It all started in late June when the unwavering excitement came over so many hunters across the state, myself included, anxiously awaiting the draw results. I sat there with my info typed in, waiting to press the login button in hopes of finally seeing “Selected.” I held my breath, expecting to see “Not Selected,” but after 16 years of applying and never drawing a deer tag, I finally saw it, “Selected!”
I knew I had my work cut out for me as I had very little experience in the unit, but as a schoolteacher, I would have a lot of time to scout in the summer. I made it out for my first day of scouting on July 21st and spent the better part of the next five days scouring over different areas in search of a mature buck. It began to sink in that this wasn’t going to be an easy hunt, and I wasn’t seeing the amount of animals I had hoped for.
It wasn’t until my ninth day of scouting that I finally found an area where I was seeing consistent numbers of deer, but not the one. About the time I was thinking there had to be big bucks in this area, I encountered a beautiful, tall 4-point that was probably a 170" deer. I thought that was a buck I would be proud to take, but it was getting later in the morning and I was eager to keep following these big, deep draws.
Within the next 10 minutes, I had gone another 500 yards and ran into a bachelor group of six bucks. Then, out of nowhere, a different deer stood up and immediately caught my attention. This was a really big buck. It wasn’t until I pulled up my binoculars for a good, steady look that my jaw dropped. This was the biggest, most majestic, beautiful deer I had ever laid eyes on in perfect velvet. All I could see was a massive body, massive frame, and points sticking out everywhere. I called my best friend and hunting partner, Trevor Dallman, and told him I had found the buck I wanted to shoot.
Over the course of the next two weeks, I drove out to this area in hopes of finding this deer again and trying to figure out his pattern. I was able to narrow in on his home, but he just couldn’t be patterned. I concluded that my best option would be to spot and stalk him after he had bedded down in the morning and was done feeding.
Fast forward to opening morning. As the sun started to rise on the first day of the hunt, I saw a few deer popping up, and about 15 minutes later, there he was. I watched him feed for a couple hours before watching him bed up in a draw by himself. This was too perfect. I left the truck for my first official stalk on this deer, and he was in a prime location. As I approached the top of the brushy draw he was bedded in, it began to sink in that I just might pull this off on the first stalk on opening day. I figured I was within 100 yards of the deer, but he was bedded in some thick stuff and I couldn’t see. However, I had pinpointed the bush he was laying under, or so I thought. I ranged the group of sage at 70 yards. I had the wind at my face and needed to cover another 20 yards. I was going to stand him up at 50 yards. I took the first step to close those last 20 yards, and out of nowhere, he stood up behind a different sage at 30 yards. We locked eyes, and I tilted my head down as subtle as I could and got my release on the string. I pulled back to full draw, and he took off, not stopping and not looking back. He disappeared two ridges over. I looked for him until nightfall, but there was no sight of him. I was having a bit of a pity party when it dawned on me that it was only day one. I was determined to find this deer again, and I did.
Over the next eight days, I played cat and mouse with the buck. Some days I would glass for hours before he stood up and showed himself, and other days I would find him within 10 minutes. Most days, he was with three other bucks and I had no play. I decided I wanted to play this one the right way. It would have been easy to put a stalk on him every time I saw him, but I knew I needed to be smart and patient and wait for the perfect moment.
On day 10 of the hunt, I got to my usual glassing spot and spotted something sticking out of the brush that just didn’t look right. As I looked closer, I could see that it was him. He had rubbed most of his velvet off throughout the night, and it was as fresh as it gets. I watched him feed and rake his horns on and off every five minutes for the next two and a half hours. I was hoping this was the perfect time to get him because he was by himself.
Trevor and I discussed the game plan as I had perfect wind coming up the mountain and I needed to stay right in the bottom of that draw. I made my way down the mountain, staying out of sight. Once I figured I was about 150 yards from the buck, I took my shoes off and continued inching my way through the bottom of the brushy draw. After 10 agonizing minutes, I had made it into a deeper pocket of the draw and was able to stand and take a breath. I glanced over and noticed the bush I had marked to shoot from was only 15 yards away. As I snuck up to the bush, I could see the buck’s antler tips but couldn’t get a range on him. I decided that wasn’t going to work. I saw a little sagebrush on the opposite side of the draw that looked parallel and was able to range it at 43 yards. I figured the deer was right at 40 yards. I pulled my bow back while crouched behind the bush and then stood up and took a half step out from behind it. The buck whipped his head right towards me, and we locked eyes. All I could see was his head and rack with my 40-yard pin right between his eyes. No way was I taking that shot.
I stayed locked in on my 40-yard pin, and he stood up and stomped his foot. With a perfect broadside, slight quartering away shot, I watched my arrow fly true, hitting perfectly right behind his shoulder and disappearing. The deer took off like a rocket, showing no signs of being hurt. For the next half hour, I searched all over in the draw for my arrow and blood. Nothing. Finally, I spotted the tiniest specks of blood towards the top of the draw. Trevor asked if I was sure I had hit him because he was running like no other. I was second guessing because my spotter hadn’t seen the deer go down. I knew what I had seen, though, and it had looked good. I told Trevor I was going to wait 30 more minutes so it would have been an hour since I had shot.
When the time finally passed, I decided it was time to go find this buck. I followed an almost non-existent blood trail for about 250 yards. I got 20 yards from the sagebrush pocket and knew that if he was alive he should have got up or I should have seen him. I took a few more steps, and there he was. I looked back up the mountain at Trevor and raised my arms. I had finally harvested the buck I had been dreaming of and spent so much time with. He was an absolute giant of a buck, and I was so thankful I had the opportunity to harvest this deer. The buck officially scored 233", making it the new Washington state archery non-typical record.
This hunt will be forever etched into my memory as I got to share it with my hunting partner. We have been fortunate enough to share a lot of success over the years, and I look forward to many more in the future, but I think this one will always stick out. This was a true Washington state public land giant.
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