My North Cascades Story - High Buck Hunt in the North Cascades

By Anthony Novack, hunter & wildlife biologist

For my fortieth birthday, I joined a friend for a journey into the high country during the first season available to hunt deer with a rifle. The High Buck Hunt occurs during the beginning of Autumn and is restricted to inside the limits of wilderness areas within the North Cascades.

It's an opportunity to see a lot of game and avoid the crowds of vehicles and men in bright orange that dot the forest roads during the statewide general gun season. The extra effort required to get into the backcountry winnows out most of our modern day hunters who lack the time or ambition to hike deep into the wilderness. To ease our burden, we brought a pair of pack donkeys named Ed and Truman, to help carry gear and any game.

Our three day hunt was fabulous! Awake before light, we were away from camp, scoping the mountain ridges just as the first golden rays illuminated the morning. My first morning, I saw a couple bears across the valley, still working the remaining ripe huckleberrys. The black shapes were distinct from the maroon background. On my birthday, I saw a beautiful buck far up the mountainside about an hour after sunrise. That buck would turn out to be impossible to reach, but I ended the trip feeling that this was the best hunting opportunity in Washington.

Fortunately, my partner was able to harvest a small buck, a portion of which he shared with me. Happily, my freezer is restocked with some fresh venison. I turned forty years old but, during the hike out, felt like I was twenty-five again.