Today is the last preparation day before we head off toward the Crawford Mountains!  Tons of stuff to get done and only today to giterdun.

The talk is already turning to “when do we come home on Sunday”?  That is a question always asked toward the last minute of preparation in leaving to go up.  The answer is passed on to loved ones at home so they know when or about when to expect us to arrive back home.

Of course that could all change depending on what is happening up on the mountain.  We all know that.  We could be planning on a return around 2 p.m. on Sunday, and at 1:30 the biggest buck on the mountain stands up and gives the shooter a good shot, only to take a round and bound off, which then requires a tracking job until dark.  We have been there before.

So we take everything in stride and go with the flow.  The bucks that these two hunters are after will not be easy to find, but when they do you can guarantee they will do everything they can to bring the bad boy home.  That could happen this weekend which is coined “reconnoiter” weekend.  Supposedly a weekend to look the herd over and see if there are any bucks big enough to fill the tag.

Keep in mind, it took these guys 13 years to draw this tag.  Do they want just any buck?  Do they want the biggest on the mountain?  Do they want to eat “tag soup”?

Just like a candy store, you don’t just walk up and buy the first gummy bear you see.  They might have a new flavor or a new shaped one.  Gotta check em all out and hope the one that intrigues you the most is still there the next time you pass through the area you last saw him in.  BUT, two years ago, one of the biggest of the big bucks we saw was on the first day of our reconnoiter weekend.  Are we ready for that fellas?

Bears Butt

Nov. 15, 2012