Think I've gone crazy!

[sakoshooter]

Extremities are intact.  Sanity might me another matter all together.  Had my opportunity and screwed the pooch.  I'd like to blame it on the fact my rangefinder didn't work in the sideways snow.  But, i should have thought it through in advance.  Only bowhunter with a chance...or crazy enough to be hunting in the blizzard.  But just a stupid rookie mistake and I knew better.  Going to haunt me for a good while.  Put up with all the garbage mother nature had to throw at us and then make a dumb mistake!!!  I'd kick myself in the buttox if I could.

I'd hate to see you pull a muscle Rad. Let me kick ya in the arse next time I see ya. LOL.

[RadSav]

Well day one started almost two hours before light.  Put in a stand with a slight amount of snow on the ground 21 degrees.  I knew the tree stand was not positioned correctly but I thought I could live with it.  Once things started to lighten up I realized I was in a left handers stand and no way I could ever shoot an animal from there.  So before shooting light I was already on the phone with the outfitter requesting a stand change.  Not a good start!

[RadSav]

After getting the quad stuck a half dozen times in the muck we finally made it the two miles in and I was relocated in a good stand about an hour after first  shooting light.  Saw a few young bucks and a couple does.  And then the mercury fell out the bottom and it started to snow.

[RadSav]

And snow...

[RadSav]

More cold and more snow...

[RadSav]

After ten hours in the tree I had back cramps, leg cramps, neck cramps and muscle spasms in nearly every part of my body.  I just could not make it till dark without medication so I called the day an hour short of dark!  Took nearly two hours to get out of there and back to camp by quad.  Probably pushed and pulled the quad more than we drove.  Conditions were getting brutal!

[csaaphill]

wow

[csaaphill]

i stand the snow a heck lot better than rain but can't sit long in a tree stand but hope you still had fun.

[RadSav]

Day 2 we woke up to a fresh 15" of snow and extremely high winds.  Everyone in camp decided it was too dangerous to go out.  But I didn't go there to sit in a cabin so my guide and I headed out with the snow plow to try and get me in a stand strong enough to hold my fat arse in the wind.  When we got to the quad an hour later it was already starting to get light.  Another hour later we had only made it to the first muck hole where we got the quad stuck and decided to head in the mile or so on foot.  We made it about 600 yards and fell into mud holes we struggled to get out of.  Wet, sore and getting pummeled with chucks of ice falling from the trees we admitted defeat and took the hour walk back to the plow and were headed back to join everyone else held up in the cabin.

[csaaphill]

ouch ya sounds bad but getr done.

[RadSav]

The outfitter spent the day in town trying to find a large BearCat.  $15,000 later he arrived back at camp with a possible mode of transportation to the stands.  He and the guides spent most of the next 36 hours trying to push trails in to stands.  Good thing he purchased the winch too as even the large snow machine was getting stuck in the muck and snow.  Temperatures dropped into the single digits and they had to return to camp multiple times to chip frozen mud and ice from the machine and warm themselves up.  Those guys worked their tails off and just couldn't seem to make any headway.

[csaaphill]

 
for later

[RadSav]

More later...been up for 24 hours and my own bed here at home is calling my name!  Fresh sheets and central heat is sounding pretty freakin good right about now!!!   

[Swannytheswan]

tag for later

[RadSav]

Day 3 we had a few guys decide to try and get to stands.  As I waited for my opportunity to get out one after another returned to camp.  Most had been thrown from the snow machine a few times and others gave up after getting stuck a number of times.  My guide and I decided to walk in a mile down a quad trail that had yet to be pushed through with the Bear Cat.  It was slow going and we each took out fair share of spills, but I was able to get there in one piece.  I was feeling good about the day and there was evidence the deer were moving well in the area.  As soon as light broke I had does and small bucks working by about every 15 minutes!

Due to the long walk in the deep snow I decided to dump everything of bulk I could.  Very little food, just one bottle of water, no Hot Mocks, no rangefinder, no backup gear, no extra hand warmers...Just enough gear to get me through a half a days sit on an 18X18" slab of metal in a tree!  Toes were warm, my core was warm and my fingers were warm enough most of the time.  I love sitting the day after a storm...this was going to be a good day!

I could hear the BearCat and plow working non-stop as the outfitter tried his best to get those who could not walk through the snow such distance.  Could hear the winch being used a lot and the occasional shout of profanities rang out through the woods.  Sounded like I was the lucky one out that day.  Other than the regular ice balls being dropped on my head from the heavens I was pretty comfortable.  And best of all I was seeing deer.  And bucks were coming through with regularity!