No trick photography was used to magnify the size of Dave Parker's buck. He's really that big!

As we neared the spot where I'd last seen the buck, the vehicle's headlights flashed across blood on the snow. The trail led to a small patch of woods in the middle of the field, and there lay my buck. I knelt next to the beautiful 8-point, admiring his polished antlers and swollen neck. After handshakes and photos, we loaded him in the Suburban and raced back to camp to eat dinner before it got cold.

That same evening, Tom Mills arrowed a nice 10-point with his Schaffer Silvertip recurve, and the next day Dave Parker filled his tag with another awesome buck.

WITH ONLY ONE DAY left, it was crunch time for Jim Kinsey and my dad. I had bought a doe tag, but instead of hunting a doe I opted to sit with my dad.

Perched in a stand above my dad, I saw an 8-pointer through the trees and used my grunt and bleat calls to get the buck turned and heading in our direction. As the buck stepped from the timber, Dad came to full draw. When he released, his bowstring must have grazed his chest or arm, because his arrow kicked to the right in front of the buck's chest. Dad was visibly disheartened.

"Don't worry about it," I whispered. "We still have plenty of daylight left. Anything can happen."

Over the next three hours, three more bucks came to my rattling, but none offered a shot. Then, just before dark, a hot doe came streaking right at us, and close behind was a 130-class 10-point. The buck's head was a foot off the ground as he grunted with every dogging step. This is it, I thought. If she keeps coming, she's going to put that buck right in Dad's lap. Unfortunately, at 50 yards the doe cut left and hopped a fence, taking the buck with her across a field and out of sight.

AS SHOOTING LIGHT FADED, we climbed down and went to find my dad's arrow.

"Dad, I'm sorry it didn't work out for you," I said.

I don't know who was more proud of my Montana 8-point, my dad or me. He instilled his love for the outdoors in me at a very young age, and I'm not sure if I can ever thank him enough for this gift.

"What are you sorry for?" he said. "I had a great time this week. I got to spend a day in the woods with my son, which is something that doesn't happen nearly often enough now that you're older. And the excitement I felt watching that big buck chase that doe made this whole trip worthwhile."

In the dark we walked side by side down the snow-covered dirt road, both of us silently vowing to one day return to the paradise we'd found in Montana.

Author's Notes:
I used a 60-pound Hoyt VTEC, Fuse sight and stabilizer, Trophy Taker Shakey Hunter rest, Carbon Express Maxima Hunter 350 arrows, Rocky Mtn. Ironhead 100 broadheads, Nikon binoculars and rangefinder, Summit Copperhead treestands, Lowrance iFinder Hunt GPS, and clothing from ScentBlocker and Whitewater in Realtree camo.

My hunt with Montana Whitetails, Inc., ranks near the top of my "Favorite Hunts" list, and my dad and I will return in November 2006. Bob Harris is transferring the reins into the capable hands of Keith Miller this year, and Keith is already hard at work scouting, hanging stands, and acquiring new leases to expand his hunting area. To book a hunt with Montana Whitetails, Inc., contact: Keith Miller, 1601-C Mountain House Rd., Halifax, PA 17032; (717) 362-8831 (home); (717) 512-3582 (cell); www.montanawhitetails.com.