CRS
03-25-2011, 09:44 PM
I've been putting off posting last years "hunt", but I have now come to terms with it, and have been able to move on. This is my story..... I have been EXTREMELY busy with work for the past few years, and the only time I could get away for a hunt last year was to book a Thurs. to Monday. Didn't want to lose a days driving on either end, so settled on a spot I know in Region 3, about 5 1/2 hrs door to lake. After looking to maximise what was open, and studying moon phases, Oct. 14th to 19th was my target time. Any buck, spike fork, bears would still be out...you get the picture. HOWEVER...my anniversary would fall on the 17th! (a WHOLE OTHER STORY!) A weekend in Vegas in Aug, sealed my hunt! Stewed up some deer, and froze the packets, was all packed a week ahead, now just time to watch the weather and make sure work could survive for 5 days! The Monday forecast showed a front hitting Thursday night! PERFECT! Trailer packed, Argo loaded wednesday night. Up at 4am, and on the road! Fuelled up at the last stop before leaving pavement and got into camp under sunny skies by 11am. As I pulled in, here walking through camp is THE BIGGEST ruffed grouse I've ever seen! "Grousezilla!" I was so sure that everything was falling into place, that I let him walk! Set up camp, got firewood, and had one of my better camps going! You could "feel" the weather coming in! Went for a little scout on the Argo for an hour and a half, came back, got a fire going, made dinner, and had a scotch. About 7ish, the wind started to pick up, so battoned down the fort, climbed into my tent, and got everything set for the next morning. Grabbed my book, into the sleeping bag on the cot, and read for a bit. By 9pm the storm was full on! Tarp shaking, wind and rain...music to my ears, and off to sleep. At about 12:30am I was awakened by....SILENCE! still windy but no rain! Got up to take a leak, and when I opened the zipper of the tent you could feel the temp had dropped! Out of the vestibule and the out the tarp. Turned on my headlamp and...WHITE!!! Awesome! "wrote my name in the snow" then back to bed. Alarm was set for 4:00am. woke up...silence! no wind! Got dressed and went to leave the tens, when I bumped the tarp....WHOOOOOSH! Holy crap! outside 6+" of snow, and stars! COULD THIS GET ANY BETTER!?!?!?!?! Made breaky, packed up and headed out. The area I wanted to hunt was 8 km (as the crow flies) from camp. Down a FSR, to a pipeline, through 2 gullies, across a cut, snake through a small wooded area, another cut and gully to a wood lot I'd leave the Argo, and walk to the other side to hunt a meadow with a lower stream area. TONS of track in the snow! So, I'd made it all the way to the last (and steepest) gulley, and as I was cresting out of it I heard and felt a metalic "SNAP" follwed by watching my right rear tire and piece of axel shaft rolling down the gully! HUH!?!:icon_frow An hour and 45mins into it and "THIS"?!? OK. Assess damage. Unit will still drive, but I need to repack it, to move more weight to the left front. Once done, I head down the gully, and chew up the other side. WHEW! Went and retreived my tire, quickly threw it on the back with a bungee. (REMEMBER THIS PART!!:evil:) Off I set, at a crawl fo camp. Retraced my travels and had the FRS in sight by a km, when I hit a rut and the machine bucked! "Better make sure I didn't lose the tire!" Looked back to see a bungee hanging by only 1 end... I'd come about 1.5 km down the pipeline, and thought forsure the black tire in the white snow would stand out! Grabbed the binos and scanned back down the way I'd come. Nothing. I'd JUST bought the tires in August.... So, packed up what I needed. Wrote a note in the snow that I would be right back, and headed BACK. Got to the first gully, it "must be down there!"...Nope. Kept glassing as I went. Each hill, turn etc. I was SURE it would be right there! Every time I thought "forget it, get a new tire and rim", I would convince myself, that I 'd come this far, it must be right around the bend! I got back to the gully that caused all the grief...and there, at the bottom...was my tire! Stupid bungee! So, it was too awkward to carry, so took out the harness I made to drag deer, and secured it around the axel, as my rims have no holes. As soon as I started to drag it, the assembly flipped over and the axel dug into the ground. It would not drag tire down. AREYOU F*&^ING KIDDING ME?!?!? I now re-re trace my route "plowing" a furrow as I go! By now the sun was out, and even though the temp was just above freezing, I was sweating like a "hooker eating a hot dog!" "Plowing" along for EVER, as I stepped out into the pipe line, I could see my Argo in the distance. Hoisted up the binos to see if anyone had found it and was looting. TO MY SURPRISE, there was a male not 15ft from it! Complete with 3 on one side and 2 on the other! The wind was coming up the pipeline cut from my left to the right towards the Argo. I saw him get my sweaty sent from that far and he bolted. Once back to the argo, I threw the tire on the seat, made my way back to camp. cracked a beer, and had a bite to eat....but I was some sour! One more beer, and that was it! I was going home! Barely got the argo back into the truck (WHAT A GONG SHOW THAT WAS!!!) "tore" down camp, stuffed it into the trailer, and headed for home. Rolled in the driveway at 11pm. Wife new by the look on my face to say nothing. Unloaded in the morning, and back into work on Saturday....what a trip... They are not all great, but always memorable, I've learned it's what you make of it, and the stories they offer. Seems these memorable ones come up more than the "Ho-Hum" went got a deer, came home, the end" ones.
Chris
Chris