EPIC: is the only word

[LittleJohn]

:}
Happiness is a blood soaked arrow

[dscubame]

Sweet arrow picture! 

[LittleJohn]

It was the perfect beginning to a season. My friend Jason was going to be here in a week to hunt and I got to leave my bow at home and be a full time caller!!!
Jason made the drive from West WA for 10 days of hunting. As luck would have it the day he drove over my buddies killed two 6x6 bulls in a Nasty spot and needed my help. I was committed to helping pack them out. One of them was the guy who writes my schedule :}} I told him to go hunting and I would meet up with him the next day. Jason said no way and chose to help us pack all day and skip a day of hunting 
Unfortunately we couldn't get the horses to these bulls, but 6 of us managed to get them out that day.

Jason and I hit the ground running the next day well before day light. Just after day light we got hit with a nasty rain storm. It pounded us all day. We were both soaked. It made for a long night in the woods. We had heard one bugle on the way in, but couldn't make it happen.
The next morning we woke up to a wet blanket of slushy snow. We started working the ridge and trying to locate a bull. We got a bull to bugle and started working him. He shut up and we couldn't locate him again, so we decided to drop in the bottom to get some water.
After getting some water we began the climb out of the drainage. It snowing hard wet snow and we were both soaked to the underwear from the huck brush and mountain alder jungle. We heard a bull bugle and decided to get aggressive and not give him the chance to shut up. I cut him off every time he bugled and we kept working toward him. He was getting close and we were in a timbered mountain under mess. If there was going to be a shot it was going to be close. Jason was out in from of me 30 yds or so, and I saw the bull down through the timber headed his way. I lost sight of the bull for a few seconds and heard a bow go off. I heard the bull jump and I immediately bugled. I could see Jason was trying to get another shot at the bull at it was standing 30 yds away. A few seconds later I heard a loud crash and saw Jason pump his arms with excitement the bull was down.

[LittleJohn]

Amazing day

[LittleJohn]

It was a mature 5x5. I don't think I've ever got in on an archery kill in a snow storm, but me pulled it off. Nothing better than hunting with a great friend and hunting partner.
We got the bull worked up and hung and headed up the ridge to camp. We were both wiped out and didn't have the energy for the 5+ miles to the trailhead. It was cold and no bear sign around so we decided to spend the night and hike out in the am. Our spike Camp was above 6000' feet, and we woke up to a foot of fresh snow and winds blowing 25. It was Sept 20th and felt like Nov 20th. We giggled and laughed all the way to the truck and made it home that afternoon. We got a good nights sleep and dried out and headed in with the horses the next am. It was a great ride in the snow. We got the horses to within a 1/4 mile of the bull and made quick work of the short pack. Did I mention I LOVE MY HORSES ?!!!!

[LittleJohn]

meat pole pic

[LittleJohn]

Cowgirl up!!!

[LittleJohn]

quad you'll have to Baby sit me through this thing
I'm a tech tard

[LittleJohn]

:}

[LittleJohn]

:}

[LittleJohn]

Next up was my Brother's hunt. He was coming out from West Wa for the rifle opener here in MT. He was going to hunt for deer with my 11 year old son for a couple days then we were going to hit the backcountry for elk. We had an awesome time. It was great to spend some time with family. I cherish the time. We use to hunt and fish together a lot before I moved to MT, so the time is even more precious now.
My brother managed to get a small mule deer in a rain storm on the second day of the hunt. We got it packed out and dropped off my son so we could hit the mountains!!!

[quadrafire]

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[LittleJohn]

:}

[quadrafire]

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[quadrafire]

Ok. Stop with the pics already