The Willow Creek Free Trappers 2014 Muzzy deer hunt was a blast!  We took for the hills on Tuesday morning after setting up a couple of camp trailers the weekend before (you have already read that story).  Our anticipation of a great hunt was in our blood in a big way, as it usually is.  The camp filled up fast as everyone was excited to get things rolling.  Tuesday evening saw most of the camp in bed by 9:30.  In the trailer I was staying the night went past quickly and the alarm went off at 4 a.m…..what in the world were we (me) thinking to set it so early????  We had plenty of time to drink coffee and get our things gathered.

Around the fire everyone was announcing which direction they were heading out of camp and where they were planning on spending their morning.  Some on a trail, some on a water hole, others would just ride around looking and then deciding what to do.  Us old folks mostly plan on driving around looking for deer and hoping for a shot close to the road.

Our weather was beautiful on the opening day, even a bit on the warm side.  Most of us started out with warm clothing on in the early morning and quickly had most of it off around noon.  My ride was with “The Rack” and the occupants were really on their game for spotting deer.  The plan is always to bale out of the rig when deer are spotted and then decide if any of them are bucks.  The baling went well on day one.

But as the hunt progressed, the baling slowed down drastically and would only occur if the animal spotted was actually a buck deer.  It’s funny how that works, but natural at the same time as most of the animals are does and fawns and the guys and gals get tired of baling out and getting back into the rig.  It’s all fun no matter.

If you are a hunter you already know that the most likely time of the day to spot an animal near the road is in the morning or just before dark in the evening.  This hunt was no different and most afternoons are spent either still hunting in the shade of a thick stand of pines or relaxing back at camp.  Of course as the days click away, there are times you have to go into the nearest town for more ice and fuel.  Again, it’s all fun and necessary if you plan on staying on the mountain for extended periods of time.  As you can imagine, it’s not always about hunting and killing animals, it’s more the fun of the camp and the food!  YUMMY!

But not all the food is consumed in the camp.  A lot of times when the vehicle is too far away from camp to get back before the evening hunt begins, they will break out some hot dogs and build a small fire in the roadway and cook them up.  Others will break out some quick, ready to eat things and share them with the riders.

Some of our snacks include Smoked baby oysters, Kipper Snacks, Sliced Pepperoni and Vienna Sausages served with Ritz Crackers and/or Pringles chips.  When you think about it that is some pretty nourishing food, but can only be consumed out in the open, on a wind swept mountain and not at home.

Time spent out doors like this always calls for some cutting up.  Here is Gattlin showing off his Indian Paint Brush mustache.

Look out Gattlin, that might poke your eye out!

Of course there are lots of other campers out and about doing the same thing you are and it’s always nice to stop and chat about what everyone is seeing and how many shots they might have gotten.

As you can see from the pictures the Fall colors are breathtaking.  The crisp morning air is reminding everyone that winter is on its way.  I love this time of year and getting out with this bunch of ya-hooos.

I have purposely mixed up these pictures and the story.  When one is out like this for several days, it’s nearly impossible to keep track of what happened when and with whom.  So, just sit back, read the short lines and enjoy the pictures.  The bottom line to all of it is friendship, camaraderie and fun…..AND remember, what happens in the deer camp, stays in the deer camp.  Well, unless it comes to Bears Butt Dot Com:

Some folks like to drive their own rigs while in the mountains and if there is room for more they generally will offer up a ride.  Of course the riders are not the ones calling the shots as to where the rig goes and so if they have their own plan they have to go it alone.

The main object is to find yourself in a position to bag a buck if it comes along.

What happened to Dry Dog?  No he didn’t fall out.  But it was possible he could have.

With all this driving around you would think someone would come back to camp with a buck…………………..

