Grouse trip Gone wild

[10Key]

We headed to Kennewick yesterday, we decided to stop off and get some grouse hunting in for the first time this year. We decided to hit up a spot in LT Murry that I've ran into them previously.

We got to the trail and I noticed right away that spring run off had decimated the trail, basically we had to walk up a creek bed full of rocks and boulders. We get about a half mile up and I here THE sound, I jump five feet in the air and I yell SNAKE as my wife is trailing 5 yards behind. I froze to get my bearings, make sure the dog stays away and find exactly where the rattler is hiding. I make I contact with the serpent, walk around and decide to shread it as it was right in the middle of the "trail". My wife has the dog and I blast the snake with 2 rounds of 20 gauge 6 shot. I break open the gun and start to remove the spent shells and reload. As I do this, I turn around and my wife is sYing something about getting stung... From there it is a blur, she was getting attacked by yellow jackets. As soon as I realized what was going on, I started getting bit/stung, they were all over us.

I start screaming like a girl and begin running down trail to get away from the swarm. As I was "running", I threw my gun and hat off. I made it to a spot I thought I could get away, but I tripped, landed smack dab on a big rock with both knees taking the brunt of the force. Meanwhile, my wife has started to make her way down the trail towards me. I was still on the ground writhing in pain from the bites and the fall. She makes it down to me, she grabs my banged up gun and muddy hat and we decide to get the heck out of there after less than an hour of "hunting".

Not 10 minutes later, near the beginning of the trail, another snake...I scream and hold back the Fam. No rattle this time, I think it was a big bull snake. After that, we scurried down trail and back to the truck, never to return, ever.

I ended up getting bit/stung 8 times all over. My wife got bit/stung 6 times, not sure if the dog got any. My O/U got some pretty good scuffs in the wood and a couple scrapes o. The bluing, but it cleaned up and now has some extra character.

The moral of the story is, watch yourselves out there when hunting early down low...the snakes and bug are out to get you!

[Wile E. Hunter]

What to say.....

[quadrafire]

Sounds like a great way to introduce the wife to hunting.

 

better a bee sting(or several ) than a snake bite (or several)

[bearhunter99]

I start screaming like a girl and begin running down trail to get away from the swarm. As I was "running", I threw my gun and hat off.

Takes a big man to admit to that.  Especially the part about just running off and leaving the wife as bait!

After the stings heal it will make a great story to look back on.  Too bad you didn't have some video of it as well! 

[helzbelz888]

that sounds terrible sorry to hear your hunt got spoiled.... i knew a guy who was fishing and crawled out on a log to get up to the next hole... he got halfway up and when he looked up he was face to face with a bald faced hornets nest... hornets/yellowjackets are no fun. we saw a couple yellowjackets nets this weekend. theyre out in force right now.

[spookgus]

I did a similar thing hunting the Chesnimnus. My wife was already at the truck and I was 50 yards away when I disturbed something on the ground and got swarmed. My wife was laughing her a$$ off watching me dance around and run to the truck. Somehow in the struggle I lost my hat, watch and the two top buttons on my shirt. She refused to retrieve my hat and watch and I agreed. I have more hats and I can get another $10 watch.

[thinkingman]

10key
Sorry your hunt wasn't more enjoyable.
I spent Saturday scouting elk with a grouse gun by my side.
Ended up going up a creekbed in the LT Murray (same one?) and on the way out, couldn't call the dog away from some bushes....up went 3 grouse!
Two lived to see another day.

Note to self...the dog might just know what she's doing.....

[10Key]

Thinkingman, I am sure it was the same drainage...on our hasty way out, we saw a grouse kill that looked pretty fresh, I bet it was the one you bagged.

[jackmaster]

i got a feeling that your wife didnt scream or anything and was probably wondering what the hell her man was doing 

[thinkingman]

Thinkingman, I am sure it was the same drainage...on our hasty way out, we saw a grouse kill that looked pretty fresh, I bet it was the one you bagged.

Sent you a PM regarding our top-secret source for rattlers and yellowjackets.....don't tell anybody!

[whitey]

I start screaming like a girl and begin running down trail to get away from the swarm. As I was "running", I threw my gun and hat off.

Takes a big man to admit to that.  Especially the part about just running off and leaving the wife as bait!

After the stings heal it will make a great story to look back on.  Too bad you didn't have some video of it as well! 

That there is funny.. 
But I am glad everything worked out for You guys it sure could have been bad.