I have never really hunted big game before moving to Weiser Idaho when I was a junior in high school. I had lived in Weiser just long enough to play basketball back in 7th grade. I had met Ryan and learned we were 2nd or 3rd cousins. When I moved there my Junior year Ryan invited me to go hunting with him and his Dad. I remember that opening day of deer season over top of the Snake River Brakes. This deer came running up the hill. Ryan's Dad Rob said it was a forked horn. Thats not what I heard, I heard "its a four point". I went running after the deer trying to cut it off. I figured I would meet up with them down the ridge. Probably over a half hour later I met up with them waiting for me where I left them. Ryan and I spent many of days roaming the hills of Idaho. We spent everyday dreaming of big bucks, bulls and big trout.
Fast forward 15 years. Ryan is up in Courd'alene Idaho finishing pharmacy school. He has a month off so we finally get to plan a deer hunt together. Wednesday night we meet at the reservoir and drive up to the camp I have set up, up the road. Thursday we saw about 15 bucks, mostly forked horns. Friday we sat up on different knolls. I had spotted a buck a nice buck bedded down. After videoing and taking some pictures for about a half an hour I am getting ready for a stock, the radios were not working so I was going to go after it alone. Just then Ryan shows up to join the stock and be video man. We sneak down to just 30 yards over top of this buck. I peak over the knoll put him in my scope on the buck as he stands up. One shot and he is rolling down the hill over 100 yards. We had spotted a couple smaller bucks during the stock so Ryan spends a half an hour deciding whether to shoot one before he is sure he will wait. We hunted hard that night
and Saturday.
The smile after the shot.
What a back saver this machine was.
Ryan looking for big brother.
This big boy came out as I was making my way down to Ryan and his buck. It was two days into rifle season, I hope he makes it for next years archery season. I am sure he will with where he is living.
Ryan needed to leave on Saturday so it came down to finding a buck that afternoon. I had stayed on a knoll glassing while Ryan went to an area we saw bucks previously. After a while I picked up some deer a few miles away in Ryan's direction. We radioed each other and I told him I saw two does and a possibility of a buck but his head was behind a bush. Ryan was soon on top of the deer and not long after heard gun shots. This buck was in a serious hole. it was steep as steep gets where he was at. On my way down to Ryan I had spotted a bull I had seen two weeks previous with my son Hyrum. I can't believe some of the inconspicuous places these bulls will live. We de-boned Ryan's buck, made it out in one trip to finish off a great hunt filled with great memories.