This is Weasels BIG two point taken just before dark.  His family just happened to be there to see all the action and even though Conner (in green) did have a license and rifle, the action took place too fast for him to get a shot.  It didn’t matter to him as he has a lot of time left to fill his tag!  The kids loved the action, including the dirty work of dressing the deer.  I think these three are hunters in the making!  Congrats to Weasel on a fine buck!

Again it’s not all about filling a tag, that is a bonus in our camp.  But being out in the woods you will see a lot of things that are awesome.  Moose:

Moose?  Where are the moose?

Moose are always fun to see and on this hunt, over the five hunting days we were there we saw about 10 different (we think) moose including a couple pretty nice sized bulls.

How many of us get to see a badger?

Oh ya?  Where is it? (Edit note:  This picture doesn’t seem to want to print up, I’ll keep trying but in the meantime, continue to read on, thanks!)

And there were lots of other animals seen, including a cougar which was getting out of Dodge too quickly for a picture.  Add to that Coyotes, of course, Antelope, and one guy came into camp with a report of seeing a Grey Fox….Now that is a rare animal to see.

So, as most of you know, we have ourselves a little “Biggest Buck Contest”, everyone who wants to play in the contest, puts $5 into the pot.  The one with the Biggest buck (Widest width measurement plus the total number of points over one inch) wins all the money in the pot, a great contest and it keeps everyone pretty honest.  A split skull nullifies the buck…sorry….remember, don’t shoot at the antlers (just sayin)!!!!  In addition to the $5, if you shoot at a buck and don’t bring it back to camp and you wish to remain in the contest, it costs you an additional $1 to stay in AND your name is put on the “Boobin Baby Board”….this is how our board looked at the end of the hunt this year:

I’m sorry about this picture as the rain really had the board wet and the names didn’t come out too clearly.

I tried to manipulate the color to make it easier to see and this is the best I could get….it reads….Bears Butt one, Wapiti Dung one, Slicker three, Bambi two, Baby Boy three, Sackless three, Gatlin two, Gunner two, Weasel one, Half Cocked two and finally Donni two……Add them up….22 MISSED shots!!!!!!  There were also a lot of shots that were not taken for various reasons and so you should be able to see we did encounter quite a few bucks.  Nothing big, but a lot of opportunities were had.  So, who tagged out?

The Misses bagged here first ever buck.  A small two point and I’m sorry but I don’t have a picture of it to put on here…did she win the biggest buck contest?  No…sorry, but you got your first ever buck!  Congratulations!

Weasel…..

Raif…..And myself, Bears Butt…..It’s pretty clear to see who took the money home….Raif!  His horns surrounded Weasel’s who was a clear second place.  Mine was barely legal to begin with but will eat well!

So, 22 missed shots and four deer brought home….like Weasel said, “Collectively, we suck as shooters”!!!  He is spot on!

We had very good weather until late Friday when it started to sprinkle a bit on us.  By Saturday it was a deluge of rain that shut most travel down to main roads and by Sunday morning everyone was soaked to the bone and ready to come home to a hot shower.  It just is not fun playing in the mud and rain!

Hiding under an awning for hours doesn’t make for a fun time.  And neither does finding out you just closed the truck door with the keys inside and the door locks!

Thanks Halfcocked for getting that open!

Still, all in all, it was a fun time and for me it was great seeing some of my Grandkids out having fun as well.

Kenzie is taking a “Photo-graphie” class in school and was getting some great pictures!  You saw her and her two brothers in the picture of their dad with his buck.

My camera will take all sorts of pictures including taking three consecutive pictures and moving the camera between each one.  It automatically stitches them together to make one panoramic shot.  I set it up to do just that and took a picture.  At the next picture, I just wanted to take one and not a panoramic, but you can’t take just one and be done while it’s set in the three shot mode.  You have to take the other two shots.  So, having taken the first shot and then realizing I had to take the other two, this is what it stitched together:

Pictures two and three were random shots just out the side of the truck, I was not trying to get them in focus.  What is very odd with picture number three is there is a deer standing in it.  Look closely to the middle right picture….here is a blow up…

Was it a buck?  We will never know, I was the only one in the back of the Rack on this morning.

