naturegirl

TJ & Peg - I'm very sorry for your loss. You are fortunate your dad was also your best hunting partner. I've met you and seen how you mentor people. I'm positive your dad's skills he taught you carry on in the people you have influenced in the hunting world. Christina

year round and with all the rain it's a good year for it! I've passed on many shots because of javi babies. They are hard to see so you gotta look very close!

Since I've quit closely following the Mexican Wolf reintroduction it looks like their population has more than doubled in the last four years (NM&AZ). Interesting and that is only the "known population" in 2014.

because as the minority you have to cater a little to the majority. Most (majority) people don't like seeing (or hearing about) a large amount of animals being killed and then celebrating over the top of them. I know they definitely don't like hearing about it being done from helicopters as shown on TV. The predators are compared to house dogs and house cats by these same people. I personally understand why these hunts may be needed for control (regardless of prizes/placing), but I don't believe I'd participate in one. It is possible I'm imagining what I've seen or heard in the news which may not be the entire truth. So yes I believe TV/internet can taint most anything to look the way they want and most people may never experience one of the hunts in person. So I say if large-scale control is truly needed, then we as hunters aren't doing our jobs. I'll keep killing them when I see them

In past years my calendar was in the office, but he's just so good to look at that he's been moved to my living room wall. June was my favorite until I saw DT July.

