king' s outdoor world - Index

king' s outdoor world - Hunting Illustrated - October/November 2007 - Index

he would score in the 210-class. The
buck became #1 on our hit list as we
looked him over on video back at
home that night.
Before we knew it, opening
morning was one week away and
my good friend Nate Jacobson
would soon be arriving. Nate was
driving up from Utah with his
family to prepare for his hunt for a
mule deer. I met Nate while guiding
three years ago and we have chased
some pretty big bucks together but
with no success. Nate's knowledge
has brought our mule deer hunting
to a whole new level. He also
introduced us to King's camouflage.
If you don't have some, get it. Any
serious bowhunter knows what I am
talking about. King's definitely has
it figured out.
The first week of hunting
was full of action, but with no
success. Finally, Nate connected on
a 205-inch typical that we had chased
together the previous year. Two days
later, Jay tagged a nice 180-inch and
Marc, on his first bow hunt, tagged
a 203-inch typical. I was beginning
to wonder if Lady Luck would rub
off on me. Could it be possible to
harvest four great deer in one hunt?
I kept thinking about that 210-inch
buck and wondering where he was.
Nate had chased him for the first
four days of the hunt, but the buck
was one step ahead of him each time.
Pressure had the buck patterning us
and soon he disappeared.
The following morning
Ryan and I set up on the edge of a
canola field to wait for the deer to
filter by us to their bedding area. As
I glassed the field at dusk, I spotted
a group of bucks heading towards
Ryan single-file. Dink, dink, good
buck and, "Whoa!? There he was!
The big non-typical had once again
reappeared. I was excited that Ryan
might have a chance at him but,
because he was the last buck in the
line-up, Ryan ended up being busted
by the little guys in front. The group
ran out into the field directly past me
and then continued about 60 yards
into the woods. Ryan and I decided that
we would have to try again that night.
That evening, we set up a
ground blind downwind from the trail the
bucks escaped on earlier that morning.
Ryan let me sit in the blind and I was
filled with hopeful anticipation. A half
hour before dusk, I heard the sound of
deer making their way out of the woods.
One by one the bucks came out on the
trail just seventeen yards from me and
began to feed. One was a giant 4x3
with a big kicker. He was heavy and
all bladed up. Was this the opportunity
I had been waiting for? Or, was the big
5BOWHUNTING5
non-typical going to show? The big
4x3 was in the 190-class, but he could
use another year to grow. I decided
to take a chance and to wait. It was
definitely a good choice because
moments later I heard a sudden noise
behind me. Out walked the big guy.
WHAP! The arrow zipped through
his chest. I barely remember coming
to full draw, it was so natural.
The shot felt good, but the
arrow said otherwise - liver. Not
bad, but not good either. The guys
and I decided to leave the buck for an
hour or so just to be sure. Walking
up to this deer was incredible. I
fought the tears with high-fives and
realized that my sixteen-year quest
had just been achieved. The buck
officially grosses 215 3/8 and nets
207 2/8 non-typical.
I would like to thank my
good friends Ryan Jones, Marc
Wahl, Jay Becker and Nate Jacobson.
They were all a big part of this hunt
coming together. And, most of all,
I would like to show my gratitude
to my family, Kendra, Damon and
Alex, for their patience and support
- without it this hunt would not have
been possible.
October/November 69