Kevin Root hits it right on the head. This is the reality of hunting: things rarely go the way we think they will- we're ultimately not in control.
David put his heart and soul into the Project and when it became clear that Colorado was not in the cards, he, and everyone, was crushed. We all licked our wounds for a few days, then decided to pow-wow on the phone. It was very clear that everyone- David, Cindy, Aron, and Ryan- still wanted to give this Project the best chance at success we could, and this is what we came up with.
If you've followed my muzzleloader thread at
http://www.rokslide.com/forums/showthread.php?1148-Big-mule-deer-here-I-come-)/page3
The end of that video shows the twist in events (and still twisting!)
I found a great Idaho deer upon my return from Colorado. I hadn't really planned on devoting much time to the Idaho bowhunt as my Colorado hunt opens September 8th
unless I found a really good Idaho deer. Well, by the grace of God, I did. I had planned to hunt that buck the first week or so alone (as usual) before I had to leave for Colorado.
After our pow-wow, I prayed about what to do and spoke at length with my wife Jodi. It quickly became clear to us that I was not to hunt this buck alone. I called Cindy back and gave her a few details about the buck and the hunt, like days needed, strategy, etc, to see if she was interested. She flipped! This woman doesn't look a gift horse in the mouth and was redoing her gear list before we got off the phone.
She was really bummed that the Project wasn't going the way she'd planned and didn't even hesitate to drop all her Idaho plans and go after this buck.
So, that is how we got here.
Cindy and I are talking daily on gear adjustments, checklists, logistics, hunt strategy, etc. The Project started out to be a backcountry hunt, but as stated, things change. Right now, Cindy and I will be staying in a mobile road camp and giving this buck everything we've got for the amount of time we have to hunt together- about 6 days or so.
As usual, I do have a back up plan if this buck doesn't pan out. As I said in the video, he is pretty close to some roads and there is a good chance we won't be the only ones after him. It is very open country and if he spooks, it's going to be very difficult to find him again. Luckily, I've scouted a lot of country and do have a place we can backpack where I've seen a few really good bucks over the years. Hopefully we won't need that plan, but we are geared up for it if needed.
notice the body size on that buck compared to his compadre, truly a big deer!
I've hunted alone most of my adult life, but I'm fully aware of this truth:
"Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor,
For if they fall, one will lift up his companion.
But woe to him who is alone when he falls,
For he has no one to help him up."
Ecclesiastes 4:9
See you Wednesday, Cindy!