Author: leaddog

Nope….not yet.
Friday:
Leaddog and Steven arrives, and both hit the hills. Leaddog takes the Knolls trail, Steven goes the Piney Knob route. Robba joins the two and hits the local hill with nothing. nadda. zilch. zero. The three converge on the forbidden lands below with a few tracks here and there, but not the zig-zag of WTF as seen the next day.

Saturday:
The gang of six (where there was once 12 or more) goes deep into the howling wilderness to hopefully extricate the mega-mule that is scraping the ground to bedrock and rubbing trees so hard that they glow red at night. Yup – red at night… Toucher now in better spirits has the bell, and takes the Polecat for a walk. To Gitchi-gumi and beyond! Rubs, scrapes and other mule related items were found by the crew, but where is he? It looks like there may be more than one mule staking his claim, but it’s staked out well before we get to the roast!

Sunday:
The opposite Bunny-hill is attacked, with Leaddog finally getting to watch in a watch that wasn’t watched since the last time Leaddog watched a mule get spanked! More tracks are seen than ever, beech nuts abound, as the very air is abound with beech nuts as they rain upon the watchers. Not one mule is seen however….What gives?

Week Four begins with the five day extended hunt/physical fitness event.
Wednesday:
Leaddog arrives and spend a wonderful day in the lowlands attempting to locate the roaming flock of mules all by himself. Through the Knolls, up to the 10.2 watch, around the Duck Hole then back to camp via the first cable, nothing is found except two large scrapes at the property line where a watch is set until dark. The only thing watched was the sunset…..

Thursday:
Digger arrives, and up the hill both go. To the lands of the mega-beast both go, with scrapes rubs and more seen but no mule. Both hit the Thumb, and stay way late in the day when Digger finds a bleeding rub and a middle fingered hoof print informing the two that “nope, not today” by the mule. Steven is found at a most perfect spot, but nothing perfect showed himself.

Friday:
A good compliment of Rangers is now on hand, and a hunt somewhat local is set. All crawls, prowls and slithers about with no mules observed on “No-Name”, with the result being DNR – “Do Not Return”! What is going on? How could this much sign have no results? WTF?!

Saturday:
The crew hits yet another favorite area in the pouring rain. Digger goes on watch, and Robba finds a mule on watch just 30 yards from Digger – who was watching who? Said mule takes flight over the top and to elsewhere, where else?!

Sunday:
Hunters are now miners, and the splitting of the “Rock” resumes. I can’t even begin to explain!

Friday:
The first round of the FAMHC is attended by the club’s founder, alone – Which wasn’t a bad thing at all! But what’s this? A tree has come down on cable three, stopping the Leaddog in his tracks! Vowing not to have this ruin his day he climbs over the blockage like the Wallenda’s on a tightrope, a sight to see, but only seen by the local wildlife. Leaddog climbs to the Hilton, and now finds that the device to extricate mules from the backcountry is now MIA. It was there just a few weeks ago, so the big bad bear must have taken it to its den as a souvenir, or perhaps Pierre, Antoinette and BoB made a return visit to climb “the peak”?! We’ll have to scour the surrounds to find it….but back to the story. Leaddog immediately observes a rub in the direction of the hunt, only one hundred feet from the Hilton. Then another, and another and….scrapes, another, another and…..12 rubs and 15 scrapes at the end of the hunt – all within 1/3 mile up top. The mega-mule is back! A banner day in the woods, so much mule sign, but no mules…yet!

Saturday:
Now the core crew, sans Steven is assembled and split to drive, crawl and watch once again as last week. Polecat goes high, and finds mules in the same area as last week. Two mules run down the hill with a “third” just out of site doing what mules do – staying just out of site. Minutes later, Toucher and Leaddog down below here’s blowing just 30 yards out in front. Having a cliff to the right, and the mules not bringing climbing gear they head out in front of the two and a chase of sorts begins, and ends as the leaves are now thicker than salt and pepper poured by Spike on our hors D’oeuvres. The hunt continues, the mules head down further and do what they do best – I’m not going to say it again! The forecasted rain arrives right on time, and stays for the remainder of the weekend.

Sunday:
Rain, fog, clouds – rain. The gang now a construction crew is bushwhacked into needed repairs. The water situation is fixed, and the cable repair crew is dispatched, (no Spike not cable TV). A rifle is brought along to ensure no mules will be seen during the repairs, which of course worked as always! Leaddog watched the surrounds, and hunted the hell out of the general work area, yup – that’s how it really was! All leaves the hill, with two vowing to return next Friday to attempt to slay the mega mule of up-yonder!

Nope – almost!
Saturday: The core crew is assembled once again to pound the mountain rock to grains of soil. A rather local hill is targeted, with three drivers sent to push mules to the awaiting crawlers and watchers on the other end. Much sign is observed, scrapes, rubs and other mule related items. Just an hour or so in the drive, one shot is heard in the area of the once tagged “Bloody Bugger” (as Noah Rondeau would call those who haven’t bagged a mule yet). Excitement runs through the two lower watchers as an eternity passes before a report. Probie gets a shot at a mule up high, and a big one at that! His one time chance is over, perhaps. This is the first time this much mule is seen this early, must be the warmy-changy thing! All wind up at the end in the right spots with nothing more to show.

Sunday: The crew now attacks the other local hill, sign once again abounds, as did the mules form the area. All converges to the notch (is this the notch?) to the waiting watchers. A particular situation has occurred, as a semi-council is held by the Toucher and Leaddog. Just how did Probie wind up in a choice Leaddog watch, (that Leaddog hasn’t seen since he shot a mule from it, which is a whole other story); and missed the Saturday mule? So much for the “You’re a driver for the rest of your natural life” as said by the Polecat – problem is, seems like everyone finally bagged a mule! Well sort of we still have Junior to watch the 25 square miles of Happy Hunting Grounds – all by himself! ;-O

The coming Friday is the first FAMHC hunt, which will be a solo event by the Leaddog……yuk-yuk!

Trails cleared, organic free range firewood cut, stacked and racked! Another fine feast of fowl and beast consumed with the usual copious amounts of adult beverages! Did Probie really bag his first Adirondack buck last year? Dr. Saint Fauccccchhhiiii really needs to know!

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