Thanks for all the kind words, guys - it really was a hoot.
I had left WA with a tickle in my throat, which blossomed into a nice case of the crud. As a result, the next day I stayed at the truck while HCH headed back out. I planned to look for an easy doe deer. After a long nap, I took off in the truck, and pretty soon spotted a couple of does on the south side of a tall ridge, above the road. I circled around the toe of the ridge, planning to come over the top - it was not to be. A lone doe at 165 yards, one shot to the neck and she was DRT. Dressed out and a quick drag, 2 down, 4 to go. I picked HCH up after dark, he'd seen quite a few critters but no powder burned.
Tuesday, I stayed in camp to take care of the two deer (caped the buck, boned out both deer). HCH hunted, but again, no bucks died. He did, however, fill his doe deer tag, 3 down 3 to go. By that night, I told him I might not be going out in the morning; crud had hit pretty hard, I felt run over. Morning came, and I felt awful - but made myself get up. No question, I was killing a pronghorn today.
We headed out, glassing from the truck. I spotted a beautiful 4-point buck, feeding up a small draw, but HCH didn't want to go after him, he had a past years' honeyhole to check out. Near a solar well, we saw about 40 antelope. HCH said "That's a pretty nice buck". I looked and saw he was tall, with nice cutters, but weak bases - high 70s I thought. About as good as anything we'd seen. HCH said as much; "we ought to shoot him". "Go ahead" I said. "No, you take him", said HCH. Fair enough. I grabbed my rifle, got a solid prone rest within range, down he went - laying down, but head up. As I looked through the scope, I told HCH "that's not a nice antelope that's a BIG antelope". A 10 minute sneak later, a .308 to the neck put him down for good. I walked up, looked at this guy really well for the first time, and said "he'll break 80". Pictures and field dressing, we headed off to HCH's honey hole - but wait, there's another nice antelope. Not as tall as mine, but equal bases and same huge cutters. HCH took off, and i watched his sneak, shot and execution. 5 down, 1 to go.
While HCH sneaked off to Crease Canyon, I caped and boned out my antelope. Then, I grabbed the tape and green scored both goats. HCH's very respectable buck grossed 75 6/8", net 75 even. Then ... 84 gross, 83 4/8 even. SOB - I used to think i could judge antelope, but I totally underestimated this guy. HCH returned, without seeing anything of consequence on his pilgrimage to where we had been outdone by a HUGE buck deer in year's past; too dry, the deer were elsewhere. Heading out the way we came in, we decided to see if we could find the 4x4 we'd spotted that morning. We did - he was bedded just 100 yards from where we'd seen him hours earlier. A closer evaluation, and HCH made his decision. BOOM. 6 down, tagged out.
Then of course, the fun began. At 3:20am, the last package of meat was wrapped and into the freezer. At 2pm, HCH woke me up, we grabbed a bite and cleaned up camp and loaded up. Dropped off my doe and some apples at my wife's grandparents, then hit the road. I dropped HCH at his house at 8:30am Saturday, and was home myself at 9. Another great Wyoming hunt in the books.
[smg id=9869]
Happy little guy enjoying the sunshine
[smg id=9870]
Antlered doe with fawn
