# That is why it is called "hunting".



## deeker (Oct 23, 2010)

And a hunt it is/was.

My sons and I have been chasing a couple of the same bucks for three years now.

We are able to hunt them with archery, muzzle loader and general rifle seasons.

My Marine son wounded a very big 4x4 in September. We never found him, even after days of searching.

The local CO has a video ( grainy and through a spotting scope ) of the buck and think he may have survived. 

Back to today. The damned alarm screams rudely to wake me up. I killed it.
The cats, aka "blanket anchor's" decide it is time for me to water them. They prefer fresh from the bathtub's spout. I have them trained to drink from there...maybe I have been trained. No comments from you guy's.

0400hrs. Water the cats, drain the radiator. Brush teeth, comb hair. Got the hell scared out of me when I finally opened one eye to see the progress.
One ugly mug....

Throw everything in the truck to cook breakfast at my dad's. We keep the old boy involved in almost everything. 

A big fry pan, butter onions, onions...bacon..onions...onions...bacon...potato's..onions..green peppers...onions red peppers...then when almost cooked...dump half a dozen eggs on top (scrambled).

Ready to eat with fresh sour dough biscuits. My dad and son's dig in. Inhaled is more like it...I did get to smell some as it disappeared.

Dirt bags.

Load up in two trucks, three four wheelers..on in the son's truck two on my trailer.

Drive to the base of the dream mine gate. One looooooonnnng drive of almost four miles from home. It is POURING rain. 

Ever ride a four wheeler on a very steep winding/switchback rocky road, that starts at 4500' and ends at about 9200'? In the POURING rain?
And we call it hunting... Well commonsense prevails....
Sort of, and only briefly.

We wait, son's decide to wander off in the truck about 20 miles away to Diamond fork canyon. Hey, riding INSIDE of a 4wd pickup vs a 4wheeler...POURING rain.

Well they leave, cowards. 

Rain stops. Weather man (LIAR from hell) say's no rain again until 1300hrs.

Me, being the eternal optimist I am...load up four wheeler....pack waterfowl ( completely waterproof gear in bag) wear a carhart coat and over alls. Not waterproof. Put 03 Springfield 30/06 with a 3x9 Weaver scope. In a custom walnut stocked rifle. (Mistake)

Load back pack on four wheeler. Leave gear bag with waterproof waterfowl hunting clothes in truck. Keeps 'em even drier. (Big damn mistake)

Now it is 0645, sign in and unlock gate...drive up to second gate. Getting colder fast. 

0730 RAIN from HELL. Lots of it, not straight down either...Gear bag with waterproof waterfowl gear is dry. In the truck. I am not.

0800hrs Son's call, I think I want a paternity test. They are laughing...."dad, we cannot see the dream mine from Spanish Fork canyon. Wave so we can see you. I can barely even see the road for the solid cloud.

0830hrs, rain slows to hurricane levels. And then stops...spur the four wheeler to the bone chilling speed on the steep rocky switch back road form hell to a blazing 4 mph.

Too cold to do that soaking wet. Slow back down to, uh um barely moving.

A ruffed grouse appears from nowhere...mistake. Trusty 30/06 jumps from the rack, strips its scope cover....and centers his neck in the crosshairs. Boom, neck shot grouse. A BIG 4x5 mulie buck appears for a split second in the clouds, 20 yards beyond the now flapping grouse. 

Reload chamber, now where did he go? RAIN from hell was all I got.

Pick up grouse, smug about the neck shot. Mad about not seeing the buck before I shot the damned grouse.

Rain stops. Clouds move, another grouse. 

Once bitten....I look far and wide for a buck to foil the grouse's efforts at suicide.

Pull off scope cover again, load chamber...safety off...cross hair just below the grouse's neck. Boom! Familiar flutter....wait...not quite...he flys off unscathed. Jerk did not have any respect for my shooting.

Looking for a deer to pull the disappearing stunt again.

No deer. Grouse on the wing.

Dejected. 

Drive to the main lookout area/parking lot. 24 other 4 wheelers are there too, schmucks.

Drive to top and take pics.... 

Rain from hell.

It is only 7.5 miles from the tower to the bottom gate. On a steep, rocky twisting switch back rain soaked slide of a "road".

Get back to truck..snear at dry waterproof waterfowl gear in the dry truck.

Load four wheeler on trailer. Get another abusive phone call from my wife's son's. Dirtbags.

They found a buck in Diamond Fork and want me to look at it. They are at my dads house.

As my frozen carcass shivers into my dads house..with dry waterproof waterfowl gear in bag....

Oldest son laughs, takes my rifle to dry it off.

I ask my dad if it is okay if I throw my carhart over alls and coat in the drier.

He jokes, and say's don't put any live ammo in the drier.

Numb hands/fingers...fumble..change clothes...get dad napped to Diamond Fork to look at a big buck.

No buck, just rain and "we are dry jeers" from my wife's son's. Dirtbags. 

Back to my dad's house. 

My Marine son opens the drier, and say's "Dad, your rounds are loaded with H4831 powder?

Yes.

I guess the drier does not get hot enough to get the primer to ignite. But since the bullet fell out of the case...still not hot enough to ignite the powder.
Dumb look on my guilty frozen and now dry face...one 30/06 round had worked the bullet loose and lost its powder..

That is why they call it hunting.


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## hanniedog (Oct 23, 2010)

Bet breakfast would have been better with a few onions with it.


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## tjbier (Oct 23, 2010)

i just call it waiting.... you would have to see animals to have it be hunting.


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## deeker (Oct 24, 2010)

My son Paul, with his first rifle buck in 10 years.







Not the trophy buck we have been hunting, but a huge bodied buck. Weighs at least 240lbs. About 18" wide and 17" tall. He is 4x4 with one small eye guard.

Remington 700 30/06 Barnes XLC 165 BT. H-4831 and one dead buck.

He has to be to work Sunday, and decided to pop this one.


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## deeker (Oct 24, 2010)

Pictures from today, I did not get loaded until now. After my son shot the buck.

The tower is the end of the dream mine road. But far from the top.






Looking down toward Salem, home is just the near side of the pond.

As seen from the tower.






Last two are the wonderful storm talked about in my OP.


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## tjbier (Oct 24, 2010)

Great photos Kevin , thanks for sharing.
And nice muley, congrats to your boy!


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## deeker (Oct 24, 2010)

I was forced....not....to cook the tenderloins today. Onions, butter, garlic and Worcestershire sauce....salt and pepper.

The buck is 6 and a half years old...and the tenderloin was fantastic and not gamey at all. Very tender.

Rain has kept me home today. And maybe the better half....


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## deeker (Oct 24, 2010)

Paul and adopted son Chase. ( Chase is not really adopted, but adopted my wife and I when he moved to Utah with his mother. )

A couple more pics of the buck.


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## deeker (Oct 29, 2010)

Three pics, first one there is excitment. Sadly VERY very short lived.






A nice three year old Mulie. He was 3x4. Not big...but a nice buck.

And then...the next morning while skinning him...pus and I mean pus oozes from his left hind leg. When I dressed him out there was a small cut ( unhealed ) on his right hind leg.






Second pic of just how much there was.






Loaded him up, drove to the nearest Fish Cop office. Biologist said he thought there may have been a tumor....and tossed the buck in the dumpster.

Chase kept the head and cape.

It was the last day of the Utah rifle season.


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## tree md (Oct 30, 2010)

Congrats to the successful hunters!!!


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