High Buck 2019

Going into this year’s high buck hunt here in the state of Washington, we all knew that it was going to be a lot different than last year. Only Pat and I were packing in for an entire week, and Jeff and Zack were going to hunt the weekends. Aside from that, we also didn’t have time to scout and this was a totally new area that none of us had ever been to before. The forecast didn’t look too promising and sure enough, most of our hunt days were spent dealing with rain, snow and very little visibility due to the heavy fog. I’d be lying if I said that I wasn’t feeling any pressure for us to kill a deer, after having so much success during last years hunt. Knowing that you can’t kill a deer by staying home, we set out into the wilderness. 

We loaded up the command center, which is Pat’s new van and headed over the mountains. Jeff, Zack, Pat and myself met for one last meal at the local pizza joint before we went our separate ways. Friday night was spent at the trailhead and we had all day Saturday to travel to our hunt location. The season didn’t open until Sunday but we each had bear tags in case we happened to see one on the way in. My pack weight was 56 lbs and Pat’s was 45. Our destination was about eight to ten miles in and about two thousand feet of elevation gain.  Since we had the whole day to travel, we didn’t bother setting an alarm and took our time getting there. But of course there were some obstacles along the way. The last trail that led us to our mountain was nearly missing and on the way up we got caught in a sea of deadfall with thick underbrush. If you’ve ever experienced deadfall, especially with weight on your back you know how miserable it can be. This is one benefit of scouting, knowing trail conditions and the best route to get to where you’re going. With it getting to be later in the afternoon and us not even close to our destination, we decided to find the best spot to set up our shelter and stay the night where we were. Traveling at night through deadfall and still having to go up and over the next ridge didn’t seem like a good idea. During the night it started to pour rain and it didn’t stop until 2:30 in the afternoon the next day. Eighteen hours were spent laying in our bags and hoping that it would stop. We figured there was no point in getting soaked and being miserable. A few hours is all we had to get out and glass for that day, but fog would roll in every fifteen minutes or so and make visibility very poor. After long, daylight faded and we were back inside listening to rain hit the walls of our shelter. I think next time we will bring a deck of cards to pass the time when in situations like these. Two guys can only laugh at farts for so long. 

We woke up and to our surprise it was a beautiful and cold morning. It finally felt like hunting season and our spirits were lifted again.  Getting to our destination and finding water was at the top of our priority list because we both were nearly out, and we couldn’t wait to move camp and get off that ridge that was covered in deadfall. Our Onx Maps led us right to water and then straight up the mountain we went. There was deer sign all over the place and we were feeling good about the area that we’d be spending the rest of the week in. It was late morning and we finally found a good spot to set up our shelter that had multiple glassing points where we could see down different drainages. With camp all set up, we hiked out to do some glassing. It didn’t take long for us to start spotting deer and in no time, Pat spotted the first buck. The same time that he spotted that buck, I spotted a coyote and didn’t realize that the buck was right above him. The coyote was actually running around the buck and antagonizing him. With how the hunt had been going so far, we wasted no time and went down and up the other side of the ridge in about fifteen minutes. Of course, when you get to an area that you’ve been glassing from afar, it looked totally different and it was really hard to see through the trees. Needless to say, the buck never got turned up so we headed back down to fill up on water and have dinner, then back up the mountain to camp. The buck wasn’t a monster but it was a solid three point that either of us would’ve gladly put our tag on. Morning came and it was back to poor hunting conditions. The fog had us totally socked in with poor visibility and about midday  it started to snow. Even though this is not the weather we had hoped for, I’d take snow over rain any day. Especially in the high country. So our entire day was spent keeping a fire stoked and periodically checking our glassing ridge to see if we could see anything. Which we never could because the fog and snow never let up. This was the third day of our deer hunt and at that time we only had one afternoon to get some good glassing in and make a stock. Our spirits were definitely starting to dwindle. 

