F-Troop Est. 1968

WHEN AND WHERE ARE WE GOING FOR THE SPRING HIKE?

I just saw Bernie and his wife over at Best Buy in Crossgates. He is looking great and is feeling well. No more concussion or blood on the brain, and he is wearing a brace of hard plastic. He really does looks okay and said that he is feeling better every day. He’s more pissed about missing half the hunting season than anything else. We talked abit about the rest of the season and thats about all. It was great to see him!!

Friday:Polecat, Robba and Leaddog gets into camp Thursday night, with Robba earning his Thursday hunt badge. All head up into Beaver Valley with images of the Hartford Elk in their heads. Polecat and Robba hunts to the Split Rock Camp, with Leaddog pushing the Thumb towards them. Tracks abound, scrapes noticed on the end of the Thumb with a new bed that appeared to have been recently vacated. As Leaddog approaches the two near the first objective, a mysterious event once again occurs: While the two are conferring, they hear a walking noise, with stick cracking just out of their sight. (See Week Four Friday Hunt), When the radio is used to summon Leaddog’s whereabouts, it appears that this walking noise was not him, as he was several hundred yards away still. The mystery “beast” once again stumps the crew! Bear? Deer? Sasquatch? Billy? No one knows! The crew hunts to the moose rub and surrounds. No mules observed, and the scrapes that were once active are now unattended. Beast O’ Mighty is chasing and tending his does!

Saturday:Crew of 8.5 Rangers assaults No-Name and the Bunny Hill in an attempt to harvest the body armored mule that evaded Leaddog’s bullets last week. Does pushed all about, but no buck in the mix. The Bunny Hill was covered by the crew like Liberals waiting for a handout. Does once again sprouts wings and tunnels through the hill. Robba locates a runway where the beasts have two options in their attempt to escape. This location was duly noted, and a watcher will be placed there next time. Probie as seen in the photo, earns his “Sandpit and Bunny Hill” Badges…..as a true engineer as he is…he was inquiring as to where the keys to the heavy equipment were located.

Sunday:Crew decides to confuse the mules by hunting the Bunny Hill in reverse. The only observation was the hill being viewed from a different direction. Crew splits and watchers are deployed to the Knolls, where the drive ended in fine fashion; at Leaddog’s stump watch. Chip decides to “recon” the stream right past the cable on his fastidious exodus from the woods….thus leaving a trail of fire behind him that could be seen from the International Space Station. 😉

Friday: Toucher and Leaddog musters in the dark to recon lands far away. Leading the way with headlamp, Toucher gets a jump and is on the hill before actual sunrise. Leaddog follows and is in position in said lands far away. The two advance recon specialists hunt as if it was a TV show! Sneaking about, discovering that a mule of voluminous size is in the area. Scrapes, rubs and sign abound. Although the recon was uneventful, it was determined that the strike team will be summoned to extricate said mule from his environ. As the recon team leaves the area at 1500hrs, Polecat and his volunteer is heard on the radio, requesting that the two specialists push up to them on the “Thumb”. When the specialists complete said drive, an unexplained event occurs. When Leaddog completed his task, a walking sound was head not but 20 yards in the spruce behind him. Cracking sticks and steps are heard, and a quick hoot to what was supposed to be Toucher was conveyed. No response, as Toucher is still 300 yards away. Found only 100 feet away was a brand new rub……. :-O

Saturday: Strike team “Alpha” enters woods to harvest beast and get lots of exercise. All converge on Stayaway mountain and the surrounds, and hunts as if this was the last beast on earth. Lindy pushes several mules form his portion, to the bottom where Digger just left. One beast of very large stature was observed sneaking into the the cover. All discovers new and exciting haunts within the strike zone. More sign of mules observed and noted. All walk out in fine fashion with no lamps required due to clear skies and bright moon. Robba gets…earns…his “impenetrable wall of witch hobble” AND his “peninsula hunt” badge!

Sunday: Crew hunts “Bunny Hill”. Usual drive, with one exception. Leaddog abandons routine, boring, stupid watch that has never produced anything, and climbs higher to next level where views are better. Drive is executed with precision, all members performing as usual. Polecat comes out to Leaddog on new watch and decides to go low and investigate shots from the lowland. Leaddog stays up on watch, listening to the action as does are observed. One coyote is seen by Leaddog and Probie. The drive commences on to part two, the big hill. Leaddog decides to lag behind and let everyone go on. Probie also does the same, but up high. Digger was the last to be seen leaving, and in no less than 5 minutes a report from Lindy declares a does is now on the move to Digger, but veers down to Leaddog. Leaddog gets excited to actually see a f’n deer finally, and hears it walking down the hill 200 yards away. But something is peculiar is about this mule….IT HAS HORNS! The beast-o-mighty now walks s-l-o-w-l-e-y towards Leaddog as if it had a death wish. Noting the increasing size of said rack the beast walks within 40 yards of Leaddog, who then places the new red-dot right in the “kitchen”. Sending it (the bullet) off, it appeared to have taken a sharp left or right turn just before the target. A second shot was then sent, but now the f’n thing jams and no third shot could be sent. The beast of no less than eight to ten points is donning body armor and has escaped what was a supposed to be textbook shot. Digger and Leaddog confirm said lousy shots, no sign of a hit.

• Bucks: 0
• Does: 2
• Flags: 0
• Misses: 1

10 ptr on Bunny Hill….details to follow.