Hunt of a Lifetime

[PLhunter]

This last June I was at a TRCP event when a friend came up and asked me if I drew anything in Idaho. Not expecting the results to be out so soon I hadn’t even looked. I quickly logged in and to my shock I saw “selected” in green font in line with what most consider the best elk unit in Idaho. I was in shock. After over 30 years of applying I had drawn my first premium tag and it was a dandy.

It was truly a once in a lifetime opportunity. The hunt consumed my thoughts, time, and training for the entire summer. I made the long trip out to scout the unit twice. On the second trip out on the last scouting day I finally found some bulls worthy of the tag. The hunt finally came and even after showing up a few days early the big bulls proved hard to locate. We eventually pulled the plug and moved to a different area where I had seen more elk but smaller bulls. Ultimately, after some amazing encounters and fun hunting I had a bull down.

As I came up to the bull for the finishing shot my heart sank. The bull I had shot was not the bull of my dreams. He was not a once in a lifetime specimen. He was a lovely 6 point bull but young, and not of the caliber of the unit. The mixture of feelings of reverence and regret I had when processing that bull left me nauseous. This was not what we came for and everyone knew it. What had been envisioned as a moment of joy found instead a tense environment with hard questions we all knew couldn’t be asked yet. It was quiet and solemn. I tried to put on a show of acceptance and gratitude but everyone could see right through it. 2025 was my hunt of a lifetime and I completely blew it. That hunt experience is covered in more detail in this Thread 'Premium Tag Advice/Lessons learned'
https://rokslide.com/forums/threads/premium-tag-advice-lessons-learned.409200/

 

[thinhorn_AK]

Did you make this thread to direct action back at your other thread?

 

[PLhunter]

I’m almost embarrassed to admit how long that hunt affected me. So many lessons to obsess over. So many ways it could have and should have gone different. So many decisions to question. That hunt absorbed my seasons hunting plans and all my time off. I didn’t cash in on my archery tag for deer in Oregon so I still had a voucher laying around come November. I was just going to eat the voucher. I had used up my hunting time for the year and then some. However, I had a whitetail doe tag in Joseph still so I logged in just to see if there were any leftover buck tags still available. Sure enough there was a cwd testing emphasis any whitetail muzzleloader tag in the same area as the doe tag. So I cashed in the voucher just in case I got the time. We had set aside just two weekend days to hunt the area for whitetails and our group had 5 whitetail doe tags, so I figured the muzzleloader would probably stay in the case.

I was out that way for a work trip but my dad brought my oldest boy, a 6 year old, with him so he could join us. I had been excited to have him on a hunt where he might actually see something happen. It took a bit of work to get permission and he was a great helper knocking doors. Eventually, we were granted access to an area with good safe shooting lanes and where we could put on a little stalk. My dad, hunting buddy and his dad, my son, and myself crawled under old tractors and through fences to get within 220 of a group of does. My dad went first dropping his doe, then my buddies dad dropped his. My son got to participate in the whole thing. He was disappointed that I didn’t shoot but was proud of the grandpa’s. Then as we were walking across the field together a doe trotted out. I dropped down and took aim. I asked my son if he could see it and if he wanted me to shoot, with his go ahead i squeezed the trigger and she dropped. One stalk. Three deer. My boy was ecstatic and running from deer to deer seeing which one had the best meat. My dad gave him a blade and put him to work dragging and cutting off the lower legs. Once the hooves were transportable he was running across the field making tracks with his new deer legs. Happy as can be.

We loaded up the does and brought them back to the rental. My boy was already pushing for us to get right back out there for the buck the second we got the does back. There wasn’t but a couple hours of light left and I still didn’t have permission for that tag lined up. I made a call to a landowner who had said I could come out if another hunter tags out. Luckily they had tagged out the night before. With the go ahead we raced over. I prepped my son on the way that the muzzleloader was going to require us to get much closer and that we had to be even better hunters than that morning. Also, that we were going to have to hike much further and maybe move much faster. He was nervous and excited at the challenge. After a quick check in with the land owner we headed out.

