WEEK THREE – SUCCESS!

Friday: The select crew assembles for a FAMHC event, and a big push is accomplished from Billy’s watch back to the Duck Hole, in which no mules were seen until the very end at the Duck Hole. One itty-bitty doe gives Polecat and Lead Dog a kiss as she runs by. Much sign was observed, including a mile plus long rub line that included no less than 10 rubs and associated scrapes on the “Great Migration Route”.

Saturday: With most of all the members present, including all associates of the FAMHC including Toucher’s guest who is a “return victim” from other hunts gone by; heads for lands far-away to find beasts o’ mighty. Lead Dog and Steven completes the long sought “ring around the mountain route”, earns badges, and determines that it was indeed a nice walk….right into Probie who was placed on watch, which was then determined as a ill advised instruction. Chip gets his west and east confused, (mixed in with his north and south) and ALMOST gets devoured by the gruesome green gorge, that would have eaten him like Spike on any form of food, fresh or rotten. Rubs and scrapes abound, on trees that could have been cut for lumber. One scrape was dug half way to China…..Not one mule was seen, but whatever beast is debarking telephone pole sized trees is STILL there. Wait till this coming Friday! 😉

Sunday: Harvest Team Alpha is summoned to encounter whatever was making rubs and scrapes on a closer hill to camp that was encountered last week. Drivers were placed on both sides of the “hill” and let loose. One mile later, at the end of the drive things got exciting! First, was the fact that NO watcher (yup you may have guessed already, Chip) was present at one of the predetermined watch spot that was assigned. The Chipster went downhill past the ROCK, only by a half mile or so to the asphalt ribbon and associated five mile long lake that stopped his downhill stroll which stopped his eventual multiple double digit mile travel to Speculator. Meanwhile, back on the mountain where the were deer and hunters present, things were looking up. The drivers had critters leaping off the hill like ticks on my dog. One critter decided to try it’s luck and run by Joe, (see return guest, from above) who had ready his .300 short Mag. rifle with high dollar bullets. At 100 yds plus, they engage and Joe was the winner with the downing of a nice eight pointer, 15″ spread about 130lbs, which cost him eight bucks for three shots….Just as Chip finally made it back up the hill to the awaiting thrashing and abuse from others, Robba encounters a Mama bear with two cubs…and then a doe that walks past the three “thrashers” waiting for Chip.

Part Duex; a chance encounter?

Part two of the drive results in yet another unexpected encounter up high on the hill. As Lead Dog approaches his watch, a voice and movement is heard just out of his sight. Worrying about hypoxia from the great altitude, a radio call was placed asking if anyone else heard said noise…which was no. Then Digger replies that he sees a blue jacket hanging in a tree, and hears and sees someone. An older women, was walking about yelling for “George”, who apparently was also walking about. After the interloper was thoroughly interrogated by Digger it was learned that they were “mushroom hunting”. The last we saw and heard of her was when she was somewhere about on the mountain, still yelling for George. We had two more drivers than we started with! An uneventful remaining hunt was in order, with the extrication of said dead mule. Maybe George was looking for Stosh!? 🙂