Post by: Thenewguy on December 03, 2009, 09:27:35 AM
p.s. 4 gmu's are closed to this hunt; numbers 157, 418, 485 and 522
Post by: coop2424 on December 03, 2009, 09:33:48 AM
Post by: alecvg on December 03, 2009, 09:41:59 AM
Post by: MtnMuley on December 03, 2009, 09:44:15 AM
Post by: kramman on December 03, 2009, 10:16:57 AM
Kram
Post by: littlebuf on December 03, 2009, 10:28:40 AM
Post by: Alan K on December 03, 2009, 10:30:19 AM
Post by: bobcat on December 03, 2009, 10:31:38 AM
i cant believe you havent filled this tag yet,what are you waiting for? i think i would have been hitting the rut :twocents:
:yeah: Did you try the Desert unit?
Post by: Ridgerunner on December 03, 2009, 10:45:28 AM
Post by: actionshooter on December 03, 2009, 11:23:28 AM
Post by: saylean on December 03, 2009, 11:29:50 AM
Post by: boneaddict on December 03, 2009, 11:38:08 AM
Post by: Thenewguy on December 03, 2009, 11:43:50 AM
Post by: boneaddict on December 03, 2009, 11:46:03 AM
Post by: boneaddict on December 03, 2009, 11:47:06 AM
Post by: huntnphool on December 03, 2009, 11:49:03 AM
Post by: carpsniperg2 on December 03, 2009, 11:52:06 AM
Post by: WAmuleyHunter on December 03, 2009, 12:23:21 PM
Post by: Thenewguy on December 04, 2009, 11:43:56 PM
Post by: bowhunterforever on December 04, 2009, 11:53:17 PM
Post by: mtndew on December 05, 2009, 06:00:33 AM
Post by: Jamieb on December 05, 2009, 06:51:07 AM
Good luck. Have fun.
Post by: boneaddict on December 05, 2009, 06:57:43 AM
Any ideas on what you are holding out for? Goals? other than jsut saying I want a big one.
Post by: Skyvalhunter on December 05, 2009, 07:35:39 AM
Post by: Thenewguy on December 05, 2009, 08:13:54 AM
No need to be stressed. I hope you have a good truck for that Entiat country and a good set of chains. Access to snowmobiles can be helpful but so far it seems you have lucked out. Shoot me a pm with your contact numbers. I won't be out much this December with my basketball schedule, but I still get out occasionally. I hope you find a nice old mossback.
Any ideas on what you are holding out for? Goals? other than jsut saying I want a big one.
I have a suzuki and a 350, chains for both. The roads are getting dicier and dicier but I can walk. The best place I have found it a short drive and a long walk from the road.
I am crazy about width, the buck i missed a shot at Wednesday (300 yds, clean miss) had width several inchs past both ears and HUGE mass. I would not mind finding him again. Other goals I have are to learn as much as possible so I can use that knowledge on other hunts (work in progress) and see some deer and areas I have never seen before.
Post by: DOUBLELUNG on December 05, 2009, 09:51:58 AM
Post by: Thenewguy on December 05, 2009, 01:38:42 PM
Post by: docsven on December 05, 2009, 02:26:33 PM
It will have to be done by the 17th, I am going to Texas for ChristmasMore pressure!
Post by: alecvg on December 05, 2009, 02:56:22 PM
It will have to be done by the 17th, I am going to Texas for Christmas
Dude, you better get some time off and get out there, just because your hunting December, doesn't mean its gonna be easy. Get going! And good luck!
Post by: alanger on December 05, 2009, 04:02:37 PM
Post by: WAmuleyHunter on December 05, 2009, 11:28:44 PM
Post by: monster on December 06, 2009, 07:41:26 AM
Post by: heavy hauler on December 06, 2009, 07:23:44 PM
Post by: MichaelJ on December 07, 2009, 01:54:57 PM
Michael
Post by: turkey slayer on December 08, 2009, 08:31:39 AM
He is holding out on a 190's
Post by: colockumelk on December 08, 2009, 09:17:27 AM
Post by: WAmuleyHunter on December 08, 2009, 09:24:23 AM
Post by: turkey slayer on December 08, 2009, 09:41:29 AM
We are guides for Okanogan Valley but Okanogan has nothing to do with this. Few of us are just help out since we no the areas. I no we are loving it , we can drive alot closer then get out on foot in sted of walking 2 miles to a spot
Post by: WAmuleyHunter on December 08, 2009, 02:01:45 PM
Post by: Pathfinder101 on December 08, 2009, 03:33:25 PM
You must be single. Because if I had this tag I'd have been divorced by now. :dunno: I'd be worth it. :chuckle:
:yeah: :chuckle: :chuckle:
Good luck newguy! Go get 'im...
