Washington Muzzleloader hunt

[WAcoyotehunter]

I posted in the "roll call" thread, but this is my first "real post" on the site. I hope you enjoy. Sorry for the length! I guess i got carried away with the story. you can skip to pictures if you like!

This year I drew a Mission (unit 251) tag in Washington. The unit is attractive because it provides amazing winter range and when winter weather rolls in, deer from the Cascade Mountain high country pour down into the sage/bitterbrush areas above the orchards and city limits. The season was short, November 25-30th., so I had to get with it early and make the most of good weather when it was available.
We scouted all day before the opener and I was a little disappointed with the deer we found. I had an awesome "guide" (a friend of a friend...now a friend of mine) that really knows the area well and knows landowners and access, which can be critical in the lower portions of the unit. The winter weather was just beginning and the deer were still spread throughout the unit. That day we found a high basin loaded with deer, but the lack of bucks in the herd got me thinking that the rut may have been wrapped up. There were probably 60-70 deer in the basin, but only a couple of them were immature bucks. I knew that only met that we would have to keep looking and checking some deeper canyons or better cover. It was likely that the buck of my dreams was holed up alone in some thick timber recovering from the rut.
Opening day brought frigid temperatures. We used ATV’s to access a ridge top road that provided a terrific vantage over several canyons that were likely hiding deer. Before we even got to the ridge top we were seeing deer in the orchards on their way up the hill to bed for the day. The hunting method was different than I’m used to. We used the ATV’s to run the road on the ridge, and then we would slip down the hillsides to find a decent spot to glass. The guys that were helping me were amazing at spotting the deer. My wife and I were feeling out of our element in that open country, and we struggled finding deer until our eyes were ‘trained’ to the task.
Opening morning was slow, and similar to the previous day we found lots of does and immature bucks, but not the big bodied animal I was after. As we covered the ridge we began to move from lowland shrub steppe habitats into a ponderosa pine/ high sage habitat. It was a beautiful place and the snow provided contrast to spot deer. We came to a basin that provided a view of the next hillside and Kyle spotted a nice buck right away and it was time for me to make a decision. Through the scope we could see nice mass and tall tines. He was looking directly at us from across the canyon and without turning his head we couldn’t count points or get a good look at his headgear. When he finally turned he showed deep forks on one side with a nice kicker point, but the back fork had a busted tine and the front on the other side was busted up. He was a nice buck and had not been smashed up the decision to go after him would have been a no brainer. I wondered if I would regret passing on that deer later in the week. My guide reminded me of a saying that I’ve heard and even used myself “Don’t pass on an animal on opening day that you would shoot on the last day.” I knew it was a gamble to let him go, but I had set my sights on a perfect four point and that deer wasn’t what I was after. We covered a lot of ground that day and aside from the busted up buck we only found one other mature deer. He was a huge 2x3 and was tending a sizable group of does. Despite not finding an immense dark-horned brute, I was on cloud nine after finding and passing on a nice deer.
Day two brought slightly warmer weather and crystal clear skies. This unit is notorious for foggy conditions and dense fog will stop a hunt right then. We were so dependant on spotting that my biggest worry was being socked in and unable to effectively hunt. We found a nice four point early in the day while glassing from a road below. We watched him head into a deep canyon that led to the ridge we had been on the day before. After a moment of planning and figuring out how to get above him we were on our way. From above we had a perfect view of him bedded on an open hillside. Despite being clearly visible, he was in a safe place. With my muzzleloader I’m only comfortable to around 100 yards and closing to that distance would be impossible. If he didn’t bust us, one of the does acting as sentry would surely spook and send the whole group out of reach. We decided to move down the hill and get into position, just in case he decided to feed into some cover. As we moved down the hill I realized how steep and slick the hillsides really were. What started as a walk quickly turned into a slide on our backsides. The snow was deep and muffled any sounds, but it was all we could do to keep the speed of our slide under control and avoid filling my gun action or barrel with snow.
