Idaho Wilderness Buck

[martin_shooter]

Really happy with this dark-horned 4 point with matching stickers out of the Middle Fork. He isn't the widest deer, but I really like his front forks and the matching stickers.

 

[Jason Snyder]

Very nice looking buck. Backpack hunt, or did you fly in and then pack out from the airstrip?

 

[Craig Van Arsdale]

Awesome buck! Congrats

 

[PNWGATOR]

Beautiful buck, congratulations!!!

 

[mt100gr.]

Congrats. Great buck.

 

[mtnwrunner]

That is a dandy!

Randy

 

[dreamingbig]

Great buck. What is the story? How did you get on him?

 

[Jesse Minish]

Nice buck!

 

[martin_shooter]

We flew in and then packed about 7.5 miles from the airstrip. The day we flew in and packed up the mountain the weather was really nice and most of the snow from the previous week had melted. The following morning we hiked to a spot I like to glass from. We spotted a few groups of does feeding and small 3 and 4 points chasing them. About an hour after sun up, we were completely socked in and it started puking snow, about an inch and a half an hour. Visibility was down to about 80 yards so we started a small fire under some fir trees to wait out the clouds. After about four hours, we became restless and decided to try and glass a bit more. I made out some deer-like shapes about 500 yards off. We were both cold and bored so we decided to close the distance and try and get a better look. We were travelling a game trail below where we last saw the deer and at about 200 yards away I spotted deer feeding in some bitter brush. I pulled up my binos only to realize they were completely iced over. I grabbed my buddies from him, since he hadn't spotted the deer through the fog yet. I saw how nicely framed the buck was and knew he was big for this area. I ended up firing three bullets, with the third finally dropping him. With the heavy fog and the ice on all of our optics, we weren't sure the shots were solid. Ended up putting two through his lungs with the third through the spine.

After we saw him drop, we worked our way up the hill to him. He tumbled down the steep slope about 70 yards. When we walked up to him I was really disappointed, until we realized his front forks were completely buried in the mud. After we pulled his antlers out of the mud, I realized he was all I thought he was and more. After it was all said and done, he produced 84 pounds of boned out meat. The cool part is I shot him about 150 yards from where I shot this one last year.

There are a few spots I would like to pack in from the trail head instead of flying, but having some pretty high passes to cross, Im afraid of getting snowed in.

 

[realunlucky]

What a honey hole. Congratulations on a couple beautiful bucks

 

[b.roberts]

Nice job

 

[weaver]

Good job!
Was planning on doing a fly in hunt this year but ended up drawing my first choice tag.

One of these years I'm doing it.

 

[Greg Beck]

Nice job!! Congrats!! Sounds like an awesome place!

 

[island6]

That's an awesome buck and a great photo !

 

[belly-deep]

Looks like you're on a roll!

 

[CA Karen]

Great buck, Congrats!

 

[Mtnboy]

Man, what a hunt! Congrats!

I'd love to pull off a hunt like that, I think it's the closest thing to an "up North" hunt you can do in the lower 48.

 

[dhhunter]

awesome buck!

 

[TXCO]

Awesome buck(s)!

 

[BackcountryMT]

What a sweet hunt! Congrats