Well I never quite made it to the top of the mountain so the next morning when I woke up I decided to hike on up and have a look-see. I had all day to pack my buck off the mountain. I had no intention of shooting another deer but took my rifle "just in case." I saw a bunch of deer, mostly does and a few forkies that I passed on. I just wanted to peek into one more basin before heading back to camp and packing up for the hike home. At the bottom of the basin was this awesome buck. I debated a long time whether or not to take him. I already had a lot of work in store for me, but after much consideration I decided I had the energy and stamina to shuttle both bucks off the mountain. Basically, he was too good to pass up. Another shot, this time from 125 yards and I had a double and my two best bucks to date.
I don't usually take my cell phone hunting with me but I was sure glad to have it this time. I was in one of those rare coverage spots. While butchering the second buck, my phone buzzed that I had a text from my buddy Isaac. So I gave him a call. When I told him how I'd fared he said the magic words, "You want help packing?" Yahoo! I knew I could and would have got those two bucks off the mountain by myself if I'd had to but I was sure glad for the help. I got both bucks shuttled to tree line where I met Isaac. He carried one bag of meat while I carried the other, the two heads and all my camping gear - still upwards of 100 pounds - down the last 1500 feet of elevation to the truck. Isaac saved me from having to climb all the way back up the mountain and all the way back down again. What a great friend.
