When dreams become reality it makes a guy just a triffle humble.

It were back in bout ’87, on a meat hunt up over Monte Cristo, when I had a very real dream.

The snows was real heavy in the high country and most all the big game animals was mak’en their way to more pleasant surround’ins.

My dream showed me sittin high on a vantige point glass’n the area—here they was com’en—nose to tail, nose to tail fer as you could see.  Long strings of em, ever other one had horn.

When I awoke frum such a perty dream I told the boys about it.  You’da thought I’d dreamed the wildest tale of em all.  Them boys laughed and joked till they was near roll’en on the ground.

Later that day we was tak’en a lunch break when I spotted part of my dream com’en cross a expanse of open ground.  There they is!!  Nose ta tail boys, lookee!!

Sure nuff—bout a hunert head—antelope they was—nose to tail and a com’en up the trail.

That shut the boys up fer the rest of that hunt.  But  they  amembered  my  dream  fer  harass’en  later.  And jived me ever chance they could.

Now, ever  thang  in perspective—it were ’89 and we was huntin Mulies up in the same place as I had my dream.  Most of the boys had been there fer 3 or 4 days and they was bummed out.  Aint seed a mulie with horn.  Hardly see any track.

“Help me set up my lodge ‘an I’ll show you where they is.  Member my dream?  Well boy howdy, me and the second biggest buck in these parts have a date.  Let’s get mov’en”!

So they helped me set up and off we goes.

Twernt long we was all in place fer a good hunt.  Some of the boys weren’t quite ready, so I’m just wait’en fer the signal to start.

Sudnly  ahind me and up on the crest I heard a sound.  Spinnin round here they come—nose to tail over the top.  It weren’t quite like my dream, cause my dream showed ever other one with horn.  This was real and nose ta tail fer as far as you could or wanted ta see, they was a com’in, and ever one had horn!

Well be’in the sport’in blood I picked the second biggest one out of the group and let fly my trusty 54!  Them boys still aint beliv’in my dream, but I got them horn hang’in as reminder.

Kant say as it gets any better!

Bears Butt

Mar-Apr 1990