Post by: Thenewguy on December 12, 2009, 03:49:06 PM
Post by: hornhunter on December 13, 2009, 02:09:51 PM
Post by: SilkWWU on December 13, 2009, 02:23:16 PM
Post by: Cougeyes on December 13, 2009, 02:51:12 PM
Not meaning to jack the thread a little, but what IS the incentive tag?I think it is the tag the state gives out to those that submit hunter reports before the deadline and get entered into the drawing, I dont think i've heard of the raffle tag as being called an incentive tag so that is my guess. If it is the tag for submitted reports before the deadline then that is the first tag i've heard of being drawn based on that....so there is hope.
Post by: MichaelJ on December 14, 2009, 02:55:20 AM
Michael
Post by: MichaelJ on December 15, 2009, 12:28:46 AM
Michael
Post by: jackelope on December 15, 2009, 08:03:37 AM
updates to follow....
Post by: bobcat on December 15, 2009, 08:04:02 AM
Post by: andrew_12gauge on December 15, 2009, 02:41:29 PM
Post by: MichaelJ on December 15, 2009, 02:50:45 PM
doesnt he have till the 31st?
Yeah but he's heading out of town or something like that for chrismas... he's only got till the 17th or something to finish his hunt. :rolleyes:
Michael
Post by: bobcat on December 15, 2009, 03:03:39 PM
Post by: MichaelJ on December 15, 2009, 03:10:15 PM
Michael
Post by: boneaddict on December 15, 2009, 03:18:12 PM
Post by: alanger on December 15, 2009, 03:31:19 PM
Nice fresh snow for the hunt. Should be an outstanding next three days.
no kiddding. its dumping it.
Post by: andrew_12gauge on December 15, 2009, 03:49:15 PM
Thats insane.... talk about a lifetime opportunity with the INCENTIVE tag of all things, I'd tell Texas to screw off it'll never happen to the guy again.
Michael
me too mike me too, probably why im single and dont have many friends who arent hunters, hunting always comes first for me, i was upset when my grandparents planned a family trip to cancun a coupla years ago because i had to miss the first week of late archery deer i still went but i was not happy to be there
Post by: jdb on December 15, 2009, 03:54:32 PM
Post by: WDFW-SUX on December 15, 2009, 03:55:57 PM
Post by: hornhunter on December 15, 2009, 04:25:18 PM
Post by: UBA on December 15, 2009, 04:30:32 PM
Post by: MichaelJ on December 15, 2009, 04:34:28 PM
Im thinking they are going to get somthing huge.
I say 175" TOPS... just a gut feeling and still a LOT bigger than anything I've ever shot...
I'm thinking he'll pull the trigger on a 160's class buck personally unless he gets some help from some locals that have a buck already spotted... my .02
Michael
Post by: UBA on December 15, 2009, 04:37:53 PM
Post by: jackelope on December 15, 2009, 04:40:45 PM
Im thinking they are going to get somthing huge.
I say 175" TOPS... just a gut feeling and still a LOT bigger than anything I've ever shot...
I'm thinking he'll pull the trigger on a 160's class buck personally unless he gets some help from some locals that have a buck already spotted... my .02
Michael
he's got a guy holding his ammo for him.
Post by: jstamp on December 15, 2009, 04:50:25 PM
Post by: hornhunter on December 15, 2009, 04:51:33 PM
Post by: WDFW-SUX on December 15, 2009, 04:57:58 PM
Post by: jackelope on December 15, 2009, 08:37:42 PM
Post by: Crunchy on December 15, 2009, 08:39:33 PM
Post by: jackelope on December 15, 2009, 08:42:41 PM
Post by: jjhunter on December 15, 2009, 08:49:50 PM
Post by: Ridgerunner on December 15, 2009, 09:52:38 PM
Post by: Thenewguy on December 15, 2009, 09:58:36 PM
Post by: hornhunter on December 15, 2009, 10:08:33 PM
Post by: WAcoueshunter on December 15, 2009, 10:14:39 PM
Post by: bobcat on December 15, 2009, 10:26:35 PM
Post by: PacificNWhunter on December 15, 2009, 10:34:04 PM
Post by: boneaddict on December 16, 2009, 05:50:53 AM
Post by: turkey slayer on December 16, 2009, 09:02:00 AM
Post by: boneaddict on December 16, 2009, 09:03:02 AM
Post by: boneaddict on December 16, 2009, 09:04:18 AM
Post by: jackelope on December 16, 2009, 09:20:24 AM
they are seeing deer as of last night.
i'm suspecting he'll have blood on his hands by the end of the day today.
