Boats, Bucks, & Big Dumps - Packrafting Mule Deer

[AvidIndoorsman]

This tale begins about 8 years ago. I'm an adult onset hunter, a couple of years after I got started my sister had the opportunity to do hunter's safety through her college. She took the course with the thought that I would take her on her first hunt.

We went on an unsuccessful duck hunt a couple years after that but it wasn't until this year that circumstances coalesced.

The initial thought was a mule deer hunt behind our childhood home on public land. As has become my pattern of behavior things escalated...

 

[Dsnow9]

Oh come on man, already leaving a cliff hanger!

 

[TOGIE]

big dumps...?

i guess we'll wait and see

 

[Hilljackoutlaw]

Dammit @wllm1313

 

[TrumpkinTheDwarf]

I'm about ready to block this joker! Enough with the cliffhangers!

 

[nrpate05]

Gah, a raft mule deer trip has been on my bucket list for the last couple of years. I'm thinking next year it'll happen. I'll be following...

 

[NEWHunter]

I'll be following...

Good luck, this guy probably isn’t coming back. He was last seen 7 minutes ago . . .

 

[AvidIndoorsman]

Man tough crowd...

 

[Ben Lamb]

MA looks nice this time of year.

 

[Gellar]

This tale begins about 8 years ago. I'm an adult onset hunter,

No matter when you started, I think you are doing this hunting thing right.

 

[TOGIE]

also, i appreciate the oxford comma

 

[AvidIndoorsman]

So, day hunting the back 40 became float into wilderness area and backpack hunt.

Day before the season we loaded up and headed to the river access.

^ Watching me struggle to blow up the rafts should have probably been my sisters first clue that I'm kinda flying by the seat of my pants.

We headed out... pretty much zero instruction was given on paddling a boat. (Also I forgot the seats so we were low in the boats and little sis smacked her butt on a rock pretty good )

First part was pretty relaxed


The class II section was...

wet...

though the pack rafts are quite forgiving.


we arrived at our take out mid afternoon and rolled up the boats and started our hike up to the location I had e-scouted for our camp.



Per usual I discounted the topo lines... the easy "1 mile to camp" took 3 hours.



The sunset didn't disappoint.

 

[AvidIndoorsman]

Open'r

We started out early for our glass'n nob

Right off the bat found some elk...

I regretted not securing an elk tag for my sister... my back did not.


Not finding any deer we moved locations.

New spot... and what did we glass up, the ubiquitous CO hunter in violation of blaze orange requirements.

Maybe he just thought he was in ID... or WY


We spent the rest of the day glassing and working our way slowly around a large basin... enjoyed some snacks, took some naps, had some great conversations that you just don't seem to get around to unless your just hanging out.

 

[AvidIndoorsman]

Later that afternoon we decided to try and glass some of the zones closer to the river...


Got to have a fun convo about how people suck and trash on public lands.

Both hatred of balloons,


and of sloppy hunters.

 

[Irrelevant]

Much better...

 

[Magnum Sherpa]

That’s one badass backcountry Corgi.

 

[Elkmagnet]

looks like an adventure....

 

[Hilljackoutlaw]

Per usual I discounted the topo lines... the easy "1 mile to camp" took 3 hours

Ahh yes....my favorite decision to make!

 

[AvidIndoorsman]

Ahh yes....my favorite decision to make!

You’d think we’d learn right?

 

[Hilljackoutlaw]

That knowledge is just very complex and we can't grasp it until ur atleast 50 years old.