Hunting Washington Forum

Big Game Hunting => Deer Hunting => Topic started by: coonhound on November 16, 2018, 11:32:17 AM


Advertise Here
Title: My Best Whitetail...it's been a great year
Post by: coonhound on November 16, 2018, 11:32:17 AM
   I have been seriously blessed this year, 1st I drew a Bighorn sheep tag and was able to harvest a nice Ram and now I get lucky enough to take a great Whitetail.  I had been sitting in my stand 11 hours a day for the 1st 5 days of the season and was feeling a little discouraged.  All I saw were a couple small bucks and a handful of does.  The weather had been clear and my experience is they do most of their moving at night in those conditions.  Finally the weather report said we were going to have an overcast day with a few flurries.  I hit the stand 1hr before daylight just like the prior 5 days but this day I had a feeling things were going to start happening.  On my way into my stand I noticed 4 fresh scrapes, one of them was giant.  I sat patiently until about 7:00am when the 1st doe walked by.  She hung around for awhile and like a dummy I decided to go a head and sit down.  Almost immediately after I sat down, something caught her attention behind me, at about the same time I hear a buck grunt and he's unfortunately right below my stand.  He's a great 4 point and I know there is no way I'll get away with standing up or even just grabbing my bow.  I watched him for a while until he finally moved into a patch of small firs where he started raking his horns. This was my chance, I slowly stood up and grabbed my bow.  He started moving toward my shooting lane and stopped with just his head clear, we stood there for 30 minutes.  My arms were beginning to shake like crazy from just trying to be still. At this point I figured I would never be able to draw my bow and pull off a good shot if he did step out.  Well he finally got bored and instead of taking that next step to clear for a shot he slowly turned and walked back the way he came.  I was bummed but also excited to finally see a mature buck and some good rut activity.

    At 10:30 I was brought to full attention when I heard a buck ripping up a tree, it was right where that 4 point had walked to a few hours earlier.  I got myself ready and soon I could see a deer coming through the thick stuff.  Immediately I could tell it was a buck, I assumed it was the same one I had just watched.  He was coming my way slow and steady and grunting at almost every step.  When he got to about 30 yrds I could tell this was not the same buck, he had way longer main beams, he took a few more steps and I gasped, he had trash, I haven't killed a buck with extras.  Now I'm really excited, I'm giving myself that calming talk, as my hunting partner commonly tells me.  The route he was on would only give me a small window 15 yards right behind my stand, not ideal.  He was about 5 feet from my shooting window when I came to full draw, he must have caught my movement and he stopped.  I thought it was over, I held steady and fortunately after about 30 seconds (felt like 10 minutes) he started walking my way.  He came to the opening and stopped, allowing me to quickly find the spot and send one his way.  I clearly saw the impact, it wasn't perfect, about 5 inches back from where I wanted it.  He ran out about 75 yards and then slowly walked into a thick patch of trees.  My heart sank, I thought this could be a long day, I knew it wasn't a gut shot but was it just liver?  Seconds later I heard a loud crash, I was instantly feeling much better but still wasn't competely convinced it was a death crash.  After taking some time to gain my composure, I was clearly a little rattled, I climbed down and found my arrow. It had great blood and no signs of a gut or liver hit.  I sent a picture of the arrow to my hunting partner and gave him a call at work to talk it through.  I was ready to pull out and give him several hours but the more we talked and looked at the sign we were both convinced I would find him right were I last heard him. By now it's been a little over an hour so I went down to the point of impact and starting the tracking job.  The blood trail was not great, thankgoodnes for the light coat of snow.  When I got close to where I last saw him the blood was almost gone, I was just about ready to pull out and give it more time when I saw what I thought was a white belly.  I crept ahead and there he was, he was even better than I had thought.  I spend lots of time taking pictures and enjoying the moment. 

Jeff


Link to my Sheep Story: https://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php?topic=228362.45




Title: Re: My Best Whitetail...it's been a great year
Post by: SilkOnTheDrySide on November 16, 2018, 11:46:00 AM
That’s an incredible buck.  Congratulations.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Title: Re: My Best Whitetail...it's been a great year
Post by: Bango skank on November 16, 2018, 11:49:17 AM
Hell of a buck!
Title: Re: My Best Whitetail...it's been a great year
Post by: 2MANY on November 16, 2018, 12:07:40 PM
Jeff,
Congrats on an incredible buck and a great year!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Glad your health is good as well.
Nice job!
Title: Re: My Best Whitetail...it's been a great year
Post by: Milkman on November 16, 2018, 12:08:29 PM
What a tank!  Congratulations  :tup:
Title: Re: My Best Whitetail...it's been a great year
Post by: jmscon on November 16, 2018, 12:13:34 PM
What a great story and season, thanks for sharing!!
Title: Re: My Best Whitetail...it's been a great year
Post by: WAcoueshunter on November 16, 2018, 12:20:13 PM
Wow, what an incredible buck!  Well done!   :tup:
Title: Re: My Best Whitetail...it's been a great year
Post by: X-Force on November 16, 2018, 12:21:04 PM
Bomber buck. Awesome season
Title: Re: My Best Whitetail...it's been a great year
Post by: Jimmy33 on November 16, 2018, 12:29:29 PM
What an awesome buck!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Title: Re: My Best Whitetail...it's been a great year
Post by: Jimmy33 on November 16, 2018, 12:30:30 PM
Is that a WA WT?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Title: Re: My Best Whitetail...it's been a great year
Post by: Jimmy33 on November 16, 2018, 12:32:20 PM
Is that a WA WT?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Nevermind....I thought I was on Rokslide. Forgot I was looking at stuff on hunt wa..


