was watching the whole thing through his binoculars . Shortly after the elation of harvesting two of the best bucks either of us had ever taken , we realized just how much work was ahead of us . I think that is about the time my friends figured out that I was going to be buying dinner that night .
Both deer were some of the largest bodied deer I have seen in this area . Ryan hiked out to the truck and picked up pack frames while the three of us worked on field dressing the deer for the pack out . As the sun rose higher in the sky the temperature climbed with it . Anyone who has hunted the cold mornings and hot afternoons of an Idaho early fall hunt knows about the massive temperature swings . We moved the meat to shade until Ryan got back with packs . After fitting several hundred pounds of meat on the three pack frames , all I could do was carry my rifle out while my friends stepped up and carried some of the heaviest packs I have seen . This was not a spot we wanted to make a second trip into so it was all coming out in one haul .
I cannot say enough here how incredibly lucky I am to have such wonderful friends . I owe them a huge debt of gratitude and hope they know that without them I would have never been able to not only go on this hunt but harvest this incredible buck . Thank you to Ryan , Doug , and Charlie for all your help and making this one hunt I will never forget ! The fact that we can do this in Idaho on public lands during an open season general hunt tag is very special to me . I have several friends and family that live in other states and do not even get to go hunting if they are not lucky enough draw a tag . I am looking forward to doing it all again next year and many more to come . Hopefully I can find a way to pay back my friends next year ; we may even let Charlie take a shot .
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