all guts and no glory

Here is my hope. If I came across a freshly killed buck that appeared that someone shot and lost, and it still had not spoiled, I actually feel it would be my duty to skin it and gut it and since it would be illegal to move it with out tagging it, I would have to tag it to get he meat to the cooler. I then would do all I could to locate the original shooter and get his story to see if he was cool like you, or a dip wad that didn't look for a downed buck. If he was the cool dude, he gets the trophy and the meat and I am out a tag. If I could not find him, or he turned out to be a waste and wanton killer, I get the meat, the horns go in the shed, I could never hang another persons trophy, and my tag would have a wierd story for that year. Believe me I would be right there the next morning trying to see if the shooter was back looking for it. I hope you ran into a situation like this, and not some inbreds that would just find it and take it and not have a plan.

In 2003 I had been hunting a deer for a week. On my last day I heard a weird noise. I started to walk in the direction the noise came from. I paused several times because I was on the trail the deer I had been hunting was using. That’s when I saw a hunter coming my way. I don’t like to make me presence known because most people like to talk including myself. It was too early for that. I wanted to know what the noise was. So I let the guy pass. When he went buy I noticed he didn’t have a bow. I thought to myself what kind of hunter doesn’t have his bow this early in the morning. When he passed I went right up his trail fearing the worst. The buck I was hunting was big. I thought he might have killed it. I found his tree stand and bow. It was a Habu recurve bow “custom built I think” with cedar arrows. I found blood 20 or so yards away from his stand. so I started to track it. I found a pile of quake’s and new immediately this guy had killed my buck. I uncovered the buck and could not believe this buck. I new it was big but didn’t think it was as big as it really was. No ground shrinkage here. I sat there on public land sick to my stomach that my buck was killed by a guy that had camped under my stand and now killed my buck. I kept thinking I’ll cut its head off. Tag it and get it out of there. I have never been so tempted in my life. As this buck was 29” wide, perfect 5x5 with long tines and bladed back points. This buck was not a normal deer this buck was a 195” monster. I pulled out my knife and camera. I set up my camera on my tripod and turned it on. I set the timer and ran over to take my picture. When the camera didn’t go off, I went over and saw I was out of batteries. Go figure! I still had my knife out but that is not in my character to steal anything. I carefully covered it up and added a few more branches so nobody else would find it before he came back. Fast forward 1 year. I purchased a hunting magazine called “bowhunter” because it had an article on the Wasatch Front in it. I take it home and begin to read this guys article. When I turned the page I almost fell out of my chair. This was a story about this guys hunt. This guy’s name is Chris Cox he is the owner of Habu bows. I had searched every taxidermist shop, sporting good store for pictures of this buck to no avail for over a year. I could not believe it could have been killed and no one had posted anything. I often wonder how that story would have turned out if I was a dirt bag POS deer stealer. I have never met or talked to Chris but I would like to someday. I would ask if I could have a picture of that buck and congratulate him on that buck. Chris is a Hell of a hunter I have found out buy doing a little research. He is also the one that got me into pack goats. I could never figure out how he got all of his water and gear in where he was hunting all by himself. I also started wearing a stupid hat you can see in all of my hunting photos which is similar to the hat Chris is wearing in his magazine photo. I wanted to be just like him.
Fast forward one more year too 2004. I killed a 185” 5x6 and also got my story published in my favorite hunting Magazine “Eastmans Bowhunting Journal”. Maybe some of you guys read my article. I no some of you were hunting my buck. Because I saw at least 6 people stalking it the day I quietly killed it. I also saw a couple of you watching me gut it and cover it up with sticks just like I learned from Chris. I can’t help think how my story would have turned out if a dirt bag POS deer stealer would have taken my trophy. Ill I have to say is “karma” what comes around goes around.

iIn 2000 I was lucky enough to get a rifle elk tag and my father a cow elk tag on Fishlake. We came onto a herd with 6 cow and 2 spikes I shot my spike it dropped my dad shot his cow it ran over the hill after locating it 40yrds later my dad went to get the 4 wheeler to help him get his cow out before he cleaned it.
I started cleaning my spike and here comes this guy from the direction of the downed cow. He said you know there is a cow over the hill dead. I said yeah it’s my dads he's getting the 4 wheeler to get it over to the road. He said well my buddy is cleaning it he has a cow tag. I couldn't believe what I heard. The nerve of some people.
I walk over the hill to see sure enough this guy elbow deep in my dad’s cow. I asked what he was doing he said cleaning my cow. I said your cow my dad just shot that cow. He just kept working ignoring me. Then I hear the 4 wheeler coming up the road.
My dad gets off asks whets going on I explain everything so far while the guy just keeps working. I said thanks for cleaning my dad’s elk for him it was real nice of you. He said I shot this elk. I said no you didn't the blood trail starts over by where we shot it. He said maybe but it ran over here and I shot it. Bull crap I yelled only 2 shots came off this mountain this morning mine and his.
I was ready to throw this guy around. But my dad stopped me and said it’s not worth it son you got your elk lets get it taken care of. After I asked dad why he backed down He said not worth getting shot over is it. It’s just a cow and either you would have had to beat him or shoot him to get him off that cow.
That’s the kind of guy my dad is I have seen him back down when he was wrong and I have seen him stand up for himself and others when they needed it. But never over something he could prevent. My dad never did get his elk that year. But I was never prouder to be hunting with him