First I must thank
@Jim Carr for keeping me motivated on big bucks in North Idaho. I was beginning to think there were no big bucks here. I grew up here hunting elk and whitetails, Mule deer was never on the menu. Then we started Rokslide and
@robby denning #thelegend talking me into hunting these white-faced devils.
Long story short over the last five years I have dedicated an obscene amount of time trying to kill a big buck up here. Very low MD numbers to start, bad genetics, brush, fog and predation make it a very tough hunt.
This year was shaping up to be a bust as well. But two days ago I saw a VERY big buck but the fog decided I didn't need him. So as luck would have it today was clear as a bell. I knew I needed to be at the first glassing spot at daylight. Which is fun because of the 6-mile walk in. I made it to the spot right at daybreak with a fresh three inches of snow. For the first two hours, I saw nothing but Moose. At about 9 I saw a couple does and a three-point. Then I heard a buck grunt below me which is funny because the last MD I heard grunt was the buck with Robby right before I shot him. Anyways, he was in a larch thicket and I was not able to see anything. About an hour later I was glassing and spotted a doe, then another than to many to keep track of about 600 yards away. I'm thinking there has got to be a buck in there somewhere. Then like usual, a buck appears like he has been there all along. But he won't stop chasing does and when he does stop he know how to put a tree or brush in front of him. This goes on for 30 minutes. Finally, he gives me a hard quartering away shot at 640 ish yards and I pull the trigger and he is gone. I scanned with the binos then the spotter, nothing and the does act like nothing happened. I keep looking for about 30 minutes then I watch a little three-point start herding does. If he is herding does that buck is dead... that what I told myself anyway. I make the trek over there and it didn't take me long to find the blood trail. It was a red carpet. The buck still made it a 100 yards down this little valley. When I walked up to him there was no ground shrinkage. Nope, he won't score well and I give no shits. This is the old nasty buck I have been looking for the last five years. I am beyond happy!!
Sidenote. I don't know what to think about the 230 Atips. They seem to be quite explosive. Although I was running them at 3200 FPS our of a 300 terminator. I will run the numbers tomorrow