I remember him from CWT. RIP

No way

It has been quite a long time since I’ve volunteered my actual time and now I again remember why I volunteered. A couple years ago I inquired with Amanda about being a mentor for the Women’s Javelina Camp, but I honestly wasn’t quite sure if I fit the bill. I’m a hunter who hunts a lot, but doesn’t kill a lot and I understand many people measure your skills by kills. I’ve worked hard and gained some of both over the last couple years, and I knew it was now time for me to be a mentor. These women hunters are AWESOME! Kayla, me & Angel Amanda matched me up with two kick butt women Kayla and Angel. Because I didn’t know the unit I had to gather as much intel as I could by talking with other mentors, Game and Fish, and following along with another mentor the first day to get my feet wet. I also tagged along with 125Coues (Mark) and Hilary (another absolutely beautiful young woman I wish to remain friends with) the afternoon before to get a feel for the land. My honest to goodness biggest concern was the traffic from down south coming over the border because we were very close to Mexico. I’ve handled everything I’ve come across so far since I’ve started hunting solo, but I have yet to cross paths with a group of men smuggling drugs or humans so it was a concern for me. I did feel a bit better knowing I went through one border patrol checkpoint and saw no less than nine border patrol trucks between the interstate and my destination. I definitely felt their presence, I liked it, and wish there were more. Thank you border patrol and I know there are a few of you here on CWT. My glassing girls Morning number one we go to what was a honey hole in past years for pigs. We set up to glass and sure enough I have to go to the bathroom. I get my optics and tripod ready, sit Angel down with my glass, and I go do my business. When I was done, I wanted to walk over to the edge to look down into the ravine to make sure there weren’t pigs down low beside us that we couldn’t see. Now I’m creeping through knee-high noisy grass trying to peek over the edge. During this time I had no idea what was going on behind me, but I later found out Angel was apparently trying very hard to get my attention by going “Psssst.. PSSSST! PPPPPPSSSSTT!!!” When she received no response from me, she says “mountain lion” and still receives no response from me. So now she tries a little louder with “Mountain Lion!” and I’m sure she’s thinking her mentor is deaf at this point, but then she loudly yelled “MOUNTAIN LION!!!!” and I clearly heard her this time. I ran back to them as fast as I could, but by the time I got there the lion was gone. Apparently while I was away doing my business Angel heard a doe barking (again I heard nothing) so she finds it in the glass and looks back to where the doe is looking (smart girl right for her first morning hunting?). She sees a tan animal with a little red on its back crouched down stalking “just like a cat.” Then she sees this “long HUGE bottle brush tail” and knows exactly what she is seeing. This is when she started the process of trying to get my attention. She was concerned because I was walking toward the lion who was about 400-500 yards in the saddle on the mountain in front of us, and I was 100% completely okay with her doing this. I do not mind at all being told in any way, shape, or form that there is a mountain lion in the vicinity. When I got back we watched the does literally take a stance against that cat and they won round number one! It was amazing watching the lead doe actually go back to retrieve two does and the other doe who took her stance toward the lion and froze for a good 20 minutes or so. Angel was given a gift with this lion sighting and I repeatedly told her how lucky she was as I have yet to see one in the wild. Like I’ve said many times before, I know they’ve seen me but I have yet to see them. Point in case, and I still have yet to see one. On day #2 we were heading back to camp when I see a big ol jackrabbit so I ask “Do you want to shoot a rabbit?” Angel responds with a “YES!” So she gets set up on the rabbit, and she shoots but misses. She laid her gun down and said “I can’t shoot again.” Her ears weren’t working right because she had forgotten her hearing protection in the truck. I quickly said “Yes you are. I’ll cover your ears.” She tried arguing a little, but gave in. So she gets ready, I cover her ears from behind and then tuck my head down between my shoulders. The second she shoots I look up to find the rabbit. She hit it good on the second shot with her 357. I’m going to be honest here I have never hunted rabbits and never been with anyone who hunted rabbits for the right reasons, but it was a total blast. She got to experience the hunt, stalk, watching her prey after the shot, and the kill. It’s no different if it’s a javi or a rabbit. She got it! Angel and her rabbit Well, here's a skill I'm still lacking because I have yet to personally field dress any of my kills except my recent attempts on a yote. So we head back to camp with the rabbit, ask around for help, and get none because all the hunters were still out. I’m not confident enough to teach this part, but the night before another hunter got a rabbit. Her mentor was the most patient man teaching her how to care for the rabbit so me and my hunters all watched their demonstration. Now it was time to use some of this newly acquired information. What can I say except Kayla is a skinning beast? She reminded me of Edward Scissorhands as she whipped through that rabbit in no time flat. Angel and Kayla are good friends and I believe they have a dang good hunting partnership in the works. Angel killed the rabbit and Kayla did the “dirty” work which was fine by me. One of my new hunting goals is I’m going to go kill a rabbit and make me and my daughter some rabbit stew. Kayla Scissor Hands at work on the backstrap I spent 3 days with these two amazing women and I took this time to not only teach them how to glass for javelina, but I also took them out and showed them where they were feeding, sleeping, their trails, tracks, and scat. At every available opportunity I’m explaining as much as I can about the outdoors, hunting, etc. I didn’t want to just set them up in front of glass all day and not get to actually see what pigs do, their behaviors, areas they like, etc. I also wanted them to have a say in what we did because this was their hunt. During a hike I found a Coues shed and Angel found the match close by so now she has the set. They also saw an old lion kill, deer rubs, and of course we all witnessed the ridiculous amount of trash left behind by the people crossing over (YUCK!!!!). I seriously wanted to carry a trash bag with me everywhere. Both of my hunters are big time campers and like the outdoors so that was a HUGE plus for me! Angel and Kayla did not tag javelinas, but I do believe they can spot deer a mile away now and I am 100% confident these women gained a good amount of skills to move forward with as they continue on as hunters! I’ve also made a couple good friends who I’ll be camping or hunting with again in the future. Did I forget to say we had a total blast? Get three strong women together for a few days and a good time will be had by all, and that’s a fact! I do believe I almost peed my pants a time or two. I haven’t laughed so hard so much in a VERY long time, and it sure did feel good. Thank you ladies for giving me that special gift! Without a doubt I’m going back next year. I really enjoyed sharing what I know and of course I’m a sponge who is always soaking up knowledge. We were all treated like queens and fed the best fare ever! There are so many hard-working people who donate their time and money to make events like this happen, and I know I appreciated it as did every new woman hunter I talked to. You all did a wonderful job bringing 30 new hunting women into our world. Angel is the photographer of the bunch and took way more photos than I did because my job was to find javelina and teach, but I did manage to snap a couple quick ones. Southern Arizona has it’s own diverse beauty. I haven’t spent much time down south, but I’m hoping to make it back very soon to the canyon that held the lion. Two days later another hunter watched two bobcats fight in that canyon and then walk about 30 yards or so in front of them. I really want to go predator hunting! I had my 270 in the truck the entire time, but it was the ladies hunt and not mine. I had full intentions on staying an extra day in that canyon with my rifle, but the rain pushed me out. After my last hunt, I wasn’t willing to sit in a tent while it rained so I headed on home and hit a tourist stop on my way. Thank you Amanda and everyone who made the camp happen! It was a great success!