Well, another picture I have to post up on here is one of Wapiti and his two sons, Softball and Edjukateer….it’s a classic shot….

That said, this is a classic as well:

Which one eats the best?

And I could not end the story without showing “The Twinkie Kid”……Thanks Wapiti for the excellent hunt end treat!

Bears Butt

September 30, 2014

Today is historically “the longest day of the year”, not for everyone else, but for me.  You see it’s been 364 days since we headed out of town to join the muzz deer camp and these 24 hours always just seem to drag along.  I think this year will be somewhat different as I have a ton of stuff to do this morning running all around gathering necessary supplies for the next week and then this afternoon there are some modifications needing to be done to The Rack….Weasel and I will be attacking those jobs later.

I didn’t tell you in my post from yesterday, but we were hearing bull elk bugling while we were in our camp.  That sound is awesome to my ears and it was to the elk hunters in the area who were on the last couple of days of their hunt.  The area is very big and steep and full of nasty dead fall and tall thick pines and elk love to get in there and stay.  We ran into one man who was not the hunter, but a helper and he said his partner went in (meaning he ventured into that nasty tangle) early in the morning and hadn’t been seen since.  He also said he heard a shot in that direction as well and hoped that his buddy had filled his tag.  Nothing as of that time on the radio however.  We saw that they had pulled their camp and gone home later in the day….did he tag out?  Probably will never know.  He did say, however, that he had heard of a 360 class bull had been taken from an area just a bit farther up the canyon earlier in the week.  THAT is a monster bull!  So, elk hunters, those big nasty boys are in there, you just have to get lucky.  Hearing them is one thing, seeing them is another.

So, I’d expect we will be hearing some of that bugling going on while we are on our deer hunt as the rut has only been going on in earnest for a couple of weeks and that is when they are the most vocal.

So, even though I don’t expect to see many bucks, the rest of the critters keep if interesting to say the least.  AND, the fall colors are absolutely beautiful right now.  Even the aspen leaves are beginning to fall and cover the ground.  This season will be a bit different for us than even last year was.  Last night the weather man even had the “S” word in the forecast for next weekend.  I’d like to spend a day or two with some snow on the ground.  Remember last year when I lost my Great Grandfathers powder horn and the next day we were trying to find in covered in 4 inches of snow?  I wish someone would find that and get it back to me….Wapiti, look under the seat of your rig, maybe it’s under there and not on the mountain like we suspect.

OK, gotta go!  Times a wastin.

Good luck to all of you who are getting ready for your own muzzy deer hunt!  I hope you all tag a wall hanger!

Bears Butt

September 22, 2014

Well folks, this is what it looks like at our 2014 muzz camp.  For a lot of you this will look familiar as we used to camp in this very spot 5 or 6 years ago.  We were able to work Weasels trailer down into it from the back side.  We also got Dry Dogs and Trackers trailers down in there and set up.  It is a couple of camps above Joe B Pond….See you there on Tuesday or whenever you can come up.

Well the object was to establish our camp site and then do a bit of reconnoitering to see if maybe a buck or two made it safely through the bow hunt. We wanted to also drive on a few of the roads that are surrounded by trees to make sure we can travel on them with The Rack…without smacking the rack.  We had to cut and move a couple of trees and what better day to make all that chain saw noise than 4 days before the hunt begins?  Barring any storms rolling through with a lot of wind, we should be good to go come the season.  Just in case, however, we will have the chain saw with us.

With the camp established and a pile of fire wood cut, we kicked back and enjoyed the evening.  Tracker and Bones came in with Aricka and Kenzie just about dark and we quickly got them set up and settled.  I believe we called it a day just after 10 p.m.  Saturday morning came all too quickly and we had planned on taking an early morning “look about” to see if any of the bucks we saw during the bow hunt survived.  Well, the two young girls had other plans and slept through the early morning hours and into the mid morning hours.  That was just fine as it turned out and we decided that while they were sleeping we would make ourselves a bit of a breakfast.

