FATHER ’ S DAY TRIBUTE
By Carl Freeman
" You just remember the bet ," Hal said , as we drove along the highway . We were north bound on Highway 15 , out of Butte , heading for a favorite hunting spot .
The weather was beautiful for late October , and as we passed through Elk Park the headlights of the jeep kept us looking in the meadows for any sign or figure that resembled an elk .
Hal and his brother , Lance , had grown up in the Elk Park area , working an old silver mine that was their grandfather ' s dream . Things never really worked out in the mining business for them , but the experience helped and roughing it in the mountains was very enjoyable at times .
Carl Freeman and his hunting buddy Hal .
We had all grown up together and as kids we often made bets on who was the best shot and who would shoot the biggest rabbit or the most prairie dogs . Sharing a small box of 22 caliber bullets and taking turns using an old single shot rifle was the general rule , and it didn ' t take long to learn about not wasting shells or hunting foolishly . Not to say we didn ' t have fun , but we did learn to separate our target practices from our more serious hunting . I guess it just carried over into big game hunting as we got older . Here we were ; betting our hair , that the other wouldn ' t get a bull elk this hunting season . We both enjoy our hair fairly long and the thought of a Marine style haircut just didn ' t seem to fit me !
As we drove up in to the mountains , both of us watching intently , trying to get the first glance of elk in the open parks . It was early in Montana state general rifle season and even though there was no snow , the air was crisp and clear . It seemed the little Jeep ' s heater was just making noise without heat and trying to rob electric power from the dim headlights . I wondered what daylight would bring as we pulled over and parked facing a large open park .
Bringing up the day ' s sun with coffee out of a thermos , seemed to wake the hunting instinct , not to mention quieting my growling stomach . We weren ' t in any big hurry because we wanted to watch for game crossing and heading for higher ground . We were also the only vehicle in sight and it was quiet Click and Here still For as we Virtual surveyed Tour our surroundings .
Suddenly my body shook and I watched Hal dump coffee into his lap . " Alright ," he said , " knock it off !" I looked at him blank faced wondering what he meant , as the Jeep shook again even more vigorously . " Nice trick ," he said . " How ' d you do it ?" I didn ' t have time to answer as the Jeep bounced up and down as if someone was lifting it entirely from the rear . I quickly looked behind us expecting a monster of a man or a bear or something , but no , nothing was around . It dawned on me , as Hal looked half scared and bewildered . " Earthquake ," I said . " Been through them before ," I explained . " Overseas , while stationed in the service ," I said . Hal kind of laughed and said , " Well I hope that ' s all . After I saw you weren ' t playing tricks … that scared the hell out of me ." " Yes ," I agreed . " It makes you feel so helpless and being up here on top of this mountain doesn ' t help much either ," I exclaimed .
Well , by now the day was bright and beautiful and the sun was giving off a little heat to the crystal blue sky . We then agreed that there were huge bull elk just waiting for us to go after them , so we hurriedly left the Jeep with hopes that each of us would be lucky , and that the other would be the one to get his hair cut . In the previous years I had seen a lot of beautiful bull elk in the region we were hunting but they always seemed to vanish like ghosts . Also , I had gun trouble at the worst times , always when I ran into a nice bull . I now felt more confident with a new rifle and was sure that it had been sighted in properly . I knew Hal was also sure of himself , but I could sense his thoughts of having to get a close shaven haircut . The pressure was on both of us , as we walked looking for fresh sign in the heavy timber . Continued on page 29 left column below picture .
27