Training all summer...sweat, sore muscles and blisters couldn't fully prepare me for what I was about to embark on. Mentally preparing yourself and your family to be out of touch from the world for 7 days is a challenge enough, then throw in the task of stalking a Blacktail buck in the backcountry and it seems nearly impossible.
Going through gear. Starting with a fresh pack from the boys at Oregon Pack Works, I sorted, weighed and evaluated what was going to make the final cut into 'The Whole ShaBang!'
Steve and I bombed out of town late that night, we didn't end up at the trailhead until 2 am. We grabbed a couple hours of shut-eye and headed deep into the unknown.
Taking it all in, we glassed our final destination, too bad it still 5 miles away. Packs loaded for broke, we pressed on.
Finally making into camp, we settled in and rested our legs. Later that evening we found ourselves at the ridge-top glassing for bucks. Nothing but bears...6 to be exact. Some big, some small, some black, some chocolate...one problem. NO TAG!
Honestly we were both a little bummed we couldn't find a deer, let alone a buck. After a restless night, we found ourselves climbing back up to our ridge top perch. Things finally were looking up. Bucks! 4 to be exact.
With rough terrain and unsettling winds, we settled to watch them for the rest of the day.
Up before dawn, we found ourselves in yet another dark climb to the top. Once again we found our 4 bucks...joined by another 8 further down the basin. 12 bucks in our 'Honey Hole'
Now is where things got challenging. Steve and I deliberated to come up with a plan of action. The game was set. We loaded the packs and dropped 1500' to valley floor. By the end of the day, we only had a couple of photos and tired feet to show for our bonsai stalk.
1 T-shirt, 1 pair of pants and a set of drawers are all we needed for 7 days. Whether it was 40 degrees at daylight or 85 at noon, the new First Lite gear pulled through. Pretty amazing clothes for the backcountry, no smell and it dries out in 15 minutes after being soaked. AMAZING STUFF!
This trip was more than a deer hunt, it was a challenge that pushed us physically and mentally.
With an unpunched tag, Steve and I loaded our gear and reluctantly headed back to the truck.It had to be the most rewarding hunt I have ever been on. I guess the biggest point of it all is that, "Success in the in the eye of the beholder, and in my eyes, it was a great success!"