Thank you. It was so nice to meet everyone. You all did an absolutely amazing job putting on the camp and truly made a difference for the women! A huge THANK YOU to all of you!!!!!

I knew it was getting close. I didn't like the knee-high grass down south at all. Thanks for the heads up.

So cool! I hadn't seen Alex (picture #1) with her pig yet. So glad she got one She is also the hunter who got to see the two bobcats fighting so she definitely had a good weekend! Guess I was really doing a bit of intel. It looks like Angel caught me with her camera getting information from multiple sources. I also didn't realize someone was behind me taking photos the entire time when we were in the field. That's funny I love the picture of Angel in the window of the abandoned house. This was our "photo op" where we were schooled on how to pose for pictures. That's something else I learned at camp! This was one of the moments where you guys had me laughing so hard that I absolutely couldn't stop laughing. If you know a woman who is thinking about hunting, I would HIGHLY recommend a camp such as this for her. This is an ideal way to get a touch of what it's all about.

copied from http://www.coueswhitetail.com/forums/topic/55836-what-its-like-to-be-a-mentor/ It has been quite a long time since I’ve volunteered my actual time and now I again remember why I volunteered. A couple years ago I inquired with Amanda about being a mentor for the Women’s Javelina Camp, but I honestly wasn’t quite sure if I fit the bill. I’m a hunter who hunts a lot, but doesn’t kill a lot and I understand many people measure your skills by kills. I’ve worked hard and gained some of both over the last couple years, and I knew it was now time for me to be a mentor. These women hunters are AWESOME! Kayla, me & Angel Amanda matched me up with two kick butt women Kayla and Angel. Because I didn’t know the unit I had to gather as much intel as I could by talking with other mentors, Game and Fish, and following along with another mentor the first day to get my feet wet. I also tagged along with 125Coues (Mark) and Hilary (another absolutely beautiful young woman I wish to remain friends with) the afternoon before to get a feel for the land. My honest to goodness biggest concern was the traffic from down south coming over the border because we were very close to Mexico. I’ve handled everything I’ve come across so far since I’ve started hunting solo, but I have yet to cross paths with a group of men smuggling drugs or humans so it was a concern for me. I did feel a bit better knowing I went through one border patrol checkpoint and saw no less than nine border patrol trucks between the interstate and my destination. I definitely felt their presence, I liked it, and wish there were more. Thank you border patrol and I know there are a few of you here on CWT. My glassing girls Morning number one we go to what was a honey hole in past years for pigs. We set up to glass and sure enough I have to go to the bathroom. I get my optics and tripod ready, sit Angel down with my glass, and I go do my business. When I was done, I wanted to walk over to the edge to look down into the ravine to make sure there weren’t pigs down low beside us that we couldn’t see. Now I’m creeping through knee-high noisy grass trying to peek over the edge. During this time I had no idea what was going on behind me, but I later found out Angel was apparently trying very hard to get my attention by going “Psssst.. PSSSST! PPPPPPSSSSTT!!!” When she received no response from me, she says “mountain lion” and still receives no response from me. So now she tries a little louder with “Mountain Lion!” and I’m sure she’s thinking her mentor is deaf at this point, but then she loudly yelled “MOUNTAIN LION!!!!” and I clearly heard her this time. I ran back to them as fast as I could, but by the time I got there the lion was gone. Apparently while I was away doing my business Angel heard a doe barking (again I heard nothing) so she finds it in the glass and looks back to where the doe is looking (smart girl right for her first morning hunting?). She sees a tan animal with a little red on its back crouched down stalking “just like a cat.” Then she sees this “long HUGE bottle brush tail” and knows exactly what she is seeing. This is when she started the process of trying to get my attention. She was concerned because I was walking toward the lion who was about 400-500 yards in the saddle on the mountain in front of us, and I was 100% completely okay with her doing this. I do not mind at all being told in any way, shape, or form that there is a mountain lion in the vicinity. When I got back we watched the does literally take a stance against that cat and they won round number one! It was amazing watching the lead doe actually go back to retrieve two does and the other doe who took her stance toward the lion and froze for a good 20 minutes or so. Angel was given a gift with this lion sighting and I repeatedly told her how lucky she was as I have