2 for 2 on 5 pt Whitetails

[CJ1962]

My son was bugging me all week to go to the NE corner for late whitetail.  I wasn't to up for it as I had already spent 35 days in some sort of tent since labor day and I had already shot a nice bull in the Manastash.  But I was checking in on the forum last Thursday and it was looking like the rut for Whitetails was turning on.  Plus we had weather coming in.  But I was still pushing to just do day hunts for Black tails.  Watching the weather on Friday I was secretly hoping Snoqualmie pass would close.  But it didn't, so decided to go.  Called my son and told him I wasn't dragging out the wall tent and stove, so we would need to bring the cold weather sleeping bags and I wasn't taking anything to cook.  We would eat dinner on the road Friday and dinner Saturday would be in the Hunters Tavern.  Costco muffins for breakfast and Bagels and cold chicken for lunch and leftover Halloween candy for snacks.  We got on the road at 5pm, made it over the pass with no issues, pulled into the hunters campground around 10:30 and in bed at 11pm.  Shooting time was 6:30, so decided we would get up at 5, that would get us to our spot with plenty of time and if someone was there we would have enough time to get to a secondary spot.  As we were getting ready we joked about, why don't we just go shot two nice bucks early and head back home today.  Drop my son of on the edge of a clearcut and he was going to walk up a skidder trail to a hidden bench, I was going to drive around to the back side and work my way up through the timber and we would meet somewhere on the top.  Pretty early I heard a shot that I thought could be him.  Looked at my watch 7:02am and waited for him to radio me.  when he didn't radio I was thinking maybe it wasn't him so I called him.  He said he had taken about a 200 yd shot and was pretty sure he had hit him as he saw him rear up on the shot.  I hustle back to the jeep and drove around to where he told me.  When I got there he still hadn't gotten to the deer or found any blood.  My emotions did a 180, but it didn't last long as he picked up the blood trail and found the deer shortly after.  It was a quick slide down to the road, 1st deer down.

[CJ1962]

Gutted it right there and drove to where we new there was a game pole.  1st deer on the rack.

[CJ1962]

We then went to our 2nd hunt and my son pushed a draw for me.  He pushed out a doe, but no bucks.  We then went to the 3rd hunt.  We parked at the beginning of a dead end road and I was going to walk to the end, he was going to stay at the jeep and make sure his deer didn't run off.  I hadn't gone 300 yds down the road when I spotted a doe on an old road paralleling below me.  She was coming my way and would pass 40 yds below me.  Within seconds a buck came out and was following her.  I knew he was a shooter right away.  I waited for her to drag him on line right below me.  As he passed below me I took the shot.  He ran about 20 yds and was standing on the side of the hill.  I could tell he was hit hard, but he was still standing so I shot him again.  2nd deer down.

[CJ1962]

2nd deer on the Rack.

[curlewkiller]

Nice job gentlemen!  Nice looking deer.

[FSTaxidermy]

Congrats nice bucks 

[CJ1962]

Camp packed up and ready for the long drive home.  What a day, I am so glad my father took the time to take me hunting when I was younger and instill in my the love for the outdoors.

[buglebuster]

Awesome bucks

[Easy-E]

Awesome. Way to go!

[chukar58]

Nice stack of some good venison

[jackelope]

Great bucks. Congrats!  Just have to ask...did you drive all the way home with the deer on that rack like that? Id be too worried about all the crud from the road kicking up and getting all over the meat.
 

[Prime Time]

Looks like a pretty good day! Good work!

[mdbuck5x5]

Nice work...good looking bucks there!

[CJ1962]

Great bucks. Congrats!  Just have to ask...did you drive all the way home with the deer on that rack like that? Id be too worried about all the crud from the road kicking up and getting all over the meat.
 

They stay cleaner on the front than the back.  And as long as you don't tail gate anyone they stay pretty clean.

[jackelope]