king' s outdoor world - Index

king' s outdoor world - Hunting Illustrated April/May 2008 - Index

The big buck was bedded
down about 400 yards
away and hunter Catherine
Keene was getting direction
and comfort about the long shot
from her husband Gary. She
was confi dent she could make
the shot as she had made a 415yard
shot on a bighorn sheep the
previous year. The buck stood
up and Catherine was ready for
the shot. They heard the “thwop”
sound and were confi dent it was
a good shot. It was then that
Gary and Catherine realized just
the caliber of buck this was as he
started coming straight towards
them, unaware of their presence.
Catherine’s composure fell apart
and buck fever truly set in. After
one glance at the buck’s amazing
rack, she was truly rattled.
Catherine missed her fourth shot
as the buck disappeared over the
ridge. Gary sat on the ridge and
started to tell his wife that he
was going to need mental therapy
because she had just missed the
buck of a lifetime. An extensive
search could not fi nd any blood
or sign of the buck being hit.
Day three of the hunt
found both Gary and Catherine
glassing some bucks that they
felt were part of the group from
two days ago. The bucks were
heading into a draw. They decided they would approach from the backside and go after the
deer from the opposite side as they had tried before. They noticed some antelope nearby as
they continued their long stalk and began to second-guess that this route would take them into
the correct draw where the deer were. As they topped the draw, they noticed deer standing
all over the mountainside. Fortunately, the antelope chasing each other in the meadow caused
a diversion to the bedded mule deer as they both snuck in for a closer look. The silence was
broken as Gary spotted the big buck - “You’ve got a second chance!” Catherine settled in
with her Remington 300 Ultra Mag and set up the bipod. Gary ranged the buck at 261 yards
and the monarch buck slowly turned broadside just long enough for a good shot. Catherine
hurried and put in a second round, prepared to make another shot if necessary – she was not
going to let this buck get away again. The buck bounded into the bottom of the draw and
didn’t come out. A second shot wasn’t needed. Catherine and Gary saw the most amazing
sight when they both walked down to the bottom of the draw and saw the beautiful deer lying
there. Gary congratulated his wife with a big hug. It was then that Catherine truly began to
appreciate what she had just accomplished.
Catherine’s accomplishment earned her fi rst place for outstanding non-typical mule
deer from the 26th Big Game Awards from Boone & Crockett. This Wyoming mule deer has
a 40-inch spread and offi cially scores 291 5/8 gross and 285 4/8 net B&C. Catherine’s 2004
buck ranks #3 for the state of Wyoming and is the second largest non-typical mule deer taken
by a woman.
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