yet to see one in the wild. Like I’ve said many times before, I know they’ve seen me but I have yet to see them. Point in case, and I still have yet to see one. On day #2 we were heading back to camp when I see a big ol jackrabbit so I ask “Do you want to shoot a rabbit?” Angel responds with a “YES!” So she gets set up on the rabbit, and she shoots but misses. She laid her gun down and said “I can’t shoot again.” Her ears weren’t working right because she had forgotten her hearing protection in the truck. I quickly said “Yes you are. I’ll cover your ears.” She tried arguing a little, but gave in. So she gets ready, I cover her ears from behind and then tuck my head down between my shoulders. The second she shoots I look up to find the rabbit. She hit it good on the second shot with her 357. I’m going to be honest here I have never hunted rabbits and never been with anyone who hunted rabbits for the right reasons, but it was a total blast. She got to experience the hunt, stalk, watching her prey after the shot, and the kill. It’s no different if it’s a javi or a rabbit. She got it! Angel and her rabbit Well, here's a skill I'm still lacking because I have yet to personally field dress any of my kills except my recent attempts on a yote. So we head back to camp with the rabbit, ask around for help, and get none because all the hunters were still out. I’m not confident enough to teach this part, but the night before another hunter got a rabbit. Her mentor was the most patient man teaching her how to care for the rabbit so me and my hunters all watched their demonstration. Now it was time to use some of this newly acquired information. What can I say except Kayla is a skinning beast? She reminded me of Edward Scissorhands as she whipped through that rabbit in no time flat. Angel and Kayla are good friends and I believe they have a dang good hunting partnership in the works. Angel killed the rabbit and Kayla did the “dirty” work which was fine by me. One of my new hunting goals is I’m going to go kill a rabbit and make me and my daughter some rabbit stew. Kayla Scissor Hands at work on the backstrap I spent 3 days with these two amazing women and I took this time to not only teach them how to glass for javelina, but I also took them out and showed them where they were feeding, sleeping, their trails, tracks, and scat. At every available opportunity I’m explaining as much as I can about the outdoors, hunting, etc. I didn’t want to just set them up in front of glass all day and not get to actually see what pigs do, their behaviors, areas they like, etc. I also wanted them to have a say in what we did because this was their hunt. During a hike I found a Coues shed and Angel found the match close by so now she has the set. They also saw an old lion kill, deer rubs, and of course we all witnessed the ridiculous amount of trash left behind by the people crossing over (YUCK!!!!). I seriously wanted to carry a trash bag with me everywhere. Both of my hunters are big time campers and like the outdoors so that was a HUGE plus for me! Angel and Kayla did not tag javelinas, but I do believe they can spot deer a mile away now and I am 100% confident these women gained a good amount of skills to move forward with as they continue on as hunters! I’ve also made a couple good friends who I’ll be camping or hunting with again in the future. Did I forget to say we had a total blast? Get three strong women together for a few days and a good time will be had by all, and that’s a fact! I do believe I almost peed my pants a time or two. I haven’t laughed so hard so much in a VERY long time, and it sure did feel good. Thank you ladies for giving me that special gift! Without a doubt I’m going back next year. I really enjoyed sharing what I know and of course I’m a sponge who is always soaking up knowledge. We were all treated like queens and fed the best fare ever! There are so many hard-working people who donate their time and money to make events like this happen, and I know I appreciated it as did every new woman hunter I talked to. You all did a wonderful job bringing 30 new hunting women into our world. Angel is the photographer of the bunch and took way more photos than I did because my job was to find javelina and teach, but I did manage to snap a couple quick ones. Southern Arizona has it’s own diverse beauty. I haven’t spent much time down south, but I’m hoping to make it back very soon to the canyon that held the lion. Two days later another hunter watched two bobcats fight in that canyon and then walk about 30 yards or so in front of them. I really want to go predator hunting! I had my 270 in the truck the entire time, but it was the ladies hunt and not mine. I had full intentions on staying an extra day in that canyon with my rifle, but the rain pushed me out. After my last hunt, I wasn’t willing to sit in a tent while it rained so I headed on home and hit a tourist stop on my way. Thank you Amanda and everyone who made the camp happen! It was a great success!