Post by: boneaddict on December 16, 2009, 09:22:47 AM
Post by: GoldTip on December 16, 2009, 09:27:24 AM
Post by: bucklucky on December 16, 2009, 09:31:39 AM
Post by: hornhunter on December 16, 2009, 09:36:54 AM
Post by: MichaelJ on December 16, 2009, 09:47:55 AM
Michael
Post by: jackelope on December 16, 2009, 03:14:31 PM
Post by: whacker1 on December 16, 2009, 03:15:40 PM
looking forward to the story and pics.
Post by: Curly on December 16, 2009, 03:19:49 PM
BBD!!!
Cool. Congrats to TheNewGuy. Hopefully we'll see a pic soon. I'd bet we will see a pic of TheNewGuy's buck before all of us see the governor tag holder's buck.....
Post by: actionshooter on December 16, 2009, 03:20:04 PM
BBD!!!
Right on, I was rooting for the guy!
Post by: jackelope on December 16, 2009, 03:21:55 PM
i don't know when they will get back in town or when they will post pics...i just got a text from his "guide"
:)
Post by: saylean on December 16, 2009, 03:25:56 PM
Oh boy! I bet its a sweet one!
Post by: buckmaster_wa on December 16, 2009, 03:37:04 PM
Post by: coop2424 on December 16, 2009, 03:37:39 PM
Post by: jackelope on December 16, 2009, 03:39:54 PM
Any word on how big the buck is?
not yet...waiting on more info.
prolly have to wait till the guys get back in town tonight.
Post by: Ridgerunner on December 16, 2009, 03:40:04 PM
Post by: denali on December 16, 2009, 03:47:25 PM
Post by: WDFW-SUX on December 16, 2009, 03:50:31 PM
Sorry can't help myself somtimes....Good job newguy.
Post by: HUNT on December 16, 2009, 03:57:12 PM
Post by: Craig on December 16, 2009, 04:03:16 PM
Congrats on your first buck. What a tag to have.
Post by: Pathfinder101 on December 16, 2009, 04:14:02 PM
Can't wait to see the pics! Way to go newguy!
Post by: MichaelJ on December 16, 2009, 04:17:21 PM
Michael
Post by: alanger on December 16, 2009, 04:22:43 PM
Post by: jackelope on December 16, 2009, 04:25:04 PM
it's a nice buck.
Post by: WAcoueshunter on December 16, 2009, 04:26:07 PM
Post by: alecvg on December 16, 2009, 04:26:29 PM
Post by: WDFW-SUX on December 16, 2009, 04:30:51 PM
Post by: Pathfinder101 on December 16, 2009, 04:32:45 PM
nice buck.
%#@!! You have seen that one too....??!!
Post by: boneaddict on December 16, 2009, 04:34:07 PM
Post by: WDFW-SUX on December 16, 2009, 04:34:35 PM
Post by: WAcoueshunter on December 16, 2009, 04:36:23 PM
Post by: bucklucky on December 16, 2009, 04:37:28 PM
Congrats Thenewguy!! Cant wait to see pics of your trophy!
Post by: GoldTip on December 16, 2009, 04:42:13 PM
Post by: PacificNWhunter on December 16, 2009, 04:51:09 PM
Post by: Ridgerunner on December 16, 2009, 05:21:42 PM
Post by: Crunchy on December 16, 2009, 05:25:49 PM
Post by: jackelope on December 16, 2009, 05:27:54 PM
it's a nice buck and will be worth the wait.
disclaimer:
if he leaves for texas tomorrow without posting pics and a story i will then post the pic and i don't care if it bugs him that i do.
:chuckle:
Post by: MichaelJ on December 16, 2009, 05:33:32 PM
out of respect for thenewguy i will not post the pic and let him have his moment in the sun.
it's a nice buck and will be worth the wait.
disclaimer:
if he leaves for texas tomorrow without posting pics and a story i will then post the pic and i don't care if it bugs him that i do.
:chuckle:
I'd back you up on that! lol Great buck newguy! helluva lastday/first ever buck!
Michael
Post by: Wea300mag on December 16, 2009, 05:49:52 PM
Post by: elkaholic123 on December 16, 2009, 06:03:36 PM
Post by: STIKNSTRINGBOW on December 16, 2009, 06:05:50 PM
:dunno:
Post by: hornhunter on December 16, 2009, 06:26:49 PM
Post by: hunterbuilder on December 16, 2009, 06:35:13 PM
Post by: boneaddict on December 16, 2009, 06:37:35 PM
Unreal first buck. Its a far cry from what I got as my first deer. CONGRATS
(https://hunting-washington.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fv47%2Fboneaddict%2FAntler%2520Images%2F12-16-099514311.jpg&hash=57835c1c26ab1a8d541d15294a356b51caa7931a)
Post by: saylean on December 16, 2009, 06:41:27 PM
Post by: DUGANDEER on December 16, 2009, 06:41:55 PM
Post by: alanger on December 16, 2009, 06:44:00 PM
Post by: JBar on December 16, 2009, 06:44:14 PM
Post by: boneaddict on December 16, 2009, 06:48:07 PM
Post by: hornhunter on December 16, 2009, 06:54:44 PM
Post by: Crunchy on December 16, 2009, 06:59:21 PM
Post by: GUscottie on December 16, 2009, 07:10:19 PM
Post by: Caseyd on December 16, 2009, 07:15:34 PM
Post by: PacificNWhunter on December 16, 2009, 07:19:23 PM
Post by: Bigshooter on December 16, 2009, 07:22:15 PM
Post by: ihunt on December 16, 2009, 07:40:06 PM
Post by: alecvg on December 16, 2009, 07:57:11 PM
Post by: Pathfinder101 on December 16, 2009, 08:21:28 PM
Can't wait to see more pics and hear the story!