Sausages, Bears Butt’s own venison bacon, hashbrowns and eggs!  It actually takes a whole lot to make this meal NOT the best of the whole weekend.

By the time breakfast was done and the cleanup finished, the girls and all of us were ready for our little trip.  We took everything we thought we would need for the rest of the day.  When you are on a reconnoiter trip you never know when you are going to arrive back at camp.  With the Rack loaded, off we went.  There seemed to be a lack of deer and so our attention took turns to other forms of entertainment, like wild flowers.

I have no clue as to what the flower is called, but it was pretty and among the rocks it looked even prettier.   Kenzie saw a small patch of flowers and named these “Purple Star Fish Flowers”….That works for me….

In our slow and methodical way, we continued to travel over roads we have all been on hundreds of times.  And as usual during the day it became time to stop for a roadside hot dog or something else.  Aricka and Kenzie wanted to make sure our meal was done to perfection.  So, with a special Bones tipi fire under the long metal sticks, they cooked our meal.

And they were delicious!  Thanks girls!

Along with this ride to do the reconnoitering, we were also testing out the modifications made to The Rack and as it would be, we still have a few minor fixes to make.  A work in progress you might say!  Come next Wednesday when people begin to occupy its interior, it will be nearly perfection!

Up the roads, down the roads, fixing some areas that were too close for comfort and sawing down trees that The Rack would no way fit under….soon we were viewing a scene rarely seen:

A small bull moose taking a dip in a catch basin pond.  We had commented earlier in the day as to whether or not we would see a moose, and sure enough….there you have it!  Most people in the world think moose have to live in the wettest areas of the region, but as you can see in this picture, the wettest region in this area is a small pond!

While driving around we could not help but see this unique outcropping of rocks.  It almost looked like it had been hand built.  We hiked over to have a look-E-see……

From the place this outcropping is, one can see for several hundreds of yards in all directions.  A great place to park your rear end on a hunting day and wait for a buck to come along.  However, it would not be too productive for a mountain man with a primitive muzzleload rifle in his hands, as most of the shots would be over 200 yards out.  Which brought my attention to this:

We will never know if the person who shot this one connected or not, I’d say he did.

Well, we finished our trip and made it back to camp in time to fix up some dinner before it got too dark.  Besides the side track things I have shown you we were a bit disappointed in the total number of deer and the very few buck deer we did see.  But, the camping will be fun anyway!  It’s not always about the filling of the tags.

After a nice nights sleep, we awoke to cloudy skies and a slight threat of rain.  We had to leave camp by around 8 a.m. in order to get back to home for some other appointments and so we were out of there early.  We chose to go the shorter route through the mountains, knowing also it would take the longest time to get home, but if you are not in the mountains you don’t get to see scenes like this one:

Or running into one of these:

We have talked about this before but I’ll mention it again.  In college I took a class in which the instructor asked these questions:  Have you ever made a good decision that turned out good?  Have you ever made a good decision that turned out bad?  Have you ever made a bad decision that turned out bad?  Have you ever made a bad decision that turned out good?

Well, this morning we made a good decision that turned out good!  We saw these scenes and this big old bull moose, made it off the slippery mountain before it got slippery and were home in plenty of time to make the appointments!  Life is good!  I can hardly wait until Tuesday when we get to load up and head back to camp for nearly a week of this stuff!  We may not fill any tags, but we will certainly be given a whole lot of opportunities to enjoy ourselves!  This weekend was just a small taste!

