OAK CREEK DEER HUNT

I finally drew out for the Oak Creek deer tag this year. I have been so excited for this hunt and I definitely was not disappointed. The big hunt started last Saturday the 4th. We got up early and headed to the canyon and it was raining like crazy. We sat around for a little bit trying to decide what to do. Ty said that he didn't get up at 5 am for nothing but I said that I was a "fair weather" hunter especially on the first weekend. I knew we wouldn't see anything if we did go and we would only come back wet. So, I won out and we went back to bed. Sunday was a great day we stayed at the cabin, listened to conference, played cards, the kids rode the mule and 4 wheeler and we just enjoyed the day hanging out. Any more we just don't get good old family time. The cell phones didn't even work there unless you were standing in one certain place in the cabin and everyone didn't fit there so nobody use their cell phones. How NICE! Grandpa Van came up and had lunch with us and Rylie took it to us playing cards. Well, Russ had to work all week so Neil took me hunting all week long. The boys missed school Monday to come with us. We had fun, saw three baby bobcat, saw a few good deer - but, no shooters. The boys really thought that that would be the day. But back to school for them. Tues. morning Taya had a fever so I had Russ call Neil at 5 am and tell him that I could not go - "sick baby girl". We did go that evening but-no shooters. Wed. Rylie stayed home from school to tend Taya and Neil and I were back on the mountain hunting and hiking. Still not shooters, but still having a ball. Thursday Russ was off work and so we got up early and headed up Whiskey Creek. We hiked to where we wanted to be and started scoping the mountain. Russ and Neil were watching a couple of little buck in a clearing across the canyon and we had seen a few doe go across there too. Not much was moving and we just kept glassing the whole canyon. Neil got up and looked into a different canyon and I glass down below us when I saw a spike elk not 30 yards below us. He came out from behind a pine tree and saw Russ and I and he snorted and took off. Neil came back and we were talking about what we should do. I was so sore that I really wasn't up to a real big hike that day. My body is not used to hiking once or twice everyday. I am a true "flat-lander". So we got up and were talking and making plans - the sneak was off. We were just going to leave when I said to Neil, "Will you just look at that little buck one more time for me?" So, he looked over in the clearing that I told him and we all got excited. Neil told us to sit down and asked, where did he come from and how long had he been there? I said, "He's been there all morning, that's the buck that I asked you about, that is the deer that I have been watching the whole time." Well I had been watching him and Russ and Neil were watching one in the clearing next to him. I asked them if it was the buck just below that bunch of pines and he had his butt to us. They said yes. Well, he was a shooter. The only problem was that he saw us and so he started to move out. We were not in shooting position. We regrouped and decided to come back the next morning. We would be earlier and I would take more ibuprofen. We got up there and it was still pretty dark. Neil and Craig have some great optics and they started looking. They spotted 2 buck and those 2 deer kept looking down the mountain. I asked Neil if it was the same deer that we had seen yesterday, he said that it wasn't. So, I didn't get too excited yet. Then from where those other deer had been looking the buck that we had seen before walked out and Neil told me to come with him. We got where I could see him and get a shot off. Neil said to wait until he stops and then shoot, so I did. The shot was a little low. The buck turned and started up hill and was trying to get out of the clear, but he couldn't find where we were. So, he stopped again. I took another shot and he started down hill and dropped. I was trying to get another bullet in my stupid gun so I didn't even know what he was doing. Craig said that he was down, don't worry about getting another bullet in. That is when I started to shake. How exciting! We were at 370 yard and I shot him with my 243. Russ text the boys, called his Dad and I called my Dad. Our dads were on their way to Whiskey Creek.
We hiked over to him, took pictures, measured him at 28 1/2 inches, Neil and Craig quartered him out, Gary and Bryce got there and brought me a Diet Pepsi (which may have saved me), took some more pictures and then we packed him out. Grandpa Van was waiting for us at the bottom of the trail. I had the best time. Thanks Neil! I love you and I could never have done it without you. You're the BEST!