2024 Blacktail bucks

[roosiebull]

I can almost feel the heartbreak, but understand the caution too.

I messed up this year. I spotted a beautiful, mature, orange antlered 3 point that made his way into a draw. I moved up hill to get a better view of the draw and spotted the head of a white faced buck staring me down at 103 yards, a little left of where I expected the 3 point to be. I thought maybe he had circled back around. I could see this buck’s face, the base of his antlers and one side of his frame, but not much else. I convinced myself it had to be the same buck and put one under his eye. I made my way up to him and found a large bodied, goofy antlered forky.

I was a little disappointed at first but I have a Walla Walla any bull tag coming up soon so I was going to miss the best part of blacktail season anyway. So I’m grateful to have filled my tag. The 3 point I spotted first was a gorgeous deer. He looked like a Prince of Whales buck. Hopefully I can help my wife find him before I take off to chase elk.

I hope you get another crack at that buck roosiebull!

The walla walla tag probably takes some of the sting away from filling your tag early

Today has potential, it’s raining pretty hard currently and is supposed to back off for a few hours

The part that bugs me the most is just not knowing what he was exactly, I don’t know if it was just a nice dark horn tall wide 3 or bigger than any bucks I have killed, and I know the rarity of seeing a big mature buck this early… I just hope he kept going and didn’t bed down and see me sneak back out of there, or a little bit of my wind got to him after I couldn’t see him.

To me, the best part of blacktail hunting is seeing new bucks, or bucks I’ve seen before that are older. Awhile before I saw that deer, I was walking out a huge track, and it turned up into the direction I saw him… when watching him, he was obviously really big bodied, and surely the buck that made the big track.

Not shooting a buck will never bother me that much, I just want to know what he is, even if he’s huge and I don’t get a chance to kill him

It’s exactly like hooking a really big fish, fighting it around, knowing it’s huge, but losing it just out of sight… I don’t care if I lose the fish, I just want to see the damn thing so my imagination doesn’t haunt me

 

[Rogue Bay]

The walla walla tag probably takes some of the sting away from filling your tag early

Today has potential, it’s raining pretty hard currently and is supposed to back off for a few hours

The part that bugs me the most is just not knowing what he was exactly, I don’t know if it was just a nice dark horn tall wide 3 or bigger than any bucks I have killed, and I know the rarity of seeing a big mature buck this early… I just hope he kept going and didn’t bed down and see me sneak back out of there, or a little bit of my wind got to him after I couldn’t see him.

To me, the best part of blacktail hunting is seeing new bucks, or bucks I’ve seen before that are older. Awhile before I saw that deer, I was walking out a huge track, and it turned up into the direction I saw him… when watching him, he was obviously really big bodied, and surely the buck that made the big track.

Not shooting a buck will never bother me that much, I just want to know what he is, even if he’s huge and I don’t get a chance to kill him

It’s exactly like hooking a really big fish, fighting it around, knowing it’s huge, but losing it just out of sight… I don’t care if I lose the fish, I just want to see the damn thing so my imagination doesn’t haunt me

I understand completely. I’m afraid my imagination always haunts me though hahaha.

Please keep us posted on this journey. Sounds like you’ve got some good weather. The meteorologist keeps lying to us. It’s supposed to rain every day but the forecast keeps getting pushed back and the chance of precipitation keeps decreasing. My wife still has a tag and I’m helping a coworker who is a first time hunter so I’m watching the weather forecast with great interest. Emotional updates and downs! Lol

Best of luck!