But the buck just kept walking.

Green had hunted with a .308 a lot in the past and unfortunately, held the flatter-shooting 7mm too high.

Luckily, the miss hadn't spooked the buck. As the deer took a few more steps, he turned and provided the hunter a perfect broadside shot.

This time, Green placed the crosshairs right at the top of the animal's shoulder and squeezed the trigger.

"I heard the whap and saw a small puff of dust when the 150-grain Nosler bullet connected," he said. "The buck never went another foot. He dropped right there.

"My buck of a lifetime was on the ground, and I still didn't believe it."

As Green walked toward him, the mulie seemed to grow even bigger.

"I can't even explain the emotions I felt as I admired the magnificent trophy," he said. "Months of planning and preparation had all come together into the perfect hunt. Even though it was not the buck I'd originally set my sights on, this was a buck that dreams are made of."

As Green walked back to where he had left his pack and other gear, he kept replaying the stalk in his mind and still didn't believe what had just happened.

After his nerves eventually settled a bit, he thought about contacting his dad with his two-way radio.

"Even though I didn't want to ruin his hunt, I wanted him to share the moment with me," said Green.

"I finally got him to answer, and he was elated when I told him what had happened."

While he waited for his dad, he took numerous photos, field-dressed the deer and started quartering it so they could get it to their vehicle, which was about a mile away.

Once back at the truck, he compared the shed antler he had found to his buck's right antler and saw many similarities. He's not positive, but he supposes that his deer had dropped the shed the previous spring.

Although Ron Green didn't get his trophy Coues deer, he isn't complaining about the mule deer buck he had to settle on. His typical 4x4 trophy grossed an unofficial green score of 187 and netted 183 inches -- 3 inches longer than the minimum score for the Boone & Crockett awards record book.

ABOUT UNIT 5
Unit 5 is actually split into smaller units for some big-game seasons, such as elk and antelope. The 450 permits for any antlered deer in 2006 were authorized for the entire unit.

The southern boundary for Arizona's Unit 5 starts atop the Mogollon Rim, and Interstate 40 serves as the northern boundary. The Lake Mary-Clint's Well Road is its western boundary, and East Clear Creek is the eastern boundary.

The southern and eastern portions of unit are at a higher elevation, reaching approximately 7,000 feet, with ponderosa pine forest and scattered grasslands. The northern areas are lower and rarely top 5,000 feet. They're filled with grasslands, juniper and piñon.

The unit consists of Coconino National Forest land and state-trust parcels administered by Arizona State Land Department. Amid the state-controlled lands, many private sections also exist and are posted. Access to them is controlled and authorized by the private landowners. You would need permission to hunt these areas.

Both Coues and mule deer roam Unit 5. The Coues deer prefer steeper terrain with thick brush and live in small numbers in the larger drainages. For the most part, the whitetails account for a small number of the overall harvest in Unit 5.