Check out this 5" split in his right ear.

awesome blacktail Tom.  He was fighter, no doubt.  Really  enjoyed your story also.

I was fortunate to harvest a giant old blacktail here in Washington  after a pursuit that began in early October.

I had located a handful of mature bucks early on but blacktails are notoriously nocturnal, making them difficult to hunt, let alone the thick vegetation of western Washington. This buck grabbed my attention because he had a heavy rack, large body, and a split right ear. He became my focus after peak breeding  faded. A full month passed before I located him again in early December. I decided that he was the one. I sat countless hours seeing zero deer but I knew he was still around, triggering a camera high on a ridge occasionally.

On Thursday, I decided to flex out some time at work and go sit my ridge stand. Like much of the country, we had a big temperature drop almost overnight. It was 22 degrees and dry as a bone so it took me forever to sneak up the ridge to my stand.

Once I got settled, I reflected on the season and how many days and hours I'd invested, the joy it brings me to hunt these crazy blacktails. 

As the final hour of daylight approached, I knew I had the upper hand. You could hear a pin drop it was so dry and quiet. Every bird flitting about, every squirrel scampering got my attention. 

Then at 4:15 I heard rustling in the salal and sword ferns. It was a deer but I couldnt see it, about 70 yards away. It took him 25 minutes to arrive into my shooting lane 18 yards out. It was him!

I was already at full draw as he paused and turned his head to look back where he'd just come.

The arrow passed through both lungs and I recoved him a mere 20 yards away, first going home to grab my daughter to join in the memory.

She snapped this cool photo during the drag out. Feeling blessed on this Christmas eve 🎄.

Harvesting a Giant Blacktail: A Christmas Eve Blessing

Tom R

Are you sure?

Blacktail Buck

Joseph W

Tom R

Tom R

Ethan T

Jake L

Tom R

Tom R

Tom R