I was stuck up in Vancouver BC this week for work and originally wasn't supposed to get home till late Saturday night but things went well with the job, we got done early and I was able to come home on Friday. Earlier in the week, I turned down an open seat for Tuna on Saturday so with no other firm plans and a free weekend, I decided to load up the trailer and gear Friday night for a trip east of the mountains. I called and left a message for my friend Bob who was over there already and said that plans had changed and I would be over there about 6:00am on Saturday morning. Saturday was opening day of modern firearm deer season over there but my expectations were more to scout some more for my upcoming elk hunt and if I saw a legal deer to shoot then it would be a bonus.
3:00 am Saturday morning came early. I got Christopher loaded up in the truck and we headed east with the trailer in tow. Got to camp about 6:00 where Bob had the coffee ready and was waiting for us. We dropped the trailer and headed up the mountain to our spot. We were a little late than we wanted to be but no biggie. Christopher and I started down the hill to a knoll where we had pretty good visibility of a couple of canyons while Bob headed into the reprod above the trucks. We got down to this knoll and immediately spot a doe standing right where we were going to sit. She bolts down the hill to the right of the knoll so we high tail it over to the spot she was standing so we can watch the canyon below. Almost immediately, deer start single filing up the open hillside across the canyon from us. Doe after doe after fawn start heading up the hill about 150 yards across the canyon when Christopher says “Dad, the last one has horns”.
“It sure does. I’m on it buddy” I reply. The buck paused right in an opening between the trees giving me the perfect opportunity to confirm the antler points. Mule deer are 3pt or better so once I was certain it had 3 I warned Christopher “I’m shooting” and then BOOM!!! At the shot, the deer dropped and started sliding down the hill in the snow.
We made our way over to the deer. I had made a bit of a poor shot and hit it high, breaking its back right above the shoulders so it was still alive, struggling to get up with only its front legs. Of course, all the struggling just caused it to keep sliding further down the hill in the snow (and away from the truck). A knife to the throat ended its suffering and free fall.
This is the point the day got interesting… The radio call to Bob for assistance was not returned. “Hmm…” I said. “He must be out of radio range or just didn’t hear the shot”. After the buck was gutted, I started slowly pulling the buck up the hill. Christopher and I would carry the packs and rifle up the hill 30 yards or so and then back down to the buck and pull it a step at a time till we got up to the packs. Christopher would clear the hillside of sticks and small logs in the way to make my job easier. We repeated this process several times, slowly moving up the steep hill, wondering when I’d see Bob above to come help me drag this deer up the hill. At about 10:00am, we hear a single shot, just on the other side of the knoll I shot from. “Dad, that sounds like it came from the canyon on the other side of the knoll you shot from this morning” Christopher says. “Yep”, I replied. “Sounds like someone else has their work cut out for them too”… little did I know what the rest of the day had in store for me. 5 minutes later Bob calls over the radio
“Steve, you got a copy?”
“I got ya Bob, where’re you at?” I replied.
“I shot a 4 point in this canyon and need some help. It’s a ways down here”. Bob says.
“Ok, well once I get this 3pt up to the truck, I’ll come down and help you”…
“Oh S_ _t, really” Bob replied.
“Yep… See you in a while”. I continued to drag my deer up the hill, knowing that I was on my own at this point.
11:45: 3pt is in the truck. Time for a quick lunch and water break then down into the other canyon to help Bob. About that time, Bob shows up, minus 1 4pt buck, holding his side and walking very slowly.
“What’s wrong buddy?” I ask.
“I slipped and fell trying to drag that deer up the hill and I think I bruised my ribs” he replied.
“You gonna be OK?” I ask
“Yep, but there’s no way we’re getting that deer out whole” he says.
“What? How far down there is it?” I replied.
“The bottom… about 400 yards” he says.
“Oh s_ _t”… silence as we both drink a beer and Christopher sips a cream soda.
At this point, we have no pack boards with us and so we decide to leave his buck where it’s at, head back to camp, hang and skin my buck, grab the pack boards and more beer for after his buck is up to the trucks.
1:30: Back up on the hill with pack boards we head down the hill to his buck. Bob is struggling and I can see he’s in some pretty serious pain but he is the toughest guy I know. 22 years ago, when we first hunted together, he put both hindquarters of the elk I shot in this same hole on his back and packed them up that hill faster than I could go with one quarter.
We get to the deer and Christopher states “What part can I carry Dad? I removed the tenderloins then cut the deer in half. Tenderloins go in Christophers pack (8 year old has got to carry something), Hindquarters go on my pack and the front half goes on Bob’s pack. We get loaded up and start making our way up the hill.
20 yards into it, Bob slips and falls and ends up like a turtle upside down on his shell with his head down hill. At this point the realization hits me that there is no way Bob’s going to make it up this hill with the loaded pack. He is stuck and there is no way he’s going to get out of it without my help. I drop my pack then go back down to help him. As I approach him he says “Sorry man, I need your help getting out of this”. With a bit of a laugh, I reply “Sure enough buddy… right after I get a picture of this”…
The look on his face was enough to tell me not to even reach for the camera.
I get him unstrapped from the pack and help get him up and sitting on a stump. One look at him tells me that his rib injury is probably more than just a bruise and he’s in a tremendous amount of pain. I’m amazed that he could even make it back down into this hole, let alone even try to pack half a deer back up it.
“You and Christopher wait here with that half of the deer while I take the hindquarters up to the truck and come back down”.
“Oh no, I just need a few minutes and I’ll be fine”
“Bull-s_ _t I say… Christopher, If Bob tries to pick that pack up, you get on the radio and tell me.”
“Ok Dad”.
I slowly may my way up the hill with the hindquarters. 45 mins later, my legs are burning, my shirt is soaked, and I climb up the last berm to the trucks. Thank God… I’m halfway done.
Back down and repeat the climb again with the front half of the deer on my back… this time with Bob and Christopher in tow.
4:00pm: I’m looking up the last berm at the trucks. So close but so far. Why is it that the last 20 yards up the hill have to be damn near vertical. I’m just about out of gas and am questioning whether or not I can make the last few feet. It’s funny how your mind plays with you when faced with extreme physical exertion. Thoughts of “I can’t do this” seem to creep into your mind… For me, the embarrassment of not succeeding – giving up keeps me from stopping. You got to just dig deep and just do it… overcome the pain and doubt. “Make one final push up that berm you pu_ _y” I told myself. “When you get to the truck, you will be the baddest motherf'r on the mountain”.
I made it but I’m buying a winch this offseason. I may not be the baddest... but come Sunday, I was definitely the sorest.
Saturday was probably the most epic and physically exhausting day hunting I’ve ever had… even better than the day Me, Bob and Randy drove back to camp with 3 bull elk in the back of the truck (but that’s a completely different story). While the 2 deer Bob and I killed this day were no wall hangers the day was epic nonetheless. I got to share the experience of harvesting a buck with my son Christopher at my side and I got to help one of my closest friends recover his deer from the bottom of the nastiest hole you could think of.
