F-Troop Est. 1968

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!? 🙂

Friday: Leaddog arrives to a winter wonderland, akin to the contents of a snow globe. No F-troopers present yet, so a decision to stay “local” based on the weather conditions was made. A nice walk to, and a four hour stay at the 10pt corner watch resulted in a possible case of snow blindness, which was soon intervened by Steven who decides to prowl the area near Piney Knob. Small drive to each other were made, with Leaddog jumping a doe, which decided to do the loop-de-loop back to Piney Knob.

Saturday: The crew decides to look for the abominable snow man on the top of Twin Lakes Mtn. In fine fashion they crawled all over the hill like Spike on the couch. Tracks galore of both beasts, deer and bear were observed everywhere. Scrape and runs abound, but not one mule or bruin was seen. Leaddog feels many eyes from the cliffs on the mountain watching as the ramp was hunted, but said bruins were too scared to engage. Three F-troopers finally earns their Twin lakes Mtn summit badge, with Probie asking himself once again; “why do we do this?”

Sunday: A drive on Liz was in order for the day. Robba and Steven makes through Beaver Valley to the top of Liz in record time, to come over to watchers placed about the Piney Knob area. Hobbit kicks three flattops early on, and all engage in seeing mules at one point or another. Apparently, one probable buck was seen coming off the hill through the Knolls, so drive two consisted of a modified Ir-on-der-twat assault, with mules observed, and disappeared as fast as they were seen.

Saturday: The crew assembles and donning gore-tex assaults the mountains once again! Drivers push the Meadows to Billy’s watch trail, with flags flyin’ in the opposite direction. Drive two results in the locating of fresh buck rubs and many does dispersing throughout the surrounds. Many mules were spotted by all, with the crew vowing to return on Sunday to find antler topped mule. Chip entertains the crew by learning the most common navigational blunder that most have encountered, the circle walk. But one mystery remains, how does one walk in a circle back to the starting point, when the mission was to stay on the assigned elevation between two other drivers? Dark was ensuing when the Chipster was finally talked in by Denmama via radio. The rest of the crew was so worried, that we all got into evening wear and slipped into a dry martini. A new term may be added to the F-troop dictionary – “The Chip-about”, the term when Chip decides to solo navigate (if “navigate” is correct) the woods! Let’s see how a Chip-about works in the Stay-Away country….. 😉

Sunday: Crew assaults doe infested area, which appeared to have resulted in a re-infestation of the other mountain when the mules decided to vacate the area of interest. Mountain two was attacked, does flying about as always, but no buck. Chip saw his very first deer, a doe; where he was placed on watch.

For sale, authentic Adirondack logging sleigh skis. These two true pieces of americana were recently rescued from the Mad Tom Brook. F-troop will be posting photos and price soon. Any inquiries should be directed toward our sales and marketing dept…(denbama).