Back in 99 I was headed in to an area that had peaked some interest in seasons past. Riding a borrowed 2 stroke 250 I hit snow and was in power band skipping up through the ever increasing snow depth. I come out of the draw and the bike bogs down in snow that’s too deep. I look back over my shoulder in to the open clearing hear comes a doe fast with a GIANT 4x4 tailing her. I must have bumped them out of the draw into the only visible part of the hillside. There was 2ft of of snow and of course it was pissing rain. This was going to be a 400+ yard shot that I wasn't comfortable shooting at. So running up to the switch back trying to get a better shot the distance never shortened up. I tried my rattling antlers to slow him up to no avail, he had enough they were outta there. My only option was to drop down and up the draw which was easily as deep as the distance was between us. My plan of attack was to get up wind of their last tracks (hoping that was the only sign) and to follow where they disappeared over the top of the ridge. As I climbed up in record time I cut their tracks and kept myself downwind. I could see where they went into the timber and crept inside 50 yards. Keeping myself hidden, I tickled my "two point" rattling antlers anticipating they had not gotten be much farther. To my surprise nearly before I finished rattling he was staring down in my direction immediately! I Raised my gun and he disappeared. *$#@! So I Tickled them again and he was back out instantly!!! Again not ready he was back in before my rifle was shouldered. $&#@*&$#@@#! Now I was getting that sinking feeling he’d book it over the mountain down in to the middle of no where. So I prayed a bit though I’m not a religious guy and tickled those pickle forks lightly put them down and raised the gun. There he was!!! Gun up! Double throat patch met croosshairs, BANG! The 30 odd flipped him over backwards at 50yards against a giant fur! What a shock I had walking up to this guy. Is he bigger then my ol’mans 150”ers? I sat there for 20 minutes just soaking up the accomplishment I had made, which is now an addiction lol! Now the fun begins.....
i gutted the beast and started dragging him down side hill to where I’d come from to no avail. I ended up bucking him in half dragging each half 50 yards and going back for the other. Now it’s getting dark I’m near the bike have no headlight, lamp, nothing! No problem, I’ll just stash the front half in the creek and take the hinds out whole in my pack. Once at the bike I geared up dug the bike out spun it around and down hill I went. I hit the first cross ditch and snap! I break the chain.. GREAT! So I coast onward after picking up my spare parts realizing I can only go so far as there is three washouts that required a big hill climb on either side that there was no way I’m pushing this bike up with ease. So I ended up ditching the pack and bike. Now dark I start my trek out hoping to return early in the a.m. i get get back to the truck 2 hrs later I notice a note and a message on my phone left by a cop that thought my rig was stolen lol.. anyhow a borrowed bike that only got me the first slide and a full day had my deer back to the truck. Because I had no help I had to take a work day off and hike back in with a new master link to retrieve the bike. I’m very pleased with the events leading up too and trailing this hunt which to me will always be memorable into my old age Looking at the mount on the wall.
I later found out that he would be a contender to be the biggest blacktail in BC! Later was scored at 160 1/8 and today is still the second biggest recorded in the BC BOOK.
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Re: Blacktail of a lifetime
