Michaels first full day of hunting

 

*** addendum

Dumping the rest of the photos of that day.

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Sunrise

There is a farmer just outside of Longview that we've known for years now. 

I was up at 4:30, because we had to be in south Calgary by 530.  I woke Michael at 5;00 and we got ready and left for Grandpas house.

Once we got to Chris's, we packed up the truck with all of the hunting and left for Larry's northern property.  

We arrived before sun up, but Chris is always complaining that we 'didn't get there early enough'.  Oh... me... oh my.... if we'd only arrived ten minutes ago.  Sheesh.

They dropped me off at the Western side of the farm and went to the decided fence line for Chris and Michael to walk in.

I've got certain rituals that I perform when hunting.  I dropped all of my gear in the grass and layed on my back for ten minutes smelling the soil and the wild grasses, and then I started walking up to my high point.  Walking slowly and looking often behind and into the brush, I made my way along the fense line south trying to get up to the top of one of the foot hills on the land.

About half a mile into my hike I saw two white tails moving from Larry's brothers farm and towards Larry's lands.  I watched them for a bit and kept on going.  They eventually spied me before I could get close enough for a shot.  So I made my way the rest of the way to the top. 

I spent most of two hours on top of that hill.  It was just a pleasure.  the wind was terrible, and nothing could be seen moving for miles around.  I might have been able to see 4-6km from up there.  So little movement.  

Chris asked me to talk down and through the willows to 'push' deer out so that Michael would have something to shoot at.  I packed up all of my equipment and started my way down the hill and through all of the willows and brush to try and move anything that was bedded down.

As I got close to where Michael and Chris were sitting, I slowed down and moved through a few more bushes but there was absolutely nothing in those bushes.  I was exausted.  Climbing up to the top of that foot hill and then down through brush was too much for me.  I said that I needed a break and so we all started to walk back to the truck.  

Half way to the truck, I looked for my phone to see how these photos were looking.  F.  God D.  Mother Gramper.  I've dropped my phone somehow.  

There are miles to walk up a mountain and I'm not sure what path I took.  There is no way I can find that phone if it feel out while I was walking.  I was so frustrated and ashamed.  I admited my mistake to the others and asked if they'd look around with me.  

Michael walked with me, and we went straight up to the top, because if it wasn't up there while I was packing up, at least I could come back down trying to follow a familiar path.  Instead of having to do that, Michael walked around and found the phone almost imediately.

We walked back down to the truck where Chris was waiting for us.  We drove into Longview and went to the historical saloon for lunch.  Michael had the poutine and Chris and I had the Longview burger. 

After eating our lunch we drove around other local hunting spots that we have permission to hunt on.  Nothing really showed up, but it was fun to drive around.  At 3:00 we decided to get back to the farm because sun down was 4:55.  Which means that 5:30 was last shooting light.  We went back into the same spots and hunted the end of the day hoping for something to come out.  

I couldn't walk back up that hill so I opted to sit at the road by a big pine tree and hunt from the road.  Closer to the shooting light, three white tail deer ran right up to me while I wasn't looking.  I was playing on my phone coordinating tomorrows 'team meet up' at the Dino's game tomorrow and because I was distracted there was no chance that I could get a shot at them.

Once sun was about going down, Chris and Michael were walking out and I got ready to get in the truck.  They picked me up and as I was piling my stuff into the back of the truck Chris told me that there were a few white tail that came out, he told michael and michael almost got a shot at them.  

As we were talking about this and turning the truck around, it was 5:30 and getting almost too dark to shoot.  But Chris said "hey, are those deer?".  The same white tail were at the fense line, and right by the road!  I absolutely could have jumped out and killed one.  But we decided that it was too dark and we left.

A good hunting day.

Sunset1

Sunset2