We made it into the bitterbrush and were waiting in the brush when Kyle got a phone call. Doug was below and had spotted a much nicer deer just over the ridge from us! We were up and moving right away and after more sliding and clawing our way up a steep hillside we were at the ridge top. As we crested the ridge we saw the deer immediately. He was with a nice 3 pt and the pair was feeding across the far hillside. It would have been a slam dunk with a rifle, but with my primitive weapon he just as well have been a mile away. We had to close over 200 yards on an open hillside to get close being in range. We low crouched and waited for both deer to lower their heads. When they did, we practically jogged straight at them. We managed to get a tree in between them and us and were able to slither into 200 yards. At that point we ran out of cover and the big four point was bedded looking our way. Unless something changed, this deer was safe. We watched and hoped for him to get up and feed our way for nearly 2 hours. Kyle glimpsed a slight movement just below the deer and soon a coyote crested the ridge just below the bedded bucks. They were up and moving right away, but they were headed in the wrong direction. They took a course that kept them outside of 200 yards and moved across the ridge above us. It was late in the day and we headed down the mountain discouraged.
At first light on the third day we were glassing that hillside hoping to found the big 4 point that we had been so close to the day before. We glassed for over an hour and found several groups of deer. Kyle and Doug assured me that the buck would be in the area, and despite all of us glued to the spotting scopes, we could not find him. We headed up to the top of the ridge and worked our way to an overlook of the hillside. My wife and I glassed one side and Kyle was on the other. Shortly later Kyle appeared over the ridge and told me he found a four point. I was luke warm about the news; at this point I didn’t want just any four point, I wanted that four point. I wanted the one from yesterday. The moment I laid eyes on the buck I knew it was the one I was looking for. It was the deer from yesterday, and he was bedded facing away at 200 yards.
Stephanie stayed on the ridge with the deer in sight while Kyle and I moved down the backside of the ridge to get into position for a 75 yard shot. The walking was tough as the hill was steep and blanketed with knee deep snow. As we neared the ridge we looked up at Steph and she gave a hand signal that we were close. I crouched low and slowly moved over the ridge. There was a tree that had hidden the buck from view from below. I knew he was under that tree and as the top branches came into view my heart raced. I knew he was close and every move had to be deliberate and silent. Kyle was right in my back pocket and like always spotted the deer before me. “He’s right there!” He hissed. I couldn’t see him. “Look to the left!” he continued. Still, I could not find the deer. There was a single serviceberry bush between he and I that blocked my view, but the deer had had enough. He was off on a trot with a dozen or more does. Kyle ranged him at 99 yards and when he slowed to a walk I fired. The smoke blasted outward and blocked my view of the whole herd. Kyle asked if I hit and I had no idea. I was praying for that deer to be piled up when the smoke cleared, instead he was moving across the hillside and putting distance between us.
It was a poor decision to shoot, and I should have held off in hopes of a still target, but the adrenaline was pumping and I was rushing to get the sights on him before he crested a small ridge. In any case, after looking for blood or any sign of a hit, it was clear that I had whiffed the shot at that deer. We watched him slow to a walk and eventually begin to feed in the distance. It was getting late in the afternoon and we decided to go watch him until dark and get on him in the morning. We watched that deer move among 25 does until darkness forced us down the ridge and back home.
At 4:00am the next morning I woke to snow. It was the worst case scenario for this hunt. I knew the deer was on that hillside, but walking it in hopes of a 100 yard shot would be nearly impossible. We got to the lowland spotting area and were set up before dawn. Miraculously, the snow stopped and the clouds rose to a level just below the ridgeline. We could see the whole hillside and I knew that buck was on it. We glassed for over two hours before he showed himself. We had been seeing does move across a short draw all morning; when I saw another deer in the open there, I figured it was another doe. Sure enough, it was, but when I focused on her I could clearly see his antlers in the sage below. He had found a hot doe and was tending. As she moved into the next draw and out of sight, he rose and followed suit. The draw they had chosen was a perfect hiding spot. It was thick in the bottom with open hillsides, and there were very few spots that allowed us to look into the bedding area. We found one and located the buck looking directly down hill. Stephanie and I immediately got on the trail and made it to the ridge top. We worked over the ridge could not see the area he was bedded in. As we moved down the canyon I knew that I had to see him first. I picked apart the brush and finally saw the back fork of his right antler showing through a hole in the cover.
