Idaho’s unit 44 produces a 198 inch monster

A Once in a Lifetime Second Chance

-Jon Owens

My father and I thought 2008 was going to be our monumental year for Mule Deer Hunting.  We had each harvested the biggest deer we had ever seen in Colorado and Wyoming.  As we were driving back home to Portland, Oregon I called a close friend of mine in Boise to tell him our stories.  He proceeded to send me a picture message with a picture of his deer he harvested on his family’s ranch.  It was a monster.  We met him at a gas station to exchange pictures and right then, dad and I decided we needed to apply in Idaho.  Well, we hit the jackpot and drew that tag.  Little did we know this hunt would be one for the books.

The second day we were there, it was my turn to hunt.  Dad found a great 5×5 mule deer on the first day but didn’t get a shot.  We went out to in a different spot to give the other piece of land a chance to rest.  Once we got to the field that morning we began to glass the canyons with our good friend Steve Alderman.  Finally, we spotted a group of doe’s with what looked like a nice buck a mile and a half to two miles away.  I thought, what the heck, lets put a hunt on him.

Jon Owens with his great 198 inch monster mule deer!

When we finally reached the top of the canyon, we crept up and saw the group of doe’s.  They were feeding their way up and over the next draw.  We could tell they weren’t spooked so we just sat and waited thinking that the buck was bedded down on the other side of this draw.  As we crept over, Steve went around the right side of the canyon to peak over.  No buck.

So we proceeded to the next draw to our left and find the doe’s.  Still no buck.  Steve felt that the buck might have gone back through this draw and back to the flat land where we came from so we circled around the canyon pushing the does to the bottom of the draw.  Steve went high; I went low as dad followed behind me.  As we were creeping through thick brush on the side of the canyon, the buck jumped up about 15 yards away from me and bounded towards the first draw we came up.  I pulled up my rifle to see a huge cheater on the right antler.  It was the biggest rack I have ever seen.  All I could see was neck, head and antlers bouncing up and down through my scope with thick brush hiding his body.  I didn’t take a shot.

Jeff Owens with his great 5×5 that scores around 180 inches

We then sprinted to the edge of that canyon trying to see if we can get him running up the next draw.  As I approached and pulled up my rifle, the buck was silhouetting on the top of the next draw over about 200+ yards away.  I didn’t take a shot, so we then tried to get on his tracks and find him.  After walking the next few draws, we decided we needed to let this deer settle to make sure we didn’t run him out of the county.

That night, I just kept picturing what I had seen through the scope thinking, what could I have done differently?  How could I have been more prepared?  Should I have taken that shot?  Will I get another opportunity like that again?  It was a tough feeling.

When the evening of day four rolled around we sat on top of the same canyon Steve and I went the night before looking for the buck we had jumped the day prior.   The previous night my dad harvested the same 5×5 he saw on day one.  He harvested his second chance buck.

This time, there were four of us spotting the canyon.  My dad, Steve, his good friend Les and I posted up on top of the canyon glassing each and every draw we could.  We spotted deer feeding everywhere but still hadn’t found a buck worth putting a hunt on given how much daylight we still had.

Finally, with about an hour left of daylight I heard, “That’s your buck!” coming from Les.  At least that’s the G-rated version.   The buck was about 1,000 yards from us and had just stood up to feed.  That tells you how majestic these animals are.  They can bed down for hours and remain unseen.   I found him in my spotting scope and I knew that was the deer I wanted to hunt.  Then Steve calls out, “that’s the same one from the other day!”  I was pumped!  It’s time to go get my deer.

Jeff, Les, and Jon ready to pack out Jon’s great buck

Fortunately for us, we had the wind in our favor.  It was howling over the canyons hiding the inevitable noise we were making while walking down the canyon trying to avoid the dead Aspen leaves and branches.  We were not quiet, but the wind protected us.

Finally, we got down to the bottom of the canyon and found a tree limb lying over the 7-foot wide creek we needed to cross.  Once over it, we found some Aspen trees to provide cover as we ascended up the canyon.

As we were walking, I was mentally preparing myself.  The thought of the previous opportunity kept flashing back in to my mind.  I replayed what I should do over and over in my head.  This time, I wont be caught off guard.

We got to the Aspens and stopped to glass.  We couldn’t see the deer.  It must be on the other side of the boulder about two hundred yards ahead of us.  This was great!  More cover as we climb.

When we reached the boulder and started climbing again we could see the other smaller buck feeding.  This was a good sign.  We saw this one earlier near my buck.  He must have bedded down again.

As we slowly approached, we were in one line.  We stopped and spread out a little.  Steve to my left, dad right behind me, and the smaller buck spotted us.  He wasn’t spooked.  He looked down the hill, and then continued feeding.  Steve then spotted the antlers of the big buck sticking out of the sagebrush. I couldn’t see him yet, but I was ready.

We bumped this buck the day before and  ended up harvesting him within 400 yards of where we had seen him the prior day.

