Washington High Buck Hunt

[clearwater]

Looks like I get to try the early season High Buck hunt. Probably in the Pasayten Wilderness . Any advice? I imagine it could be warm temps and where we are going takes at least a day to hike in. Keeping meat cool could be a challenge. Be at least two of us, maybe 4. 3 point minimum and I hear probability of success if low. Sort of armed hiking. Should be fun tho. Any other locations for the High Buck that I should look at?

Been backpacking to train. Last week went to the Vahallas in BC. reminiscent of the California Sierra, the Wind Rivers or the North Cascades, on a small scale.

 

[str8meat]

Good luck to you

 

[salmonchaser]

A couple of us did that hunt years ago, back in the early 90s. It was a good hunt but the extra work getting your deer out took some of the joy out of it. Good luck.

 

[Guy Miner]

It can be a great hunt. Buddy of mine took a big buck years ago. 200+ inch muley. I've seen some big bucks during that hunt, but not many, and never managed to tag one. Never even got a shot at one.

I remember talking to a little 3x3 on the last evening of my hunt one year. Told him that he was very lucky I didn't feel like packing his scrawny meat & little antlers off that ridge in the morning.

Beautiful high country. Best of luck. I remember seeing more mountain goats than muley bucks!




Regards, Guy

 

[sako2]

Best of luck to you.

 

[diverdown]

It can be a great hunt. Buddy of mine took a big buck years ago. 200+ inch muley. I've seen some big bucks during that hunt, but not many, and never managed to tag one. Never even got a shot at one.

I remember talking to a little 3x3 on the last evening of my hunt one year. Told him that he was very lucky I didn't feel like packing his scrawny meat & little antlers off that ridge in the morning.

Beautiful high country. Best of luck. I remember seeing more mountain goats than muley bucks!


View attachment 27204

Regards, Guy

Whoops, maybe 30 years ago.

 

[clearwater]

We saw only a couple of does down low and no other recent sign. Seems we were too high up. The hunt was so much of a scramble that we feared getting something! true wilderness it took us 8 hours to go 6 miles and involved passing packs up little cliff bands. The trail we counted on for egress wasn't there at all. Between traveling off the ground over stacks of wet pixy sticks and hopping in the steep boulder fields, bringing something out seemed dangerous. My buddy told me outright that I was allowed to shoot only "the buck of a lifetime".

We were in the basin next to Fool Hen Lake. Of course with a name like that we saw dozens of grouse .

"trail"

View after the storm

My home, 12 oz of tarp and bivysack.