By Richard Juen

I came into the sport of Whitetail deer hunting in 2004 at the age of 48. I replaced my brother who had recently passed away. His longtime hunting buddies, Don and Phil, took me under their wing and showed me all they could for the 7 days we spent together on my first hunt. We did not shoot any deer on that trip, although it seemed as if everyone else around us did. I learned alot and promised myself I would not make the same mistake that cost me a big buck on my first time out deer hunting.

The setting is Colville, Washington. This year would be different. Don, Phil, and I met at the same spot again this year. On my first day out I immediately went to the same spot I blew a golden opportunity at my first buck the year before. I spent the entire day posting and stalking and never saw a deer the whole day. I was still so excited to be back in the woods no matter what the outcome.

On the second day out, Don took me to a different area, but this time several inches of light snow had fallen. We arrived before first light and I climbed a steep hillside and found a place to post. I spent at least 15 minutes trying to defog my glasses and get situated. The snow was falling lightly and the beauty of this mountainous area was surreal. Don brought me to this area because it had wide open views from all directions.

As I sat on a tree stump I reviewed all the possible scenarios around me and how I would react if a deer came into my range. I remember looking in a straight line down the hill about 100 yards or so and visualising a deer coming out of the trees into a small opening. Remember, I'm the rookie who is just trying to imagine what the deer would look like in contrast to the surroundings. No more than 5 minutes later a big buck with a full rack came out of a small tree stand and stopped in a small open area.

I could not believe my eyes! I pulled up my scope and immediately found the buck in my sight. He stopped and looked up in my direction at almost a perfect broadside position. For a few seconds I wondered if I should wait to see if he would come closer. I took the shot and the buck ran about 20 yards and stopped. It looked down the hill as if it was trying to see where this noise came from, and as I was ready to take a second shot it disappeared into a small stand of trees.

I thought I missed a shot of a lifetime and waited for 15 minutes thinking it might reappear. I walked down the hill to the area I thought the deer was when I took the shot. In disbelief, I could not find any tracks, blood, other sign of the deer. I circled the tree stand and area and could find nothing. I was still battling foggy glasses and could not pick up any tracks. I then walked about 100 yards down to the road to see if I could pick up any tracks. Nothing. I knew I could not give up so soon, but the frustration was growing. I then walked back up the hill to my original spot where the shot was taken, cooled off, and retraced my steps to where I thought the deer might be. After walking around in the snow for another 20 or 30 minutes I heard Phil call me on the radio. I told him what I was going through and ended the conversation not knowing what my next move would be.

At this point I felt I missed the shot, but I was resigned to spending the rest of the day looking. I could not give up. Immediately after ending my conversation with Phil on the radio I looked down and almost tripped on a Huge Buck lying in the snow. I could not believe the shot was perfect. It was a lung shot and the guy dropped no more than 20 or 30 feet from where the bullet hit him! I called Don and Phil on the radio and they came to help me. I dragged the buck halfway down the hill and waited. I weigh 210 pounds and I know the deer outweighed me. Turns out this guy is a 6 x 7 and the taxidermist said he was 6 1/2 to 7 1/2 years old.

When Don reached me the look on his face was priceless. My hunting buddies have hunted most of their lives and they have never got one like this! Several other hunters and old-timers all said the same thing to me. Now that was pretty cool. Of course we caped it and it now is with the taxidermist. Of course, everyone has told me it is doubtful I will ever see another one like this again. I just keep my mouth shut and silently wait to prove them all wrong next year. I love this sport.

Species: Whitetail Location of Hunt: Washington Weapon: .270 Win. Remington Equipment: CoreLokt 130 grain bullet, Remington Mossy Oak outfit