Stefan White writes, "It was difficult for us to gain much ambition on this hunt because of the long drive, and very difficult hunting conditions in the area. We do not see many bucks, or many deer, period. We put in for Region G in Wyoming and only hunt this area when we don't draw out. What did keep the "drive alive", was knowing we did see a couple of great bucks the year before, and Mike, my hunting partner, had harvested a great 30" 5x9 the previous year.

On the drive up, I spotted one of the largest bucks I have ever laid eyes on, and he was in our unit. I turned around to see the buck in my headlights. This buck had it all, several points on each side, close to 35" wide, very tall, and extremely heavy. What a sight to behold! It was too bad the monster was living on private land within the beet fields, and it was 2:00 in the morning!

This year was much like the last one: deer were hard to come by, and the hunting was frustrating. Although 2 of the other hunters that had come along with us had spotted a 30" buck, and were determined to harvest him. As hunting goes sometimes, they were unable to locate the giant buck again.

After hunting a new area with no luck, we headed back to the area we harvested Mike's buck from last year. The first morning yielded nothing but a few does and a little buck. We decided to pursue the area the next day, and we were glad we did. Early in the morning, we had spotted a tall and heavy buck bounding for safety. Not knowing what his danger was, we sat still and watched him go over into a large canyon. After putting a plan together we took our spots into the canyon the buck bailed into. We guessed where he may have bedded and Mike began tracking the buck, as I sat with a good rest on an overlooking ridge.

Thinking the buck would be unable to make it through the steep, rocky ledges, I watched carefully in front of Mike thinking he may have made shelter higher in some cedar trees. Only a few minutes into our plan, I heard a noise not far to my left. On instinct, I quickly stood up so I could see, hitting my head solidly on a thick, heavy branch. Ignoring the pain, I continued to concentrate on the sound. Finally, the buck showed himself working his way up the hill to the next canyon. He stopped to look at me only 80 yards away, but I didn't have a good shot. As he continued on his way, I picked a spot through the thick pinion and fired my rifle as he appeared in the small clearing. I could tell he was hit, but he did not appear to go down.

Knowing he was only yards from a "hell hole" and private land, all I could do was stay put for awhile. After some tracking and help from Mike, we found my buck about 50 yards from where I last saw him.
The buck probably expired on top of the ridge as he tried making it to the next canyon. With his momentum he fell down the steep slope and would have rolled to the bottom had it not been for a cedar tree that stopped him. Lucky for me, because there was only a few trees on the entire slope.

Although only 20" wide, this buck still grosses almost 173". His mass and long points really help his score. Mike and I joke that our 2 Wyoming trophies are just "leftover deer" as it states on our permits.