"I'm going to circle around that funnel in case he comes out that way," Robert said. "I'll head left and see if he comes back," I answered. It was an immediate plan that we formulated, with few words needed. After all, we'd been best friends for over 40 years and could almost read each other's minds.
It was our final day of the 2019 bowhunting season, and we had been heading back to the truck after a long morning hunt. It was September in Central Oregon, and starting to touch the mid 80s as the afternoon loomed. We were so close to the truck that we had started to talk at a conversational volume. Time to head back to camp for a beer and a nap as we strategized the evening hunt.
It was there - probably 30 yards from the truck - that a large doe, clearly startled, sprinted across a tiny opening and across the forest road in front of us. And then, there HE was.
"Holy shit Gare!," Robert says. The buck, maybe 15 yards to our left was running AT US. He stopped a few yards in front of us, immediately saw something wasn't right, immediately spun and crashed into the dense woods. Gone.
In the meantime, both Rob and I were fumbling to nock an arrow with this unexpected event.
That buck eventually did come slinking back to the area. He never gave us an opportunity for a shot, but he left us with quite a lesson. "You never know. Always be ready."
That warm September day in the High Cascades of Oregon was the last day that my best friend and I hunted together.
Robert was diagnosed with cancer (Lynch's Syndrome) in February of 2020 and passed away in the spring of 2021.
We had chosen the Oregon Metolius Unit several years before as our hunting area. One of the reasons is that it was a good halfway point where we could meet. He lived in Bend, OR and myself in the Willamette Valley. Another is that it is simply beautiful, and a third is that it was known for big bucks.
Metolius, however, has long been a tough Controlled Tag draw as a rifle unit, so we figured that while we would wait to win a rifle draw, we'd bowhunt the unit, and could General Season for rifle hunting, (regulations have now changed in Oregon - almost every worthwhile public land unit is a draw, rifle or bow).
Robert and I grew up together, just a street apart in West Salem, Oregon. Same age, same schools, same hobbies, same background. We were similar and inseparable. Sure, we grew up, spread out, followed different paths in life, but were were as close on the day he died as we were as 6 year olds on the playground. I don't have a biological brother so I can't speak of shared genes that way, but I lost more than my best friend when he died. I lost a brother, and I lost a part of myself.
Grief has an interesting way of working its way through your life. I come from a long line of stoic, internalizing, "work harder" Killingsworth men. I "feel" things at a pace that can appear glacial to some, and I've learned - even while fighting against it - that it's best to just feel what you feel...as you feel it. That's not easy to do. You may understand what I mean.
Fast forward to June of 2024. Much of that feeling is starting to become gratitude. I'm not fortunate to lose my best friend. I'm fortunate to have had one. I'm not "lucky" that we didn't pull a monster buck out of the woods on that final day. I'm lucky that I have a hunting area that will bring back the old memories, foster the new ones, a prove to be an ongoing pursuit - in both drawing the tag itself, but hunting the unit in general.
And so I checked my email.
The ODFW Controlled Hunt results were in. "Buck Deer - 139 Metolius Unit - Yes." I finally drew it. 8 years and all of my deer preference points later.
The feelings hammered me all at once. I called my dad, (who's on this journey with me). I called my mom and stepdad. I called Summer. I told my daughters. I texted all my buddies. I sent a screenshot to all the Gun Talk guys.
The infinite emotions flooded at me. I finally get to hunt this unit in October. I get to share with my dad all of the areas where Rob and I hunted (they were very close as well). What new gear do I want? It's time to get the lungs back in shape for high altitude. How will I feel, emotionally, up there? MIL or MOA? Google Earth. OnX. You probably know the feeling.
As a "gear guy" - that's an easy place to start. And for a Gun Talk guy, it starts with the rifle setup. Enter Christensen Arms, Vortex Optics, Nosler and Crimson Trace. More on that next week.
At this point in the story, its important for me to go back and discuss what makes this hunting area special, besides the obvious human connection that I've already detailed.
If you've never been to Oregon - or think that Portland remotely resembles the rest of the state physically, politically, or geologically - it may be hard to imagine my description of the Metolius area. As far as hunting geography goes, the simplest way to describe things is that Western Oregon (west of the Cascade Mountains) is blacktail deer and Roosevelt elk country. Interstate 5 runs right through it.
Western Oregon is farmland, rainforests, rain, wine country, protesters, Ducks and Beavers.
Eastern Oregon is mule deer and Rocky Mountain elk country that is considered high desert. Think sprawling ranches, Ponderosa pine, and long two-lane highways.
The Metolius unit is considered Central Oregon and just over the peak of the Cascades. As you pass the summit, you'll immediately encounter beautiful lakes, Mt. Jefferson, Mt. Washington, the Three Sisters and Three Fingered Jack. The unit itself is tucked under that shadow of Three Fingered Jack (pictured at top) and offers an incredible climate and undeniable beauty.
The deer in this area are technically where blacktails and muleys meet, and they are big. I'm not going to use the word "benchleg" but from what I've seen firsthand and from what I've heard from others, they behave like blacktails (weary, hard to hunt), but grow like mule deer (distinct features, big bodies, wide set antlers). Seems like an accurate assessment.
With Western and Central Oregon meeting each other, you'll find a very interesting mix of vegetation and cover. From thick and cool forests to dry and crunchy meadows and from miles of manzanita bushes to wide open Ponderosa pine thickets, it is, in my opinion, the best that a Western deer hunt could offer.
Gary Killingsworth
Gary is the Digital Manager for Gun Talk Media and is a proud “Oregunian”. A lifelong shooter, gear hound and student of the gun, he is a staunch advocate for quality, consistent training. When not trying to perfect his trigger press, Killingsworth is an avid baseball fan, bowhunter and salmon & steelhead angler.
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