marley
Very Active Member
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- 2,465
This year has had some major ups and downs. My son and I applied for our Wyoming high country tags together this year and finally drew. We were so excited to be doing a back country backpacking hunt together. We were so excited to even begin scouting with high hopes of finding him a great buck. In late July I found out that I had an osteochondroma (bony tumor) the size of a tennis ball growing on my pelvis just above my hip joint that needed to be removed. The surgery involved cutting and folding back my muscle attachment to be able to get to it. After 53 sutures and 23 staples I was done.
I was determined to not let this ruin our trip so I laid low and took it easy hoping that it would heal in time but it completely shut down my ability to do any scouting. About this time I saw Founders ad about his scouting package and I jumped all over it. I saw this as a huge blessing. I really wanted a great buck for my son and this was perfect timing.
A month later I was feeling pretty good but still unable to put much weight on my hip. But another blow came like a sledgehammer. With all my CT scans and MRI's the doctors also found that I had bladder cancer. No one ever wants to hear the "C" word, especially a 39 year old healthy guy. It was a HUGE blow to me and my family. Four days before my WY hunt with my son, I was back on the operating table to remove the 8 tumors growing in my bladder.
Now, more than ever, I needed the mountains to bring me some peace and to wrap my mind around this new terrible news. I knew going into this hunt that I wouldn't be as quick up the mountain but I was so determined to make this hunt with my son happen. With ibuprofen on tap and several stops to rest we made it to the top in what seemed like forever. Luckily my brother met us at the trailhead and helped carry much of the gear that would've killed me to carry. He was a savior.
We were planning on using the next day to scout around and look for the big buck that Founder had sent us pictures of. But that day a storm had moved in dropping snow and fog, making the visibility under 50 yards.
My son and brother decided to stay in their warm sleeping bags. I, however, spent the morning staring into the blanket of white in pure silence on the top of the mountain reflecting on the things that were truly important in my life. It seems that times of hardship are where we can really reflect on those things and thank God for the many perfect blessings we have in our lives. The timing of this hunt was the most perfect, awful time to have a hunt.
Opening day we woke up early hoping for clearer weather. With fresh snow on the tent we headed out with high hopes. We hadn't been sitting in our glassing spot more than 10 minutes when I spotted a great buck bedded near 800 yards away. I really wanted my son to take the giant buck that Founder had scouted and I would take whatever else we found later but this was a great buck. With a quick glance through the spotting scope, he was ready to shoot this buck. I had Hunter practicing all summer with my custom .264 WM out to 800 yards. But with a patch of trees between us and the bedded buck I knew we could get closer.
We dropped down off the cliff ledge we were perched on and used the thick pines to close the distance. The only problem was the only place we could get a shot from was covered in baby pines covered in snow that wouldn't provide much cover to the spot we had designated as the shooting position. Hunter and I belly crawled through the snow covered pines to our spot but noticed 3 other 4 point bucks bedded between us and the bigger buck. We had to stop short. I ranged the bigger buck at 550 yards with a steep downhill angle. We were both very confident that he could make the shot so I dialed his elevation compensating for the angle. When he pulled the rifle up, snow had filled up his scope making it impossible for him to see anything. I asked him how he felt using my .300 RUM. He didn't even hesitate. Just as he was set up in the rifle and ready to go, the buck stood up to stretch. Hunter made a perfect shot, dropping him right back into his bed. He was elated to take his best buck to date and dad was grinning from ear to ear. It is these moments that cannot be replaced by anything else, I'm convinced. The inches of antler on this buck will never matter to me or him. I needed this time with him.
My brother met us at the buck as excited as we were. He insisted on loading up his pack with the entire deer and made the 9 mile round trip down to the truck and back to save my hip.
We spent the next 4 days searching for the big buck that we knew was in there to no avail. The pain in my hip cut me a day short but I went home more satisfied and happy about any hunt in the past. This time it wasn't about the deer or my equipment or time away from work, it was about family and perfect time with them that will always be remembered.