Steve took two steps to the left and my buck stood up and stared back down the canyon at us.  I got my scope on him, took a deep breath, exhaled and squeezed the trigger.  I tried to get back on him and couldn’t find him.  I pulled my gun around and found the other buck bounding away.  So I looked over my scope to see something wrestling in the brush, while tumbling down the canyon.  I got him!  My second chance buck!  It was a perfect shot 65 yards off hand.  The bullet entered right behind his right front shoulder and exited through his spine.  I approached my down buck, and we began to realize what a trophy he was.  We later green scored him 198 inches.  He had big 4 plus inch eye guards with cheaters on each side.  It was a dream come true.

Dad and I had a fantastic opportunity to hunt with our friends Steve and Les and harvest the biggest bucks we have ever seen.  It was a fantastic feeling to know that 2009, in Idaho was in fact our monumental season and that the good Lord decided to put these fantastic animals on this earth for us to enjoy.  We are grateful.

Jake Shea Scores!

Jake Shea scores on his biggest muzzleloader buck to date.

After seven fun filled days of hunting Jake found a buck that was worthy of his tag.  IDAHO’S PUBLIC LAND AT ITS BEST!

Jakes great muzzleloader buck scores 198 inches.  It has great g-2s with one over 20 inches long, a g-3 that is 15 inches long, and main beams that stretch the tape right at 26 inches.

On the fourth day of the hunt we woke up to over 10 inches of snow.  By the end of the day we had over 14 inches of the white stuff.

Story coming soon……..

Idaho State Record Muzzy Buck!

New Idaho State Record Muzzy buck Harvest

Dallas Smith is no stranger when it comes to large mule deer.  Over the last few years, Dallas has added three awesome mule deer to his collection each scoring over the magical 200 inch mark. However, none of them come close to the accomplishment he achieved this past week. Dallas harvested the pending new # 4 in the world mule deer with a muzzleloader and it is also the new State Record in Idaho.  The unfortunate part of this story is that the buck will never be recorded in the books.   Dallas has to date decided that he doesn’t want to strip the velvet off the buck to have it officially scored.  I can’t say that I blame him.  It’s a once in a lifetime buck and keeping it the way it was when it was harvested is important to Dallas.

Dallas Smith with his latest monster in his collection

Dallas has watched this buck for the past five years and even tried to harvest it a time or two only to fall short in his quest.  This is ok if you look at the end result which is a 265 inch gross monster.  His Buck has a 204 inch frame with approximately 60 inches of trash.  It has only been unofficial scored, but when I held this monster in my hands, score went completely out the window.  This buck is dense, heavy, wide, nasty,and just plain old incredible.  When I lifted it off the ground, I was amazed at the weight of the antlers.  As shown in the picture above, these antlers felt like they would tip the scales at over 15 pounds which is a true monster in anyone’s eyes.

Comparing this buck to his sheds from the last few years shows this buck has grown into a true giant.  Two years ago his sheds scored in at just over 207 gross inches.  Last year his sheds grossed at just over the 228 inch mark.  Now he has grown into the mega 265 inch giant the Dallas harvested earlier this week.

Dallas With his 265 inch giant

I’m sure you are asking yourself why is this buck in velvet in October?  Well, the truth is still somewhat of a mystery to all.  He did grow a fresh set of horns every year, however this buck held his velvet well into October every year.  Like I said, Dallas knew this buck well.  He watched the buck two years ago shed its velvet at the end of October and last year it shed it in the middle of October.  At the time of harvest, the testicles of this deer were only one-fourth the size of a normal mule deer.  So obviously this buck had some sort of testicular issues whether it be lack of testicles from a birth defect, some sort of trauma, or a genetic defect.  This buck grew his antlers a month and half  longer then normal mule deer.

Is he a cactus buck?  In my opinion, yes.  Anytime there is testicular malfunction that allows antlers to grow at an abnormal rate, it should be considered a cactus buck.  Some cactus bucks never shed their antlers and some shed them ever few years.   In the case of this buck, his deficiency was slight enough that he shed them and grew a new set every year.  He had some sort of testosterone deficiency to allow him to grow his antlers for a longer time period than that of a normal mule deer which would fit the definition of a cactus buck.

Dallas, my hat is off to you and your brother for keeping this buck such a secret.  I don’t blame you one bit!  As far as I know, the only people that new this buck was alive were Dallas, his wife, his three sons, his brother Ryan and a good friend, Tony.  They all kept this buck under wraps until it was on the ground.  Congrats to all of you that were mentioned as you all played a part in Dallas harvesting this spectacular trophy. We can’t wait for the story and field pictures!

Photo Courtesy of Ryan Smith

Bennett Alderman is all smiles as he holds the 2007 set of sheds from the Smith buck

The sheds score 207 inches gross,  This buck packed his antlers well into March

Congratulations Dallas on such a fine trophy and a spectacular last few years of hunting these awesome animals. You brothers have done it again, I’m jealous…..

Steve Alderman