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November 14, 2022 is a day I’ll never forget. I slipped out of work at noon as I tend to do every November and raced out to the stand. I had sat the previous two days and saw more than 30 deer feeding in the uncut canola field. Doe after doe, as well as many young bucks competing for a chance with them. This is a spot I know very well. It’s my 10th year hunting this spot with myself and two buddies, George and Chris. We’ve been fortunate to harvest many very nice deer over the years here.
As you know it’s incredibly difficult to manage your hunting spot and allow the deer to mature. Keeping all the locals out, truck hunters floating around, and even our other friends and family! We’ve hung many stands, hauled out hundreds of pieces of lumber, built permanent stands, and continually run several Wi-Fi trail cams that I look forward to receiving the pictures from every night at 6:00 pm.
Five years ago in 2017, those daily pictures came through and there was an absolute stud of a buck that had shown up. He was a little spindly and young, but I was blown away that his tines looked to be around 16-inches tall. I’d never seen anything like it. I immediately named him High Tower.
I hunted this property around 20 to 30 times a season between bow and rifle, and got a few really cool pictures of him but never once did I see him on the hoof. There were a few deer that have evaded us over the years, or deer that we’ve chosen to let grow to maturity. One of which was an albino buck! He lived out there for four years and I’d had him in the scope many times but he just kept putting on a lot of bone each year so I decided to let him grow.
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| A trail cam image of the albino buck. |
In 2020, when he was going to become another target buck of mine, he completely disappeared. Did the coyotes get him? Did another hunter get him? Did a poacher get him? I will never know, but I have a few very cool pictures of him.
Generally, on November 1, I’m always sitting for whitetail but this year I’d pulled my mule buck tag in southern Alberta for that week. I drove down in nice dry fall weather a day early to scout some deer and get set up. My friend Chris was to meet me the next day all the way from Revelstoke, BC.
I awoke that morning to a nasty whiteout blizzard and a huge dump of snow. Winter came overnight. I called Chris to tell him to stay in BC and he said, “No way! I’ve been on the road since 4:30 am. I’ll see you in a few hours.” What a guy!
We hunted hard and saw a ton of deer, but we had a tough time getting permission in the hills where they liked to hang out.
By day four, luck would have it that we stumbled across a beautiful buck hiking in a spot we did have access too. Chris said the classic, “Big buck! Big buck!”
I tried to slow my trembling arms and then dropped him where he stood. Thank goodness Chris drove through that snowstorm, as dragging that huge-bodied muley back to the truck would have been impossible alone.
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| Dusty with his mulie buck. |
Now to the hunt of High Tower. With my muley down, this season started out good for me. There are four different fields the deer will feed in out there, and they’re always flipping between barley and canola. Typically, I’ll decide where I’m going to sit based on the wind direction. On November 14, as I’m headed out there, I’m considering that and what I’d seen the last few times I sat. Walking into the canola field looked like a children’s playground this year. More tracks in the snow than I’d ever seen. As a friend of mine always says, find the sign and you’ll find the bucks.
Monday I sat the stand with binos glued to my face the entire time, like I had the previous two nights. There were young bucks bouncing around, chasing uninterested does, and it became a challenge to keep tabs on what was coming and going. I had my set of rattling antlers with me, but chose to sit quiet and enjoy the chaos, all the while thinking about High Tower and how he’d completely slipped me for five years.
There was a very respectable 140-inch, 4x4 that caught my attention that I had watched for ages. Soon enough, I had four does directly below my feet. This is a nightmare, as some of you know. They can smell something is not right and are pacing back and forth for what felt like an eternity. I continued to sit very still hoping they’d back off a bit.
About half-way through my five-hour sit, out came a young bull moose, followed by a cow and a calf. Now I’ve got 11 deer out there and three moose all within 200 yards of me. Things are heating up. I’d never seen so much action sitting there over the previous years.
As the sun starts to fade, I’m freezing cold and still wishing the does would get the heck away from me. I decide to let out a soft grunt hoping they’d scram and immediately out runs a buck that you do not need the binos for. IT’S HIGH TOWER! Unmistakable, I’d never seen him in person but I knew it was him right away.
He’s on the move fairly quick and I’m just praying I can get my rifle up and make the adjustment without the does blowing me out. I steady the crosshairs on him and he’s looking STRAIGHT at me. The does’ flags are half-cocked and they are not happy, and High Tower is about one second away from disappearing into the bush. I try to catch my breath, my heart is racing and I slowly squeeze. Bam! Dropped in his tracks!
The Tikka 7mm with my hand-loaded bullet does the trick. Got ‘em! YEOWWWW! I could not be happier.
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| Dusty with High Tower. |
I’m sitting there shaking and in total disbelief as deer are bounding back to the bush. I cannot believe I did it… I cannot believe he stepped out. I cannot believe his journey is over. How bitter sweet.
I hike through the deep snow up to where I’d shot him, around the 200-yard mark and have never been so happy to place my hands on a set of antlers. No ground shrinkage on this guy!
Now the work begins. I get Jet Sled Jr. from the truck—let’s get this guy home!
I can’t finish this story without thanking my good friends Chris Higgins and George Hart for all the amazing memories out there, and hopefully many more to come. And most importantly, George and Ashley Hart whose family has owned and maintained the property for many decades. I appreciate your willingness to allow me to be there, and I will certainly continue to treat it with respect, and post all the no hunting and trespassing signs ever made! Thank you guys so much!
High Tower green scored 193 3/8 inches. The deer of many lifetimes for me. His longest tine reaches out to 15 1/4 inches with three others going 14 inches. His main beams reach out to 23 inches and he has almost 40 inches of mass. ■
For previous Reader Stories click here.
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