Waking up on Wednesday we had high hopes that the snow had stopped and we’d be able to hunt that day. The sound of falling snow on the shelter wasn’t there anymore so we figured it had finally stopped. When peaking outside we quickly realized why we couldn’t hear the snow anymore. There was at least two to three inches layered on the shelter, making it to where we couldn’t hear it. Talk about feeling deflated. It had snowed all throughout the night and was showing no sign of letting up. Again, we got a fire going and spent the morning fetching firewood. It was mid afternoon and we decided to go take a look at our glassing ridge to check on the visibility. It was finally starting to clear up enough to glass a little bit. With the ground completely covered in snow, it made it a lot easier to spot any movement. I felt like I could see a field mouse twitch his whisker across the canyon. Sure enough, I spotted a group of three bucks over a thousand yards away just meandering on top of a ridge. From what I could see through the trees it looked like a two point, three point and one that I didn’t even care to count points on. Just seeing the last bucks frame was enough for me to get buck fever. Again, without wasting any time we went after him. In no time the distance was cut in half, but the way the topography was laid out we couldn’t see anything. By the time we got to where we had seen the bucks, just like last time they were gone. Their tracks were very prominent and easy to follow but they were going straight down the mountain and daylight was fading. With how the hunt had been going so far, we felt pretty good about seeing bucks and the weather seemed to be taking a turn for the better. When morning came, the only thing in the sky was a beautiful orange sunrise. As pretty as it was, it was also colder than a brass toilet seat in the Yukon. Toes and fingers were numb, but spirits were up and we had high hopes for what lied ahead that day. This was day five of our hunt and the first full day where conditions were just right for hunting. With that being said, we spent the entire day glassing multiple drainages that were ideal for deer, and we had seen deer in them earlier in the week. But no deer. Not a single deer was spotted the entire day and we finally had perfect weather conditions. The roller coaster of emotions was real. From feeling very optimistic that morning, to feeling like crawling back in the teepee and crying myself to sleep. Pat and I made a deal that if the weather was good in the morning, we’d give it one more day in that spot. If it wasn’t, we’d head back to the trailhead and meet the boys to hunt one last day. 

When we woke up on that Friday morning, the fog was thick and we were ready to get out of there and head back to the trailhead. Since we didn’t want to travel back through all of the deadfall, we took a new route off of the mountain. Even though it added a few miles to our hike out, we were willing to give it a shot. It was very steep and very thick. The whole way down I was basically hanging onto tree limbs and shrubs while rappelling down the slippery slope. We finally made it to the bottom and had one last obstacle to conquer before hitting the trail. About fifteen feet of river crossing and then it’d be smooth sailing from there on out. Pat found a log that he was willing to use for crossing, but I’m not a big fan of balancing on dead trees across rivers. I figured I could make it in a couple of leaps through the water because it didn’t seem very deep. After bounding through the water I made it to a log on the other side. But, I slipped and fell right onto my camera and my rifle scope went sliding through the sand. Everything seemed to be in working order so we had a bite to eat and started heading down the trail. It was about eight miles of flat hiking until we had to make one last two mile, twelve hundred foot climb to the trailhead. It doesn’t sound like much but we were definitely feeling it after the day that we’d had so far. The thought of cold beer, doritos and a chair gave me the motivation to get up that hill. When we arrived to the van, there was a travel trailer that had parked next to us and after a couple hours of relaxing, a few guys showed up and one had a buck on his back. We swapped stories with them and some other nice folks that were staying there. The guys staying in the trailer actually offered us a pizza because they had an extra one. After sleeping in a teepee all week and eating freeze dried meals, I want to say it was one of the best pizzas that I’ve had. Just when I think the evening couldn’t get any better, Jeff and Zack show up with chili dogs, snacks and more beer. We stayed up for awhile talking about the week we’d had and our hunt plans for the next morning, then had a comfortable nights sleep in the van. 

When I woke up the next morning, I had a gut feeling that one of us was going to have an opportunity on a buck. Both Jeff and myself have taken deer in this spot that we were going to hunt, and know other people that have been successful there as well. This spot was only a mile or so from the trailhead and we were day hunting, so we all had light packs on. As we crested the top of the ridge, we immediately started kicking up does and my excitement level was through the roof. Having been to this spot before, I started glassing this little meadow with patches of aspen trees. I’ve seen bucks there before and sure enough there was a shooter, not far from where I’d killed a buck two years ago. Having the week that we had, I didn’t waste any time. I dropped into the prone position and let one fly and the rest was history. Character is probably the best way to describe this buck. He had five points on his left, three on his right. Dark antlers, a kicker and probably the oldest buck I’ve ever taken. Pat helped me pack him back to the van and Jeff and Zack continued to hunt the rest of the weekend. This buck was killed on day seven of our hunt and this is a good reminder to never give up, because it can happen at any moment. Surround yourself with people that have the same goals as you and good things will happen. Happy hunting.