THE
KING
OF
WHITETAILS
Phil Webb
Written by Chad Wilkinson
T
he summer of 2012 was a good one for Phil Webb
when it comes to big deer. As an avid deer hunter,
he had put in countless hours every morning before
work and in the evenings after work, with his binoculars
never far from reach. Throughout the summer he watched
as nature’s greatest artwork formed on top of the heads of
some of the local deer in his area. The velvet covered antlers
and sleek shapes of summer bucks were all he needed to get
fired up for the upcoming season. Finally, as the days of
August slipped by and the September season drew near, he
picked up a copy of the hunting guide and was devastated
with what he saw. You see, Phil had decided that this was
the year that he was going to close the deal on a big mule
deer buck and that is where his focus had been throughout
the summer. When he read the hunting guide, he saw that
the over the counter archery mule deer buck tags that were
usually available in his area were not available this year so
he would not be able to hunt mule deer bucks in his area.
With this setback, Phil decided to focus on whitetails. He
quickly switched his scouting to areas where he knew whitetails would be. In early September, he set his trail cameras
out to monitor a few of the best trails between bedding and
feeding areas. Each week he went in to pull the cards or
switch locations. Despite two months of hard scouting and
running trail cameras, he had not located a mature whitetail
buck.
Fast forward to a few days before the
beginning of the rifle whitetail season. Phil had located one
good buck in his area. It was a 160 class whitetail with long
points on each side, and a wide, albeit light frame. He had
not been able to capture this deer on his trail cameras, but
had seen him on a few separate scouting trips. On the latest
trip, a cold and snowy day, he had stalked to within 40 yards
of the buck. The high tined buck had been down in a coulee
and Phil could only catch a few glimpses of him. Just as
Phil reached some cover, the buck decided to come up onto
a hill and Phil could see his tall tines silhouetted against
the evening sky. Phil momentarily considered getting into
a shooting position with his bow, but the light rack of the
buck matched an equally light neck. A closer look revealed
the long legs, slim waist look of a young deer and he made
the decision to pass this deer with the hopes that they would
cross paths again in another year or two. A final check of the
trail cameras before the rifle season began left Phil with little
hope. There was not a single picture of a mature whitetail.
The frustration built up and on November 15, the first
Phil Webb with one of the most impressive typical whitetails taken anywhere in the world for 2012. The
typical 6 x 6 frame on his giant buck gross scores 201” even. After deductions, including some long sticker points, the buck still nets 185 6/8”. It was the top typical whitetail taken in Saskatchewan in 2012. The
numbers on his buck are truly world class with three tines over 13” long, 27” and 26 7/8” main beams and a
22 2/8” inside spread.
day of rifle season, Phil made the fateful decision to pull
up stakes, cover ground and visit some of the areas he had
grown familiar with from years of working in the area. He
knew that with the rut heating up, he needed to be where
the big bucks were and, this year at least, that was not his
backyard. As his hunting partner Brian pulled into the
yard, they discussed the plan and were on the road. After a
couple hours of driving, they arrived at an area where Phil
had hunted in past years. Stopping to still hunt through
the rugged, brush filled pasture, they did not have a lot of
action. They looped back through the pasture and decided
to head back to the truck. As they crested the last hill, a big
framed whitetail caught their attention. He had only given
them a quick look, but they could see he had a big frame.
They could make out a brown lump moving on the other
side of the trees. As the big buck got up he slowly stretched
and then walked right out into the open. The buck was
facing away from them and looked good. As Phil studied
him in his riflescope he turned broadside to reveal that he
was a short beamed 3 x 3! The hunters made the call to let
him walk away, because despite their frustration, they knew
the rut was just beginning and they had a lot of time left to
hunt.
Later that day, after covering some ground, they spotted
a small group of mule deer on the side of a coulee and Phil
remembered he had two mule deer doe tags in his pocket. As
a long season of scouting and hunting will do, he had started
questioning whether or not he would be able to fill the freezPhil with the giant shortly after it hit the ground.
er and he quickly decided to fill his tags. A 200 yard stalk
and a couple quick shots later and his freezer would be full.
After approaching the deer and realizing how deep the snow
was he immediately questioned his decision. The punishing
drag up the hill and across the buck brush filled pasture had
him feeling that he had earned his freezer full of venison.
