Santiam Unit Buck

stick flicker · 10-09-2008, 11:53 AM

Hey all. I wanted to share my success with you, and show a picture of my buck this year. I have had a great season so far. Bull and a Buck who could ask for more. Alot of hard work has paid big.
The story goes:
I finally decided it was time to revisit the area that I harvested the 9x11 monster buck that made me famous in Eastman's.LOL. My dad and brother decided they wanted to hunt another area so I was on my own. No problem, I will just pack the deer out myself! I headed up the mountain Friday in a rainstorm, and a forecast that was at the least not looking good. I was going to be high in the Cascades so I was thinking about snow! I got to the general area and found one other hunter camped on the trail, but there is lots of room up there so I kept on going deeper into the mountains like I had planned. It started to get dark on me so I made camp, and got a fire going to dry out. It stormed hard that night but my tarp help up and I stayed dry in my tent. Opening morning came, but I decided to stay put under my makeshift shelter because it was storming and raining so hard. I figured the deer would be trying to do the same. At about 10am. the rain let up so I headed out for a hunt. I sidehilled through the timber for a couple hundred yards still hunting. It was a little foggy and still raining preety decent. As I came near the ridge I was targeting I spotted a herd of deer walking away from me at about 100 yards. All I could see was asses. When I brought my rifle up to scope them I couldn't see through the scope.Eh!! So I decided quickly the best move was to flank the herd around a knob in front of me and hope they appeared in front of me. After some quick moves I was around the knob and had a dry lense on my scope. The deer appeared like they were supposed to and I spotted a buck about 50 yards from me walking last in the herd. I was only able to look him over for a second before I had to decide to shoot or pass. In this area I won't shoot anything less than a four point. I decided to shoot it didn't look like a big rack but under the circumstances(storming big) I was going to take the buck. One shot and he was down. As I got closer to recover the buck I was happy to see indeed he was a fourpoint. He was a young buck so I have some regret over harvesting him. I would have liked to see him in a couple years! He would have been a monster. I think he was about 2 1/2 years old.

So after quartering and boneing I packed the buck out. Ran into another hunter on the way out that shot a four point about 24" wide w good mass. My buck goes 20" wide and about the same tall. I was able to make it back to camp that night after stashing the meat in my truck and broke camp the next am. Called up dad and found out he shot a forked horn by the truck while hunting private timberland. Not bad for an old guy. Hope your season is as good as mine.

rem721 · 10-09-2008, 11:58 AM

nice buck- seems like a great hunt!! congrats to your dad as well!!

ORsouthpaw · 10-09-2008, 11:59 AM

Congratulations! I hope I can find an immature 4 point just like it this weekend. Thanks for the story!

spottedhawk36 · 10-09-2008, 12:02 PM

beautiful buck great job, thanks for the story and pics.

Got One! · 10-09-2008, 12:03 PM

Nice looking animal! Congrats

Eagleclaw · 10-09-2008, 12:03 PM

nice looking buck... congrats.

WildernessHunter · 10-09-2008, 12:05 PM

That is a great example of the species! Good job!

Beamerfish · 10-09-2008, 12:17 PM

Good work stick flicker - looks wet out there!

stick flicker · 10-09-2008, 12:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Beamerfish

Good work stick flicker - looks wet out there!

I could barely get the camera set up to take photo. I have a Nikon D50 about 800$ camera w lense. I was preety worried about the rain f...it up. The lense fogged but I got a picture off.

fisher22 · 10-09-2008, 12:30 PM

Nice looking buck-congrats. Imissed opening weekend due to other commitments but know Ihave the rest of the weekends open for the remainder of the season. I'll be happy with even a forkie.