Post by: jackelope on December 16, 2009, 08:25:54 PM
Post by: Schmalzfam on December 16, 2009, 09:02:01 PM
Post by: M_ray on December 16, 2009, 09:12:41 PM
BBD!
I had a smile about as big as yours!!! :) I can't wait to see the pics I know your guide kinda knows a thing or two about takin pictures too! :chuckle: Once again a testimate to the kind of person Phool is ... very unselfish and a great friend to have, especially when you have a late tag! ;) Nice work Rob!!! :bow:
Post by: jason4429 on December 16, 2009, 09:18:46 PM
Post by: washelkhntr on December 16, 2009, 09:21:27 PM
Post by: hunterbuilder on December 16, 2009, 09:21:38 PM
Post by: muledeer78 on December 16, 2009, 09:22:05 PM
Post by: coop2424 on December 16, 2009, 09:42:11 PM
Post by: bucklucky on December 16, 2009, 09:49:25 PM
Post by: Cougeyes on December 16, 2009, 09:58:41 PM
Post by: steen on December 16, 2009, 10:02:53 PM
Post by: WAmuleyHunter on December 16, 2009, 10:08:58 PM
Garrett
Post by: huntnphool on December 16, 2009, 10:18:04 PM
Congrats again Tom, I'm proud of you for sticking it out and staying positive, you did the tag proud and I'm grateful you let me tag along. :tup:
Click On Image For Full Screen
Post by: SpokaneSlayer on December 16, 2009, 10:21:30 PM
Post by: Geno on December 16, 2009, 10:25:26 PM
Post by: bowhunterforever on December 16, 2009, 11:02:33 PM
Post by: bucklucky on December 16, 2009, 11:15:32 PM
Post by: actionshooter on December 16, 2009, 11:44:03 PM
Nice picture Rob! Cant wait to see him. Looks like some seriouse splittage on that right ear too, just adds a little more charecter to the mount!! Congrats again on the dandy buck Tom!
Adding another to the drying room?
Post by: boneaddict on December 17, 2009, 06:00:03 AM
Post by: Skyvalhunter on December 17, 2009, 06:07:28 AM
Post by: GoldTip on December 17, 2009, 06:30:23 AM
Post by: chad s. on December 17, 2009, 06:36:22 AM
Post by: turkey slayer on December 17, 2009, 07:52:31 AM
Outstanding deer, you are now hooked for life congrats again. Have good and safe trip. I wish I could of been on the hunt.
Slayer
Post by: Dr. Death on December 17, 2009, 08:11:27 AM
Congrats and Kudos to those who helped! :brew:
Post by: CJ-5 on December 17, 2009, 08:13:56 AM
Post by: Dmanmastertracker on December 17, 2009, 08:42:03 AM
Post by: alecvg on December 17, 2009, 09:10:26 AM
Post by: Dipsnort on December 17, 2009, 09:12:11 AM
Post by: PacificNWhunter on December 17, 2009, 09:20:06 AM
Post by: jackelope on December 17, 2009, 01:30:47 PM
Post by: MichaelJ on December 17, 2009, 02:53:49 PM
where's the rest of the pics?
:yeah:
Post by: huntnphool on December 17, 2009, 04:09:32 PM
I was thinking of starting a new thread with a title that would go to the top of the list if someone did a search for "Incentive Tag" looking for info in the years to come. If Thenewguy posts it on this thread then I won't, but if he doesn't get around to it in the next day or so then I will do it and give the story of the last day and a half from my side of the camera, but I really should let him go first since it was his hunt. ;)
Post by: huntnphool on December 17, 2009, 04:29:00 PM
Post by: Buckmark on December 17, 2009, 04:32:05 PM
Post by: saylean on December 17, 2009, 04:32:45 PM
Post by: PacificNWhunter on December 17, 2009, 04:47:46 PM
Post by: GoldTip on December 17, 2009, 04:49:15 PM
Post by: tlbradford on December 17, 2009, 05:07:01 PM
Post by: Wea300mag on December 17, 2009, 05:25:12 PM
Post by: lemondog on December 17, 2009, 05:31:36 PM
Post by: WAmuleyHunter on December 17, 2009, 06:44:30 PM
Post by: jjdavis2222 on December 17, 2009, 07:20:45 PM
Now I better go fill out my harvest report so I can get that tag!!