The next day found Phil and Brian in some open areas
where bedding areas consisted of little more than a single
tree on a hillside. This open country made spot and stalk
a real challenge. The spot was easy and they had spotted
a half a dozen good bucks that day. The stalk was nearly
impossible as the open country deer knew how to use the
terrain to their advantage and seemed to have the sight
and hearing of their mule deer cousins. After a few failed
An absolute monster typical whitetail
stood up right beside her. As he got up,
it looked like the entire tree was getting
up, but it was his massive 6 x 6 antlers.
attempts in the crunchy, deep snow they decided to cover
ground and use their binoculars.
Phil had worked in the area in the past and knew some of
the feeding and bedding areas that he wanted to check out.
As they slowly worked their
way through another pasture
with a coulee on their right side,
they spotted a young whitetail
buck on the opposite side of the
valley. They watched him for
a while and were just about to
get up and keep moving when,
back in the direction they
came from, a doe stood up and
silhouetted herself right where
the coulee met the field above.
It was only a few seconds when a
moment happened that the
hunters will never forget.
An absolute monster typical
whitetail stood up right beside
her. As he got up, it looked like
the entire tree was getting up, but
it was his massive 6 x 6 antlers.
Both Phil and Brian instantly knew that they would spend
the rest of the season perched
on the hill overlooking this
coulee if that is what it took to
harvest this deer. The pair of
deer had not seen them so they made the quick decision to
back out and get behind the nearest hill. Once out of sight,
they decided to each watch one side of the coulee and wait
to see if the deer would move or stay put.
After a long wait, nothing had come out either end of
the coulee. The stiff breeze that was freezing them as they
sat on the hill tops was now a blessing as they made the
decision to move in on the buck. The problem was the pair
was on the edge of the quarter and they did not have permission on the next quarter over. The hunters made the
decision to quickly head back to the truck, track down the
landowner and secure permission on the adjacent quarter
just in case the buck ran that direction. As they introduced
themselves and asked for permission from the landowner, Phil
held his breath for a moment when there was a pause in the
response. After a few seconds, permission was granted.
With a quick handshake the two were back on their way
to the paired up deer hiding in their secluded fortress of
tangled buckbrush in the bottom of the coulee. As Phil and
Brian made their way back to the coulee, the biting wind
did not seem nearly as cold on their skin, but the distance
back to the coulee seemed ten times as far.
As they approached to within a half mile of the clump
of trees that the deer had disappeared into, they made
sure to keep one of the many small rolling hills of the
landscape between them and the deer. Finally, Phil thought
they were getting close to rifle range so he pulled out his
rangefinder and hung it around his neck. A clump of trees
just above where they had last
seen the big buck was at 355
yards. They knew they had to
get closer. They stopped for
a few minutes to calm down
and catch their breath. The
picture of the mass of bone
above the bucks head had
both of them excited and the
anticipation of closing the
distance so they were in
rifle range was overwhelmingly
exciting. They started a pattern
of taking a few steps, stopping,
glassing the coulee and ranging
the clump of trees. 325, 290,
260, 245. Finally, they were
under 200 yards when they
stopped. Just as Phil let his
rangefinder down, the doe
stood up, exactly where they
thought she would be. Phil
quickly shouldered his rifle and
desperately scrambled to find
antlers in the mess of branches
where the deer had taken shelter. Phil saw the back end of a
deer push itself up, then the front end followed. A glance up
revealed a massive tangle of bone that was as clear as crystal
in his scope. As soon as the deer stood, Phil shot, striking
the buck and spinning him 90 degrees. Immediately, he
cycled the action on his 300 win mag. After the final shot
rang out, Phil’s buck lay there in the stubble, motionless.
As they walked up to the deer it was facing away from
them. They could see it was a big, mature, huge bodied
whitetail, but nothing prepared the hunters for what they
saw when they got to the front. The antlers truly looked
out of place, like they did not belong, and would be too big
to carry. The guys celebrated and then went back to get the
truck. Just as they were about to grab the buck and load
him up, Brian mentioned to Phil that they should take a
few pictures. Looking back, Phil is extremely grateful that
Brian remembered to take the pictures. After loading the
buck into the box of the truck, Phil pulled out a few pairs
of coveralls from under the seat and wrapped the antlers to
protect them from the box of the truck. This was critical
because he and Brian continued to hunt for the rest of the
day!
Later, on the road back home the thought of where to
hang the buck struck. The garage was set up, but full of
mule deer from the previous day. Phil immediately called
his friend Andy and asked if he could hang the deer there.
This monster of a buck hung in Andy’s garage until Phil was
able to take it to the taxidermist a few days later! Phil would
like to thank Brian and Andy for all the help on this hunt.
Another view showing the solid mass on Phil’s buck, to go
along with the incredibly huge typical frame.