2009 Deer Trifecta Part Three! (Whitetail)

[Alan K]

Hey guys, sorry it's taken so long to post this, but here is the third buck of the trifecta from last year.  My Idaho whitetail.  Don't have time to type up the story out of my hunting journal right now, busy studying for finals and working on semester projects.

Long story short, my roommate and I had cut up to some logging roads behind a gate and were walking along and glassing at first light.  We turned a corner and right away my roommate said "there's a buck!" Where, where, where!?!?! We had yet to see a buck all season, though we'd seen does each time out during our 15 days or so in the woods prior. The rut was just starting to kick in.  Anyways, it took me a few minutes to realize where he was looking.  I was looking fairly close, but the buck was clear up at the top of the canyon right on the edge of the reprod.  We were already laying down in the road with rests over our packs.  I asked if he was going to shoot, and he said no way, it's too far.  I said well I'm going to shoot then.  I held over him, steadied, and BANG! WHACK! I could here the bullet hit him and he leaped into the reprod. When all was said and done I ranged it, turned out to be 468 yards. 

It took a while to climb up there, I was so short of breath from excitement I had to stop several times so I wouldn't get sick.  We got up to where he stood, cut the blood and tracks and followed them for about 50 yards where we saw where he had fallen in the snow and slid down into an old skid road where he lay dead. 

It was my first whitetail, and I can honestly say they are the most difficult deer to hunt.  At least on foot etc. in the mountains of Idaho. . . They are the spookiest deer I've hunted. I'm sure it's a lot easier out of tree stands over fields like on television but this was far from that.  He was a main frame 3x3 with solid eyeguards, and a small 4th point on one side.  I caped him and put him in the freezer, and he's at Charlie's now.  If I remember right Charlie taped him at 121 gross.

It was awesome to take bucks of all three species in a single year, including two worthy of mounting (at least to me!).  I'm hunting all three states again this year, and it would be great to accomplish the feat again.

It's been a while so some of you may not have seen or remember the first two bucks I killed, here are links to the threads:

Washington Blacktail: http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,45719.0.html
Colorado Muley: http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,46159.0.html

[bucklucky]

Nice buck, thanks for posting the pics and story !!

[jjhunter]

That is a great year, Alan!   Got to put my hands on your CO buck - one of the best 3-point sides I have seen!

[deerslyr]

man that buck looks almost identical to the one i missed this year in idaho 
congrats on a great buck i cant wait to go back this year

[bowhunterforever]

Nice buck and story

[benhuntin]

Man that is a great buck and an awesome year. congrats

[PacificNWhunter]

Excellent write ups! Congrats on the great year!

[jason4429]

I saw your mulie at charlie's was that your first mulie also.That is a good whitetail also

[87Ford]

Nice deer and congratulations!

What caliber is your Browning and what bullets do you shoot?

[Alan K]

Thanks for all the comments guys! 

That muley was my 4th now, all from Colorado. I've killed my last three all in the same canyon, the farthest two apart were less than half a mile.  The first two were on the far side, this one was on my side, bumped into him on my way to where I glass from.  I'll make another thread with the stories, they're pretty good.

Oh, and the ammo I shoot is the federal premium vital shock, .300 WSM, 180 grain nosler partitions.  I'm putting a new scope on my rifle this summer, and think I'm going to switch to the Barnes MRX's for it.  They look pretty awesome.

[Pathfinder101]

Way cool Alan!  Shooter for sure.