My first hunt...........

Every year from the time we turned 12 and got our hunting licenses, our parents would take us over by Thayne Wyoming for the Elk hunt. We would round up the horses and the big canvas tent that looked like a tee pee and go for about a week and a half.

The night before the hunt opened, we would all be huddled around the fire, talking about who's going to get the first shot, who's gonna see the first elk, and then it happens, a bull bugels in the distance. Our hearts drop, then come back up with the fierce pulse of adrenaline. Then another bull answers back from the opposite side of the canyon. You can't wait to start, your stomach starts a rumblin, but you have to sleep first. So you lay in bed, gassing up the tent and your loved ones because your so excited and nervous. You've never hunted before, especially not these huge creatures. You finally fall asleep and you hear it again, the bugeling wars. Such an amazing experience to hear those wonderful creature's in their environments.

By this time, i fell back asleep to hear my busy dad (who was also pretty excited), building a fire in the stove of our tent, to warm us before we go out to saddle horses and round up our guns and other gear.

My dad is serious as a heart attack, when it comes to hunting. He's always been pretty "gung ho" if you will. I remember having the worst upset stomach all morning long before we left, the anticipation of getting lost or shot or eaten by a bear overcame me and i all of the sudden wasn't excited. I wanted to stay in the warm and toasty tent. I knew that my mom wasn't far behind on her horse and i also knew that my dad, sister, me, mom and Grandpa all had a gun. My daddy wouldn't let anything happen to us!!

Side story: Since i was in the 4th grade, i had been a little sketchy around horses, my dad had a horse named smoke that HATED me. He kicked me into a fence and left a bruise of his horse shoe in my chest for 2 weeks. Later that summer, my dad wanted to take me for a horse ride, so we were roundin up the horses and his horse ran through the fence i was holding and ran me down like the road runner. A couple weeks later, I decided that i wanted to conquer my fear of Smoke, so my dad saddled him for me, I was just going to ride him around our circular drive way and talk to him, pet him and tell him good boy. There must have been a stank about me that he didn't like, as soon as i let my guard down, Smoke was off to the races and i couldn't get him to stop. He ran me right into a laundry line, but it wasn't the long lines, it was the one that looks like tires spokes. I fell off in time to miss, but i have just been a little sskiddissh since that summer.

In all of my 12 tiny little years, i had never jumped a creek on a horse, because either i was on a horse that would walk right through, or i just never crossed one with a jumpy horse. My morning had come, the upset stomach and the bear attack was nothing when i learned that i was going to be jumping a creek. I wanted to be strong and show my dad that i wasn't scared. My dad is a no bull kind a guy. He knew that i could do it, it was just getting the first time under my belt that i needed to get out of the way.

So here i am with my brand new .243 rifle, that my daddy had bought me for my birthday in the scabbard, saddle bags full of food and drink, hand warmers, another coat and sweater tied down and me. I watched everyone jump across, i studied their moves and their bravery. Why was i being such a wuss? So i walk old sox (16 hands high, is very tall) we start two steppin side to side and his body is shaking, contemplating where he's going to jump. My body is about to erupt and I'm FREAKING out at this point. As he goes to jump, i jump off and just about get killed, luckily, my boot came out of the stirrup and i landed with one foot in the water and one foot on land. Woooohh, i made it. My dad is on the other side freaking out telling me that i could've gotten myself hurt. I figured he'd come and save me, I'm sure i looked pathetic. He came over and picked me up by ONE armpit carried me across the creek while he's riding his horse and puts me on the other side with my horse. This is when my dad went from my night and shinning armor, to the meanest jerk head in the world. "Now you can get back on sox, jump him across the creek and then you get to jump back." Tears, some crocodile some real. I did just that, shaking and hopping i don't die. So we pull up to the bank and Sox keeps side steppin and shaking, and before i knew it, we were flying across the creek. Smooth sailing. I got across and had the biggest grin on my face and said, "That was fun!" and then jumped back across.