Bears Butt

September 21, 2014

This picture looks like Bears Butt is ready for some wet weather.  Actually he is and this coat he has on is called “The Cocoon”.  A few guys from Idaho (I think) came up with the idea and it’s pretty neat.  You install snaps on the fenders of your ATV that coincide with the snaps on the rubber coat.  The snaps hold the “coat” in position and there are some weights on the bottom of the coat, near your feet that hold that part of the coat down.  The cuffs of the coat are adjustable to fit snug around your wrists and the zipper comes right up to your chin.  A hood holds snugly against your head and only your eyes can be showing if that is all you want to show.  The whole idea of it is to capture the heat from the engine of your machine to keep the driver toasty warm on a cold and wet day afield.  I love my Cocoon!

Now I have a story for you:

Hunter, Weasel, Edjukateer, Crock and I were on an any bull elk hunt and were given permission to hunt a private ranch.  The elk didn’t hang out on this ranch too often, but they used it to travel from one spot to another and we had a very good chance of filling a tag or two.  This property is right on the fringe of the Uinta Mountains of Utah.  The elk live in the high country during the summer and when the winds bring the snow to the high country of the Uintas down they come and winter near this nice little piece of heaven where we have permission to hunt.

We put our camp in a place where it would be fairly easy to get out should a big snow storm hit but it also called for a bit of a long ride in the cold and wet.  Enter Cocoon man!

One morning, as I was loading up and donning my cocoon, Hunter laughed and said that there would be no way for me to get to my rifle should an elk suddenly appear in front of me.  I said…That is ok, there isn’t going to be any elk run in front of me and besides if there were I’m sure I would figure a way to get to my gun for the shot.  At least I would be dry and warm.

You see, this particular morning it was snowing pretty good and it was the type of snow that wets everything and gets deep and deep very fast.  We all put on our warmest of warm hunting clothes and hopped aboard our machines.  Off we went!

With snow pounding in my eyes (the only visible part of me outside my cocoon) I turned my machine up the road where I had picked for that mornings hunt.  Hunter, Weasel, Edjukateer and Crock went on their ways to their pre-picked spots.  When I arrived at my spot I could barely see maybe 20 yards it was snowing so very hard.  I decided to park my atv right in the trail and sit there while it got light enough to see.  I was watching a saddle that we had seen elk tracks crossing over the night before.  The snow was about 6 inches deep and getting deeper with every passing minute.

I sat there just as still as I could listening and watching, trying my best to pick out any kind of movement in front of me.  I really didn’t care much about what might be behind me because it would have had to be right on top of me in order to see it anyway because of the brush next to the trail.  My focus was to my front.  The snow kept up its falling and pretty soon you could not see my atv tracks in the snow.  They were full of snow.  I also mentally noted how much snow was on my cocoon and the toy I was sitting on, but how very warm I was still even after sitting there for nearly an hour.  I was dry and warm.  Visibility was still only about 30 yards and I knew the sun rise had taken place at least a half hour ago.

Soon, through the snow and foggy view, I could hear the faint putting of a coupe of atv’s.  It must be the others coming to find me.  They are probably ready to get back to camp to warm up and dry their clothes.  I have the upper hand on that situation…I’m dry and warm.  I grinned to myself.  And the noises kept getting closer and closer.  Soon, at the very edge of my visibility I could see two atv’s coming up the trail towards me.  Yep, it looks like Hunter and Edjukateer.  They got closer and closer and I could see their 4 wheelers were pushing snow underneath.  I has really snowed a lot, I thought to myself.  But I didn’t move and they continued to get closer.

At about 40 yards out, I could see it was NOT Hunter and Edjukateer, but two other hunters I did not know.  I sat perfectly still as they approached and as they did, I thought, I will have a good time with this situation.  How dare they intrude on my private property hunting location.  I continued sitting upright with all that snow covering my cocoon and machine.  Only my eyes appearing out of the white of the snow.  The lead man suddenly slowed as he finally saw me and brought his machine towards mine at a crawl, put, put, put until his machine was nearly touching mine.  His eyes locked onto mine and he set his brake.  The second man, stopped behind the first about 10 feet back and just sat there staring at me.

