2021 Blacktail- The wind storm buck

[skagitsteel]

2021 was another year I waited patiently for my favorite hunt of the season.  It's a hunt that tests my physical and mental limits every year without fail, it also seems to be the hunt where I am right in my own element and find myself going daylight to dark without stopping, regardless of the weather.  I usually scout, run a few cams and try to locate a big buck or two to chase.  Usually I am able to find one, sometimes two, almost always I end up tagging a different one I never knew even existed, this year was no different. 
Having spent many nights in the backcountry chasing elk already this season, I was a little more limited on how many nights I could pack in deep for blacktail.  That left me with mostly day hunts and some ridiculously long middle of the night treks into a few of my areas, hunting hard all day, and returning to the truck late in the day.
 
 2020  I took a buck that turned out it was much younger than expected.   I was determined to get back on track this year and find a fully mature buck, I had an area that I knew held one good buck and I hunted it hard, rotating into a couple other spots when it needed a rest.  I didn't see a single deer until my 3rd full day of hunting hard.  A few of my areas have been hit really hard by the lions the last 2-3 years and it certainly shows.  Very occasional deer, might be 1 buck and 2-3 does on each huge timbered hillside that I hunt with a lot of real estate to hide them.  I kept after it, day after day, moving slow, glassing behind every tree and into every deer bed.  Rain, snow, high winds, wet brush, no question it is a total grind. The morning of the 24th found leaving me truck around 3 am convincing myself it 'wouldn't be that bad' despite what the weather forecast said  .  A few hours later I was cresting over the rocky exposed top of the mountain in a complete blizzard.  Blowing 60-70 easily, maybe more, I was mostly bothered that I had forgotten my ski goggles  .  I lost my footing a few times, blown off my feet by the high winds and tearing  a big hole in my favorite rain pants!  I ended up having to stay on all fours across some of the most exposed stretches to keep going.  Eventually, daylight came and I reached that patch of dark timber I was headed for.  After watching a 40' tree crash down in front of me, I decided to work my way around to the protected side of the mountain.  It was still bad just not 'as bad'.  after 7 hrs of still hunting my way through the timber, blowing rain and snow the entire time, I noticed something that didn't look right in a patch of brush in front of me.  Looked through the binos, and sure enough there was the white face of a buck staring at me from his bed 80 yards away. I didn't have a clear view so I took a few steps forward, he stood up from his bed.  I could see his body now, but not his head.  Definitely had a big barrel chest that looked like a 55 gallon drum, I knew by the body it was most likely a good mature buck.  I sidestepped left and his head came into view.  Wide head, big chest, not a big frame, but looked like 2x3 with good mass.  He was very content to stare at me from heavy cover and I wasn't sure at this point if I wanted to pass or shoot.  I slowly sat on a downed log, took off my pack and leaned my rifle up against a tree.   The wind was so loud, noise didn't matter, I just moved real slow. I just stayed their and looked him over, got a little video, really wanting him to give me a side profile before making a final choice. I watched him for what seemed like forever, but was actually about 10 minutes.

[skagitsteel]

I took a few more steps forward, hoping the buck would turn his head broadside and give me the look I wanted.  To my surprise he took two steps towards me, not realizing yet what I was.  Once he stepped out from behind the tree he got a good look at me and his head shot up and he began to turn broadside, about to take off.  When he turned I saw the mass, the short wedge shaped nose and big body, my internal 'age meter' alarm bells went off at that point and so I decided to take him.  One shot behind the shoulder, he ran about 20 yards and tipped over, tumbling down the steep timbered hillside landing on a small flat bench 100' or so below. 

Walking up on him. 

[skagitsteel]

another view

[skagitsteel]

The buck died in a spot where the trees were swaying pretty good, some branches were coming down and it was a little interesting.  I had one eye on the knife, the other on the swaying trees. I did a quick butchering job, hung the quarters and trimmings in a tree and headed back down the mountain.  Returned the next day with my pack goats to do the hard work, 7 hour roundtrip hike and we were back to the truck with the buck. 

[salt n sage90]

Awesome Blacktail as usual!

[pianoman9701]

Cool deer and packing goats, too.

[jason4429]

Beautiful blacktail. Those kind of days are the best.

[elkboy]

Great story and photos! So cool to have the goats helping you on the packing job. 😀

[bearhunter99]

Great story and buck!  Love the goats!

[JakeLand]

Great buck !

[fowl smacker]

Awesome, thanks for sharing.

[castie2504]

Cool story, best part is the pack goats!

[WildlifeAssassin]

Great story & buck, thanks for sharing yearly, always impressed.

[wafisherman]

Amazing!

[Birdguy]

Seems like just another season for you! I have enjoyed your hunts for years! Great pics, glad things ended safely and way cool to post the goats!