6th Prize
Hunting Journal with Weatherby Logo (100 awarded)
Wes Harvey, California
“What is my idea of a dream hunt? I would love to give my dad his ideal dream and hunt and it would be a little like this: It’s November, on a cold frigid morning. The temperature is 15 degrees with a slight fog on the ground. We have seen some great deer but not the trophy we are looking for. About 7:30 on the third morning through the fog we saw a giant buck appear. Boy is he a monster. The horns are so dark they look black with white tips. Our hearts are pounding because we know we have finally seen what we have been waiting for. I throw up my Leupold Wind River Mesa Binoculars and started counting the points. He is a main frame 12 with five cheater points and a lot of mass. He is the shooter we have been looking for. I tell my dad to shoot him. He grabs his Weatherby Mark V Accumark 308 topped with a Leupold VX–L 3.5x10x50mm B&C recital. We sit in anticipation while the monster makes his way closer to the blind. I ranged him with my Leupold RX–1 Rangefinder and he was feeding at 52 yards. My dad was ready for the shot we just need him to turn broadside. Finally he makes the turn and offers a shot of a lifetime broadside and 52 yards. My dad makes the shot and drops the monster dead in his tracks. After the field pictures we took care of the giant and got him back to the lodge. He weighed an outstanding 285 pounds. After taking a rough measurement his green score is 228 5/8. What a trophy...the end to a perfect dream hunt!
My ideal dream hunt would for me to be able to give back to my dad the experience of a lifetime. My dad is my Hero, my mentor, my inspiration, and my friend. He served in the Vietnam War which inspired me to join the Air Force. He has done so much for me and my family and is always there for us, and it is time for him to be rewarded. My dad has been an avid hunter in the state of California for about 25years now, and I have been hunting with my parents since I was just a baby. They tell me stories of how they bundled me up in a snow suit and blankets and off we went. Now I take my kids (ages 4 years, 2 years and eight months old) hunting with us. It is such a great time to spend with family. We hunt in Northern California and for what we spend each year to hunt we don’t have the best of luck. My dad has only shot three blacktail bucks in California. The deer have a substantial hunting pressure and it makes it hard to harvest a descent animal and a lot of tags go to waste. Just to give you an Idea of our luck it took my mother 23 years to shoot her first blacktail buck.
My dad is a disabled veteran and it is hard for him to get out and pursue the game. The steep hills in Northern California have forced him to hunt close to the dirt roads due to his disabilities. When I was stationed in North Dakota for the Air Force he accompanied me for the 2005 Rifle Season. Even though he was unsuccessful at killing a deer, he still had more fun shooting at a whitetail doe than he has ever had in California chasing little blacktail bucks. It would mean more to me to see the look on his face after he has harvested a real monster whitetail.
The reason why this is my dream hunt is because he deserves a chance at a real trophy. We would head north to Love, Saskatchewan to the establishment of Manley Outdoor Adventures. They provide some of the best amenities around. The deer quality is world class and offers a chance at a real monster Saskatchewan whitetail. The method of hunting would suit my dad’s needs very well because of the ground blinds he wouldn’t have to walk much therefore making it more enjoyable for him.”