It all started the year before last. I had more than enough points to draw the area in Wyoming I had been eyeing and wanting to hunt. My very close friend whom I have shared many great hunts with wanted to hunt with me on this trip. He was a few points shy, so without hesitation I asked if he wanted to party and ride my preference points to average us high enough for both of us to draw tags.
He, even more than me, is very diligent in doing his research, especially when it comes to our time on the mountain. He did some long research, and every good line of information led him to Tre Heiner at Double Diamond and Greys River Outfitters, so we decided to give him a call. Right from the start, Tre had pure honesty and integrity with a positive attitude and we could tell he loved chasing deer. We decided to book the trip for the following year.
The year came around we had the trip booked for, and this friend of mine always had lucky shamrocks in his pockets or something because he somehow drew an amazing elk tag for our home state of Utah. We reluctantly had to delay our hunt one year. Tre, being the stud he is, worked great with us and moved our hunt to the next year. This was a huge blessing, and I got to help my great friend on the Utah elk hunt he had drawn. We started to think this was even better. We get this great opportunity to hunt elk together this year and hunt Wyoming the next. Then came one nasty winter, and we remembered it well. It started early and never let up, lasting well into late spring. It brought with it long lengths of subzero temperatures, making for one of the worst winters on record for wildlife, especially in Western Wyoming. I started to think we might have missed out here.
Tre stayed in touch with us throughout the winter and kept us informed on the devastation that was taking place with the deer herd, He did not sugar coat it. He gave us the opportunity to move our hunt to another year, understanding our situation with years of invested points and hoping to relieve some hunting pressure off this deer herd that he loves so much. We gave it much thought and concluded that there would still be a handful of great bucks and if anyone would find them, he was our guy. We were going to go and enjoy what we love to do, chase deer. Just being there would be enough for us.
Hunting time came, and we showed up. Tre was super honest from the get-go. He said he had good and bad news. The bad news was no surprise, “Hunting has been tough with very low deer numbers.” The good news was, “We have a couple real exceptional bucks for you to hunt. It will be a grind. We have been hunting these bucks every day for the last 10 days and have only laid eyes on the one buck once. They live in a very hard area to hunt.” That’s all I needed to hear. I was all in. Seeing as he only allowed two deer hunters in camp at a time, my buddy and I were the only two hunters in camp. He showed us scouting pictures of the bucks we would be hunting. The buck Tre and I were to hunt was an amazing giant, wide, heavy-horned typical. It was very evident that Tre and his team had put an endless amount of time in during pre-season scouting.
That night, Tre gave me the game plan. He already knew where we had to be. This buck lived in an area that didn’t have very many openings or vantage points. He said it was gonna take a game of patience and waiting for the deer to show up in the right spot. The week before, he and his previous client had a shot opportunity with the buck and missed. This could be harder than anticipated, hunting a buck that had already been pressured up in a hard to hunt area. I could tell Tre wanted this buck as much as I did.
The next morning came extremely early. Tre and I loaded horses in the trailer and trucked an hour or more to a trailhead. We rode up the mountain in the dark, starlit sky. The horses were doing great and made great time getting us up the mountain. I was full of gratitude. We made it to our vantage point just as it was about getting light enough to glass. We tied the horses back off the ridgetop a few hundred yards away and hiked to the knob to glass. From there, Tre showed me where the buck was living and said if we saw him he would be in one of two spots, where I was looking or down the timber ridge a ways in some other small openings where Tre would hike down to glass. We made a plan that Tre would be down the ridge about 200 yards where he could see the other small openings. He said if I spotted the buck to come get him.
I had been there for about an hour and hadn’t even seen a doe. Deer numbers were definitely down and worry started to creep in, but there was a different feeling in the air, I knew we were going to see him. All of a sudden, I saw a buck feed out of the timber into a small opening across the large draw. It looked like the smaller, mid-160" buck that Tre said the big typical had been hanging with. I looked up and what I saw looked like a square box on the head of a perfect typical mulie. I didn’t want to take my eyes off of him. There were such small windows in the timber, he could disappear in a few steps, so I watched him for 15-20 minutes, and luckily, he and his buddy bedded down in one of the few openings.
It was just about then that Tre came hiking up the ridge to me. You should have seen his face light up when I said, “I found him.” Tre hurried and sat down next to me and said, “You seem calm. You sure it’s him?” He quickly pulled his spotting scope out, and right away, he knew it was him. We quickly started to get set up. The bucks were still in the shade, but we knew we didn’t have long before the sun would break their shade and get them up to move back in the timber. My heart started going to that place that only people who have been in this moment understand. Tre was doing his job flawlessly, keeping it calm and ready to make a kill as professional and humane as possible. Once I got behind the gun and the buck in the scope, the nerves of a once young kid came back to me. Shaking like a leaf, it felt good to get this excited over a deer again. Tre had to make a few comments to keep me collected and ready. In the moment of truth, I said a little prayer in my heart and mind and let it fly. Tre, videoing it, said, “Got him. Nice shot. Be ready with another round.” Fortunately, we didn’t need to make a follow-up shot. It went perfectly.
We grabbed the horses and got over to him. I couldn’t believe the honor it was to be a part of this gorgeous deer’s legacy and him a part of mine and Tre’s. I felt on top of the world and could not stop staring at this wonderful deer. The gratitude I had for Tre was for his effort and heart he put into it all. I know how tough and rare a big typical like this is to even see, let alone get to take home.
I’d like to thank Tre and his crew for all their extra efforts in making this a trip-of-a-lifetime. I know I am already better for getting to be a part of their experience last year as they set that example the entire year from arriving at camp to coming home to celebrate with the family. I am very thankful for all the people who helped make this happen.
Also, I always want to thank God, my wonderful wife and daughter, as well as my family and friends who support me during all these different outdoor quests. I could not do it without them all and all the amazing mentors sharing their knowledge to keep passing on this great gift we all share.
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