Henry Mountains

ElmerFudd · Saturday at 12:02 PM

My 28 points was worth a nonresident Henry Mountains ALW buck tag this year. I realize that the deer numbers are not what they once were, but I was stoked to actually have a tag! I arrived almost three weeks early rather than make multiple short trips. I enjoy exploring and hiking so the plan was to see as much of the deer country as my old body can handle. Seems like those in the know mostly glass from the roads, but it is about enjoying what I enjoy to me. OpeningDay was very helpful in coming up with places to look that are off the radar of most. He even volunteered himself to come help after the season started.

The country is really steep and rocky and it took me a few days to figure out the right boot and sock combination. My feet still are blistered and cut up. I had to run to town twice to get tires patched on my quad too... Rough country on feet and tires!

First hunt morning I encountered a tree the hurricane force wind dropped on the road....

I saw what I think was the best buck I saw on day one. Problem with that one is that everyone seemed to know about it. It was a cool 6x7 with stickers. Mossback got their hunter to it first morning. I never saw one of the super monsters i dream about, but did see some really nice bucks.

ElmerFudd · Saturday at 12:13 PM

OpeningDay made it day 2. I actually didn't know what he looked like as we met on the road. He saw a pretty good buck below where I was Sunday morning, with a big three point. I chose not to look at that side as another hunter was camped in the area and we decided that canyon was his and I would keep moving up. He got a nice buck that morning and was leaving the area. We decided to hit that area on the next morning as we would have it to ourselves.

The big three point was there, we figured we would hike up a bit higher to look lower. Sure enough, the 4x4 was there. With a bit of encouragement, I decided to take the shot. They were moving so I ranged him at 334 yards and held for the top of his back and a bit into the wind. Hit him right behind the shoulder.

One of my most enjoyable hunts and awesome place! I have a good chance to hunt it for bison if they ever offer a second nonresident tag. I would go back just to see the country again after I retire and have more time.

fullthrottle · Saturday at 12:19 PM

Pretty buck.

LIK2HNT · Saturday at 12:27 PM

Beautiful buck!!
Congrats
You look a little cold in some of those pictures. How cold did it get?

elkhunterUT · Saturday at 12:29 PM

Love the look of your buck-congrats on a good one!!

liecabucks · Saturday at 12:43 PM

That’s a big deer, you should be pumped!

Wapitiwilly · Saturday at 2:05 PM

That is a beautiful buck!
Congratulations

DeerHunter53 · Saturday at 2:08 PM

Very Nice rack hell of a buck

MountainSqwabler · Saturday at 2:10 PM

Awesome buck! Congrats!

hogg_65 · Saturday at 3:15 PM

Congratulations on your success. That is one great looking deer, what a great frame. Snow on the Henrys is also something to remember your Hunt by.

DeerMadness · Saturday at 3:55 PM

That is a dandy ! I like how even the sides are too ! Glad to hear someone had a dream and they got to do it !

BrowningRage · Saturday at 5:06 PM

Thats as beautiful as bucks get.!! Wow! Thanks for sharing with us man!

Stubaby · Saturday at 5:26 PM

Awesome. Shooter for sure. Congrats. Thanks for taking us along for the ride.

wapitiman · Saturday at 7:05 PM

Awesome buck… thanks for the story.

Ranger1 · Saturday at 7:25 PM

Beautiful buck and great memories. Thanks for sharing it!

Stillwater165 · Saturday at 7:37 PM

Very nice buck ! Congrats !!!!!

mlycrzy · Saturday at 8:14 PM

Great looking buck!

oilcan · Saturday at 8:23 PM

Awesome Buck congrats

Gut shot · Saturday at 8:40 PM

Great buck, congratulations. Sounds like you put in your time.

kickerbuck · Saturday at 9:04 PM

What a gorgeous buck, and memorable hunt. Congrats!!!

nfh · Saturday at 9:08 PM

Ohh heck ya

Cahunter805 · Saturday at 9:17 PM

Great buck and sounds like you had an awesome time on the mountain.
Not that it matters but Just curious if you measured him?

ElmerFudd · Saturday at 10:57 PM

Cahunter805 said:
Great buck and sounds like you had an awesome time on the mountain.
Not that it matters but Just curious if you measured him?

I didn't put a tape on his antlers before dropping them and the cape off at the taxidermist. It was warm here and I was tired.

I'm not sure how cold it was, but it suddenly turned cold, windy and snowed just before the season after an exceptionally warm fall. It was well below freezing in the mornings for the start of the hunt.

johnnycake · Saturday at 11:24 PM

That's an absolutely stunning typical. Congrats!

Blindnonresident · 2024-10-27T02:02:27-0600

Very nice.

elkassassin · 2024-10-27T04:05:53-0600

Nice Buck!

And Yes The Henry's Have A Special NIP Of Cold That Sinks In To A Guy!

Did You Take Any Pics Of Other Bucks You Seen While You Were Their?

Also Gotta Give OpeningDay An ATTA-BOY!

PleaseDear · 2024-10-27T04:06:57-0600

Congrats Eric

High and wide very kool

Good on OpeningDay for pitching in too.

Robb

RR2012 · 2024-10-27T05:07:14-0600

That is a perfect looking buck! Congratulations!

sticksender · 2024-10-27T05:40:40-0600

You did good, congrats!

cmbbulldog · 2024-10-27T11:33:09-0600

Beautiful buck, thanks for sharing

yoteduster · 2024-10-27T12:20:26-0600

That's a super nice buck and a good story of a dream hunt..he'll look good on your wall...congrats

Tikka · 2024-10-27T14:20:28-0600

That’s awesome, thank you for sharing that with us…

tracker12 · 2024-10-27T14:51:41-0600

Outstanding. Congrats on a nice buck. It’s amazing how long it is taking to get a decent tag these days.

OpeningDay · 2024-10-27T17:55:16-0600

ElmerFudd said:
OpeningDay made it day 2. I actually didn't know what he looked like as we met on the road. He saw a pretty good buck below where I was Sunday morning, with a big three point. I chose not to look at that side as another hunter was camped in the area and we decided that canyon was his and I would keep moving up. He got a nice buck that morning and was leaving the area. We decided to hit that area on the next morning as we would have it to ourselves.

The big three point was there, we figured we would hike up a bit higher to look lower. Sure enough, the 4x4 was there. With a bit of encouragement, I decided to take the shot. They were moving so I ranged him at 334 yards and held for the top of his back and a bit into the wind. Hit him right behind the shoulder.

One of my most enjoyable hunts and awesome place! I have a good chance to hunt it for bison if they ever offer a second nonresident tag. I would go back just to see the country again after I retire and have more time.

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Thanks Eric! It was great meeting you on the mountain for this once in a lifetime hunt at one of the greatest places on the planet!! Definitely my favorite. When Eric and I talked about his upcoming hunt, after learning he was going to go at it solo, I all but invited myself. Haha. As far as the hunt, it all unfolded just like he said. I had located the buck on Sunday morning after driving all night to get there. I knew it was a good looking buck. After talking at camp that night, we decided to get up to a spot in the morning and see if we could get a better look at the buck. It didn’t take long to find the big 3 point. We knew the big buck had to be close. After re positioning to get a better position on the bucks, the big buck came out into the open. Deep fork, Good width and huge backs. The decision was easy. Eric made a great shot into a strong wind. The rest is history! I can’t wait to see how good this buck looks on the wall!! Thanks again Eric for letting me tag along!