Post by: Thenewguy on December 17, 2009, 07:28:31 PM
I want to say a HUGE thanks to those who helped me. Obviously this starts with Rob. I think I learned more in 2 days with Rob then in the rest of my hunting career combined. for those who haven;t met Rob he is a great guy who made sure I defined the hunt and was able to take away the maximum amount of memories. Can't say enough about him. Thanks man. Josh, gave me direction with this hunt from the start (believe me, i was lost). He answered lots of those silly questions that typically people are to scared to ask. There are alot of others who offered tips, locations and showed a willingness to come out and glass. I am not throwing names out because I am not sure they want to be recognized but a HUGE thank you. It gave me a big lift the last day knowing so many people cared.
p.s. Rob, feel free to post pictures and your account of the hunt. I will follow it up as soon as I can. I am exhausted and still in kind of a high from the whole thing. Hard to concentrate to do the story justice
p.s.s. Charlie, thanks ahead of time for an awesome mount :chuckle:
Post by: WAmuleyHunter on December 17, 2009, 07:47:15 PM
Post by: bucklucky on December 17, 2009, 08:49:30 PM
Post by: jackelope on December 17, 2009, 09:52:45 PM
now about the rest of the pics....
Post by: ICEMAN on December 18, 2009, 05:51:25 AM
( Don't let this hunt spoil the rest of your future hunts.....heh heh heh.... :chuckle: )
What a great experience!
Post by: boneaddict on December 18, 2009, 06:18:01 AM
Quote
forget the pissing and moaning and arguing and bickering...this is what it's all about and the reason this place exists
A-men to that!
Post by: lewy on December 18, 2009, 06:31:29 AM
Post by: Pathfinder101 on December 18, 2009, 06:47:19 AM
Post by: Thenewguy on December 18, 2009, 07:08:40 AM
After the call from WDFW I immediately come here to find out what the heck being able to hunt Sept 1st - December 31st meant and to get ideas. I think I got about 800 good ideas :). Alot of people offered to help but Josh was by far the most helpful. I started studying google map and looking at pictures of big mature bucks trying to set the bar. I found out I truly dig mass and width (who doesn't). My original plan was to hunt chinook pass starting in September, this thought was quickly disappeared after hearing about Migrator bucks and wintering grounds :rolleyes:.
The plan at this point became to hunt those wintering grounds. The problem here is that I had to wait until the end of November and I am not a very patient guy! I starting heading out scouting in October so i got used to the roads and lay of the land. The problem with this is the deer weren't in yet so I didn;t know what to expect from them. I made 3 scouting trips without my rifle and saw; 18 does, 1 forky, a spike and a mature WT buck. Not what I was hoping for but I knew it was early.
In late November I started taking the rifle along. I started higher in the mountains but still wasn't seeing the deer in the numbers I was hoping. I was starting to get a little dismayed as I know I was going to back into a time crunch with Christmas in Texas starting on the morning of the 17th. Just before the first snows really hit, about 2 weeks ago, I hit an area I had heard was holding some bigger bucks. After sitting on a ridge for the early morning I started hiking over the next ridge. I got to the top and as I was climbing over a fallen tree I caught antlers out of the corner of my eye. I froze and glassed the spot. A big mature buck and about 15 does. looking around some more I found 2 more mature bucks and one was enormous. They were at around 300-320 yards across a ravine and I wanted to make sure he was a shooter before I made my next move. At this distance I couldn;t tell alot of details with my Binos so I had to use the rifle scope on the confirmed deer (please dont judge, no spotting scope, yet). He was broadside to me but his head was facing away. I know looking through a scope there can sometimes be some ground shrinkage but I still think this is the biggest buck I have ever seen. He had width about 6 inchs 3-4 inch's beyond each ear and HUGE mass. He was a typical 4 point and absolutely a shooter in my book! I decide to take the shot and rest my 30.06 up against a branch. I start the breathing process and take the shot.... I miss clean but the buck doesn't go anywhere. I decide against another shot for 2 reasons; This is a shot I have never taken before (the rest was also more wobbly then expected) and I only brought 2 more rounds with me. I know if i expended the rounds without a killing shot, I would regret the 4 mile hike back to the truck maybe even seeing a shooter when i don;t have the ability to take the shot. I decide to back out and get to the ridge above the deer. The friend I took up with me lead the way. Unfortunatlly the path he took was to direct and he took it to quickly. Once we crested the ridge there were the does, but no mature buck.
to be continued...