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Title: Re: My Best Whitetail...it's been a great year
Post by: 724wd on November 16, 2018, 12:38:59 PM
HOLY MOLY!!!!
Title: Re: My Best Whitetail...it's been a great year
Post by: Quackwhacker on November 16, 2018, 12:48:30 PM
Absolutely a stud of a buck! Congratulations. You earned every bit if that one. All day sits a tough. Can't wait for more pics.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

Title: Re: My Best Whitetail...it's been a great year
Post by: Dwrecknfish on November 16, 2018, 12:57:42 PM
Holy cow! What a stud!
Title: Re: My Best Whitetail...it's been a great year
Post by: bigmacc on November 16, 2018, 12:58:41 PM


DANDYYYYYY :tup:
Title: Re: My Best Whitetail...it's been a great year
Post by: elkboy on November 16, 2018, 01:03:58 PM
Wow!!!! What a year! 
That is one awesome whitetail!!!
Title: Re: My Best Whitetail...it's been a great year
Post by: castnblast on November 16, 2018, 01:12:07 PM
Congrats on an absolutely beautiful buck amd thanks for  sharing hunt story.  Right to the point but heart pounding! 

Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk

Title: Re: My Best Whitetail...it's been a great year
Post by: Timberstalker on November 16, 2018, 01:30:46 PM
What a masher buck!  Congrats on an incredible year. :tup:
Title: Re: My Best Whitetail...it's been a great year
Post by: boneaddict on November 16, 2018, 01:31:56 PM
Dang! That’s nice!   I’d be happier about him than the sheep. :chuckle: 
Title: Re: My Best Whitetail...it's been a great year
Post by: elkrack on November 16, 2018, 01:45:18 PM
Great buck! Absolute stud. I know the feeling when that arrow inches a little further back than you’d like. Did you end up in the back of the lungs?
Title: Re: My Best Whitetail...it's been a great year
Post by: Doublelunger on November 16, 2018, 01:51:19 PM
That's a beast! Nice job!!
Title: Re: My Best Whitetail...it's been a great year
Post by: stew pidasso on November 16, 2018, 01:52:38 PM
Great job on both
Title: Re: My Best Whitetail...it's been a great year
Post by: Ridgerunner on November 16, 2018, 02:08:28 PM
amazing whitetail
Title: Re: My Best Whitetail...it's been a great year
Post by: coonhound on November 16, 2018, 02:15:22 PM
Great buck! Absolute stud. I know the feeling when that arrow inches a little further back than you’d like. Did you end up in the back of the lungs?

I ended up getting both lungs but didn't leave much more room, that's what happens when you get excited and rush things.
Title: Re: My Best Whitetail...it's been a great year
Post by: cedarriver on November 16, 2018, 02:16:23 PM
 Beautiful critters! Congrats!
Title: Re: My Best Whitetail...it's been a great year
Post by: CaNINE on November 16, 2018, 02:35:49 PM
Dang! That’s nice!   I’d be happier about him than the sheep. :chuckle:

That's what I was thinking.  Great buck!  :tup:
Title: Re: My Best Whitetail...it's been a great year
Post by: Wacenturion on November 16, 2018, 03:01:25 PM
Awesome whitetail.  Thanks for sharing. :tup:
Title: Re: My Best Whitetail...it's been a great year
Post by: sjhgraysage on November 16, 2018, 03:17:56 PM
Dang big whitetail!
Congrats!
There are not a lot of them around that size.
Title: Re: My Best Whitetail...it's been a great year
Post by: Houndhunter on November 16, 2018, 03:36:55 PM
Nice buck! Congrats on the sheep too.
Title: Re: My Best Whitetail...it's been a great year
Post by: JakeLand on November 16, 2018, 03:54:02 PM
Stud whitetail!!!
Title: Re: My Best Whitetail...it's been a great year
Post by: Birdguy on November 16, 2018, 04:27:24 PM
Read the story just after you posted it at work!! Could not wait to get home and see that buck again and show the boy!! Awesome buck for sure, thank you for posting the story and pics!!
Title: Re: My Best Whitetail...it's been a great year
Post by: elkrack on November 16, 2018, 05:32:54 PM
That whitey will even  make them Midwest boys drool! :drool: :drool:
Title: My Best Whitetail...it's been a great year
Post by: jackelope on November 16, 2018, 05:53:17 PM
That is what Whitetail dreams are made of. Congratulations on an amazing deer.
Title: Re: My Best Whitetail...it's been a great year
Post by: Hoythunter on November 17, 2018, 09:28:44 AM
That is what Whitetail dreams are made of. Congratulations on an amazing deer.

