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Great buck and beautiful ground. Can’t wait to see the rest.

Good buck and great story writing. You should send these in to hunting mags.....

Great writeup for a great hunt. I’m pretty surprised that Rowdy didn’t get in the line for a TSA strip search going through Chicago’s O’Hara terminal dressed in camo! Camo is a fashion statement out in the hinterland, but show up in camo in the big city and they think that you are a terrorist. A gutsy wardrobe move.

continued...

Not long after Jordan picked me up, everyone met back at the shop to formulate a plan for the remainder of the day. With the notable exception of the buck I killed, the deer weren't moving much for whatever reason. Garen and Jordan decided it was time to try some drive hunts. As you might imagine, not a lot of that sort of thing happening in the vast expanses of Idaho. I was excited to give it a try. Everyone loaded up and we drove off towards the chaos that awaited us.

The boys decided that since I had already killed a buck, I would be the primary pusher down near the creek-bottom. Garen and another family friend would work just inside the edges, and Rowdy, Tim, and another gentlemen would serve as blockers. Garen asked me if I had any leather gloves on me as we exited the truck. "Nah" I said, "I'll be alright. I'm tough". I could hear Garen chuckling as we parted ways. I should have known what was coming.

I still had a doe tag in my pocket and they told me the pusher sometimes gets the best shot opportunity. Be aware that's a bald-faced lie. First of all, I could see maybe three yards in any direction. It seems exceedingly unlikely any deer would let me get that close. It was even more unlikely given my shrieks of pain from the blood-letting I was enduring. Within the first five yards I was in a nightmarish hell-scape of pain and suffering from bushes sufficiently thorny as to basically be impenetrable. Secondly, it's difficult to shoulder a firearm when you're being choked unconscious by every piece of vegetation you encounter. I was told the tract of timber we would push was a "quarter to a half mile long". That was also a lie. I don't care what any of those lying liars tell you, I walked at least 17 miles on that first push. I'm relatively certain I was down to my last pint of blood when I stumbled out into daylight, a broken and defeated man. Rowdy's first words were, "You look like chit dad". Thanks son, it's good to see you too.

Such was my suffering that I hadn't even heard three shots taken by one of the guys blocking. Rowdy said a pretty fair 3x4 had emerged and sprinted just to his right. He said he had a good rest, but the deer was equal distance to another blocker and since he didn't know what social protocal demanded, he refrained from squeezing the trigger. He also said he passed on a coyote that had run past him at a "thousand miles an hour". The buck had apparently escaped unharmed and the coyote cheated death as well, but Rowdy was lit up like a Christmas tree at the excitement of it all. About that time Garen came around the corner with a rather magnificent dead-head in hand he'd stumbled across. Here he is with that deer. Note the leather gloves by the way...



The day would end with no deer having been shot, but not from a lack of effort or lead. The next morning also came up empty for everyone on stand as well. Late Sunday morning everyone re-assembled at the shop and once-again formulated a plan for a drive hunt. It was the last day and we were getting down to the wire. I honestly wasn't optimistic about Rowdy's chances. The trip had already been sufficiently awesome that I don't think either of us was all that concerned about it though. The boys decided to push a small piece behind Jordan's farm and we soon had everyone in place. My knee was swollen up like a drum from all the hiking, so I decided to stay in the truck on a high vantage and watch the show through binoculars. This time, Rowdy and one of the hired hands on Jordan's place would block, while Garen and Jordan pushed. It was only a quarter mile or so long patch of creek-bottom, and I honestly didn't think it had enough cover to be holding much. I was wrong. The guys had only been walking for a minute or so when I heard heard Rowdy cut loose. I swung the binoculars over towards him, and noticed him running back and forth frantically, and obviously looking for sign. A second later, I heard him shoot again, followed by some hooting and hollering of joy. About that time, I noticed deer pouring out of the cover and sprinting across tilled up land. There had been at least 30 deer in that small patch, and most of them had run within 50 yards of Rowdy. Seconds after Rowdy's final shot I heard Jordan's buddy also cut loose with a single shot. When all the dust had settled, it turns out Rowdy and the other fellow had shot the same deer.