The first man slowly began to dismount his machine, still not taking his eyes off of mine.  I sat motionless.  My mind raced as to what to do as I knew this guy was thinking something weird has happened, but still I sat without motion, eyes open and watching him as he approached.

When he got to the front of my toy, I shook off all the snow and said, “HELLO”!!!!

The man grabbed his chest, bent over with a big let out of breath and said, “Oh God!  I thought I had found a dead man”!!!!!  He spun around to face his friend who was also holding his chest and then we all started to laugh.

When the laughing was over we introduced ourselves and I apologized for my joke.  They thought it was a good joke even at their expense and we shared some jerky before they went on their way.

My cocoon!  I love it!

Bears Butt

September 18, 2014

Six days until the hunt.  What have I done to get ready?

Well, considering we are taking a few of the camp trailers up in the morning to establish our camp site, I have had a time trying to think of what to take now and what to take later.  We are planning on camping Friday through early Sunday and then coming home, only to go back on Tuesday morning with the rest of the gang.

Since this is a non-shooting time, no guns are being taken and since there is a limited entry elk hunt going on in the area it would not be a good idea to do any shooting anyway.  How would you feel if after 15 or more years of putting in for a limited entry elk hunt and then while you were hunting some dipstick was target shooting near where you were hunting.  I would not be happy if it were me.

The trailer for the toys is ready….I greased the bearings, puffed up the tires and made sure the bolts and screws were all tight.  And also checked the lights…..everything is ready to go!

I went over my list of things to bring and checked it twice, maybe four times and now it’s loaded in Weasels camp trailer ready for the trip.  I have over packed for sure, but who knows, I just might need some of it.

The weather is calling for a very good chance of rain tomorrow and then again on Monday.  Temps are going to moderate from the near record heat we are having right now and being up in the mountains it will probably feel cold.  I have my capote as well as another coat and a rain jacket if needed.  I even put the “cocoon” on the toy just for fun, you never know when a butterfly might pop out.

I have sharpened all my hunting knives, trying my best to get them all sharpened at a 17 degree angle…..razor sharp angle.  I have got to be careful as they are beginning to cut the leather sheaths.

Since this is my first hunting trip without my own camp trailer, I have been wondering the whole time about how Dry Dog and this “Dog House” is packed.  Has he lit his refer to get it cold?  Is he prepared with coffee, pot and cups?  Does he have plenty of propane?  Water?  Cooking pans and pots?  Lighters?  Potty paper and chemicals?  All these things I have neatly packed away in my camp trailer but I can’t help but wonder….I guess, since everything beyond my rifle and license is a luxury…..why am I worrying at all!

Liver bucket?  Got it!  Rope?  Got it!  Gambril?  Got it!  $5 for the big buck contest?  Got it!

Looks like it’s time to go!

Bears Butt

September 18, 2014

Last night a new addition was added to “The Rack”!  An important aid for people with a handicap, like me, short.  A few weeks ago, Crock called up Weasel and asked him if he would be interested in some Step Sideboards for his truck.  Seems the guys in the warehouse were about to throw them away and he could have them at no cost to him.  Of course free stuff is always good and he took Crock up on the offer.

Well, since Crock delivered them, they have been laying out in his driveway getting bumped and worse.  Remembering them last night, I called Weasel up and asked if he was ever going to install them….he brought the truck and the sideboards right up to my place.  It didn’t take us very long to figure out what we had to do to get them installed and we went right to work.  Less than an hour later they were on!

Check them babys out!

The Rack is ridin in style!  And the fact that the truck sits so high in the air, these will assist short people get into and out of the truck with ease.

Gotaloveit!

Oh and for you who are wondering what is in store during the hunt…there is a hint on the hood of the truck in one of these pictures.  10 days till the hunt!