Post by: rosscrazyelk on December 18, 2009, 09:13:50 AM
Post by: huntnphool on December 18, 2009, 01:22:23 PM
there was a buck standing there today same spot looking around. must have been missing his buddy!! lol
Thats probably the buck with the kickers.
Post by: NRA4LIFE on December 18, 2009, 02:26:58 PM
Post by: UBA on December 18, 2009, 02:45:06 PM
Post by: denali on December 18, 2009, 03:08:18 PM
Man, that's a good-looking old warhorse of a deer. Way to go newguy! We may have to change your screen name :chuckle:
how about "grizzeld ole trophytaker"
just got back from Texas it was Washington cold, hope it's warmer for you.
congrats to you, and those that helped thanks
Post by: MtnMuley on December 18, 2009, 06:49:46 PM
Post by: Pathfinder101 on December 18, 2009, 07:01:40 PM
Post by: M_ray on December 19, 2009, 08:44:24 AM
Post by: Wea300mag on December 20, 2009, 07:42:45 PM
I got the privilege to touch this deer yesterday while Phool was en-route to Charlie's and All I can say is ... UNREAL :yike: it is really nice super heavy all the way up until about an inch from the tips!!! It seemed to me to be larger than it appeared in the pics but at any rate just a pig of a deer Congrats again newguy thanks fro the opportunity! :)
I was at Charlie's place yesterday picking up the Hunt-WA Head Trophy and had an opportunity to handle the rack too, WOW!!! His first deer is bigger than any deer I've every taken. Sorry thenewguy, but it's all downhill from here.
Post by: huntnphool on July 18, 2013, 09:32:30 AM
Incentive - Noun
1. A positive motivational influence.
2. An additional payment (or other remuneration) to employees as a means of increasing output.
This is Websters definition of incentive, and clearly the motivation behind the Washington Dept. Fish & Wildlife push to have all of us fill out harvest reports on time. For those unfamiliar with the process, every year hunters are asked, by WDFW, to report their success, or lack there of, in an effort to help them better understand and keep track of big game numbers. This information helps them set hunting seasons and allocate special permits, as well as several other important factors.
WDFW realized that although this reporting was important, the hunting community didn’t seem to make it a priority, therefore late reporting or the omission of reporting was becoming the norm. They needed some way for the hunting community to buy into the process. The brainchild was what is now referred to as “The Incentive Tag.”
The Incentive Tag has since become known as one of “The Big Three,” having basically the same freedoms and luxury as the “Raffle Tag” and the big daddy of them all, the “Auction Tag.” What this tag does is allows the lucky individual the opportunity to add an additional deer/elk to their harvest, at the same time expanding their season for that particular animal from September 1st – December 31st, in any GMU that was open for harvesting big game during that year.
The public forums are all abuzz with anticipation when the draws are finally announced and this year was no different. Bummed that I had not drawn any of the permits I had applied for, I got online to check and see how my many internet friends had faired. There were a few happy hunters, but for most of us the depression of knowing it would be yet another year before we would get to hunt our choices had just set in.
I was sitting there checking out some of the threads when I noticed a young man had posted saying he had drawn the incentive tag, His name was Tom and this would be his second season of hunting, he was looking for suggestions on where and when to go to take advantage of this tag. There was no shortage of opinion and soon his head was spinning with information overload.
I kept track of his progress as the season went on and as November came and started to go he still had not filled his tag. I sent him a email and told him that if he found himself in a pinch and needed someone to help or just tag along that I would be up for it, he said he would take me up on it if the time came.
December 6th I received another email from Tom informing me that he could not hunt the rest of the month as he would be heading out of town for the holidays, and wanted to know if I would like to go hit the hit hills with him. With hunting season being over for me and cabin fever beginning to set in, he didn’t have to ask me twice. I let him know I could go but it would have to be the following weekend. He said he was going to go during the week but would let me know if he still had his tag the following weekend. I received another email that next Saturday the 12th, he still had his tag. I said I can go but now had plans for the evening of Monday the 14th but could leave Tuesday morning after dropping the kids off at school. He said great, I will see you on the East side around noon on Tuesday the 15th.
I packed up my truck with a weeks worth of gear and Tuesday morning hit the road. The pass was a winter wonderland, 21*, snowing heavily with compact snow and ice covering the entire highway. I made my way over but ran a little longer than anticipated, so I ended up meeting Tom at 1:00pm in McD’s. We shook hands and chatted while standing in line for a quick lunch. After grabbing a burger and ice-t we were off. With the intention on hitting some areas farther north we decided to stop at an area on the way and hunt the last couple hours of daylight, getting in as much hunt time as we could.
