From Highcountry Velvet to Lowland Sheds

[dana]

For several years I had filmed a velvet giant in the highcountry above timberline. I gave him the name Widebugger. The first time I saw him was July 2000. The last time I saw him was July 2004. I was never able to find him during the hunting season and I have always wondered where he wintered. I have scoured the lowland timber for numerous years looking for his sheds. Finally, a couple of weeks ago, I was able to find the left side to his 2004/2005 set. I'm amazed at how much this buck grew from July 18th through to the time he stripped his velvet. The shed scores 85 3/8 and has the most amazing bladey mainbeam I've ever seen. The mainbeam is 28 inches long.

Widebugger July 2004 Above Timberline
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v145/BCBOY/IMG_0205.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v145/BCBOY/IMG_0647.jpg

The Left Side As It Lay
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v145/BCBOY/Widebugger04a.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v145/BCBOY/Widebugger04d.jpg

[dana]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v145/BCBOY/Mar25008a.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v145/BCBOY/Mar25011a.jpg

I have been back several times combing the mountainside looking for the match. Its amazing how a tine can consume all your thoughts and dreams for several weeks. Yesterday, after 4 hours of gridding the area, I located the match, but it was a bittersweet find. The rodents had chewed the hell out of it. In one breath I'm pissed and the other breath I'm relieved. Oh well, that's sheddin in BC.

The Right Side As It Lay
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v145/BCBOY/Mar31012a.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v145/BCBOY/Mar31014a.jpg

[dana]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v145/BCBOY/Mar31015a.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v145/BCBOY/Mar31016a.jpg

The G2 is 2 1/2 inches longer and the G1 was quite a bit bigger on the right side in velvet. Assuming that the rest of the measurements should have been close to the left side and giving it a 26 inch inside spread, he would have grossed right at the 200 inch typical mark and would have been between 37 and 38 inches wide.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v145/BCBOY/MatchedSet001a.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v145/BCBOY/MatchedSet002a.jpg

[BlacktailStalker]

Thats awesome, glad it came together for you although not as you wished. I always envy the pics and storys, one hell of selection of hunting area you have when it comes to hammer bucks.

[swamper]

Awesome pics Dana. I hope that one day you get a crack at him. At least you have had the good fortune to photogragh him and collect a keepsake. He looks to be a truly great buck.

[Mulie_Hunter]

Great Pics, Too bad about the Chewed up one. So what do you think the odds are that he is still alive and kickin'?

[Rookie]

Good work man! Thats a great set and a fine lookin buck.Hope you nail the bugger.

[dana]

Quite certain that he's probably catscat by now. Haven't seen him since July 04. He never showed up in his summer hidey hole in 05 or 06. I figure it was just an honour to get to see him all those years, and picking up this set is just a bonus. Maybe one day in the future I'll see some of his genetics roaming the hills in other bucks.

[ARC]

Wow, congrats on the find. So, was he wintering in the area you thought he would be and did you hunt that area for him in the past?

[JMac]

As I've said before thats what it's all about. What an awesome buck to have seen and studied.

[Tinney]

Finally posted em eh? :lol: Man that thing is huge. Shitty deal bout the chewed side, but you got a gooder left for sure.

[hunter1947]

Dana maybe you better start camping beside him in the summer ,that way you can follow his movement. :tongue: great pic of the sheds. hunter 1947.

[Brambles]

Nice Job Dana, I hope your wrong about him being Kitty Poo. I always like to think its does and 2 points that get eaten, not the freaks. Seems though its more often then not the other way around.

What kind of distance was it from where you found the sheds and where you were filming him, just curious to see how far he migrated to winter?

[Husky7mm]

Thank Dana that was a treat. Now my imagination is running wild.:smile:

[3kills]

good to see dana that u found some bone of his...

[Phil]

Nice looking sheds. That is true dedication to the sport.

[elkguide]

Dana, what a great find.....and what an awsome buck......too typical of those giant Kootenay Ghosts eh. In 94 we saw a monster up the Kootenay in July when we were fishing the White river.....never saw him again....... ( we watched that buck for 2 weeks...wish I had had an adapter for my spotting scope so I could have taken pics of him...)... anyways you got the juices flowing now......can't wait till fall!!!!!!!