Bears Butt

September 14, 2014

The latest stories about “The Rack” made me remember a time in the old “Buttmobile”…..I’m not really sure who all were in the machine at the time, but we were camped up on Temple Flat during a muzz hunt and decided it would be a good time to head over to the Randolph area for an evening look about.  The Magpie Express was all loaded and headed down the road before the occupants of the Buttmobile were loaded.  So we were a bit behind the Magpie and his group.  One thing you have to understand is our driving differences.  Magpie has a theory that can’t be denied about driving in the woods looking for animals….The faster you drive, the more open space you can see between the trees and for any of you reading this, I’m certain you can remember times driving down the road and watching the flicking of posts, trees or bushes going past.  They are as if they aren’t even there as you can see the cows or horses out in the fields on the other side of the bushes/trees etc. without any difficulty.

So, it is very understandable that Magpie drives pretty quickly down the mountain roads looking for his quarry.

On the other hand, I like to drive verrrrryyyyy sloooowwwllly.  My theory of spotting animals in the woods is one where the occupant of the moving vehicle is looking for horizontal objects in a vertical world.  I also look for that one eyeball that is looking back at me, or the twitching of an ear.  Some say on a dry and dusty day, one should look for the “puff of a fart” coming from the animal.  At any rate if you are going too fast, you will miss seeing it.

So, I must admit that over the years the Magpie Express has come back to camp with many more deer than the Buttmobile ever did.  That could be attributed to the caliber of occupants in the two rigs and their abilities to shoot and hit what they are aiming at.  AND/OR it could be that the occupants of the Buttmobile would like to be able to hit their animal at a closer range than some of the shots being taken from the Magpie Express.  No Lead….No dead.  It is clear that if you shoot enough times at something, no matter the distance, eventually you will hit it.

So, here we are headed for Randolph at about 2 p.m.  We know we have about an hour of driving before we get there and then we will work our way back to camp by way of the back country roads and with any luck we will run across a few bucks and bring them into camp with us.  In any given deer camp at 2 in the afternoon, you know deep down in your heart that all the deer in the area are far from any road and laying down taking a nap.  Usually on a North facing slope and in the deepest and darkest part of the forest.  Every hunter knows this.

I’m driving behind Magpie and his rig and he has about a minute head start on me and so I’m hurrying to catch up.  I’m driving way too fast and gaining on his rig quickly.  When the front of my rig is about 20 feet from his, I release the pressure from the gas pedal and begin to coast.  Fat Duck is riding in the passenger seat along side me and it is obvious he knows I’m driving faster than my usual pace, but he says nothing.  Suddenly and without warning the Magpie Express comes to a complete stop!  Sliding and kicking up dust!!!!

In my mind I say…WHAT THE….!!!!!!!  And the Buttmobile also comes to a complete stop just a foot or so from the back end of the Express!

And then it happens……………backup lights come on!  OH NO!!!!

I reach for the five speed tranny shifter and pull it hard into neutral and then into reverse!  My eyes are wide and looking at the back of the Express as it is beginning to come backwards toward the Buttmobile!  I can’t get it into reverse!  My rifle is laying muzzle down along side me and it is keeping the shifter from coming back into reverse gear!  I bang hard against the rifle barrel (sights mostly), but no good, we are doomed!

BLAM!  The Express suddenly slams the front of the Buttmobile with a force equal to a small train!  The Buttmobile lurches backward with the momentum and all heads in the unit are arched first forward toward the front of the vehicle and then just as suddenly, backward toward the rear of the unit.  The dust begins to settle.

I turned to Fat Duck and asked….”Did your air bag deploy”????  (Most rigs made in the mid 80’s didn’t have air bags installed and of course I was just joking with him).

What caused Magpie to suddenly hit the skids and put his rig into reverse?  A deer.  Laying right along side the road.  The guys in my rig would never have seen it.

Well, a quick assessment of the minimal damage to the front of the Buttmobile and we were off to enjoy our afternoon and evening drive about.

