Well where do i start , Is it with the planning we do all year for a New Adventure in a new area, Is it all the Truck & Trailer issues that i had that kept telling me to Turn around, Is it how difficult it was losing my Dad while we were on the Hunt.....

Hmmm lets just dive in and see how it plays out.

I have been blessed to have 2 real Good friends from B.C. that have hosted me over the years on hunts that i would not have ever been able to do without them. When i look up on the wall in the man cave at the photos when i was much younger , The Mounts and memories behind them I so appreciate being able to partake in them and make those Dreams a reality.
I also know if Geoff never pushed me hard and been there to Coach me i doubt they would be up on the wall, Other than Luck should it have gone that way.

So during last years Caribou hunt up North we started talking about it....Text messages through the year and some phone calls i started to make a plan.

If both Geoff and Sepp were bowhunters we would have hunted out in Eastern Alberta in an area that has been good to me. But Sepp was not versed in it enough so i had to pick a Non Draw area that was general 3 Point.
I checked an area out this Spring that i was curious about and went to scout it out and look for sheds. I never found any Elk Sheds but i did find a few whitetail Antlers. The snow was to deep yet so i mostly found a place to camp for the upcoming Fall. I was told my the landowner that i would have soul permission because he had Hunters squabbling in the past and would prefer if i picked a week that would work for us.
We compared schedules and figured the Sept 17th opener would be a good time, so a Place and time was picked.

About 2 weeks before Go time i figured i better dig out my holiday trailer to get it ready for the road. This is where it started that lights wouldn't work and my truck had issues as well now with further electrical. I was still working and did not have much time to look at it...Long story short $900 later my lights worked again but they wouldn't guarantee there would not be reocurring problems with it...Oh Great.
Also my Dad who lives in BC was really going downhill but he was in the best hands he could be in Hospital. I had been out 6 weeks earlier to see him and had intentions on going back again after this hunt was over and i was back home and unpacked with meat in the deepfreeze should we get lucky on some Elk or Whitetail or Bear...
So Groceries were packed the water topped up , bearings greased etc i should be ready to go.
My last day of work ended at 5:00 pm and i hit the road for the North of Alberta...
all seemed to be going ok , the sun went down when it was supposed to but the guy that pulled up alongside me on the highway pointing at my trailer to notify me my lights were no longer working in the dark !!
F Sakes . Luckily the next town was only a couple Km so i pulled in to check fuses etc and each time i replaced it the damn thing burned out again. I was livid. Something was telling me to spend the night , turn around and go home in the daylight and let the Boys down and tell them i was sorry and not to bother to come ...
I did a FB post and so many friends encouraged me to keep going and not throw in the towel...

I got up the next morning with a different outlook and carried on.Making it to camp late afternoon. I got the weedeater out and prepped an area to park the trailer that was not knee high in grass and weeds.
2 hrs later camp was setup comfortable for when the Fellas arrived . I was enjoying a Cold Pop when a truck pulled in with 3 hunters all decked out in Camo. Apparently they were hunting the same area as well on the private land but knew about me going to be there. With a quizzical look i asked , do you have your timing right because i was promised to have this spot to myself and my friends this week. They said , well we have been hunting here for years and guess what ....Their camped on the edge of the field where the Elk come out in the evening , gets better they drive their trucks and side by sides around there as well. F F F !! here we had planned all year , i told my Pals we would be the only ones here and now these Morons that are to lazy to camp away from the prime area pull this . It Gets better , theres 2 more fields with 2 more groups of hunters camped in those prime spots and driving in and out. This is the part where you keep your cool and keep the landowner out of the squabble.

An hour later with about 3 hours of daylight the boys show up grinning from ear to ear . We shake hands share a Cold one then i give them the great news followed by apologies , Thinking this trip is a Bust and again that maybe i should have turned around and went home that morning...But with their positive attitude and oh well we will make the best of it.
They get unpacked and we get our stuff together for an evening hunt we grab our packs and head out on foot to watch another area at the far end of the field.
we watch 3 different spots in the field as the sun starts to set.....and the Elk start to emerge. Geoff spots 3 bulls so he gives them a Cow call or two and here they come , Holy smokes on a string to !!!!! That is until the Ass Clowns pull their truck out into the field because that is how road hunters do it. Well the Elk decide its not worth that lonely elk call if theres a truck involved.
Last light comes and we regroup for the walk back to camp.
Sepp found an Elk shed and Geoff realizes he's pretty darn good on the diaphragm call.
We get back to camp, break out I-Hunter and devise a plan for tomorrow morning....