My dad wasted 20 minutes if his precious hunt to teach me such a valuable lesson. That i was stronger that i thought and that as scary as it seems, it really isn't as bad as you imagined. He was so proud of me and i was so proud of me. I watched all day for creeks and didn't see one.

We hunted that day and saw more hunters than trees, heard shots ring out all around us, but never saw an elk. We went home hungry and tired. Got our bellies full and nap in and went back out that night.

That year, my mom, brothers and sister had to go back home for a few days, and my dad let me stay. We had some special bonding time and i learned so much from him that week.

We had about 2 days left, so we were constantly hunting. That night we went out and were riding along a trail, when i looked over and saw a 5 point bull standing about 60 yards from me. I was trying to be quiet because we looked at each other, so i knew he saw me. So as i was jumping off the horse i was drawing my gun from the scabbard. When i got down and had my gun to my shoulder, he was gone. My dad had no idea what happened because he was in front of me and it all happened so fast. What an adrenaline rush though!! So we keep going and look down into a bowl and see 4 bulls grazing. So we get of the horses, set up our shooting sticks, as quiet as we can. My dad always offers to be ready in case you miss. If you want him to take the shot, he will, if not, he leaves you to it. I asked him to help just in case. So we both drew our guns and my dad was talking me through, telling me to get my sights on him, take a deep breathe, and gently sqeeeeeze the trigger, BOOOOOOOOOM and the bull i was aiming for ran away. When you hit something you can hear the shot muffle but mine didn't, so dad shot and hit him. The 4 point bull went down hard!!
WARNING, this is a little bit yucky...
It was just about dusk, so we hauled but down to the bull and quickly started to gut and quarter. You don't understand how huge these animals are until your holding a leg while its being gutted. Our adrenaline was pumping and we were so excited. We were so proud of each other and what just happened. It took us a little bit but we got the elk gutted and quartered, in bags and hung in the tree. Hopped on our horses and headed for camp in the dark. Even though it was dark, i could see the pride in my dad's face. We hunted for quite a few days before we shot this guy and it was such hard work. Being 12 and probably less than 100lbs, i worked hard for every second of that hunt.

I asked my dad if he was going to get in trouble or what we were going to tell people. He's very honest, but with hunting you aren't supposed to shoot something if you don't have a tag for it, or if you don't plan to tag it. He would have tagged it any day, but he felt that it was mine and i worked for it. So we didn't tell to many people that he shot it, he let me take the credit. His friends were so impressed that i shot it and helped gut and quarter.

The next day my mom showed up and so all 3 of us took our pack horses and went to go get him. We told her the long version of the story. I couldn't wait to see my kill. We get there and see that one of the hind quarters has a HUGE chunk missing and it was molded over. My dad just brushed it off and said it was probably squirrls or something.

Later that week, we were home and had some friends over, we were telling the story and my dad starts telling us about some noises that he heard while we were busy gutting and quartering. He said he heard a mountain lion pacing back and forth above us, he knew it was watching us. He said that he didn't want to say anything because he KNEW it would frighten me and our guns were up with the horses, so we had no defense against this animal. He said that he just kept praying to himself that we would be protected and that the mountain lion would go away. I had no idea, and when he's telling this story, i was in shock. I was so glad he didn't tell me because i really would have blown a gasket.

That is one of my most cherished memories of my daddy. A hunt that i will never forget.

Which brings me to my next point. Tomorrow, we are headed to Thayne for another week of hunting. I won't be joining them because its so expensive for an out of state license and I'm preg. But Nick has a tag and license so I'm excited. Were hauling some horses and our canvas tent that has a stove. We will meet up with my parents, my brothers and their wives and my sister. The boys will get up early and the girls stay in the warm tents. We all have walkie talkies so we can hear whats going on with our loves. Later we'll make hot chocolate and get cozy in the tent, chat, paint toe nails, read books and sleep till the boys come back. So, that's where we'll be!! Hope you guys all have a wonderful week!