The Lucky Pants & Cactus Butt Ed

I hit the gym with some mixed up workouts to test a few new things out. We didn't have VB as we couldn't get people, but that allowed more time to shop and pack and get everything done that we needed before our hunting trip. 

Rog got a call Wednesday morning saying that Carol shot her deer and he was antsy and asked me to cancel work. I did not. I did finish an hour early and he was already home and we left pretty quick after packing the car and cleaning the house a bit. We arrived at camp just in time for snacks and to get ready for the hunt. 

Almost. 

The first morning, we went to the spot with a million does (figuring a buck might find it a good place to be) and we were right. There was a large buck about 200yds away for about 10s right at first light and I could have maybe gotten a decent shot if I knew how to work our new scope better. But alas, I did not. So I missed out on this guy, which Roger's cousin shot a few days later and many miles away. 

We hunted a few other days in the same place with Stu. We went on a long hike up and down canyons. The truck broke down, so we took it to Kanab (and they actually fixed it!). But in the meantime, we drove Becky's 4runner for a bit. I had an almost 4-point that Roger was depressed about and an almost nice 3-point. 

Sunsets. 

Finally Saturday morning, I had the whole crew trying to help me. They spotlighted a giant right down the road from us late the night before, and apparently so did all the guides. So there was a ton of people in the same glassing spots chasing this buck. But only Ben saw the nice looking 3-point (who had been hanging with the big buck the night before) and he was 100 yards from our truck. So I shot him. Right in the butt (not totally on purpose, but he was just walking away the whole time and I didn't have many options). 

He ran and tried to hide by a tree, so I finished him off with a second shot. What I forgot to mention is that I was wearing Amy's lucky pants - which barely fit and were high waters on me. Which is important because I killed a cactus patch buck and he died in the middle of the stickers. But only a few yards from the road. We took him back to camp easily and quartered him and then I had a headache from not sleeping for the last week. 

Cactus Butt Ed. 

I did not sleep, but I did read my book by myself. And then I tagteamed a game with Becky. The rest of the camp went out to help everyone else in the unit get deer - including guides and another cousin. And we packed up and fit everything into the truck and my car and made it home in record time. 

SO to Rog and Stu and Becky and Ben and Ryan and Amy and Eve and Carol and Marshall (who was my best friend after I let him carve up the deer with us). And everyone else who helped scout and find deer and lives their lives in the 12B unit.