Karl
11-09-2013, 11:51 AM
So took awhile to post it up but here it goes........
First weekend in October I set out on my journey for a "quick" day trip. Got out on the roads to my spot late Friday night, being new to this area and not knowing exactly how to get to where I need to go was interesting in the dark.I was heading down a road that was getting me closer to my destination on my gps but I was forced to go through some deactivation ditches (that should have been the give away it was the wrong road) but I was determined to get as close to the trail head and spend the night and hike in in the morning...... As I headed through the last ditch I thought this will be the last one and then I'll park and get some sleep. Next thing I know my truck is stuck and I'm thinking..... didn't pack a shovel... don't have tow straps.... so I decided to just go to bed and see what things look like in the morning. Waking up early next morning to the sinking feeling that I'm stuck in a ditch 3kms or so from a main road wasn't the greatest so I got out and grabbed my gun and started hiking to where I thought I had cell service the night before. That or I figured someone would be driving the logging roads!! 7Kms into my rescue mission I come across a couple driving around hunting, I explain my predicament and the guy tells me he has everything we need to pull my truck out! BONUS!!! Hopping in their truck we go back to where my pickup is buried in a deactivation ditch and pull me out. WOW that was a good feeling! Explaining to them where I was trying to go they chuckle and tell me I was really close just on the wrong side of the creek! After thanking them a lot!!! I headed over to the road that would take me to the trail head! (Thanks again to Kelly and his wife from Princeton!!! If anyone on here knows them give them a big thanks again from me!!!!) Anyways finally out of the truck and on the trail head ( a little later than I wanted to be!! ) I was heading up the mountain and felt much better. Getting up to the top around 1:30 I decided to head up to a little ridge that would get me a great vantage point of the area and sit for awhile and have some lunch. Finding cell reception at the top I decided to call home and let everyone know I was alright and what had happened! Now around 3 or so I was tired of sitting around and wanted to go out and explore, putting on my pack and grabbing my gear I started to head over the ridge and head down back to my trail. Just as I got to the edge I see antlers!!! I was blown away! This guy was heading up the hill right at me!! He noticed me right away and bolted around the hill to my right. Jumping into action I hurried over to where I thought he was headed I couldn't believe it. He did the classic mule deer move and decided to stop in his tracks and look over his shoulder... Big mistake! I had him in my scope and BANG! He dropped right away and disappeared down the mountain side. I headed down the hill to where he had fallen and found really good blood sign and a clear path where he had slid down. The steep snowy hillside allowed him to ski down the hill a ways and I found him a few hundred yards from where he had dropped! What a great site!! Crazy turn of events and I still couldn't believe how fast things happen sometimes! I decided to gut him on the steep hill and let gravity help me out and I dragged him down to where there was a flat spot. After trying to get some good pictures the work began and I had him skinned out and quartered up in my pack right around 6. I figured I could pack everything out in one shot. After struggling down the hill for 500 yards or so I realized this was not going to happen. It was getting dark and I decided to stash the meat and get me and my gear back to the truck. I grabbed the cape and the antlers and headed back to the truck. The next morning I got up, headed up the mountain to where my meat was, packed it all back up and hiked back to the truck! My "quick" day trip was over and had turned into a crazy high mountain adventure!!!
http://i1350.photobucket.com/albums/p777/karl264/DSCN1476_zps0b2a1d1b.jpg (http://s1350.photobucket.com/user/karl264/media/DSCN1476_zps0b2a1d1b.jpg.html)
http://i1350.photobucket.com/albums/p777/karl264/DSCN1480_zpsb3a74677.jpg (http://s1350.photobucket.com/user/karl264/media/DSCN1480_zpsb3a74677.jpg.html)
http://i1350.photobucket.com/albums/p777/karl264/DSCN1493_zps75c37848.jpg (http://s1350.photobucket.com/user/karl264/media/DSCN1493_zps75c37848.jpg.html)
First weekend in October I set out on my journey for a "quick" day trip. Got out on the roads to my spot late Friday night, being new to this area and not knowing exactly how to get to where I need to go was interesting in the dark.I was heading down a road that was getting me closer to my destination on my gps but I was forced to go through some deactivation ditches (that should have been the give away it was the wrong road) but I was determined to get as close to the trail head and spend the night and hike in in the morning...... As I headed through the last ditch I thought this will be the last one and then I'll park and get some sleep. Next thing I know my truck is stuck and I'm thinking..... didn't pack a shovel... don't have tow straps.... so I decided to just go to bed and see what things look like in the morning. Waking up early next morning to the sinking feeling that I'm stuck in a ditch 3kms or so from a main road wasn't the greatest so I got out and grabbed my gun and started hiking to where I thought I had cell service the night before. That or I figured someone would be driving the logging roads!! 7Kms into my rescue mission I come across a couple driving around hunting, I explain my predicament and the guy tells me he has everything we need to pull my truck out! BONUS!!! Hopping in their truck we go back to where my pickup is buried in a deactivation ditch and pull me out. WOW that was a good feeling! Explaining to them where I was trying to go they chuckle and tell me I was really close just on the wrong side of the creek! After thanking them a lot!!! I headed over to the road that would take me to the trail head! (Thanks again to Kelly and his wife from Princeton!!! If anyone on here knows them give them a big thanks again from me!!!!) Anyways finally out of the truck and on the trail head ( a little later than I wanted to be!! ) I was heading up the mountain and felt much better. Getting up to the top around 1:30 I decided to head up to a little ridge that would get me a great vantage point of the area and sit for awhile and have some lunch. Finding cell reception at the top I decided to call home and let everyone know I was alright and what had happened! Now around 3 or so I was tired of sitting around and wanted to go out and explore, putting on my pack and grabbing my gear I started to head over the ridge and head down back to my trail. Just as I got to the edge I see antlers!!! I was blown away! This guy was heading up the hill right at me!! He noticed me right away and bolted around the hill to my right. Jumping into action I hurried over to where I thought he was headed I couldn't believe it. He did the classic mule deer move and decided to stop in his tracks and look over his shoulder... Big mistake! I had him in my scope and BANG! He dropped right away and disappeared down the mountain side. I headed down the hill to where he had fallen and found really good blood sign and a clear path where he had slid down. The steep snowy hillside allowed him to ski down the hill a ways and I found him a few hundred yards from where he had dropped! What a great site!! Crazy turn of events and I still couldn't believe how fast things happen sometimes! I decided to gut him on the steep hill and let gravity help me out and I dragged him down to where there was a flat spot. After trying to get some good pictures the work began and I had him skinned out and quartered up in my pack right around 6. I figured I could pack everything out in one shot. After struggling down the hill for 500 yards or so I realized this was not going to happen. It was getting dark and I decided to stash the meat and get me and my gear back to the truck. I grabbed the cape and the antlers and headed back to the truck. The next morning I got up, headed up the mountain to where my meat was, packed it all back up and hiked back to the truck! My "quick" day trip was over and had turned into a crazy high mountain adventure!!!
http://i1350.photobucket.com/albums/p777/karl264/DSCN1476_zps0b2a1d1b.jpg (http://s1350.photobucket.com/user/karl264/media/DSCN1476_zps0b2a1d1b.jpg.html)
http://i1350.photobucket.com/albums/p777/karl264/DSCN1480_zpsb3a74677.jpg (http://s1350.photobucket.com/user/karl264/media/DSCN1480_zpsb3a74677.jpg.html)
http://i1350.photobucket.com/albums/p777/karl264/DSCN1493_zps75c37848.jpg (http://s1350.photobucket.com/user/karl264/media/DSCN1493_zps75c37848.jpg.html)