Huntin'Fool Article "Better Lucky, Than Good"
by Len Remer

In December of 2003 I called Jason at Carter's Hunter Services to renew my
membership and we began to talk hunting. I had met Jason and Garth a few years
prior while in Alaska on a Dall sheep hunt with Len Mackler. We had the
chance to enjpy a pleasant dinner together during our schedule overlap.

After a few minutes of conversation I asked Jason for his thoughts on who would
be best to help me find a large Mule deer. Because of my age, I needed a quaranteed
tag and explained this to Jason. His response was, "The best man for you is
Mike Macfarlane in Utah." My approach to hunting has always been, "It's better to
be lucky than good," but I also know that if you go to the best areas and hunt with
the best guides, your chances for good luck are much better. So I called Mike
immediatly and asked if he could find me a large Mule Deer. "How Large?" he asked
and when I said 200 inches there was a long silence on the phone. Mike came back
with, "well sure," like......doesn't everyone want to kill a 200 inch deer? When I
asked if it was possible he said yes, but 180 is a lot more in the real world.
In an effort to prove my serious desire for a large Mule deer I explained, if I did
not find a deer of this size I would go home empty handed with no bad feelings.
Another long silnce, then Mike said to me, "if you are commited, I will be your
uide and we'll go for it!"

Deer season in the high country of Utah opens in early September. I drove to the area
that Mike hunts and arrived at about noon the day before the hunt was to begin.
The first person I met on arriving at camp was Ray Castaneda who introduced himself as
"the cook." This is the largest understatement I have had the pleasure to experience.
Ray is not only a chef of considerable talent but one of the most informed men I have
ever met and all around "good guy."

Mike's hunting area is true high country with basp camp at 5,500 feet and all uphill,
to nearly 9,500 feet elevation. Most of it has been managed with wildlife in mind. We
enjoyed watching a good size band of elk feeding the first night not far from base camp.
Camp was small with each hunter having his own guide. We all got up early for breakfast
then each guide and hunter would leave on an ATV long before daylight for hiking into
an area or to arrive at vantage points for glassing. Each day Ray would pack a lunch
for each of us and our guides so we would have a choice of staying out all day or
returning for a break midday.

Glassing is one thing that we did a lot of during the first three days of our hunt.
The weather was warmer than usual during early season and much of this country is
thickly vegetated. Our efforts produced elk, moose, and several bucks not yet ready
for prime time. We would just have to keep looking until the "Big Man" showed himself.
At abouth 4pm on day three, it happened. Mike and I were sitting below a high ridge
looking into a deep secluded canyon miles from anywhere, when Mike started to scramble
to set his spotting scope on something. "Wait until you see this." After what seemed
like forever he let me look through the spotting scope and I was speechless! It was
truly "the Buck." The story does not end here becausewe were looking through 60 power
scope at a deer not even in our zip code. The Monarch was across a large deep canyon
and the slopes were covered with thick oak brush as high as a man's head, so an approach
from where we were was out of the question with what remained of the day's light. We
stayed where we were and watched the buck until darkness, making plans for morning and
praying that we could relocate him and find a way to stalk to within shooting distance.

Back at camp that evening, the other hunters shared the events of their day and plans
for tomorrow, day four. I felt that the deer I had seen that afternoon was really too
much hope for, so I did not mention him at supper table. My sleeping quarters for the
hunt happened to be in the same building as the kitchen, and later that night after all
the guides and other hunters had left, Ray asked me if I had seen any good deer in the
three days thus far. Now it was my turn for a long silence. I then told Ray that we had
seen "The Buck" today and if we could find him again tomorrow it would wake this camp
like nothing he had ever seen!

Early the next morning I strapped my rifle onto Mike's four wheeler ready for the daily
Evil Knievel ride that would take us to where we could begin hiking and hopefully relocate
the deer. As we parked and began the hike I noticed it rained a few drops during the
night so it was easy to walk without making much noise.

At daylight we reached the spot where Mike planned to set up on this once in a lifetime
buck and begin glassing. It happened so quickly that it seemed like a fairytale. Mike said,
"there he is...get on the shooting sticks and I will give you range. He is at 332 yards...
do not get excited...just shoot him." At this point the monster was facing away from me
with his head up in a small oak tree browsing on leaves or acorns. In the early morning
light his antlers just coming out of velvet, shone and eerie white color that was almost
ghost like and Mike is telling me, "Do not get excited!"

The next few moments are not very accountable, but I shot and heard the unmistakable sound
of a bullet hitting its mark. Mike said, "Stay on the sticks, reload and be ready in case
he moves, this is one of the biggest bucks I've ever seen and we don't want him getting away."
We did wait several minutes to be sure the deer was down. Looking back, I believe those
minutes were most needed to allow both of us to regain somewhat of a normal heartbeat.
This is at least on time for me that an animal did not suffer ground shrinkage. Our deer
has a 35 inch wide main frame with a kicker on each side that gives him an outside spread
of 39 5/8. His gross is 212, His age results came back at 8 and 1/2 years, a true old timer.

It is not important to me whether or not this buck qualifies for any record book. You
would not be able to locate it in any book if it did as I do not hunt for that reason.
My personal high is in the enjoyment and challange of the hunt itself and I'm meeting people
like Mike and Ray and spending time with them and other guides and hunters. I just want the
chance to find that once in a lifetime animal. In 2004, I got all that and more!

Big Mountain Outfitters of Utah "Big Game Hunting at its Best!"

Call MIKE MACFARLANE at 1-801-330-3860
2519 South 1500 East
Salt Lake City, UT 84106
email: bigmountainoutfitters@yahoo.com
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