Deer with Adelia & Philip

Yesterday I went hunting with Philip and Adelia.  We started climbing up the mountain in the dark and got to the alpine just as the sun lit up the surrounding peaks.  It was extraordinarily windy, and we did not hold out much hope for a deer.  Deer tend to hunker down when it is windy.  But even if we did not get a deer, we knew that at least we would get in a good hike.

I think Philip was hoping we would not get a deer.  He likes to hike and as he put it, 'once you shoot a deer the good hiking is over'.  Between those two, Adelia is the hunter.  She REALLY wanted a deer, and she's the one who carries the rifle.

Anyway, we found a bowl slightly protected from the wind and there were the deer.  To his credit it was Philip who spotted the deer. I snuck down into the brush and shot the deer while Adelia waited in case a deer ran in their direction.  It was so brushy down in the bowl that we really did not hold out much hope of getting close enough to shoot.  I was thinking that Adelia had the better odds getting one of the deer running away from me as I busted into their cover.  But in the end I did get close enough to shoot this little forked horn.  He'll be good eating this winter.

Patrick

Below Philip and Adelia take a breather with packs full of meat just before we left the alpine and entered the brush zone on the way home.