The "Mighty Hunter"

Wow, it has been forever since I posted anything.  So sorry to those that follow closely!  I will try to do better!  Let me recap for you quickly before I get to the "Mighty Hunter" section.

Lets see school started in September so I am back working with the kids everyday.  I so enjoy working with them.  I start out the day in a kindergarten class for reading, boy they are so smart! then it is off to the playground.  It has been a little bit of a challenge this year, we have a  new section of playground equipment, super fun, but crazy at times with all that want to be on it.  After recess I spend the afternoon and early evening in the daycare.  I guess you could say I am a sucker for being around kids, I love them all though!
I am stil in the Stake Young Women's and Brandon is the 11 year old scout leader.  We are very excited about this year and what it might bring.  Brandon and I are both going to school and trying to fit everything else into our spare time.  It just seems like there isn't enough time in the day to get everything done sometimes but we seem to keep managing.  I am sure it is because of  our families that help us out so much! Thank You!

Ok so on to the "Mighty Hunter" story:

Brandon, Brett, Laurie (Brett's wife) and I decided to go hunting last weekend.  Brett and I drew out for a tier II caribou hunt.  The area for the hunt is about 3 hours away so we packed up all of the gear and the 4-wheelers and we were off.  We spent the night in Glennallen, at the caribou lodge, it was pleasant but very short since we left 4 hours late!  You know how things just seem to take longer when you have a schedule...we woke up and finished driving to where Brandon had scouted earlier in the week.  There were more hunters than I have seen.  They were everywhere.  It seemed like every truck we pasted that the was  set of antlers and a body peeking out.  I was super excited to get out there a slay me a big one.  Along the way we say several herds but they were out quite a bit and we decided to keep going to see if we could find a herd closer to the road, well just that happened.  We saw a herd at the base of a small hill and we were off.  Brett and Laurie went one way and Brandon and I went the other to help push them towards the base of the hill.  Well Brett shot and nailed one, I on the other hand wasn't quite fast enough, the herd went up the hill before I got close enough to shoot.  So after helping Brett dress his caribou we started searching for another herd so that I could shoot one.  It seemed like every where we went they were either way far out or there were hunters already there.  I was getting very discouraged.  Just before sunset we were on our way back down off the mountain and I spotted a caribou all by himself.  Lets just say I took "8" shots and we left without one for me.  Was not the kind of weekend I had planned.
I stewed upon this all week, I was so mad at myself for missing not once but "8" times.  Brandon kept telling me not to worry about it, after all it was 400 yards out and it was getting dark.  That only seemed to help for a short time.  Wednesday after work, Brandon and I went target shooting once again to see if I could get a little more practice in before we went out agian.  We discovered that I really can hit what it is I am trying to shoot as long as I use the scope correctly.  Well Friday night (10/29) Brandon and I drove back up to Paxson to see if we could slay me a caribou.  We decided to sleep in the truck to safe money for our trip south for Christmas.  Lets just say, it was cold, and very uncomfortable.  I am not sure either one of us slept very much.  We got up around 7:30 and headed to the Paxson lodge to ready ourselves for the day.  As we started out from the lodge, there were not very many hunters out.  I don't know if it was because of the 2 feet of snow on the ground or if they were just waiting for the fog to lift.  We drove past a few herds way out again in hopes we could find one closer to the road.  We did, and by the time I got out of the truck and ready they were about 400 yards off again and climbing up and over the hill.  I decided not to trace after them and we headed back down the road.  No more than 10 minutes later, I was standing off the side of the road.  We pulled up on a small herd, about 5, there was a nice size bull in the herd, Brandon said, "Go get him".  I slowly and as quitely as I could opened the truck door and drove a bullet into the chamber of my gun, I took aim and shot, missed, cocked it one more time and repositioned on my target.  Shoot and watched him stumble a little.  He was about 135 yard off the road and Brandon said, you got him, follow him.  I started up the side of the hill.  Brandon caught up to me and we climbed over the crest of the hill, there he was, laying on the next little hill.  He was just staring at us.  I had hit him but not killed him.  I took aim and once more took a shot.  I have to say it was a very exciting and nerve racking experience.  I am so glad for the experience and know now that the next time I want my shot to be even more accurate the first time so that I don't have to hike as far or I need to shoot in a an area that lets us use the 4-wheeler.  I know it is pretty silly but I named my dead caribou "mortimer".  Here is the reason why, morty was once and he is no more.  We had to drag  him off the mountain, he weighs about 250 lbs and I was so glad that Brandon was there to help me.  Hope  you enjoy the pictures.


Here is a picture from Brandon's scouting trip

More of Brandon's scouting trip



and more caribou....



And here is "Mortimer"...isn't he a beauty!!!




This is what our drive was like....beautiful landscape...




This is the way you ride a 4-wheeler around where I shot Mortimer....UGH!!!
We couldn't even take it out of the truck, that is subsistance hunts for ya,
pulling him off the mountain was not that fun.....he was heavy! I still do not know
how we got him into the truck with just the two of us.  Brandon was like Superman!




And I wouldn't have been able to do it with out his help!  Thanks babe!
 I Love You!




A few more pics from our drive




I love it when the snow is like this on the trees!

 
 Well there you have it.  My story of how I got Mortimer!  I can now say that I am a "True" Alaskan!