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Biggest Buck The two whitetail hunters hemmed and hawed before deciding to hunt with Jim Rae, owner of Trophy Quest Outfitting. After shooting the breeze, I decided to get to bed as morning would come quickly. It would be our first day of whitetail deer hunting. Early to rise was 4:30am, followed by a big breakfast. We then left the lodge to start our hunt. Jim Rae was my guide. His claim was that he had some favorite spots to take me to. On the first day I passed up six to eight 150 to 160-class bucks. On the second day I passed up four 160-class bucks. That evening, about an hour before dark, we saw a 190 to 200-class buck. By the time we realized he was that big, he had already disappeared in to the heavy timber. "We aggravated Jim for three or four years in a row at the Safari Club conventions before we finally booked a hunt with him", Waymon tells about making the decision to hunt in Alberta. It was a decision
that was to prove very fortuitous indeed. The father and son took two
bucks on that hunt that are arguably the two largest bucks ever taken
by a father and son on the same hunt. "We hadn't seen much for the first few days", Waymon tells how the incredible hunt started. "We were sitting in stands to begin with and we like to freeze our tails off! It was 10 below every day!" "We've only
ever hunted warm country before so we just about froze", Shawn
confirms. Waymon and his guide were heading to a spot to stand hunt when they spotted two big bucks fighting more then two miles away. It was getting on in the day, so they knew they had to run or miss the opportunity. "I was so
petered-out by the time I got within shooting distance, I didn't care
whether I got one or not." Waymon remembers the race day. "The
two bucks came running over the hill. The one behind was chasing the
one in front. I shot the one in front." It stands to reason that the one behind, obviously the victor in the fight, should have been the larger deer. "Oh, ya, the second one was bigger alright." Waymon laughs when he retells the events of that day, "but that's the way the story is supposed to be anyway, isn't it?" Yep. Gives Jim's next year's hunters hope. The big one's still out there, and big he must be because Waymon's buck scored over 183 points! With one buck down, it was Shawn's turn to connect. "I had it in my head before the hunt, that if I managed to get a buck that scored in the 150 class, I'd be tickled to death." Shawn smiles when he says it. And so he should smile. He and his guide were sitting at the edge of an alfalfa field on the fourth morning, discussing whether to go or to stay. The guide had just suggested waiting for five more minutes when out walks the drop-tine buck of several lifetimes. "I knew he was big, but I really had no idea that he was that big. Not until I walked up to him," Shawn says honestly, and even more honestly adds that he missed the first shot. "The buck jumped and looked around. I shot again and he didn't go 20 yards after that." After the 60-day drying period, Shawn's buck officially scored out at 185 gross Boone and Crockett points, and netted a breathtaking 174 points. The two bucks are likely the two largest whitetails ever taken by a father and son on the same hunt, and both hunters are quick to point out that Jim gave 200% effort to find them their bucks.
"I've never seen an outfitter hustle like that. Every day there were new stands, new places to hunt and guides scouting. We were impressed with the effort," Shawn adds, and then goes on, "we had a heck of a year. Really think you can make a story out of it?" Oh, ya. |
Waymon
Burkhalter and his son Shawn Patterson, both from Weatherford, Texas,
have been hunting whitetail deer together since Shawn was a youngster. "We've taken some good bucks down in Mexico. We've been pretty
lucky there," Shawn explains, "but we'd never hunted Canada
until last year."
"The
other guides were out there scouting for us even though their hunters
were tagged out." Waymon explains.