Exactly.  Fun to know those giants still exist
Title: Re: My Best Whitetail...it's been a great year
Post by: WAcoyotehunter on November 17, 2018, 10:00:27 AM
Awesome deer and ram!!!!    You earned it, sitting 11 hours is tough!
Title: Re: My Best Whitetail...it's been a great year
Post by: bearpaw on November 17, 2018, 11:16:40 AM
Awesome buck, ram, year, and story, congrats!  :tup: :tup:
Title: Re: My Best Whitetail...it's been a great year
Post by: Tjv28 on November 17, 2018, 12:16:25 PM
Dude... that thing might be a state record archery buck
Title: Re: My Best Whitetail...it's been a great year
Post by: lokidog on November 17, 2018, 12:22:11 PM
What more can be said?  Congratulations on a great deer and a beautiful ram.
Title: Re: My Best Whitetail...it's been a great year
Post by: coonhound on November 17, 2018, 01:18:22 PM
There's another piece of this story I need to add.  My hunting partner deserves a ton of credit for this years success.  He's been right there with me as I've been recovering from this brain tumor.  He was a huge part of my sheep hunt and skipped elk season to be there with me.  On the Whitetail front, a few years ago fires ripped through all my favorite stand locations and I was having a tough time finding a good spot that year.  He said he knew of a good prospect and turned me onto this area. (he's a Whitetail killing machine) We've been going on this hunt together for many years now but this year he decided to take a year off and chase Mule Deer.  Even though I was over there alone this year he still put up with my play by play updates via text and took my call at work after I shot this buck so I had someone to talk it through with.  I owe him many thanks!!!
Title: Re: My Best Whitetail...it's been a great year
Post by: snake on November 17, 2018, 02:05:12 PM
A good partner is hard if not impossible to find.  Great buck.
Title: Re: My Best Whitetail...it's been a great year
Post by: coonhound on July 21, 2019, 07:09:10 PM
I just got my mount back, Alycia from Last Look Taxidermy did a fantastic job.  She has certainly earned all my future business. Another bonus is she is an avid hunter herself so you'll have a great time shooting the breeze and comparing hunts.  There are a ton of mediocre shops out there, it's great to find one where quality work and great customer service is a key attribute.(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190722/6bc8c62f8123c26d4b8b47b99cfc111a.jpg)(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190722/2567ab01fcf9647257fc1f07bea44098.jpg)

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

Title: Re: My Best Whitetail...it's been a great year
Post by: emac on July 21, 2019, 07:37:51 PM
I love this buck. That's a dream buck of a lifetime in any state and a once in a lifetime in this state. Congrats and beautiful mount

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk

Title: Re: My Best Whitetail...it's been a great year
Post by: zwickeyman on July 21, 2019, 08:06:31 PM
You're right about the work, very nice and congrats on the great buck
Title: Re: My Best Whitetail...it's been a great year
Post by: elkrack on July 21, 2019, 08:44:55 PM
Absolute beauty  :tup:
Title: Re: My Best Whitetail...it's been a great year
Post by: Dan-o on July 21, 2019, 09:19:34 PM
I would hate to shoot that buck.....................

knowing that I'd just shot the biggest Whitetail of my life and it was all down hill from there......

That thing is such  a beast............

(and yes, beautiful work)
Title: Re: My Best Whitetail...it's been a great year
Post by: Doublelunger on July 22, 2019, 07:33:20 AM
Great looking buck and mount!

I know score doesnt always represent the true caliber of an animal and this would be a prime example of that, but did you ever put a tape on him??
Title: Re: My Best Whitetail...it's been a great year
Post by: coonhound on July 22, 2019, 08:00:08 AM
Great looking buck and mount!

I know score doesnt always represent the true caliber of an animal and this would be a prime example of that, but did you ever put a tape on him??
Yes, he grossed 178

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

Title: Re: My Best Whitetail...it's been a great year
Post by: Doublelunger on July 22, 2019, 08:22:03 AM
Great looking buck and mount!

I know score doesnt always represent the true caliber of an animal and this would be a prime example of that, but did you ever put a tape on him??
Yes, he grossed 178

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

outstanding  :tup: :tup:
Title: Re: My Best Whitetail...it's been a great year
Post by: bowhunterforever on July 22, 2019, 12:32:24 PM
looks great :tup:
Title: Re: My Best Whitetail...it's been a great year
Post by: DOUBLELUNG on July 24, 2019, 04:51:45 PM
Beaut!  And I agree, super taxidermy work.
SimplePortal 2.3.7 © 2008-2024, SimplePortal