It was hunting season in Idaho. Excitement was running high. Jesse & Dorinda and Karen, Nate & Amanda, Nate's cousin Dean, and our nephew and niece, Andy & Charity, came from PA to spend 12 days with us. The guys were hunting mule deer the first week and elk, the second week.
Mule hunting didn't go quite as well as they would have liked. Rob got his deer before the boys came out so he was able to take them to some of the better spots.
After several discouraging days of seeing very few deer, the boys decided to go quail
hunting.
,l
They took the girls along so they could carry the game bags. I think they called them "retrievers". 😄 The girls weren't impressed with the guys shooting techniques, the next time, (?) they would carry the guns! :)
hunting.
,lThey took the girls along so they could carry the game bags. I think they called them "retrievers". 😄 The girls weren't impressed with the guys shooting techniques, the next time, (?) they would carry the guns! :)
The guys managed to get enough for supper. They even cleaned them! There was an anonymous vote, (among those that ate them), that they were delicious. Dorinda and I took their word for it. :)
By the end of the week, Andy was one happy hunter.
Monday, the last day of mule deer season, the guys planned to spend the morning out hunting close to the ranch, then load the two trucks and head for the mountain.
Rob had to run to town for some last minute things, so he loaded the 4 wheeler onto the F250 and headed for town. I was taking the girls in the Ranger, I was going to fill it with gas and get a few groceries they still needed for camping all week. As we were driving into town I thought the brakes were acting funny. They were making a grinding noise, and when I pushed on the brake pedal it went all the way to the floor before they grabbed hold. I called Rob but he said there wasnt anything I could do, so we continued with our shopping.
Meanwhile back at the ranch, Rob had seen a nice mule deer on his way back from town. He gathered up the guys and dropped them off at the spot he saw the deer. He turned around to go back to the ranch but the truck just wouldn't drive forward. After fiddling with it for a while to no avail, he backed...back home. One of the joys of living in the outback. You could be broke down all day, and the only vehicles that would pass you, might be the mail lady and the UPS truck.
When the girls and I got back from town there were 5 guys working on the pick up. They figured there wasn't anything they could do for that truck so they started working on the ranger. A couple guys went for brakes while a couple tore it apart. The other guy was packing up camping gear. The ladies started throwing food in boxes and in the cooler since it looked like they weren't going to get any food it we didn't pack it for them. There was still the question of how they were going to get all their stuff to the mountains. The plan was, to take both trucks weighted down and still have plenty of room for the 5 guys. Now with one truck out of commission, their only option was, driving the 4 wheeler and the little red ranger.
The ladies stacked all their food supplies out by the garage so they wouldn't forget anything. And told them where it was!!
As the men loaded the 4-wheeler and ranger, the ladies stood watching them.
We even offered them some timely camping advice, but they weren't buying it!!
It was several hours later and quite dark when I got the first text,
"Where are the matches?"
"We put them in the plastic tote."
"What plastic tote?"
By this time a couple girls ran out to the garage to see if the food boxes were still here. They came in carrying a cardboard box.
The guys found the plastic tote but we had all their paper products.
Rob had to come back to feed the cows every day so they cheated a little, the cooks would tell him what to grab while he was here.
None of them got elk, nobody got lost, and they still had fun camping in the Indian Mountians.
Maybe they will try it again next year!!!
They finally had everything they needed tied on, even the 4 wheeler was loaded down.
"How are 4 guys going to fit in here?, Do we really need this?"😁
They were finally on their merry way, Jesse and Nate were delegated to set on the buddy seats for the first part of the trip, everytime they hit a bump their knees would connect with their chins.
"Where are the matches?"
"We put them in the plastic tote."
"What plastic tote?"
By this time a couple girls ran out to the garage to see if the food boxes were still here. They came in carrying a cardboard box.
The guys found the plastic tote but we had all their paper products.
Rob had to come back to feed the cows every day so they cheated a little, the cooks would tell him what to grab while he was here.
None of them got elk, nobody got lost, and they still had fun camping in the Indian Mountians.
Maybe they will try it again next year!!!