Months after this incident I thought it would be appropriate to install a symbol of the Magpie Express on the Buttmobile as a momento, but when you think about it, installing a 1982 Suburban on the hood of a 1987 Isuzu Trooper would make it very hard to see what was ahead.  I put a lot of thought into just what I should do and came up with this:

The eyes on this replica was about proportionate to mine at the time of the “crash”!

Bears Butt

September 13, 2014

With the coming of the Muzz deer hunt comes a whole lot of reminiscing and none brings such great memories than “The Rack”.

So, what is “The Rack”?  Well, a whole lot of years ago, Weasel brought up his truck and with the truck came some road hunting.  And for anyone who has ever ridden in the back of a pickup up a winding, steep, rut filled mountain road you know exactly how tough it is to hold on to your rifle, your drink and keep your butt inside the truck, let alone try and see a deer or two out in the brush.  So, we modified the truck and put up a quakie “rack” on it.  Lashed the branches down as best as we could and called it “The Rack”.  We rode around all week in that rickity thing and every bump caused it to lean to one side or the other until by the end of the hunt the smarter of us decided it was safer to walk than ride.

Well, the idea stuck and by the time the next season came along I had found an old discarded set of metal poles in the “hole” and salvaged them.  It didn’t take long to construct a metal pole “rack” for the back of the truck.  Add to it some “hangers” for the guys to hang possibles bags and canteens and suddenly we had a pretty good little “rack” on the truck that was sturdy and relatively safe for the riders.  All were happy for awhile.  You can stand up in the back of the truck, lean against the rack without fear of falling out, see very well in all directions and it is just a pleasure to ride back there.  Except…………there are always exceptions.

Suddenly, the city boys and girls decided it wasn’t very warm riding in the rack.  Put more clothing on…we said.  But the rack is cold, the metal holds the cold longer than a cooler can hold ice….they said…wear gloves we said…but…but….but…and the list goes on and on.  We (Weasel and I) decided that “The Rack” was a good thing and the more comforts we have inside the cab of the truck, the more we should share with the occupants of the rack in the back.  Here there are some limits however.  We have no way to push hot air back to them and so they will have to continue to wear warm clothing, coats, hats, mittens and such.  But we could make them a bit more comfortable by adding some insulation to the pipes that make up the rack itself.  We asked our friend Gunner to provide the necessary insulation….but that didn’t happen….so I went out on the limb with my budget and purchased $3.42 worth of pipe insulation…..I know…..my budget is straining, but I can make the sacrifice for my friends…

Not only that, but we knew that our friends in the back also needed a way to secure their rifles so they could hold on in with both hands in cases of extreme cold or steepness of hill, without fear of their weapons falling over or dropping out of the back of the rack.  Again, I looked over my budget and decided the bank could make a small loan in this endeavor if needed.  Again a trip to the store to purchase necessary supplies to build such a contraption to hold 4 guns securely….another hit of $.43 for bolts.  So, my friends, you see, I have invested nearly $4 to provide you with comforts never before had in the rack.  I am a nice guy.

But you haven’t seen those comforts yet.  Here is a sneak peek:

You can see it appears nobody is holding the rifle on the right side.  You can also see the pipe insulation on the rails.  But what does it look like with people on board?  How’s this:

OH YA!  That is comfort in it’s biggest sense, however you will not be allowed to sit on a chair like Weasel is.  You will have to stand, or at best, sit on a cooler.  And be assured your rifle will be protected from everything except the weather…that is still a problem for you, you might want to invest in a plastic bag or something.  We can’t do it all for you, at least not all at once.

Notice also, that not only will your rifle barrel fit snugly in the holder, but in case of very bumpy roads or if you are just plain paranoid about your rifle falling out, you can “buckle up”!  We try to think of everything for our guests comfort.

I can hardly wait!

Bears Butt

September 10, 2014