Current Status: Whitetail Fever

Yeah, yeah. I know. This blog is about an ELK hunt, but I just couldn't help but to switch gears yesterday evening when this guy poked his monster head out of the thick stuff, and teased me with visions of antlers headed in every direction on my wall. This big bastard had my heart going a hundred miles a minute, and while he was probably 800 yards away (the picture is through my scope), I felt exactly the same as I did when last years buck was under my tree stand.
Lately, I've been glassing a group of deer near where I've been hiking to prepare for Idaho.
Well, last night was no different, as Randy and I hiked up to the top of the ridge where I've been seing all of the mature bucks. On the ridge, the deer had no idea they were being watched, but in my own mind, I was already formulating a plan of attack on these guys come late September when we get back from Idaho. I watched them feed for about an hour, noted where they were coming from, where they were headed (public land, no less) and where they all took off to when they got spooked by something.
Like everyone says - to get the big game, you have to go where nobody else is willing to go, or depend on dumb luck. Well, this couldn't be more accurate with regards to these deer. They're basically unaccesible. I will have to probably take a full day to hike in, spend the night, and set up the following day. They're surrounded by some of the tallest thorn bushes and thickets you've ever seen, and apparently, nobody ever gets down there. Well, I'm getting down there, and Brandon is coming with me.
We glassed about 6 mature bucks (all over 8 points) and a few does for quite some time. But, I believe the above guy is the king of the hill. He chased a smaller (relative) buck away from where he was eating, and all of them kept looking at him to see what he was doing. Not only that, but the does stuck pretty close by to where this guy was eating. Watching him scrape those antlers on small thicket trees and mountain laurel was a thing of beauty.
I sent this picture to a guy I work with who scores his deer regulary (because, as I've always suggested, he's growing them in his yard), just for shits and giggles, and he informed me that, at minimum, he's about 175" as a guess, which if taken, would put someone right into the Connecticut Record books for deer taken with a bow. He begged me to tell him where these deer are, to which I have told him that he has a better chance of solving the Kennedy Assasination than he does getting that from me.
I'm going to give it one hell of a shot. I realize that I have a great opportunity to hunt Water Company Land this winter (quantity over quality I guess), but I'm going to put my hours on these guys as well.
I've been informed that I'm not allowed to hang a mount in my livingroom of my house, but if by the grace of God this guy hits the ground, he's going right on the wall!
I know some of you may look at this guy as just an average deer, but as Brandon will tell you, Connecticut is not known for their big deer. In fact, Connecticut is not known for anything hunting related, so this is a rare guy indeed.
Hopefully, you'll all forgive me for going off the topic of this blog just this once, as I'm sure you all understand!
On another note, Randy has proven himself a really good eye with regards to spotting animals. Granted these guys kind of stand out in the greenery, but he even saw the small ones laying in the grass and mostly hidden. I was quite impressed with his ability to pick up variations in color and focus in on what it was so quickly. That will be a valuable asset to have when we're all sitting on a ridge top glassing for elk 5 weeks from now.