** I send this email out to family and friends so ignore all the (Picture #) references. I could only upload a qty. of 10........
Taking my family on an out of state adventure in search of mule deer has always been something I have looked forward to doing. The kids and I had made a deal that if they passed their hunters safety course in California, they would be able to go with me on my next out of state hunting adventure. Well, the kids studied hard and completed their side of the agreement. Now the pressure was on me and it created a two part dilemma. One, I needed to draw a tag and two; I needed to convince Ann to go with us. The first part took care of itself pretty quickly as I was successful in drawing a general region tag in Wyoming. Now a slight backtrack on completing the second part. Ann and I have been together for 16 years and she has never once expressed an interest in accompanying me on a hunting trip. Upon my many returns over the years she has often called me crazy for spending my vacations sleeping in a tent or trailer secluded from civilization. As it turned out , a little pressure from the kids and an agreement with Kenny’s wife Jessica, “If you go, I will go” we were able to start planning the excursion.
We left Ramona on Saturday October 13th around 4pm after a victory in our first round of pop warner football playoffs. Winning that game was fantastic but also meant that we had to be back in Ramona On Saturday the 20th in order to play in round 2….. The clock was ticking and the Wyoming season was only a 5 day hunt that opened on the 15th and closed on the 20th. We pointed the truck and trailer northbound, and set off on a 1,200 mile trek to reach our destination. The drive up was very smooth and we made pretty steady progress. Other than the temperature dropping considerably the closer we got to Wyoming, everything was looking good. After multiple food/fuel stops, bathroom breaks and one ammo stop (picture 1), we had finally reach our desired destination. My dad, Kenny and his family as well as our good friend Jon were already waiting for us as we pulled in some 20 hours later. (Picture 2). We got set up and begin to pour over the map in order to have a plan for opening day. (pictures 3,4,5). Pictures 6 and 7 show the stark contrast between the guy who just drove 20 hours and the family who accompanied him! I was a little worn out but excited to get the hunt started.
Opening day was upon us and the area had been dusted with snow prior to our arrival. As we woke up to get ready I noticed that the water pump in our trailer was not working, our pipes had frozen overnight! What a climate change from the 75 degree weather we had left in San Diego. I had prepared my family as best I could with some pre game speeches and clothing recommendations, but nothing quite prepares you to step out into a 10 degree morning. (Pictures 8,9,10). Everyone was still in good spirits as we took off in the truck towards the country we wanted to explore. A short hour later we are slowly approaching a steep incline on the dirt road we are on. In my head I notice that the road looks pretty icy. (I don’t mention this to the passengers). I continue on up the hill and state out loud this time “We should be fine, I think I can stuff the truck tires out in the brush a little bit and make it”. Well, shortly thereafter I was reconsidering that opinion as we were sliding backwards now headed towards a huge rut in the two track road. Thank goodness the truck stops on its own accord before we drop into the two foot deep crevice. “Ok……..everybody hop out I will throw the snow chai………” that’s when I realized that we (or better yet me) had left the snow chains in the trailer! Kenny had to go back to the trailer in his truck and return with the chains, so after a 3 hour morning delay we were finally back on track. We covered a lot of ground the rest of the day in the truck with no issues other than some muddy roads. We saw quite a few doe’s and 3 smaller bucks that day but decided we should wait to pull the trigger. Ann, Jessica and the kids were great sports the entire day as we covered a ton of ground learning the new area. (Pictures 11-18) We headed back to camp at dark and prepared for day 2.
The second day started much like the first with a cold morning and an hour ride up into the mountains. I was able to avoid getting stuck this time as we descended onto a location where we had seen some deer the previous afternoon. (pictures 19-26). As I sat looking through my binos I couldn’t help but take a step back and appreciate how awesome this moment was. Sitting there with everybody that morning made all of the effort in getting to Wyoming worth it. We ended up not spotting anything that morning and continued bouncing around in the truck covering new country. Later on we had lunch on the tail gates with a few friends close by. (Pictures 27-28). In the afternoon of day 2 we spotted a couple of decent bucks, 1 was a smaller 3x3 and 1 was a 18” wide 4x4. After looking at our maps we decided that these 2 bucks were on private property, disappointing for sure so we moved on. About a mile down the road we ran into a resident of Wyoming who was out hunting with some friends. He had a couple of nice bucks in the back of his truck already so we asked him if the kids could check them out. After talking to him for a few minutes and telling him about the bucks we saw on private property, he told us that the area we were looking at was in fact NOT private any more. He then pulled out his updated online map and proceeded to prove to us that we could hunt that area. We loaded everyone up and raced back to the bucks location. Kenny decided that he would shoot the 4x4 if given the opportunity. As we got back into position we could only find the smaller 3x3. The 4x4 that was with him never materialized. We stayed there until the last minutes of daylight hoping to find him again, but the sunlight ran out and we had to head back to camp empty handed.