I've also got nice ramps and rails that were installed in my house when I bought it. They are now just sitting outside in a pile. If someone needs them for a family member/friend to easily gain access into and out of their home, let me know. The elderly woman that lived here before me used a scooter to get around. I thought we would have to use the ramps someday for my dad who was scooter bound, but we never got to that point before he passed. I'll try to get a picture.

I've been once and said I wouldn't go back unless I wanted to hunt out of state. Lots of vendors there offering out of state hunts. There are some neat things to see, but for me personally I wouldn't bother going back again. Like someone else said though it just depends on what you are looking for.

pm sent. I'll be at the women's javi camp this weekend. We can see if that's close. It was a pleasure meeting you. Thank you!

Awesome. Lucky duck

Nice meeting you Darren (Pixman), Shelvin (Bonecollector), and Mike (mulepackhunter). Thank you Darren - the calendar is beautiful! Funny when you meet someone and you are introduced by their real name. I then ask "Who are you?" wanting a screen name. I have a hard enough time remembering one name, but with CWT you have to remember people by two names...lol

pm sent. I'll be at the women's javi camp this weekend. We can see if that's close.

Got one person in line before you. I'll let you know if he doesn't take it.

$125 treestand says Big Game and is in excellent condition. $100 treestand upon further inspection looks to be missing the seat, but has arm rests. It has nothing to identify the brand. It's an older treestand, has some rust. OBO

Awesome! You are very lucky the right person found it.

He is HUGE! I love that you had your girls with you I'll bet you carry more shells next time...lol

I'll be there too along with my little girl who loves going to BPS to look at the animals and fish.

