Fifty four years for a "Buck of a Lifetime"

Rustydog

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Fifty-four years for a “Buck of a Lifetime”

• Yes, 54 years is a long time, but that’s what it took to finally harvest what I dreamed about for all those years. 54 years of anticipating opening day, 54 years climbing countless hills and some very steep mountains, and 53 years of the same result; forked horns, small 3 points, and an occasional spindly 4 point buck. Not what I wanted, but yes, meat in the freezer. When was this going to end? When will the frustration of not taking a really good buck be just a fading memory?

• Now at the age 73, I decided that if the last item on my Bucket List was ever to be fulfilled, I needed to find the right area, the right Outfitter, and draw the right tag if this was ever going to happen. I began early in 2017 calling the leads I was given and settled on Hoby Gartner, owner of Deadline Outfitters. He recommended Unit 54 in Southern Idaho and gave me specific directions on how to secure a tag. As a matter of fact, his wife Tasha took over and submitted all the necessary paperwork to the State of Idaho and by June my trip became a reality. I had my Tag, my Outfitter, and now the agonizing wait began.

I began doing lots of shooting, No one was going to say I wasn’t dialed in for success if the perfect Buck showed up. I decided to use my Remington 700 in 25-06 for this hunt because I knew there would be some hiking involved. I wanted a light weight rifle that made long hikes easier to tolerate. This proved to be a good decision as you will hear later.

Opening morning found my guide, Preston and me glassing some far away hills that Preston said was a natural attractant to the bucks in this area once the shooting began. I’ll label this, “Good Call # 1.” As if on que, the shooting began at first light and this only heightened Preston’s glassing efforts. After one half hour, he gives me his “report”. “John, I counted four good bucks coming off the knob you see due east and drop into a sage choked “bowl” near some rimrock. Let’s keep them in mind. OK?” Good Call #2. It was a no brainer. That’s the area where the deer are concentrated.


Before I go any further, I need to go back about 15 hours when I met Deadline Outfitters owner Hoby Gartner at a local café. A broad smile and a genuine handshake was just what I needed after my 11 hour drive from my home in Portland, Oregon. Hoby is a no nonsense guy with an obvious hunting background despite his 34 years. He told me exactly what to expect while on this trip. He told me that I would be staying in a “Lodge” he built on his property completely separate from his personal residence. He told me about Preston, one of his long time guides, and that this would be a one on one, spot and stalk hunt. (I didn’t expect to have my own guide and it was a welcomed luxury.} And then he told me to “be choosey John, there are some real monsters in the area you’ll be hunting.” Wow, was I happy to hear those words, but with my 53 year history I was hard pressed to think anything exceptional was in store for me. As we proceeded to the “Lodge”, I was blown away as I walked through the door. Look in any dictionary under Hunting Lodge and you know what lay before my eyes. An entire house decorated with beautifully mounted heads and other hunting trophies, A giant screen TV, full bath, kitchen, wood stove, and leather couches everywhere. I was at home and loving every minute of the experience. Hoby’s wife Tasha served me a wonderful dinner and made sure I was comfortable before I retired for the evening. (More like tossing and turning all night in anticipation of opening day the next morning) I have never been treated as well on any of he guided hunts I’ve been on before. Top drawer, to be sure.

Back to the hunt. “John, are you ready for this experience, because it begins now!” We drive around the first bend on a rarely used road and Preston slows to a crawl. He quietly tells me to look up on the rimrock, just to the left of the big sage thicket. I heard my heart skip a beat as I immediately spotted a 160 class 4 x 4 buck peering down at us. Un-spooked, he turned and seemed to be showing us his entire conformation. I gripped my rifle and reached for the door determined to take this big buck within minutes of my entering “his” world. “John, we can do a lot better than that,” I turned to Preston and saw a look of both confidence and whim as he smiled and assured me his words were true. I think I said, “OK”, but I’m not sure I meant it! Down the trail we go, crossing dry creek beds and overhanging thorny branches. I remember passing on at least 3 other good bucks on Preston’s advice.

It’s now 11:00 AM and conditions were still perfect. We set up on a spur road and Preston brings out his favorite spotting scope. With the scope sitting on a tripod, Preston is really concentrating on a far off hillside. Something he saw brought him to “full point” .“John, I found the four bucks we saw this morning and one is a real trophy. Load up, we are going after him.” “OK” I said only this time I really meant it”

After a half hour drive, we arrive at the base of a cheat grass and rock- strewn hill. That’s as far as we can go in the truck, so we began the not too difficult assent to where Preston saw the bucks bed down for the day. After an hour or so, we positioned ourselves so that we could look into this natural rimrock formed “bowl”. We both looked under every, piece of purple sage brush and every water starved sticker bush but never saw anything! As my hopes faded for finding the deer, Preston assured me that the bucks are in this bowl, hang in there. “OK” was my weak response.

Then Preston whispers to me and tells me to put my rifle on the sticks and get ready to shoot. He says he is going to clap his hands together and make noise. If the deer are indeed here, they will explode out of the sage, be ready. Without hesitation I got comfortable and readied my rifle on the shooting sticks. Preston slams his hands together and make a hissing sound at the same time. Not 40 yards to my right, out springs a huge doe.. “Get ready, the bucks are……that’s all I heard as two giant bucks squirt out of their hiding holes and head for the rimrock. I yelled “left or right” to Preston and he yelled back, “LEFT”. I swung my rifle, compensated for the buck’s speed, and touched the trigger. He is hit but beds down behind a sage patch. We spot him and make the short walk to insure a humane and required kill shot. My God, it’s over 54 years of trying, 54 years of defeat, and it all comes to a highly successful end on a sagebrush covered hill in Southern Idaho. 54 years in Unit 54, how perfectly ironic, but the Buck of a Lifetime is mine.

Thanks to everyone associated with Deadline Outfitters. My stay with you was beyond anything I could have expected and created a memory never to be matched!

** For the record, Preston and Hoby green scored my buck at 177 4/8th. And judged him to be 5 ½ years old.

I HAVE PICTURES BUT HAVE NO IDEA HOW TO POST THEM IN MY STORY. Help please!

 
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Right on John! Congrats. If you want, send me the pictures in an email and I'll host them on my Smugmug and post them up.
 
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Quote: I HAVE PICTURES BUT HAVE NO IDEA HOW TO POST THEM IN MY STORY. Help please!


Enjoyed reading about your hunt!
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Flickr used by quite a few PM members. You can open Flickr account and upload your pictures. (their instructions not hard to follow). Posting not too difficult either. Once your pics are uploaded to Flickr:

1) Choose picture to be posted and left click on it.
2) LClick on arrow pointing down @ lower right hand corner of black screen
3) Choose
4) Pick desired size
5) W/cursor over picture, Right Click
6) Click
7) Copy properties in menu
Open dialog box in PM
8) Click button above dialog box (4th button from left)
9) Choose type of image desired, ie.
10) Paste your picture's properties
11) click

Look forward to seeing your pics.

Regards,
hm

 
Hats off, big high five. Your story is that of a hunter, rather it's patience and perseverance or old age and treachery the job is done. Good judgement comes from experience, and most of that come from bad judgement.
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Originally Posted By: ajgunnerHoly Cow Man, someone please help this old dude out and teach him how to post pics.



the thread is 2 years old and the deer killer has not made another post since. don't get your hopes up for pictures. lol
 
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