My Last Day Buck
By Dave Clearman

Dave with the buck he took on the last day of the season.

The last day of western Oregon's general western rifle season has passed us by. I don't know how many people weren't lucky that day, but I for one am not complaining. Let me start off by saying that a couple of buddies, who work at the same place, talked about me that morning and said it was my turn to get skunked. One of them got his his buck opening day. I wasn't about to let him raz me for a year. I swapped out one of my elk hunting days to be able to go on the last day and try for my buck. Stupid me, NOT.

Every year the hills up and around the Dallas res. open up on the 1st of Nov. So, that is where I went. I noticed that I was not the only one skipping out on work to fill a tag. I followed six trucks into the area I planned to hunt just before daylight.

I saw that Boise had an operation going so I stayed to the east of it and started climbing the hill. It was getting light and I was hoping to find a spot to hunt soon, as I have never been in the area before. I found a big cut with 4 to 5 foot tall reprod in it and thought, this is nice. Wrong, as I drove through it I counted 6 different trucks parked at various spots. I kept going.

Finally I came out of a stand of timber, and noticed a nice looking canyon that was not too thick. Cool I thought, I'll have to check this out. As I drove the edge, I notice a skidder road on the far side following the timber line. I found a gate nearby, with no parked vehicles, and decided this would be a good place to start.

By the time I parked it was good shooting light and I was anxious to get going. I quickly exited my truck, grab a few extra shells and started down the skid road. I notice a lot of sign so I stayed ready as I quietly walk the road for about a mile. There was too much scotch broom on the edges to see into the canyon. The road I was on made a turn to the left around the hill, and on the corner I noticed an old landing and head for it.

I found a great spot to sit and watch back up from where I came. I watched for about a half hour and thought, this isn't happening, so I decide to look off the very end. The far side of the canyon was now in the full light of the morning sun. Long ago, my father taught me to always watch these parts of a hill early, as he has taken many deer this way. Sound advice I thought. As I was standing there looking it over, I caught movement on the other side, it's a deer. I brought up my rifle and what do my wandering eyes behold? HOLY #@*$&^*# it's a buck!!! Let's just say that my heart rated jumped waaayyyyy up.

The first three shots were out of sheer excitement and all three missed. I told myself to slow down and take my time. On my fourth shot the buck was standing broadside. It was a long shot? Longer than I have ever taken, but I practice regularly for such an occasion. When I shot, it looked like he dropped, but I couldn't be sure.

As I hiked into the canyon, I reloaded. I was almost to the bottom, when I look across and say the buck standing 150 yards away, behind a fir. He was looking around as if wondering what all the noise was about. I put my crosshairs on his left front shoulder and fired. He humped up and then threw himself down the hill. I then knew that I'd connected!.

It took me about 10 minutes to find a place to cross the creek in the bottom and get over to where I last saw him. I then climbed up on a tall stump to get my bearings. I see where he had been and head up there. When I find the exact spot I look down hill and there he is, piled up under a small fir only 30 yards away. He was a nice 3x3 with no eye guards. Now the fun began.

I got him to a bench above and took a look around. There was a road through the cut we were in but I had no idea where it went. I left him there with my sweatshirt and vest and hiked uphill to the road above. I then left a shirt where I came out, and headed straight up the hill to my truck.

I parked my truck just up the road from where I came out of the timber, locked my gun up in my truck box, and climbed back into the hole. It was 12:30, when I finally got him loaded. I managed to bring him out whole, dragging him all the way, uphill! I was beat. He dressed out at around 160lbs. That's a lot of dead weight to be dragging.

What a morning!! He was a great buck!! My buddies thought I was lying when I told them, now their green with envy.