After a quick talk with Steph, she wished me good luck and I was in hunt mode trying to cover almost two hundred yards for a shot. I slithered my way down the mountain using deep snow and sparse sage brush for cover. At times my slides were nearly out of control and I had to claw my heels and hands deep in the snow to slow my descent. I closed to 200 yards and got a good look. I couldn’t see the doe, but could see the whole right antler and his nose through the brush. I knew it was time to slow down and pick my way carefully. The next hour got me into 100 yards, at that range I capped the gun and prepared myself for a shot. As I sat watching I would wait for his head to be hidden and slip to the next bush. This slow sneak closed another 25 yards and I ran out of cover. The wind was reliable and I knew that if I could be patient I would get this deer. Minutes turned into hours and the cold was taking it’s toll on my body. I was dressed for it, but the slither down the hillside had soaked much of my body and the chill began to settle in. There were several times I thought about tossing a snowball to get him on his feet, but my fear that he would dash out of range kept me hunkered silently in that clump of cover. After three and a half hours he finally stood, his side covered by the bush that hid him. My gun was on him and my sights dialed on his vitals. He was still for a moment and only needed to move a couple steps to open himself for a perfect shot. Those steps never came. He raked his antlers briefly, grunted twice and laid back down after only a minute on his feet. To wait for that long only to have him rise without offering a shot was maddening. I was committed and decided to wait him out until the opportunity presented itself. Soon later the fog began to settle onto us. At first it came in wisps, barely noticeable. Then it settled in and the deer and I were hidden from each other in a shroud of white. When he stood again I could barely see his outline. He stretched and turned downhill. My safety was off and I could feel the trigger, but through the dense fog I could not be sure that my shot would be clear of brush. I watched as the buck fed into a veil of fog. I was disappointed and feeling pretty discourages. The prospect of eating the tag hit me at that point and I knew that with two days left I would be lucky to find the deer I was after.
The weather report for the next day called for snow and fog. It was a worst case scenario. Steph and I woke early to new snow that continued to fall. We headed to the hillside to find the four point that had eluded us for the last two days. When we arrived my heart sank. The fog was as dense at the previous day and visibility was nearly zero. Despite the disappointment I was not ready to give up. We headed up the highway to see if we could get above the fog. We ended up at the basin that held the huge group of does on the day before the opener. When we arrived there were already two guys glassing and another in the basin making a sneak. While that was a disappointment, the relief lied in the fact that we were above the fog and actually able to hunt! We headed back down into the fog to access the ridge top on the ATV. I hoped that the ridge road would get us above the fog and into some deer.
As we crested the rise and into the sun my suspicion proved correct. We saw deer immediately, but they were all does. Around the next corner we stopped to glass a distant logging unit and spotted several does. Then Steph said the words that I had been waiting for “There’s a buck, and he looks like a nice one!” I was stoked. After a quick look I saw deep forks and nice mass; I knew he was the deer I would take home. We made a quick plan for me to traverse the hillside below the deer and try to get into a draw next to them. Steph was across the basin glassing him and could see the does, the buck and me all working across the hill. When I thought I was close I looked at Steph through the binoculars and she signaled that I was close. I could sense the panic in her movement and slowed everything way down. I froze and used my binoculars to pick the tangled mess of brush and downed trees apart. I could see the does, and they could see me. The buck was no where in sight. I waited for what seemed like an eternity, sure the does were going to blow up and take the whole group out of the canyon. Finally he slipped out from behind a small clump of pines and offered an 80 yard broadside shot. At the pull of the trigger I knew that deer was mine. The shot felt perfect, but the smoke blocked any view of him or the hit. I glimpsed him running through the brush then disappearing behind a thick tangle.
My binoculars were glued to my face trying to find any sign of him. Finally I spotted crimson spray in the snow. I knew he was hit hard and had probably already expired. As I clawed my way up the hill all the memories from the week of hunting and all the ups and downs that had come my way were flooding through my head. This hunt had been a special one and I really felt privileged to be hunting in the backcountry, with my wife watching the whole episode unfold. I did not know it, but she could see the deer piled up right above me; he hadn’t gone 30 yards. The thick brush blocked him from my view and I was nearly on top of him before I saw him.
Memories of the ‘one that got away’ will likely haunt me for some time. All I can do is chalk those up as humbling learning experiences. The deer I harvested is my biggest yet and I’m very happy with him. I’ll be entering the drawing for that unit again and will hopefully get the chance to revisit some of the country that came to mean so much to me in only a few days.

[BIG R]

Great buck.Congrats

[dahlmer]

Great buck! It sounds like you worked hard for it.

[MuleyMadness]

Very cool thanks for the story and intro. Congrats on a fine buck.

[derekp1999]

Great story & congrats on a nice buck.

[sneekeepete]

Great story and buck! I really enjoyed it thanks for sharing and