In 1996, I spent a total of 17 days scouting and hunting the Arizona Strip. During that time I glassed up one shooter buck, late one evening at the distance of a mile. Unfortunately, he was not seen again and while I went home with an unpunched tag, I fell in love with the area and the possibility of finding a monster buck around the next corner. Another good turn of events that year was that I was lucky to meet my good friend, Brady Dupke. Since then, I have been back several times with Brady, Ryan, Tory, and David while sharing in on other people’s hunts.

Fast forward to 2008––I drew tag #4 as a non-resident with max points! I immediately called Brady and he was very excited at my good fortune. Another long-time hunting buddy, Billy Ward, would also be joining us for my hunt…things were starting off perfectly! 

As the year rolled along, I called the MuleyCrazy Crew often. Each time I spoke to Ryan and David, I became more excited as I found out that 2008 was shaping up to be one of the best years in recent history. Mother Nature had done her part in helping the horn growth and since there was a very good carry-over of mature deer from the 2007 season, my excitement level was at an all-time high. In all likeliness, this would probably be my last Arizona deer tag north of the Grand Canyon and I was very hopeful for what lied ahead. 

I arrived a few days early and set up camp with my travel trailer. I then spent the next couple of days scouting before Brady, Billy, and another friend, John (who also had a tag), arrived. We had a great camp with good friends and a contagious atmosphere of camaraderie that made everything so much more than just a hunt.

Right out of the gate, John shot a big, heavy 200-inch 4x4, that was over 30 inches wide…what a start! However, the streak of luck ended abruptly as for the next 6 ½ days, we pounded the country side. While we saw many nice bucks, I was looking for one of those big, wide, and heavy Strip Monsters, and I was ready to eat another tag if that’s what it took.

Both Billy and Brady had to leave, so I hunted alone on the 7^th evening. I knew the clock was ticking but I still had three days left and I was going to make the most out of them. As I was eating dinner that night, my good friend Tory Brock pulled up. Tory just happens to know a thing or two about the Strip and with him now in camp, I could feel my luck factor going up a couple of notches.

The next morning found me in a new area with Tory nearby. At first light, I immediately saw a group of deer that consisted of three bucks and two does. After meeting back up with Tory, I was glad to hear that he had found three other bucks; one of which was an old, grizzled veteran that had a huge gray body and an old weathered face. Unfortunately, his antlers weren’t up to par and all I could do was wish he had a better rack. We later checked the local water source and the tracks that were seen had me feeling that all the time and effort was about to pay off.

As Tory and I bounced down the road, my cell phone picked up a message and Tory stopped as cell coverage is almost nonexistent on the Strip. As I was getting the message, Tory put his glasses to work and amazingly glassed up another three bucks and four does, (thanks for the message, Keith). At first, we were not that impressed with the largest buck because he was not real wide. However, careful scrutiny revealed extra points and mass that definitely deserved a closer look. We quickly closed the gap and after putting my 60x Swarovski scope on him, I knew we had found my buck. 

The rangefinder read 450 yards and with the wind blowing, I knew it was too far. As the herd of deer went over a nearby hill, Tory and I waited a bit to let them settle down. Two canyons over, we found them at 350 yards and I tried to lay down to shoot off my pack but the sage in front of me was too tall. I did attempt a shot off of Tory’s tripod but I missed and the entire herd ran over the top of another hill. I was devastated…I had just missed the biggest buck of my life and I wasn’t so sure that was my one and only chance! However, we were relentless in our tracking effort and a while later, I somehow found myself with another chance. Two shots from my 300 RUM and this time, the buck was down for good! As we walked up to him, I was so happy to have finally taken a beautiful Arizona Strip buck.

This hunt taught me that you can draw a great tag, on a great year, hunt hard and smart, but ultimately, you still need some good old-fashioned luck! I would like to thank Brady, Billy, Tory, and Ryan for their help and friendship which made this hunt so much fun. Most of us also would not be successful without the love and support given to us by our wives and families…thank you Lisa, Ben and Kim.

Points: 8x8

Width: 27

Score: 218