I got a call from my doctor when I got home. My biopsy came back low grade and superficial. Our prayers had been answered. The best diagnosis we could get. Bladder cancer, of all cancers, has the highest recurrence rate so I will have to be scoped every 3 months for the rest of my life.
I was determined to not let this ruin our trip so I laid low and took it easy hoping that it would heal in time but it completely shut down my ability to do any scouting. About this time I saw Founders ad about his scouting package and I jumped all over it. I saw this as a huge blessing. I really wanted a great buck for my son and this was perfect timing.
A month later I was feeling pretty good but still unable to put much weight on my hip. But another blow came like a sledgehammer. With all my CT scans and MRI's the doctors also found that I had bladder cancer. No one ever wants to hear the "C" word, especially a 39 year old healthy guy. It was a HUGE blow to me and my family. Four days before my WY hunt with my son, I was back on the operating table to remove the 8 tumors growing in my bladder.
Now, more than ever, I needed the mountains to bring me some peace and to wrap my mind around this new terrible news. I knew going into this hunt that I wouldn't be as quick up the mountain but I was so determined to make this hunt with my son happen. With ibuprofen on tap and several stops to rest we made it to the top in what seemed like forever. Luckily my brother met us at the trailhead and helped carry much of the gear that would've killed me to carry. He was a savior.
We were planning on using the next day to scout around and look for the big buck that Founder had sent us pictures of. But that day a storm had moved in dropping snow and fog, making the visibility under 50 yards.
My son and brother decided to stay in their warm sleeping bags. I, however, spent the morning staring into the blanket of white in pure silence on the top of the mountain reflecting on the things that were truly important in my life. It seems that times of hardship are where we can really reflect on those things and thank God for the many perfect blessings we have in our lives. The timing of this hunt was the most perfect, awful time to have a hunt.
Opening day we woke up early hoping for clearer weather. With fresh snow on the tent we headed out with high hopes. We hadn't been sitting in our glassing spot more than 10 minutes when I spotted a great buck bedded near 800 yards away. I really wanted my son to take the giant buck that Founder had scouted and I would take whatever else we found later but this was a great buck. With a quick glance through the spotting scope, he was ready to shoot this buck. I had Hunter practicing all summer with my custom .264 WM out to 800 yards. But with a patch of trees between us and the bedded buck I knew we could get closer.
We dropped down off the cliff ledge we were perched on and used the thick pines to close the distance. The only problem was the only place we could get a shot from was covered in baby pines covered in snow that wouldn't provide much cover to the spot we had designated as the shooting position. Hunter and I belly crawled through the snow covered pines to our spot but noticed 3 other 4 point bucks bedded between us and the bigger buck. We had to stop short. I ranged the bigger buck at 550 yards with a steep downhill angle. We were both very confident that he could make the shot so I dialed his elevation compensating for the angle. When he pulled the rifle up, snow had filled up his scope making it impossible for him to see anything. I asked him how he felt using my .300 RUM. He didn't even hesitate. Just as he was set up in the rifle and ready to go, the buck stood up to stretch. Hunter made a perfect shot, dropping him right back into his bed. He was elated to take his best buck to date and dad was grinning from ear to ear. It is these moments that cannot be replaced by anything else, I'm convinced. The inches of antler on this buck will never matter to me or him. I needed this time with him.
My brother met us at the buck as excited as we were. He insisted on loading up his pack with the entire deer and made the 9 mile round trip down to the truck and back to save my hip.
We spent the next 4 days searching for the big buck that we knew was in there to no avail. The pain in my hip cut me a day short but I went home more satisfied and happy about any hunt in the past. This time it wasn't about the deer or my equipment or time away from work, it was about family and perfect time with them that will always be remembered.
I got a call from my doctor when I got home. My biopsy came back low grade and superficial. Our prayers had been answered. The best diagnosis we could get. Bladder cancer, of all cancers, has the highest recurrence rate so I will have to be scoped every 3 months for the rest of my life.
