you both 

[Huntbear]

Congratulations!

I love freak bucks like that, and with mass it is just WOW! 

[SkookumHntr]

-What a Buck!!

[bobcat]

Great looking buck. It may not score as high as some, but I'd take that buck over a high scoring buck any day. Love the mass and the character of it.

[True Sportsman]

Bucks like that are my fav. Great buck!

[BOWHUNTER45]

awesome ...glad you both had a great hunt  :tup:nice bucks!!

[big wood]

I think your buck has a quarter moose in it. nice job. congrats to the both of you

[GoPlayOutside]

Killer Buck!!!  I'm headed there tomorrow for 4 days of archery....can't wait!

[fishngamereaper]

Nice job. I saw you guys a couple times as I was wandering the mnt...glad you both connected on good bucks....Well done.

[B.G.hunter]

Wow beautiful bucks. 

[Black Ghost]

Width is overrated, that is a buck I would trip over my own feet to get to!