Friday 11/26:
The scouting trips are over....turkey dinner has come and gone.....Now it's time to do some hunting!
I like to keep up with all of the other adventures and i have to say you guys/gals are very gifted at telling your story. Me on the other hand, God didn't give me the gift of story telling! Or maybe i should have payed more attention through high school and college...either way...
One thing i do enjoy is videography. I'm not too good at this either but I love taking the camera with me everywhere i go. I hope all of you that look at my thread also look at the videos. This is my way of telling the story!
Here is a quick summary of the 'day before opener' and be sure to watch the videos:
3a.m., the truck is loaded once again. This time I am loaded for more than just a weekend scouting trip. This time I am loaded down for two weeks worth of ibex hunting!
I have food, water, camping gear, cooking gear, camo, gun, ammo, rangefinder, binos, spotting scope, backpack, boots, cameras,.....and on and on..
I think i put everything i own for hunting and camping in the back of the truck!
"On the road again" for one last drive from Tucson to Deming. Although this drive was a little different than the ones before. I have a rifle and a tag this time!
I made a few stops in Deming (one to buy my habitat stamp) and then it was off to the hills. I wanted to get my gear to the top of the mountain early so when Dustin arrived i could help with his. He was making a nine hour drive from Texas to help me with this hunt. That's a good friend huh!
It took me three trips to get everything up the mountain, not counting Dustin's stuff. We could have made it just fine with less but why not be comfortable...
Here are 2 of the loads!
http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk286/cchr111/568246387_photobucket_27363_.jpg
http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk286/cchr111/568246387_photobucket_27364_.jpg
Dustin arrived shortly after i dropped off my last load. It was good to see my old friend! You may recognize Dustin from one of my first posts, he was my best man back in May.
We shot the sh!t for a few minutes, i gave him the rundown on where i had seen goats during prior scouting trips. I was actually looking at some goats when he drove up so he got to see his first ibex right away. He was amazed at where they call home!
We loaded down the rhino one more time with Dustin's gear. (Beverly Hillbilly Style)
It was a rough drive to the top and i'm not sure how i made it 4 times without a flat.
The day was now coming to an end so we dropped his stuff and went to look around for the last hour.
A decent group of goats made their presence known on one of the peaks. It was a beautiful sight to see them skylined as the sun went down. There appeared to be 2 shooters in the group. One very wide billy and one other with good length. Dustin was impressed watching them as they played king of the mountain. So was I. That's where we want to be in the morning!
http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk286/cchr111/568246387_photobucket_27369_.jpg
http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk286/cchr111/568246387_photobucket_27370_.jpg
Our camp was meant to be a Columbia tent and a 10x10 easy up.. This all changed when nobody had laid claim to the old miners cabin. It is an old rock cabin with broken windows, holes in the ceiling, and a squeeky wooden door. But this place was perfect! Inside it had 3 old metal spring cots and outside it had an awesome porch with a great view of Deming! I had stayed here during the youth hunt with Mike and Devin. I thought for sure someone would claim it for the rifle hunt.
http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk286/cchr111/568246387_photobucket_27367_.jpg
http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk286/cchr111/568246387_photobucket_27368_.jpg
After dark we finished making camp and then cooked up some delicious tacos.
We checked and double checked our packs for the following morning.
We lied awake in our spring beds catching up on the new stuff and reminiscing the old. It was a sleepless night for me thinking of the morning hunt. but the sound of wind blowing in the broken window and 'mr heater' on the floor were music to my ears!