[Frosty]

Dana ....where do you hunt?

[dana]

Hunt??? Who has time to hunt when there are sheds to be picked up???

[Tinney]

Dana ....where do you hunt?

Good luck with that ;)

[WoodOx]

Dana - haha at the BC sheep conference I was talking to a CO who said he ran into a guy near "Adams", who apparently got info from this website, then drove all the way from the coast to check it out!

Apparently this chap was about a month late, as the CO said the deer moved out long before he got there. Lots of gas to bet on a online tip!!!

BTW - on the cat scat topic Brambles - Although I dont pretend to be an expert on the subject, ive been told mature bucks often get the ass end of the stick with cat kills, as following the rut they are weak and have more trouble than otherwise healthy deer do outrunning cats. Just a point I thought was interesting.


cheers

[steveo32]

Dana is it true that you are as good a fisherman as hunter????? I wonder what kind of bait you use:twisted:

I wonder what the guys name was and if he is online and would admit to that mistake:lol:

steve

[dana]

Agaucher,
I guess it all depends on where in the Adams that guy was hunting. There was a ton of snow in there this Nov so the bucks were a tad lower than normal but there was a 272 net NT, a 240 gross NT and several 200 inchers that were pulled out of there this past fall.
As for lions killing big bucks, there are some lions that actually focus on trophy class bucks. Big bucks like to be solitary and pull away from the saftey of the herd, and some lions like to take advantage of that.
I found this less than 75 yards from where I found one of Widebugger's sheds. The fact he was living right near a lion's liar, is probably why I never saw him the next summer.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v145/BCBOY/Mar24022.jpg

Steveo,
I am one hell of a fisherman. ;)

[.308win]

I am one hell of a fisherman

Ho come on now Dana, you know as will as i do you haven't fished since you were 10!!....LOL!!....Nice find on the "widebugger" to bad about the critter chew.

[dana]

I was one hell of a fisherman at age 10. It's like riding a bike. Once you get good, you're always good.:lol: :lol:

[WoodOx]

Interesting Dana. Although I have no interest in hunting adams or any spot you hunt, I am curious about the type or country. Care to describe or post non-give away pics of what the general area looks like?

For that matter, do you have pics of those beasts pulled outta the adams country?

Cheers

[WoodOx]

And another question - why havent you hammered that lion ;) ;)

[dana]

The 272 buck has been posted up here several times now. Again just recently too. Mark took some good pics of his girlfriend holding it. It is my understanding the buck came from the Pukeashun area. That's a big area, including Pisma, Spillman, Taylor, Tracy, Molmich and Humamilt to name a few. Lots of country for a big buck to grow old.

As for country I hunt, I pretty much hunt all different terrains, from alpine plateaus, to heavy timber, to sage and grasslands. I live pretty central, and can access several Regions within 2 or 3 hours. I spend a lot of time exploring in the off season, be it scouting, sheddin or camping. That allows me to find and pattern numerous deer thoughout the year. Some years it pays off, some years it doesn't.

As for that lion that left that scat, I know one houndsman that beat me to his fresh tracks. I never heard if he caught up to it or not.

[Tinney]

So what he's saying folks, is that he hunts in region 9 :lol:

Who cares where some loudmouth trophy hunter shoots his big bucks? There's a million places in BC that hold big mule deer.

[dana]

Agaucher,
Here's some pics to give ya an idea of the kind of terrain I hunt. I definately prefer the highcountry over any other terrain.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v145/BCBOY/EurekaView9.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v145/BCBOY/DilDil1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v145/BCBOY/Chilco3.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v145/BCBOY/Farwell3.jpg

[LeverActionJunkie]

Once again Dana, very nice:) Beautiful pics. I need something too think about while I'm stuck welding, instead of hiking and exploring the backcountry.

Hey have you ever heard of a guy named Wally Gauphenher (not sure of the last name spelling or pronounciation) runs a trapline out of Avola, east to TumTum area, north and west over to Blue River?

[WoodOx]

No idea about any of those areas you or LeverAction mentioned, but regardless thanks for the pics. Definatly illustrates the the wide range of terrain you hunt.

Ive spent some time in alpine areas, but as of yet, no luck. I know each deer is different, but do you see deer in alpine acting any different, or do morning and evening still remain as key movement times?

cheers