The first area we decided to hit had a good 6”-7” of fresh powder and I could tell that Toms street tires on his Suzuki were not going to cut it. Watching him slide all over the place I motioned for him to pull over. I told him to grab his gear and get in, this would allow us to check out both sides better while heading up into the hills anyway and not have to spend our remaining time digging out of a ditch. This also gave us time to chat and get to know each other better. Tom informed me that this would be his first big game animal and I could tell he was as excited as a kid in a candy store.
We drove up to a ridge, got out and started glassing, spotting deer in almost every draw. Walking from draw to draw we would check them out, get deer in the spotter and discuss them. I pointed out a young 2 ˝ year old three point, Tom gets all excited and asks “should I go after him” smiling I said no, way too small. This happened a couple more times before I spotted a good buck in the timber about 100 yards off. He was very tall, had good mass and looked to be about 26”-27” wide. Long tines and mains but his right g3 was only about 7”. I told Tom I would put him in the 170 class and asked him if he could see it. It took a minute or so before he picked the buck up but thought he looked good enough to go after. It was right at the end of shooting light, between us and the buck were some small branches crossing between the trees. I explained to Tom that although he could probably make the shot, unless he dropped it right where it stood we may run the risk of losing it before dark. We both agreed to pass on the buck and headed back to the truck and down the mountain.
On the way back down to Toms car I asked him where he had planned on staying for the night. He looked at me with a confused look and said he really hadn’t thought about it, although we were both prepared to sleep in our rigs in sleeping bags. He looked a little down and I told him not to worry about finding a good buck, I knew the areas well and was sure we would get him one before the weekend so he could catch his flight. That’s when the “pucker factor” came into play. Tom then informed me he had to get up at 4:00am Thursday morning to catch his flight, he could only hunt through tomorrow and would have to leave, with or without having filled his tag.
As you can imagine the pressure multiplied ten fold, but having been in the same situation with my own tag the year before, I knew it wasn’t over until the fat lady was singing, and she wasn’t warming up yet.
The next morning Tom was pounding on my window at 5:30am, clearing off his windows and warming up his car. I got out of my bag and got dressed, noticing the temp was 18*. I dressed for the bitter cold temps, got out to discuss the plans for the day. The snow had stopped and the clouds looked to have lifted a little bit. Trying to stay positive about the whole situation I told Tom “wouldn’t it be great if we dropped your buck and the sky was bright blue with big fluffy white clouds for the pictures.” he smiled and skeptically said “yeah, that would be awesome”.
I suggested taking our time since it wouldn’t be light out until after 7:00am and we didn’t want to be driving past a good buck in the dark. Tom ordered breakfast and I grabbed a couple ice-t’s for the road and we were off. Shortly after we hit our turn and headed up into the hills. I flashed Tom with my headlights to get him to pull over.
About ˝ mile up the road we pulled over and waited, it was light enough to see the snowy road but still not light enough to be able to pick out deer without the use of optics. We got out of the cars and I pointed up one of the hills to make my point. Although the hills were covered with snow we still were likely to drive by any deer that were not out in the open. I could tell Tom was excited and itching to get going so we took off.
We stopped a couple miles in and dropped off Toms car, he grabbed his gear and jumped in. Only a couple miles up the road my worst fear was becoming reality, the fog was getting thicker and thicker the higher we climbed. We headed for the area we had seen the tall buck the night before, and saw a few does and a couple small bucks. The first buck we spotted was a old mature buck. I put the scope on him and noticed he was one of those “Super Forkies,” mature buck with heavy dark antlers but lacking the genes to make him anything but a 2 point. He was about 2” outside his right ear but his left side main was broke right in half.
We continued up to the ridge when Tom spotted a buck out the passenger side of the car. I stopped and we both put up our binos. I saw a 3 ˝ year old 3 point and thats all I could see besides the back of Toms head. I was just about to drive off when Tom said “there’s a bigger one” I got my binos up just in time to see the big buck from the night before, bounding off into the fog. We parked, grabbed our gear and went in after him. We followed in the snow but with visibility of about 50 yards it was evident there was little chance of getting on him. We headed back for the truck and hit some other spots. We hunted in the fog until about noon and realized it was unlikely to lift before dark so we decided to drop down in elevation and hunt the lower draws.
The next couple hours were pretty uneventful, small 130-140 class bucks but nothing with any real size or character. At about 2:00pm I told Tom we had about 2 hours of light left and should go hit a different area I knew. I had been given a report by a friend that had seen a couple decent bucks a couple days before in the area and he said it might be worth a look.
We headed down out of the hills but I really wanted to check the last draw before hitting the road. We stopped where we had pulled over on the way in in the morning, remember it had still been dark. I pulled up my binos and spotted a buck right away. Grabbing the scope, I set it up and could tell right away Tom would like him. He had a nice typical frame with long mains and an outside spread of about 27”. He had average mass and had a small kicker out each side. I estimated upper 170’s gross on the conservative side and got out to talk with Tom. I walked back to his car where he was glassing and asked him if he saw him. He said he saw the two does but didn’t see the buck. I told him to come check him out through the spotter and let me know what he thought. He took a look and the two of us decided that with not much light left, we should make a stalk.
