Shad Wheeler, Washington

Born and raised in Wenatchee, Washington. I began going into the field with my dad when I was 5 years old and began hunting with him when I was 10. I have since gone on to become a fanatical bow hunter and have been blessed to hunt or assist on hunts all across the Western US and Canada.

I love bow hunting for so many reasons, the challenge, the adventure, the highs and the lows, the feeling of a quiet pre-dawn frost covered valley being suddenly shattered into the chaos of screaming bulls, the addiction to gear and the desire to achieve perfection which will never be obtained, but always sought. Most of all I love bow hunting because it is something that my father and I will always share, it is responsible for some of my greatest memories with my dad and I hope that bow hunting will mean the same thing to my daughters when they grow up.

I have a BA in English with a Minor in Business from WSU, a law degree from ASU and an MBA from WSU. I am 39 years old, married to an incredible woman with two amazing little girls. I have been involved in Software Startups for the last 10 years, which has taught me to be able to work in fast paced, chaotic and stressful environments. I have also been involved with conservation both at the local level and as a Board Director for the Foundation of North American Wild Sheep 2005-2006I have hunted or assisted in the hunting of many of North Americas Big Game species including:

  • Elk: It is a toss-up between Elk and Sheep as to which is my favorite to hunt. But being that Elk tags are much easier to come by, I will default to say that they are my favorite. I love the challenge of the terrain, of putting in the hard work during the preseason- scouting, training and shooting, all to have them kick your tail time and again, until you have that one magical moment where everything finally comes together and you have a close encounter, a shot or you put one on the ground. I have been fortunate to harvest a number of Rocky Mountain elk, and help hunting partners on numerous successful elk and deer hunts over the last 10 years. I have been lucky enough to harvest a 380 gross, 372 net B&C 7×7 Bull in NM with a muzzleloader, a 347 P&Y Bull in MT as raghorns and a cow. I will be hunting Archery Elk in Washington, Idaho and Colorado this year.
  • Mule Deer: I grew up chasing mule deer and they will always be my choice when it comes to choosing between them or whitetails. To date I have hunted Mule Deer in Washington, Idaho, Oregon and Montana and taken 4 bucks with Archery equipment. I will be hunting Mule Deer in Washington again this year.
  • Antelope: I have taken 3 Antelope to date. All 3 bucks I have taken have been spot and stalk, 2 with Archery 1 with a rifle.
  • Whitetail Deer: I have harvested a number of decent bucks and harvested one great 5 point just outside of Pullman, WA that scored 157 B&C.
  • Stone Sheep: Hunted Stone Sheep in the Yukon in 2000 and was lucky enough to take a beautiful 38” ram.
  • Dall Sheep: Hunted Dall Sheep in the Yukon in 2002 on a pure backpack hunt and harvested a 41” ram.
  • California Bighorn Sheep: I have guided and assisted as a guide on 4 California Bighorn Hunts, where all 4 hunters were successful, with one hunter taking a 181” ram.
  • Rocky Mtn Bighorn: Acted as an assistant guide on two Rocky Mtn Bighorn Hunts in Idaho, both hunts were successful with one hunter harvesting a 190”+ ram.
  • Desert Bighorn: Myself and two others guided my father to his Grand Slam Ram in the Mojave Desert in November of 2004.
  • Moose: Harvested a 58” Alaska/Yukon Moose in the Yukon in 2000. Helped my father harvest a 61” Shiras in NE Washington in 2010. Hoping to go up to Alaska in 2014 for a DIY Moose hunt with my uncle and a friend.
  • Mountain Caribou: Harvested a tremendous bull 390+ in the Yukon in 2002.
  • Black Bear: I have personally taken 4 black bears with my bow, two in Alberta, one in Washington and another on Vancouver Island Spring 2010.
  • Brown Bear: I hunted the Alaska Peninsula in October of 2005 and harvested an 8 ½ ft brown bear as well as two black wolves, one of which went number 13 all time.
  • Mountain Goat: Currently I have the P&Y world record Mountain Goat. I harvested him in February of 2006 in Northern BC after chasing him for 9 days. I was also fortunate to win the Mountain Goat Tag Raffle in WA where I was able to harvest a beautiful nanny (which was my goal, as I wanted to mount a bill and nanny together).
  • Miscellaneous: Have also harvested mouflon, javelina, coyotes, grouse, rabbits, prairie dogs and squirrels with my bow.

Hunt Hard, Shoot Straight.