Hirshey's Hunting Season 2016

[hirshey]

Nice! I hoped you would get the big 3! He is a very nice looking mule deer, love the long 3rds.

Thanks... He was a beauty... With such a tough year, I felt very fortunate to be able to pattern him and knock him down cleanly.

I'll finish out our last day on Sunday... Forgot my laptop in Seattle

[jackmaster]

That sunset pic is gorgeous Hershey!!

[Old Man Yager]

I just read all 10 pages, girl, you sure can write, and you're an even better Hunter than writer!! Congrats to your group on all the nice animals. You are living a dream most of us never will get to live! Thanks for the stories Hirshey

[hirshey]

This was it; the last day to make things happen. Jeff sprung out of his sleeping bag to make coffee with enthusiasm Derrick and I simply could not mirror at this hour of the morning. As the aroma of the crushed beans filled the tent, it became easier to coax us out into the frigid morning air. We bundled up quickly, and filled our bellies with the aromatic liquid and the last of the oatmeal. The sky was still alive with stars as we pulled on our packs and headed up the hillside… we had a few bucks picked out for harvest if they were spotted again, but were also keeping our fingers crossed for a new king of the mountain to have emerged under the absence of the big 3.

[hirshey]

The morning air bit at our noses as we struggled with the balance of being too hot from exertion and too cold due to a negative degree wind chill, but we still managed to glass up a handful of bucks and does numbering in the 20’s. As we paused to assess one of the bucks, Derrick glassed up a nice elk shed on the adjacent hillside and decided it go fetch it. He knew where our intended destination was, so we said our farewells as he disappeared below the slope and we continued our ascent. We gained the main ridgeline before the sun claimed it as its own, and glassed up more animals in the big basin. We agreed the next bulbous knob would be a good place to grab a seat, snack, and glass our surroundings a little longer. Working our way to the knob, Jeff and I snuck past a small group of does at less than 70 yards and claimed our post. The sensory overload was almost immediate; does feeding up a sub-draw to a saddle in our ridgeline and out of sight. Two does and a small forked-horn pushing across the hillside. Three groups of does and a few unidentified bucks up at the head of the basin… we’d have to get closer to see if they were what Jeff was looking for. “There’s a buck.” Jeff stated, matter-of-factly. I diverted my attention down low on the hillside, roughly 400 yards away. Sure enough, there was a 4 point pushing a doe across the hillside while trying to keep a smaller 3 point at bay. The 4 point wheeled to face the 3 point, and it did not take much of a display to make the 3 point concede. The doe continued to feed across the slope as the sun radiated off her back. The solar heating must have been welcomed, because she laid down on a small sub-ridge, drenching herself in the sunlight. The 4 point followed suit, as Jeff decided he would be more than happy with this buck on the last day of the hunt. We talked about potential sneaking paths, and both agreed that masking himself behind our ridgeline as he lost elevation, and making it to a small rock outcropping would be his best plan of action. Once he got into position, in theory he should be roughly 250 yards from the bedded buck.

[hirshey]

The plan went off without a hitch, and I snapped a few photos from my position of Jeff at his rest. All he required to make this a successful stalk was a good shot opportunity from the buck, but in his current bedded position, that was a lot to ask for. Lucky for Jeff, that little 3 was persistent in his admiration of that doe, and he circled uphill of the 4 point on his way to greet her yet again. The 4 point stood, and I had my camera ready to record when I looked across the hillside and saw Derrick strolling across my direction. I put the camera down and signaled “BUCK!” with my hands at the side of my head, mimicking antlers. He dropped. I pointed downhill as he trained his binoculars on the scene playing out. I grabbed my camera, pointed it at the buck and snapped a photo before planning on switching over to video mode, but ended up taking a photo of the buck as it flinched and a shot rang high on the slopes. The animal ran downhill less than 30 yards before falling, sliding, and resting motionless on the steep terrain. My binoculars scanned back to Jeff, still looking through his scope from his perch. Derrick came over, excited to have been there for the moment. He grabbed Jeff’s backpack and we traversed the terrain to meet up with Jeff and congratulate him on a great shot.

[hirshey]

At the ready

[hirshey]

Derrick the professional Sherpa

[hirshey]

Dropping down to find Jeff's buck

[hirshey]

...the bloodtrail was easy to follow.

[hirshey]

First look

[hirshey]

As he lays

[hirshey]

We arrived down at the animal and admired it for everything it was, and what it symbolized; twelve days of HARD, physical hunting in one of the wildest locations left in the lower 48. The culmination of friendships, hard work, and a curiosity to know what is over that next hill. We exchanged high-fives, took photos, and made quick work of boning out the deer; something we were getting practiced at on this backcountry adventure. With heavy packs and smiles on our faces, we made the trip down the frozen hillsides, across the frost-laden creeks, and back to camp and our long-awaited bottle of Crown. We hung the meat, organized gear for a quick exit in the morning, and took off for the hot springs. The gang tipped the bottle to a fantastic adventure and enjoyed the warmth of the water as well as the fire-water. We hiked back to camp and fell into fast sleep, knowing that one more day of travel awaited us before arriving back to our regular lives. We savored each moment, but inevitably arrived back into cell service, back at vehicles, and back to our obligations, only to immediately start planning for our next big push into the wilds.

[hirshey]

Friendships forged through adventure

[hirshey]

Jeff's buck