Thanks to the sharp eyes of guide Matt Price (left), the author was able to take this beautiful 4x4. The antlers measured 23 1/2 inches on the outside, were 19 1/2 inches tall and showed excellent mass and symmetry.

My vision of British Columbia, which is situated on Canada's western edge and nearly crowned with regal mountain peaks, was formed not long after my 13th birthday. It was Christmas 1979, and my prized goodie under the tree that year was Fred Bear's Field Notes. In this adventurous tome I read (and reread many times) of Fred's bowhunting exploits in the Coldfish Lake and Kispiox River areas of B.C., where he stalked sheep, moose, grizzly and caribou, deadly recurve in hand.

As my flight landed in Williams Lake, I looked forward to hunting the same province as my childhood hero. My guide from Wildlife Adventures International, Matt Price, picked up me and my hunting partner, Jim Beckett, before daybreak the next morning and pointed the truck south to our base camp at Cougar Creek Lodge. As the sky lightened, I realized that this part of B.C. was quite different from the country Bear had hunted.

The southcentral portion of British Columbia is made up of the Fraser Plateau. It's a landscape characterized by rolling hills averaging 3,000 to 5,500 feet in elevation. Natural lakes, plus wet and dry marshes, dot a landscape thick with spruce, pine and aspen.

Our hunting territory sat just east of the Cariboo Trail, the infamous north-south route that bisects the British Columbia interior and earned its notoriety during the Canadian Gold Rush of the late-1800s. Today, the treasure that slips down the Cariboo Trail is carried on logging trucks instead of in canvas pouches. Timber is king, and it has been the primary industry here for decades.

While many folks view large-scale logging--especially clearcutting--as a blight on the landscape, British Columbia's timber activity has provided not only employment but also a diverse ecosystem. Whereas spruce and pine forests once meant limited food, the acres of timber cuts scattered throughout the region now provide a bountiful source of food for all manner of wildlife. Many popular big game species call the Fraser Plateau their home--mule deer, moose and black bears being the big draw. But other critters such as cougars, wolves and coyotes also roam these parts. Small numbers of grizzly bears have even worked their way into the region.

In the pre-logging days, game animals weren't nearly as abundant as they are today, and because of the dense forests, hunting was primarily limited to natural openings around swamps, marshes and lakes. With the timber cuts steadily expanding the cornucopia of choice vegetation, more animals have been able to move into the area and are expanding their populations.

Logged areas, called cut blocks or slashes by the locals, are the epicenters for most of the hunting now. Because the country is so big (the exclusive guiding territory of Wildlife Adventures International alone is 4,000 square miles), hunting is primarily spot-and-stalk. You drive from one cut block to the next looking for game; when you find it, you plan a stalk.

Matt, Jim and I rolled into camp about 8 a.m., and after stashing our gear and making sure our scopes survived the baggage handlers, we headed out for a look around. It wasn't long before we spied a handsome 4x4 mulie in a cut block that didn't offer the shot I wanted, but I was satisfied to see such a fine specimen so early in the trip.

The rolling hills and dense forests of the Fraser Plateau are interrupted by numerous timber cuts; glassing these cut blocks is the primary hunting strategy.

The next several hours were spent cruising cut blocks and occasionally stretching our legs. Later in the afternoon, while passing by a lake rimmed with pine and yellow aspens, Matt spied a buck standing proudly on the far side of the water.

While the mulie we saw earlier in the morning would hang proudly on any hunter's wall, the buck eyeing us from across the way was an absolute monster. Matt figured the rack measured a solid 32 to 34 inches wide and 24 to 28 inches tall. The antlers boasted textbook 4x4 symmetry.

Unfortunately, the buck had us dead to rights, and with the wind blowing willy-nilly, there was no way to sneak around the lake and through the timber to get any closer. The best bet was to slip through the pines to the lake shore, where an open, 200-yard shot might present itself.

Keeping a row of pines between us, I stepped gingerly through the downed timber until I'd exhausted my cover. A 10-inch pine offered something of a rest, but I couldn't get steady enough to be confident that I could make such a long shot. I dropped to the ground, intending to take a prone shot with my rifle resting across a small log. By then, however, the big buck had already sauntered off into the dark pines.

Heading back to the lodge that evening, Matt and I worked up a strategy for the first big mule deer buck we'd seen that day. Matt felt confident that the buck would probably be back in that cut block sometime the next morning. The plan, as we conceived it, was to park the truck and walk into the area before daylight, pick a stand, then wait for the buck to show up.

That night I fitted my Remington 700 with my buddy's bipod, resolute that my earlier flub would not be repeated.

The next morning, with stars shining brightly in an ebony sky, I finished getting ready. Matt had the truck loaded with his gear and was in the lodge enjoying a final cup of coffee when I opened his door to unlock the other side of the truck. I flipped the button and closed the door, only to discover that I'd pushed the button the wrong way and had just locked the keys in the truck. Oops.

WILDLIFE ADVENTURES INT. Cougar Creek Lodge is home base for most of the Wildlife Adventures International hunts in central British Columbia. Guide outfitter Ron Emmelkamp is the ramrod of the outfit, and has four decades under his belt guiding hunters in the Fraser Plateau region. Ron employs top-of-the-line guides who know the country and the game they pursue. Ditto for the cooks/lodge keepers, who whip up a royal meal twice daily and maintain the hunting camp like a four-star hotel. Ron and crew specialize in guided combo hunts for mule deer, moose and black bears in five- and six-day hunt increments from the first of September to the end of November. Cougar hunts are offered from December through April, with spring black bear available in May. To set up a hunt, contact Wildlife Adventures International at P.O. Box 567, Lac LaHache, BC Canada VOK-ITO, 1 (800) 850-9214, www.BChunter.com

Nothing like handicapping your guide on the first full day of hunting. We found the keys to another truck, but needless to say, we missed our pre-dawn walk-in--a mishap for which I'll be eternally grateful.

I was walking lead as we approached a cut block up on our right. We aimed for a high point in the center of the slash that would offer an excellent vantage point for watching the area. I stopped to see if there were any deer already in the cut, but in the gray dawn nothing was evident.

We walked a few more steps, then Matt let out a soft whistle behind me. I knew he was onto something, so I slowly turned my head to see what had his attention. He was pointing to the area I had just scanned. And there he was, the same buck we'd seen the previous morning.

One of the challenges of hunting cut blocks is that much of the old slash on the ground is the same color as mule deer. Unless you have a practiced eye, you may never even notice a deer standing in the open. Fortunately, Matt had the eyes of an eagle and many years practice in pursuing B.C. mulies.

I quickly dropped out of sight behind a bank next to the road to shuck my daypack and drop the bipod legs. The buck had already spotted us, and I had serious doubts that he would wait around long enough for me to set up for the shot. There were also five other deer right behind him, and surely they would start a stampede for escape if the big guy didn't beat them to it.

I crept up the bank on hands and knees, hoping for a solid rest and a clear shot. Fortunately, I was blessed with both, with the buck standing about 125 yards away.

I've never been a big fan of straight-on shots at game, but I wasn't about to wait for the 4x4 to turn broadside and run. The bipod did its job of taking the shakes out of my aim, and I managed to keep the crosshairs dead-on at the base of his neck. I pushed off the safety and fired.

The buck was down instantly. The Remington .300 SAUM tipped with a 180-grain Nosler Partition performed perfectly, delivering my first trophy mule deer and the best shot placement I've ever managed.

And the reason I was grateful for locking the keys in the truck? Had we stayed with our plan of walking into this cut before daylight, we would have flushed out the buck and its companions without ever seeing them.

Funny how things work out.