Being graceful and having agility was easier when I was younger. In 1984 the movie Breakin was released. By 1985, if you weren’t popping and locking like Ozone and Turbo in those days you were probably more into Heavy Metal. While my friends and I still listened to hair bands, breakdancing was almost a rite of passage. My brother and I used to use the front entryway of our house to practice breakdancing with my Magnavox Boombox with Turbo Boost, model #AW7590. Those were some good memories. By the time I entered High School I had learned better body control and coordination which helped with football and weight training. Because I loved playing Football, I often played through the pain with a healthy dose of wraps and athletic tape.
Fast forward through the many years and a few pounds to October 30th of 2015. Idaho rifle deer season closes in Unit 39 on October 31st. I head out to a designated spot to meet up with Brian and his son Steven the night before. They had already gotten their deer in another unit and were getting ready for Elk opener on November 1st. Brian took pity on me, a Flatlander, and agreed to come out early to help me try and finish out my season. I still hadn’t figured out hunting in the Rocky Mountains as I had mostly learned to hunt from tree stands in Kentucky and Kansas. I made it to the camp spot ahead of time and got my tent with a cot set up with Mr. Heater Buddy hooked up to a 20lb propane tank. It was supposed to rain and get cold that night. Late that evening after I had already turned in, Brian pulled in with his F350 and overhead camper with trailer. They pretty much hoped out of the truck and settled into the overhead for the night as the morning would come early.
That night was a mixture of wind, rain and the sound of the stream running alongside our campsite. As my alarm sounded on my cell phone, I peeked out from under my sleeping bag to see the warm glow of the heater still burning brightly. Slowly I unzipped the bag and sat up. In the light of Mr. Heater, I opened up my gear bag and started pulling out hunting clothes and under layers. As soon as I had finished up getting dressed, I laced up my Danner Pronghorn boots as I gnawed on a nearly frozen Nutri-Grain bar. Grabbing my flashlight, I unzipped the tent flap and looked out into the blackness. I couldn’t quite tell if Brian and Steven were up yet so I listened quietly. When I was sure I heard them stirring, I approached the camper and knocked on the door. Brian opened it to let me inside. As we chatted, Steven was getting ready and coffee was on. Once we discussed the game plan, it was time for me to let them finish getting around.
As I stepped out of the camper onto the tongue of their trailer, I jumped off into the darkness. My left foot landed on top of a larger wet rock and my ankle rolled with an immediate sensation. I almost was able to squeak out a word but the pain was intense. I hoped over to the side of their trailer to support my weight a bit better. While standing there, I debated whether I saw a flash of light when I landed or if it was just my eyes adjusting to the darkness. As the pain subsided, I started to see if I could put weight on it and walk it off a bit. As I started to do this Brian and Steven came out of the camper. I don’t exactly remember what he said but he saw something was wrong. I informed them that I had just sprained my ankle. Brian thought maybe we should look at it but I waved off his caution saying, “I’d rather just keep the boot on it.” I tightened up the laces as they unloaded the motorcycle and Fat Cat. Once unloaded, we strapped our gear to the bikes and got them started up. Brian and Steven were on the motorcycle and I was on the Fat Cat. As we started toward the one-track path, I immediately found that shifting the gear with my left foot was problematic but not impossible.
My skill at riding any motorbike is laughable even 100% healthy. It just isn’t something I grew up doing. I can tear it up on a 4 wheeler but bikes are a different thing. The Fat Cat was Brian’s answer to my obvious lack of skill and I was determined to push on. The entire day I only crashed twice after losing my balance trying to take a turn too quickly. Brian was patient with me, thankfully. As we made our way up the trail we came to a spot where we were going to park and hike the rest of the way in. We unpacked our gear and made our way along a path that followed a stream. The path went up the bottom of a draw and we finally came to a spot where we sat down and glassed a ridge. In the early morning light, we could see a group of deer come over the ridge and drop down into some scrub brush and manzanita. They eventually bedded down for the morning. We got up and hiked up the draw we were in to get the wind in our favor. From there we crossed over the stream and up the mountainside to double back toward them. The climb was slow because we wanted to make sure they didn’t catch sight of us as we slipped in around the terrain at times being exposed by rocky outcrops.
As we side-hilled over toward them, the pain in my ankle became less noticeable as my mind focused on what we were doing and trying to accomplish. Steven made it up to where we wanted to rest before popping over the last little bit. Brian and I were soon up to him. From our new vantage point, we spotted some deadfall and decided to move toward it to get a better view of the brushy area we had last seen deer. We decided to head up to the deadfall and use the logs as cover. The plan worked as Steven ranged a small buck at 107 yards just slightly uphill. As I chambered my .30-06, I got set up to take a shot. I slowly squeezed the trigger and touched off a shot. My aim was too high given the angle and my round hit a tree stump next to the buck. I racked another round and took aim again. This time the round skated past the hindquarters before slipping in under the back strap and into the other shoulder. In the air, a bloom of loose hair was drifting around as the buck fell.
We hiked up to the deer, made sure it had expired and I pulled my tag out to notch it. After sending a SPOT signal, we spend the next hour quartering the deer out. Since I had only ever field dressed and hung from a gambrel, Brian and Steven reviewed with me how they quarter things out.
Steven and I packed the animal out most of the way as Brian went on ahead to get the bikes. We got back to camp, got my things packed up and shook hands before I left to make it to Trunk or Treat at the local church with my family. That night I showered and my ankle was good and swollen. I iced it a little before heading off to bed.
The next day the shades of purple and green were very pretty. I took a couple of pictures of it and also of the bullet we recovered from the deer. The Federal Premium Trophy Bonded round really held up well as the grain weight matched specifications. Later that day, my wife got a call from one of her friends wondering if everything was, “okay”. I hadn’t thought out my social media post very well because she had thought I shot myself. A few days later, x-rays and scans revealed that I had an avulsion fracture. The doctors weren’t as amused I was when telling them the story of hiking around on it all day. I learned that if you think you see a flash of light, you probably broke a bone. I also learned that stepping down from a camper while using your flashlight to light the way in the dark is probably best.
- L. Yarbrough, Bucks & Beers
