200-Inch Archery Buck from 2015: Josh Harris Hunts Utah

by Josh Harris

I had been watching this buck for three years. I was hunting up in the high country and patterning the deer with trail cams. These bucks are in country that glassing is not an option. The only thing you can do is let your cameras do the work for you. I have a bunch of cached areas where I can hike up and swap clothes, extra gear, scent cover, water, etc. Furthermore, I have multiple tree stands placed in strategic places where the deer movement is the highest, mainly in big Ponderosa Pines somewhere around 30 to 35 feet up to make sure my scent is far above the game. From that point, when the hunt arrives, it becomes a waiting game.

Last year, the buck that I was hunting shifted areas and kept picking up my scent. When I finally connected having sat in my stand for 2 1/2 weeks, that day in particular, I came into the area from a different direction to compensate for the wind. Luckily this year, the buck that I was hunting maintained his same bedding area that worked to my favor. It took about six days to wait for him to make his routine, and I connected with only a few minutes of light left. I chose to back out that night and go back the next day. To my surprise he died within 120 yards of the shot location, and it was a huge relief when I finally laid eyes on him on the ground. None of the trail camera pics truly showed what kind of a deer he is. He has seven score-able points on his right side and five on his left. He has a 28-inch outside spread along with 45 3/8 inches of mass. My best buck to date scoring just over the 200 inch mark!