Saw your truck. Can't believe I haven't been before. Cool place

A little while back, Edge (Tim) invited me to come along on a back-country horseback hunt. An adventure such as this is definitely on my list of “to dos” so I was in. As soon as the dates were set, the excitement hit and I literally started losing sleep over it. I’ve said it many times before that the anticipation before a hunt reminds me of when I was a kid waiting for Santa Claus to arrive, and this wasn’t just any typical hunt – I was going backcountry on a horse! Ginger & Favor = Best Buds I’ve got my packing down pat, but I still needed to trim some fat in order to have a horse carry me and my load. I asked lots and lots of questions and quite often the answer was “If it doesn’t fit on the horse, then it stays in the truck.” This would send me back to packing to see what I could do without. Finally I came up with what I considered a good amount and was sincerely hoping he thought so too. Edge provided me with a sweet little mare named Zazzy who is one heck of a good horse. Both Edge & I had to leave stuff in the truck. I left my tripod and he left his rain jacket since there were no large storms in the forecast at that time. I too had left my rain pants at home, but did take my KUIU rain jacket since it’s so versatile. Zazzy & part of my load Edge trained Favor to side step to the trailer so he can tie the load. Favor is 17HH. We started up the trail, which at first required some stopping and adjusting of Favor’s load. This was done by adding rocks to the light side to balance it out. He is a beast of a horse and built as strong as they come. I watched in amazement following behind him as he found his balance and rhythm with the new load. Before we left the truck, I asked Edge “So what happens if we see a huge buck on the way in?” His answer “You take a picture.” So right then I pretty much knew we’d see a good buck on the way in so I was looking hard to find him. I spotted a couple does first and then Edge spotted another group of does. We were riding along and I was looking down into this ravine. Way way down at the bottom just inside the mountain shadow was what looked to be a decent mule deer buck by the size of the rack. I was just getting ready to say “Hey Tim, have you seen mule deer bucks in here?” but before the words came out the buck bounded up the mountainside and I could clearly see he was a Coues by his flagging white tail. I was clicking away with my telephoto lens from horseback, which by the way does not work very well, but I forgot my regular lens at home. I did manage to get the picture below, but I’m wondering if it wasn’t a bigger buck that I saw first. It didn’t matter either way because there was no chance any buck was getting an arrow. This was all for visual enjoyment. We continue on up and down the mountains and I’m thoroughly enjoying the breathtaking scenery. I haven’t hunted in terrain like this before so it was all new to me. I did specifically ask Edge ahead of time what type of trail we would be taking because I have been known to get off and walk my horse a time or two if afraid. So the next thing I know we are heading up this steep mountain and I’m trying my best NOT to look to my side because I see the rock slides and they are going straight down. It’s steep and if my horse loses her footing, there is no stopping any of it and we are going DOWN! Now my anxiety really starts kicking in and normally I’d be off walking my horse at this point, but I was able to talk myself through it or should I say pray myself through it along with a few tears. I know my fear of heights isn’t the “norm” and I know I have to keep at it. I also needed to let go and trust the horse. After what seemed like forever and a day going up that scary trail, we finally reached a wide flatter section of the trail, which made me smile from ear to ear. My heart rate started slowing down and I was breathing easy again, but yes I knew right then I had to go back the same way we came in, which was okay because I was done with it for now! Edge didn’t know about any of this until later when I told him, as girls have pride too. I made it! About two-thirds of the way in, we lost the sun at which time Zazzy & I took the lead. Zazzy, being at the bottom of the hierarchy within the herd, needed a little encouragement from me to get out front, but once she did she gained her confidence and took her job seriously. Mr. B, Tim’s aussie-heeler mix, is as white as snow and led the trail well. My headlamp was only required a couple times to check their course and correct if needed. This was one of my favorite parts of the trip because we all got to use different senses, and I enjoyed watching the animals do their jobs so well in the dark. Or maybe I liked this part so much because I couldn’t see any cliffs! We arrived at camp a couple hours after dark and set up our tents. Around noon the next day I hiked out of camp to hunt. I had been warned about bears being in the vicinity (as if the huge piles of bear scat everywhere wasn’t enough to tell me) so I was armed with both my sidearm and bear mace. I was alert for bears……very alert for bears. All of my senses were at full throttle. I was glancing this way and that and I see this well…it looks like a bear, but it’s kind of a little flat (this is what I’m thinking). So I walk over and it’s a dead bear! She is completely undisturbed and looks like she just walked down the hill and lay down to die. She had the prettiest long golden hair around her snout. I came back to camp and Edge asked if I had seen anything. My answer was “Yeah a bear.” He looked up at me and I quickly added “A dead one.” He said it was pretty rare to find a dead bear so I tested my skills to see if I could find her again and I marked the spot with my GPS. Typically I only mark camp and then my GPS is off for the remainder of the time. I feel you need to keep the skills you