Wednesday, day 3. After spending the last couple days out in the field with us, the girls and kids decided to sleep in and take the day off. Kenny and I headed out in the morning and found some promising locations to hike in to. We ended up chasing a small buck around trying to relocate him during the morning but never could close the distance to get a shot. We surveyed some beautiful country for the rest of the day but ended up not firing a round. We headed back to camp at dark to rejoin our families. The kids had spent the day building a fort and the girls were able to relax a little bit in the warmth of the trailers. We decided to pack up the next morning and make it a 2 day trip home in order to make our Saturday football game.
The 2400 mile excursion came to a close on Friday afternoon as we pulled back into our driveway(Picture 29). Reflecting back on the whirlwind adventure I am reminded of what making memories together is all about. The kids will undoubtedly return with me on other adventures but there is no doubt they will always remember their first. Years from now they probably won’t remember that we didn’t harvest a deer. They will remember that our trailer froze solid and we didn’t have water for a day. They will remember that their dad paid them each 5 bucks to stand outside in the snow in nothing but their underwear. They will remember their grandpa driving 14 hours from Idaho to spend 3 days with them in Wyoming. They will remember their dad forgot the snow chains and being stuck out in the freezing cold. They will remember that Mom actually went on a deer hunt and enjoyed it. They will remember that they were able to hang out with family and friends in the middle of nowhere and enjoy the outdoors. Success on this trip was not about putting a tag on a deer but rather making life long memories as a family; and in that regard no other trip has been more successful.
Taking my family on an out of state adventure in search of mule deer has always been something I have looked forward to doing. The kids and I had made a deal that if they passed their hunters safety course in California, they would be able to go with me on my next out of state hunting adventure. Well, the kids studied hard and completed their side of the agreement. Now the pressure was on me and it created a two part dilemma. One, I needed to draw a tag and two; I needed to convince Ann to go with us. The first part took care of itself pretty quickly as I was successful in drawing a general region tag in Wyoming. Now a slight backtrack on completing the second part. Ann and I have been together for 16 years and she has never once expressed an interest in accompanying me on a hunting trip. Upon my many returns over the years she has often called me crazy for spending my vacations sleeping in a tent or trailer secluded from civilization. As it turned out , a little pressure from the kids and an agreement with Kenny’s wife Jessica, “If you go, I will go” we were able to start planning the excursion.
We left Ramona on Saturday October 13th around 4pm after a victory in our first round of pop warner football playoffs. Winning that game was fantastic but also meant that we had to be back in Ramona On Saturday the 20th in order to play in round 2….. The clock was ticking and the Wyoming season was only a 5 day hunt that opened on the 15th and closed on the 20th. We pointed the truck and trailer northbound, and set off on a 1,200 mile trek to reach our destination. The drive up was very smooth and we made pretty steady progress. Other than the temperature dropping considerably the closer we got to Wyoming, everything was looking good. After multiple food/fuel stops, bathroom breaks and one ammo stop (picture 1), we had finally reach our desired destination. My dad, Kenny and his family as well as our good friend Jon were already waiting for us as we pulled in some 20 hours later. (Picture 2). We got set up and begin to pour over the map in order to have a plan for opening day. (pictures 3,4,5). Pictures 6 and 7 show the stark contrast between the guy who just drove 20 hours and the family who accompanied him! I was a little worn out but excited to get the hunt started.