 

[bojangles808]

uh trying not to be an a-hole but did you not look at the bull you were going to shoot before you shot it?

 

[PLhunter]

With that delicate pacing of covering new country quick while still trying to spot every deer before they see you we headed up the moraine. Not a bit of vegetation cover to hide behind but there were enough draws to conceal some movement. We found some does but we were set on filling the tag with a buck. We tried to move around them without spooking everything in the area. I was talking and planning every move with my boy the whole time. It was just me and him. We spotted a large group of deer about 1000 yards away at the edge of the property and I told him we will have to push like hell to make it before dark but we can do it. All we gotta do is make it to the fence over there I tell him and I think the deer will do the rest. On our way about 500 yards out we spot a group with a couple bucks in it. My boy is pushing that it’s getting dark and we have to charge in. He’s excited and it’s infectious. But I talk him into waiting until they go over out of sight and looping around to try and cut them off. We try the next draw over but they beat us. We have to lay down and wait again for them to crest over before making another play up the next draw. We see the lead doe at about 220 but the path she’s on will take her closer if we can just make it another 45 yards to a little point. I tell him to just follow exactly what I do. When she feeds I’ll move. When I stop that means she’s looking and we have to freeze. Thank god that doe was pretty tolerant but he sure did his best . We had about 30 feet more to go but it was a short patch of wild rose to get through. We whispered about being tough and just getting through this little patch. It was going to hurt but we had to be quiet and push on. Any ouch’s won’t last. With only slightly loud gasp and only moderate jerks from being poked he met me on the other side. He had wanted me to just go and he would stay back. But I told him that this one we are in together and that even if a deer gets away I’m okay with it, your coming all the way bud.

 

[Pacific_Fork]

Where’s your go fund me page so we can all contribute to your 2026 LO voucher redemption tour?

 

[PLhunter]

After the roses it was time for belly crawling so side by side we moved up to a good spot to shoot. The doe was 140 now and moving the right way. Two bucks were trailing in the group behind her. We laid there together watching the deer for I don’t know how long. He was being as still and quiet as he could for a very fidgeting 6 year old. Snow was falling and it was perfect. After I set up the gun I looked back to see him. His eyes were on the deer laying prone just like me holding up a pretend gun. I asked him what he was doing and he said he was getting ready to take that buck. The doe in front was now 120ish out. Within range. I told my boy once the buck gets to where the doe is I’m going to shoot. Your job is to follow the buck after. The buck reaches the spot I had marked for him and after finally turning broadside I shoot. The shot felt good and sounded good. The buck ran full tilt before crashing belly up. When the buck went down my son jumped up both hands high in the air. I yell to him “we got him!” and he runs over and gives me the biggest hug before running towards the deer. He stops and looks back at me with a big toothless grin before running right back in for a second bear hug. I’m watery eyed at this point and he’s just so proud of himself and his old man.

We will have many other hunts together but this first buck together is truly once in a lifetime and in my life of epic hunting adventures this one was my best. So in the end 2025 did end up having the hunt of a lifetime. It just ended up not being the leftover tag and not the super premium one.

 

[PLhunter]

 

[PLhunter]

uh trying not to be an a-hole but did you not look at the bull you were going to shoot before you shot it?

lol eventually you see that’s not the main point of this post. But yeah, never through optics myself. Tight windows in aspens and I had two spotters that said shooter. So I setup for the peep sight shot and took it when the herd bull stepped through the window and stopped. Lots of learned lessons but in the moment I was focused on making a good shot and never questioned their call on the bull. Water under the bridge now. Like I said learned a lot and lots of little things contributed to it.

 

[Steve300xcw]

uh trying not to be an a-hole but did you not look at the bull you were going to shoot before you shot it?

That other thread is worth a read. Some real gems in it.

 

[PLhunter]

Did you make this thread to direct action back at your other thread?

No, I just linked it to so I could tell this story without hopefully having to retell the entirety of the other story.