We all know how those play. It’s all about getting close to make it count. In bowhunting, close is the name of the game but just getting close doesn’t count. I’m not saying it’s not fun, it just doesn’t provide those ‘grip and grin’ pictures or meat on the table. It was a close call day. We were on the chase for well over an hour. Exciting or thrilling aren’t even the right words to describe the morning.

We met some guys from PA at the trailhead and they told us the route they were taking to start their hunt. I told them we would go in a little differently but I felt certain we would be dropping in the drainage. Just after day break the bull sounded off. We made our move to get the wind right and worked in close. I thought it was going to happen a couple different times. He was screaming in our face but close doesn’t count. The game was played well but my talk wasn’t sweet enough.

We worked back up the mountain through chest high grass/weeds and over burned deadfall timber to make it to the road just before noon. This area had a massive wildfire 3 years ago. It drastically changed the landscape and made it a little more challenging to navigate.

We needed to come out to find a place to camp and get set up. The only spot available was the exact spot I had spent one night in the truck several years ago. A snow storm hit and I almost froze solid that night. This spot is located right on the road in a saddle. A saddle is a swag on a ridge line. They are known to have excessive winds during a rain storm or a change in weather. A saddle will act as a funnel for the wind. I knew this was a terrible camp site but we had no other option. And of course, just before we went to sleep, the wind picked up and we fought hard to keep our tent and pop up canopy from flying off. It was another close call but, all was saved and the rest of the night was peaceful. Again, close didn’t count.