Hirshey's Hunts 2018

[Boss .300 winmag]

That left front fork is weird, think it was damaged in velvet?

[Colorado Kid]

Reading through your post brings back how awesome it is to experience hunting with you   

[lokidog]

Always a pleasure reading your narratives.   

[JWEBB]

That left front fork is weird, think it was damaged in velvet?

I have killed a couple like that. Always wonder what happened

[hirshey]

That left front fork is weird, think it was damaged in velvet?

I definitely think it was damaged in velvet... hit a branch or rock while working across the hillside. I think that's one of the neatest things about that buck.

[hirshey]

Alright... I can commit to about another 15 minutes of story tonight. 

[Caseyd]

Some is better then none

[JWEBB]

Keep it coming!!!

[hirshey]

Derrick worked his way down the slope through fading light as Jeff ascended to find him and help with the packs. While they were gone, I prepared the plastic tarp which would soon become our break-down station we use to remove the muscle groups from all four legs. Satisfied with the flat location and end product, I quickly sprung to action collecting dead needles and small twigs from the dense lower canopies of nearby fir trees; usually these are primo fire starting material. When I had collected enough small material, I started caching woody debris of all sizes to start and maintain our warming fire. It would be especially cherished this evening, as the temperature was rapidly dropping and the day's weather was so damp that you couldn't help but to be slightly wet even with the best of gear. Derrick and Jeff arrived just as I had finished preparing my pile for a lighter. The moisture in the air was so thick that even the red and cured needles were straining to light. We each took a turn at trying to light the fire, and were about to admit failure when the light finally sputtered to life and cast an orange hue over us and the task at hand. Practiced from Washington, we swiftly gathered our prize of protein, antlers and the cape as the fire dimmed and our headlamps reflected off the frost and snow surrounding us. Much to Jeff and Derrick's dismay, I insisted on the most direct route back to camp, insisting I could take us on a relatively moderate hike among the stars. The stars were stunning when they weren't masked by our frozen breath highlighted by our headlamps, but the route was far from moderate. Jeff took a pretty decent tumble, and the evidence of the fall would follow him the rest of the trip; a grapefruit-sized purple mass of discolored skin stained his leg. A few hours of cursing and muttering finally produced easier walking, and we made the long trek back to camp slightly after midnight. We enjoyed a warm stove, lofty sleeping bags, and brown sugar bourbon in our sleepytime cocoa that evening in fairly high spirits despite the difficult trek back down the mountain. With one major task crossed off our list for the trip, we only had two primary targets left: two branch antlered bulls... and it turns out, we knew where at least a few of those were. We discussed our options for the next few days, and decided to use the additional time created by Jeff's early harvest to locate other bachelor groups of bulls. Part of the point of Michael joining us in 5 days was to participate in the successful harvest of an elk; we knew the bulls spotted near Jeff's buck weren't going anywhere, and that the distance from camp and terrain challenges were well within Michael's capabilities, so we would reserve those animals for a later stalk. The plan for the next few days was to hike Jeff's buck back to base camp and spend the next two days scouting areas we had high suspicions would hold big bulls. It was my turn to have a firearm at the ready!

[JWEBB]

Great writing!! Anymore tonight?

[hirshey]

No more tonight. If I try to get to the next big event, I'll rush the writing just to meet my pillow.

Goodnight all 

[JWEBB]

Looking forward to it!

[hirshey]

Leaving spike the next morning

[Skyvalhunter]

Congrats on getting it done. You guys look like an advertisement for Kuiu!!

[2MANY]

What I like is their dedication to each other and the fact they are smiling.

Congrats!