Ray Seelbinder of Western Colorado has recently completed the North American Deer Slam with his latest trophy – A Columbian Black-tailed Deer from Oregon. More impressively, he did it all with traditional archery tackle and a bow that he built himself.
It looks like a good one too.
Congratulations Ray! You are an inspiration to us all.
– Word Just In – It looks like this buck might just make the Pope & Young Record Book by about 1″ (green score). Hopefully, it won’t shrink much during the P&Y required waiting period. I’ll cross my fingers for Ray!
*The North American Deer Slam includes the fair chase harvest of a mule deer, white-tailed deer, coues deer, black-tailed deer, and Sitka Deer.
**”Two forms of black-tailed deer or blacktail deer that occupy coastal woodlands in the Pacific Northwest are subspecies of the mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus). They have sometimes been treated as a species, but virtually all recent authorities maintain they are subspecies. The Columbian black-tailed deer (Odocoileus hemionus columbianus) is found in western North America, from Northern California into the Pacific Northwest and coastal British Columbia. The Sitka deer (Odocoileus hemionus sitkensis) is found coastally in British Columbia, Southeast Alaska and Southcentral Alaska (as far as Kodiak Island).” – Wikipedia
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For an excellent reference on the deer of North America, you might wish to purchase:
Mule and Black-Tailed Deer of North America: A Wildlife Management Institute Book. Edited by Olof C. Wallmo.
We usually have a copy in stock. Please email us at huntbook1@gmail.com for more information.
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You Might Also like to read a little about his latest Coues Deer buck at Coues Head Soup.
Congratulations, Ray! I recently completed the same deer slam over a five-month (single season) period using my compound. I have the first-hand experience of how challenging each hunt is. To complete it using a self-made traditional bow is an awesome achievement. From one Coloradan to another, well-done sir!
Sir William,
Thank you for the kind words ! Congratulations to you on your Slam, seems tough enough to accomplish in a life time , let alone to pull it off in one season…. Bravo !!!
Perchance to meet and share some stories ?
PS, curious if any or all yours are P&Y caliber?
Ciao, Ray
Ray, I was told three of the five would make P&Y and the coues was just shy. I never had them measured, for such. in all honesty, I have always looked upon the hunt being the trophy and the deer being icing on the cake. I literally had one day to hunt my Columbia blacktail before my trip way sacked by gale force winds on Decatur Island, WA. I was asked by an 82 year old resident if I could “please shoot a mommy deer.” The island is extremely overpopulated, and It just seemed the fitting thing to help out those living via subsistence on the island year round.
Congratulations to you too. Tell us more…Mike
Congratulations
I achieved the North American deer slam in 14 with a coues buck from Sonora MX
I have mule deer from CO and black tail from Kodiak, AK
I reside in MD and have harvested numerous whitetails from all over the East cost
Great sport with greater people.
Kimber Ward