Thehunter · 10-09-2008, 12:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stick flicker

Hey all. I wanted to share my success with you, and show a picture of my buck this year. I have had a great season so far. Bull and a Buck who could ask for more. Alot of hard work has paid big.
The story goes:
I finally decided it was time to revisit the area that I harvested the 9x11 monster buck that made me famous in Eastman's.LOL. My dad and brother decided they wanted to hunt another area so I was on my own. No problem, I will just pack the deer out myself! I headed up the mountain Friday in a rainstorm, and a forecast that was at the least not looking good. I was going to be high in the Cascades so I was thinking about snow! I got to the general area and found one other hunter camped on the trail, but there is lots of room up there so I kept on going deeper into the mountains like I had planned. It started to get dark on me so I made camp, and got a fire going to dry out. It stormed hard that night but my tarp help up and I stayed dry in my tent. Opening morning came, but I decided to stay put under my makeshift shelter because it was storming and raining so hard. I figured the deer would be trying to do the same. At about 10am. the rain let up so I headed out for a hunt. I sidehilled through the timber for a couple hundred yards still hunting. It was a little foggy and still raining preety decent. As I came near the ridge I was targeting I spotted a herd of deer walking away from me at about 100 yards. All I could see was asses. When I brought my rifle up to scope them I couldn't see through the scope.Eh!! So I decided quickly the best move was to flank the herd around a knob in front of me and hope they appeared in front of me. After some quick moves I was around the knob and had a dry lense on my scope. The deer appeared like they were supposed to and I spotted a buck about 50 yards from me walking last in the herd. I was only able to look him over for a second before I had to decide to shoot or pass. In this area I won't shoot anything less than a four point. I decided to shoot it didn't look like a big rack but under the circumstances(storming big) I was going to take the buck. One shot and he was down. As I got closer to recover the buck I was happy to see indeed he was a fourpoint. He was a young buck so I have some regret over harvesting him. I would have liked to see him in a couple years! He would have been a monster. I think he was about 2 1/2 years old.

So after quartering and boneing I packed the buck out. Ran into another hunter on the way out that shot a four point about 24" wide w good mass. My buck goes 20" wide and about the same tall. I was able to make it back to camp that night after stashing the meat in my truck and broke camp the next am. Called up dad and found out he shot a forked horn by the truck while hunting private timberland. Not bad for an old guy. Hope your season is as good as mine.

IT almost looks like this buck might have a little mully in him......Just a thought with the huge ears, type of rack.

NWaddict · 10-09-2008, 01:10 PM

That's a sweet buck. I'd like to see pics of the 9x11.

STRUTTIN-1 · 10-09-2008, 01:26 PM

Congrads.Nice Buuuccckkk.

oregonmuley · 10-09-2008, 01:32 PM

Thanks for the post - I've been looking forward to seeing how you did this year - it seems you have that area pretty dialed in. I've been poking around in the higher elevations of the Santiam also and it sure looks nice in spots but the deer are hard to find.
Congrats on another fine deer

Casey55JL · 10-09-2008, 05:33 PM

where were u at in the santiam unit?

DominantPrey · 10-09-2008, 06:04 PM

That's a good looking buck there SF! Well done.

whtelk · 10-09-2008, 06:16 PM

Excellent!!!!!!

Limbhanger · 10-09-2008, 06:57 PM

Good work S.F. , that buck does have some Muley looking ears.

BlacktailBowhunter · 10-09-2008, 07:24 PM

Congrats on a nice buck.

Wheels · 10-09-2008, 09:01 PM

Thats a dandy buck S.F. I will go out on a limb and say your buck is more like 3.5 maybe 4.5 years old.......................The rack reminds me of a younger deer but at 20x20 and that face........................I like them white faced blacktails. great job. wheels.

Basskit · 10-10-2008, 07:04 AM

Nice Buck, and Congrat's. Could be a Benchleg????

Basskit

Member OHA, Member RMEF, Life Member BASS

cubsfan · 10-29-2008, 08:09 PM

Nice work. Love to hear about Santiam unit bucks!

Ras · 10-29-2008, 08:33 PM

Fantastic buck Stick

. Yep, Santiam bucks rock

.

Ras

dwsurfer · 10-30-2008, 05:59 AM

that is a great story, congrats on a nice buck also.