Nicole's Deer hunt 2016

WE didn't have much time this year to spend on hunting! We decided last minute to go up for the night just on the mountain behind our house! Mike and MaryJane watched the kids so we could go! It was a hard hike up, but a beautiful one! We got to the top just at dark. We spotted a couple bucks, but couldn't tell how big they were! We decided to set up camp and then go look for them in the morning!  We had our mountain house meal and got some sleep! In the morning we hiked out and spotted a buck. We watched him for quite awhile. We snuck over to the ridge across from him. Josh put his pack on the ground and then I layed down with the gun on the pack for stability! I was super nervous to pull the trigger! I shot and missed, but the deer stayed so I shot again. I got a good shot and he went down. It was far away though and we saw a deer run off. I was so nervous that it was the deer I had shot. What if I hadn't made a good shot? We hiked over to try and find the deer in the brush! We found a blood trail in the snow and then we found him! 

He was a good 4 point, but part of his antler had been broke off. That was a bummer! Now the real work started..... I helped(more watched) Josh clean the deer and cut out all the meat! I was grateful he had gloves for me! This took hours and now we had a 5 mile hike out. Josh had all the meat in his pack and I had to carry all the stuff in Josh's pack! It was a super tough hike out! Josh's legs were cramping and I just couldn't wait to get home! This was a short hunt, but a successful one! And of course the memories are what really matter! I love when I get to be in the mountains with Josh!