Opening day was upon us and the area had been dusted with snow prior to our arrival. As we woke up to get ready I noticed that the water pump in our trailer was not working, our pipes had frozen overnight! What a climate change from the 75 degree weather we had left in San Diego. I had prepared my family as best I could with some pre game speeches and clothing recommendations, but nothing quite prepares you to step out into a 10 degree morning. (Pictures 8,9,10). Everyone was still in good spirits as we took off in the truck towards the country we wanted to explore. A short hour later we are slowly approaching a steep incline on the dirt road we are on. In my head I notice that the road looks pretty icy. (I don’t mention this to the passengers). I continue on up the hill and state out loud this time “We should be fine, I think I can stuff the truck tires out in the brush a little bit and make it”. Well, shortly thereafter I was reconsidering that opinion as we were sliding backwards now headed towards a huge rut in the two track road. Thank goodness the truck stops on its own accord before we drop into the two foot deep crevice. “Ok……..everybody hop out I will throw the snow chai………” that’s when I realized that we (or better yet me) had left the snow chains in the trailer! Kenny had to go back to the trailer in his truck and return with the chains, so after a 3 hour morning delay we were finally back on track. We covered a lot of ground the rest of the day in the truck with no issues other than some muddy roads. We saw quite a few doe’s and 3 smaller bucks that day but decided we should wait to pull the trigger. Ann, Jessica and the kids were great sports the entire day as we covered a ton of ground learning the new area. (Pictures 11-18) We headed back to camp at dark and prepared for day 2.
The second day started much like the first with a cold morning and an hour ride up into the mountains. I was able to avoid getting stuck this time as we descended onto a location where we had seen some deer the previous afternoon. (pictures 19-26). As I sat looking through my binos I couldn’t help but take a step back and appreciate how awesome this moment was. Sitting there with everybody that morning made all of the effort in getting to Wyoming worth it. We ended up not spotting anything that morning and continued bouncing around in the truck covering new country. Later on we had lunch on the tail gates with a few friends close by. (Pictures 27-28). In the afternoon of day 2 we spotted a couple of decent bucks, 1 was a smaller 3x3 and 1 was a 18” wide 4x4. After looking at our maps we decided that these 2 bucks were on private property, disappointing for sure so we moved on. About a mile down the road we ran into a resident of Wyoming who was out hunting with some friends. He had a couple of nice bucks in the back of his truck already so we asked him if the kids could check them out. After talking to him for a few minutes and telling him about the bucks we saw on private property, he told us that the area we were looking at was in fact NOT private any more. He then pulled out his updated online map and proceeded to prove to us that we could hunt that area. We loaded everyone up and raced back to the bucks location. Kenny decided that he would shoot the 4x4 if given the opportunity. As we got back into position we could only find the smaller 3x3. The 4x4 that was with him never materialized. We stayed there until the last minutes of daylight hoping to find him again, but the sunlight ran out and we had to head back to camp empty handed.
Wednesday, day 3. After spending the last couple days out in the field with us, the girls and kids decided to sleep in and take the day off. Kenny and I headed out in the morning and found some promising locations to hike in to. We ended up chasing a small buck around trying to relocate him during the morning but never could close the distance to get a shot. We surveyed some beautiful country for the rest of the day but ended up not firing a round. We headed back to camp at dark to rejoin our families. The kids had spent the day building a fort and the girls were able to relax a little bit in the warmth of the trailers. We decided to pack up the next morning and make it a 2 day trip home in order to make our Saturday football game.
The 2400 mile excursion came to a close on Friday afternoon as we pulled back into our driveway(Picture 29). Reflecting back on the whirlwind adventure I am reminded of what making memories together is all about. The kids will undoubtedly return with me on other adventures but there is no doubt they will always remember their first. Years from now they probably won’t remember that we didn’t harvest a deer. They will remember that our trailer froze solid and we didn’t have water for a day. They will remember that their dad paid them each 5 bucks to stand outside in the snow in nothing but their underwear. They will remember their grandpa driving 14 hours from Idaho to spend 3 days with them in Wyoming. They will remember their dad forgot the snow chains and being stuck out in the freezing cold. They will remember that Mom actually went on a deer hunt and enjoyed it. They will remember that they were able to hang out with family and friends in the middle of nowhere and enjoy the outdoors. Success on this trip was not about putting a tag on a deer but rather making life long memories as a family; and in that regard no other trip has been more successful.
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