I drove over and joined Rowdy just before he walked over for a look. He said, "Dad, I know I hit that deer. He reared up and fell back as soon as I shot him, but I lost sight of him in the creek. I think the deer got his feet under him and took off. I think the other guy shot him too!". I had a knot growing in my stomach with every step we took as we made our way towards the other hunter. I was afraid it was going to be an awkward conversation as we unraveled who the deer “belonged” to. Once again, I was wrong. Jordan immediately walked over and pointed to two entrance and two exit holes behind the shoulder. Before I could say a word, Jordan's buddy turned to Rowdy and said, "Great shot son. That's your deer". Just like that the matter was settled. Like I said...these guys really are likeable, salt of the earth folks. Even though there were two good shots in the deer, and the other gentleman had dealt the final blow, they all INSISTED it was Rowdy's buck. He wasn't a monster deer by any stretch of the imagination, but I think we were all about as giddy as could be about it.

From left to right,....Garen, Rowdy, and Jordan.



That push would mark the end of the hunt for us. We returned to the shop later that afternoon and enjoyed one of the best evenings of my life. Rowdy and I both relived our hunts from every possible perspective, as we shared a few drinks with all of our new friends. Somewhere along the way, Garen saw fit to break out some moonshine. I'm pretty sure my son will remember his first swig of this stuff for years to come. I'm not sure he was a huge fan, but when in Rome as they say....



This was the trip of a lifetime for my son and I. We’re a decidedly middle-class family and would have never been in a position to actually pay for an experience like this. I've told Garen and Jordan as much privately. I've also told Tim (TDN) privately, because if not for him none of this would have been possible. Still, I think it merits a public “thanks” as well. I can't thank you enough buddy. I'm eternally grateful. You're also responsible for deeply enriching my son's life. Here's a picture of the two of you I'm not sure I previously shared.This is what friendship and appreciation looks like in case anyone is wondering.




Thanks for following along everybody. I hope Christmas treats you well....especially all of my great friends back in Illinois.

Dave

Awesome finale! Congrats to your boy and man, what a cool hunt! Happy darned Christmas and New Years to you all as well! That was one of the best posts/threads ever.

Dave, you and Rowdy are two of the finest people we’ve had the pleasure of hosting! Can’t wait to make it out west again and spend some more time together.

This is awesome! Didn't know Rowdy bagged one.

Look what the cat dragged in.

Happy holidays, jf!

Great write up and great bucks - congrats!

And that dead-head, wo-za!

Great story, thank you so much for posting

iddave;
Good evening to you sir, I hope Solstice treated you all acceptably and this finds you and your family well.

Thanks so much for the wonderful hunting story and photos, I very much appreciate you taking the time to share that special family hunt with us.

Congratulations to you and your son on the chunky looking whitetails.

For me, it's contributions such as this that make the 'Fire unique and worth staying around for - thanks so much again sir. It's cool to see how folks hunt in a part of the world I've never been and am likely not to hunt.

All the very best to you and your fine family this Christmas Season and the best in 2021 too.

Dwayne

Iddaave congrats on a awesome hunt man and thanks for the fantastic write-up!

No surprise on the level of comradery found in a fire meet up they’ve always been top notch experiences for me as well.

Nothing easy about driving draws in the midwest. It can be tough going. I could tell some stories about some of the hell hole thickets I have pushed. Great Hunt fellas

2 thumbs up! Now that's what a hunting trip is all about, good friends, good times, meat on the hook and no drama.

Dave,

Thanks for putting the story ‘to paper!’
I’m pumped it worked out for us this year and hope for many more to come! Getting the privilege to hunt and hang w/ Rowdy (a fine young man) and yourself was a blast.

Next time... push the deer my way, huh?!?!?

Thanks for posting

Very well done and well told!

Great story...........Merry Xmas everyone!

Great job guys!! Well written Dave, as always. Merry Christmas everyone!

It’s taking a minute to remember how to use the ol campfire again. Figured I’d better make sure Dave wasn’t over here telling any lies
Happy holidays to you too