have and if you rely too much on technology, you lose it. I was given a good sense of direction by my father. My sweet mother has lived here since 1979 in a blocked grid city and still gets lost going from Mesa to Chandler (and no I’m not kidding). I hunted throughout the next day and around 2 pm it started to rain. For whatever dumb reason, I had left my umbrella and rain jacket at camp. Somehow I magically found a 2’x2’ piece of corrugated metal that was just laying out there so I decided to use this as my umbrella. I balanced that thing on my head which kept me dry for hours, and boy oh boy did I see a lot of deer! I did try drawing my bow with the umbrella on, but unfortunately was unsuccessful and would end up hearing metal to metal each time I tried. So here I am cruising up to a large meadow area with my silly metal umbrella. I look ahead and I see five does frolicking in the meadow about 100 yards in front of me. I then look to my left and there are another three does at the edge of the meadow. I think to myself “man if there are this many does there just has to be buck.” So I reach up and take off my umbrella. Not two seconds later a good buck with nice dark antlers runs about 20 yards in front of me across the meadow with a doe right on HIS tail. They stop about 75 yards away and then disappear into the thick stuff. All the other does stayed so I stayed in the area as long as I could, but never saw the buck again. I grabbed my “umbrella” and hiked back to camp. Our plan was to leave the following morning, but it literally had rained nonstop since 2 pm the previous day so we decided not to travel in the rain and hunkered down for another day. My tent was sopping wet and so was my sleeping bag. I did an inventory of dry items, put them in a dry bag, and told Edge I was down to one dry outfit, 2 pairs of socks, and no dry jackets. He wasn’t much better off than me except his tent was dry whereas mine required constant care to keep from becoming a pool. I got out my silver emergency blanket (yes those cheap ones from Wal-Mart) and placed it over my sleeping bag to at least keep it dry from my profusely leaking tent. At about 5 pm Edge & I had a conversation that went like this: Edge “If you get cold and are shivering….” I interrupt with “Yes, I’ll say something. I don’t want to wake up a frozen popsicle.” I must’ve asked at least a dozen times throughout the day if his tent was dry because I felt better knowing there was at least one dry shelter, but in the meantime I kept at keeping the water out of mine. My heart ached for the horses as they positioned their rumps into the wind drenching wet and shivering, but my heart was torn because I too was cold and wet. Edge is an excellent caretaker of his horses. He was constantly moving them around trying to find the best spot for them. Before we even left, he had made it clear to me that the care of the horses comes first, but I’ll have to be honest that last night my own needs were quickly becoming my number one priority. There haven’t been many times my skills have been tested to this extent, but when you’re in the back country you have only what you bring and what Mother Nature provides. This particular day Mother Nature decided to provide us with NONSTOP heavy rain. Now my skills were being tested and my comfort was already out the door a very long time ago. The view from my tent Since I’ve had to replace most of my camping and hunting equipment on a tight budget, I’m always looking for a bargain. On a trip to Goodwill, I saw a North Point mummy sleeping bag for $12.99. I could tell it was good quality so I grabbed it. The zipper wasn’t working. Either that or I’m just not smart enough to fix it, but regardless I’ve used it a bunch as is. I’m small enough I can just roll myself up in it. I will never understand how a wet sleeping bag with a silver emergency blanket over the top kept me warm that night, but it surely did. Those two items saved my rear big time. My rain jacket was with me, but it couldn’t dry out because there was no place dry for it to dry. I also mentioned to Edge that I used game bags as socks and he said he had done the same exact thing. Game bags also came in handy attempting to dry my sleeping bag and I threw a couple into the feet area of the bag. My logic was it would soak up at least a little moisture or provide some added warmth. Finally, and I do seriously mean finally, Saturday morning the rain breaks. With great effort Edge manages to get a fire going and we dry a couple items. I took my second to the last pair of socks (which were like gold at this point) and put them on. I carefully placed my feet in gallon sized zip lock bags before putting my wet boots on. This was a trick I was taught as a kid in Illinois. I gave Edge my final pair of dry socks and he did the same with zip lock baggies and his boots. He also mentioned that I was pretty smart for bringing an umbrella along, which is typically a part of my pack. We cleaned up camp, packed the horses and headed out. I was very very glad when we got to the truck and it was warm and dry! As for Coues deer, I’ve never seen so many in my life and I’m very thankful for every up-close experience I had with them. I also learned a couple dollar emergency blanket is a very important part of any hunters pack and I need a good lightweight backpacking tent in my arsenal. I’m always seeking the adventure, not just a hunt, and this definitely fit the bill. Thank you Edge for sharing your animals and your spot with me. My knowledge bank got fuller this season and I look forward to chasing some Coues bucks somewhere again next winter! I have also earned myself the new self-imposed nickname of “The Buck Repeller!” You know the saying though even a blind squirrel finds a nut sometimes so I’ll keep on at it. Someone from the past carved my old nickname into a tree and I just happened to find it! Odd find considering the location.