Tom grabbed his gear, I grabbed mine and off we went. We worked our way up to get as close as we could without spooking him. We soon ran out of cover and decided to set up for a shot. Tom placed the sticks in the snow and got a good rest. He sat down in the snow and dialed in his scope. I set my spotter up to watch and snapped a couple pics of the buck on the hill while he was still on the hoof. Once done with a couple pics I got back behind the spotter to watch and all of a sudden I spotted another buck. I zoomed in on him to compare but it didn’t take but a second to decide which one I would shoot.
Tom saw the new buck about the same time through his scope and held his shot. He asked me which one he should shoot and naturally I said “shoot the biggest one” Laughing, I told him that if it were my tag I would shoot the new buck. Quick field judging I could see he had great backs, well over 18” and long g3’s as well. His g4’s looked to be close to the g3’s and he had huge mass. He had nice brows too but his mains looked to be on the short side. Overall I told Tom I thought he was a solid 170 class buck and even had the potential to be larger.
That was all Tom needed. He hunkered down behind his scope, took a deep breath and let it out, squeezing the trigger the buck humped up and started limping off around the knob, he was hit hard and wouldn’t go far.
We hiked up the rest of the way, to just under the ridgeline and started side hilling until we found blood in the snow. There was a clear line to follow and I knew he wouldn’t be far. We got around the knob and found a spot he had bedded down in but must have heard us coming and got back up. I had Tom jack another cartridge in and slowly lead the way, we knew he was just ahead of us. Just then the buck stood up, about 80 yards out. Tom settled in behind his scope again and finished him off, the buck took a nose dive into the snow. Tom turned to me with a grin even his orthodontist would be proud of. I gave him a quick high five and congratulations, he had just filled his Incentive tag.
Being on a steep slope, when the buck hit the snow, he slid more than 100 yards down the hill, finally piling up next to a tree. His rack had got caught under a boulder on the way down and his momentum had carried his body up and over the rock, leaving him to rest with half his body sticking straight out over the ledge. I took picks as Tom checked to make sure he was done and then wrestle the rack out from under the boulder. Once the rack was free, the weight of the buck propelled him over the rock and onto the snow.
As luck would have it, about that time the sky opened up and was the brightest blue you could imagine. The clouds that remained were like giant cotton balls, we couldn’t have planned it any better, even though that morning we were joking about it. We snapped some pics and let him go, he slid almost the rest of the way to the bottom.
Now the real work begins I told him. I asked him if he brought a knife, I had, so I wasn’t worried. He pulled out a brand new one, this would be his first field dressing, for him and his knife. I talked him through the whole process without a hitch, he did it like a pro, grinning the entire time. It wasn’t until later that he admitted he thought I was hazing him when it came to hollowing out “the hole,” but after he was done he understood why.
We slid the buck to the road and I was just about to walk to retrieve Toms car when the game warden came pulling up. He got out and asked how we were doing, I don’t think he needed to ask, the ear to ear grin on Toms face should have given it away. I explained to the officer that Tom had just taken his first buck and that he was the holder of the Incentive Tag. The officer was clearly overjoyed to hear this, probably thinking that we had just poached the deer. He explained that he really wished that holders of these tags would call and inform them that they would be in the areas, so when they get phone calls they don’t panic, which is understandable.
He checked out Toms credentials and then checked out the buck. He had about as big a grin as Tom did, patting him on the back. “That’s a dandy of a first buck you got there” he said, “going to be hard to top him.” I waited by the buck as the officer gave Tom a ride back to pick up his car. On the way back by, the officer stopped and asked if we would stop at the station in town so his biologist could take a look at him. We stopped at the station and one look at the buck he was grinning like Tom too. He asked if we would send him the lower jaw so he could run some tests but he tentatively thought the buck was about 5 ˝- 6 ˝ years old.
The moral to the story, although Tom has filled out only one report in his life, he did it and he did it on time. Get your reports in and this could be you next season.
A great buck for anyone at any point in their hunting career, let alone their first. Congrats again to my new friend Tom, I’m proud of you for staying positive and sticking with it, well done!
Post by: CamoDup on July 18, 2013, 09:50:59 AM
Post by: combs338 on July 18, 2013, 09:55:01 AM
Post by: SuperMag on July 18, 2013, 10:43:35 AM
Post by: Rooster1981 on July 18, 2013, 11:24:28 AM
Great story thanks for the write up :tup:
Post by: SkookumHntr on July 18, 2013, 11:52:33 AM