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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