Am I Really??

Yep. I guess I am. I'm going to blog about hunting. But, that's not all, so try not to just leave now haha.

 

So, Spencer's big elk hunt started in September. He had from mid August through end of September off from school. So, as a family, we pretty much lived at the cabin, so he could scout during the day. He lived on the mountain (except slept) for over a month. Me and the boys lived at the cabin, with ocassional trips back to Nephi.

 

I'll tell you what. It was not easy! I knew he had waited a long time (15 years to be exact), for this opportunity, so I really wanted to be a good sport about it. But gosh. He left early in the morning, and didn't come home until after dark. By then, the kids were ready for bed, and so was I. And not only that, there just isn't much to do at a cabin with two little ones. We definitely got bored, and on each other's nerves.

Finally, it was time for the hunt to actually start (which just means that the date came where he could now shoot at something, and it lasts about a week). Good golly, I wanted all of his time and mine to be worth it, and I wanted him to get something he'd be happy with.

It's a hard hunt, no doubt. They had hardly any action during the first 6 days of the hunt. I literally was praying/pleading all day, every day that all of our time and effort towards this darn hunt would be worth it. Not only that, but I really think Spencer would have slipped into a mini (ish) depression if he hadn't come out successful. I'm serious. His heart, soul, and passion depended on this. Finally, on day 7 they found what he was looking for!

 

He got himself this monster of a bull. He's very happy with it, and I'm just glad it was a success!! His brother helped him hunt for the first half of the week, and then his friend Brad, and Brad's friend helped for the latter part of the week. Brad and Daryl were the ones who were with Spence when he got his elk. We're very grateful to all those who helped Spence on his hunt.

 

Here are some pics of me and the kids while Spence was out hunting. I love this picture of Gavin, but it makes me sad, too. He just looks so grown up! He's definitely my little buddy, and such a good boy. We get on each other's nerves, yes, but he's such a joy to have around.

Oh, this kid. He's a hoot. He can be so stinkin' serious, then super silly, then SUPER ORNERY! It frustrates me. He gives me such a hard time just about every day, but if I ever leave him with anyone else, apparently he's an absolute angel. What the heck! It's so not fair. I literally can't go pee, or even stand up from the couch without him flippin' a freakin' cookie. Nonetheless, he is my sweet baby, and I'm so glad. He's a cutie I couldn't live without.

Hahaha!! He found a chocolate (wrapped), and got into it. I didn't realize until he had practically eaten the whole thing. But, I had to take it away, because  it still had the wrapper. He was a little upset.

Out taking a walk. Don't mind Gavin's messy face.... But they sure are cute, and make my days so fun.

Fish Lake is a beautiful place.

So, this year was my first deer tag. I had drawn out last year, but had to turn it back in, because I was like 37 weeks pregnant with Tanner, and I wasn't about to wander the mountain! This year, although I was pregnant again, I wasn't as far along. I really wasn't looking forward to it. Haha! I just wanted to get it over with. I don't mind being involved with my husband's hobbies, but sometimes, I just don't want to be haha. Anyway, it actually was pretty enjoyable for me. Opening day (first day of the hunt. Sorry, I am just not sure how much of this makes sense to all of you), we went to the place where Spencer got his deer last year, and were seeing a lot of bucks. My bro in-law ended up killing his that day. ANYWAY, this is not a hunting blog, I don't want to get into that mumbo jumbo....

It wore me out hiking all over that stinkin' mountain. It's way rocky, way steep, and just not my cup of tea to wander all over. But, it was alright. The next day, it was just me and Spence. We took our time since the day before had really worn me out.

We decided to go to a place in the same general area as the day before, and pulled up to this cliff to look over it, and see if we could see anything. Nothing... So we chatted. And I literally said, "I just want to get a buck" (I wanted to make all of the hiking, and babysitter's time worth it, and for my hubby to be proud of me), and right after I said that, Spencer says, "Go get the gun".

We talked about the pros and cons of going for him, as this was the last day I had planned on hunting. We decided the opportunity was too perfect to pass up. So, from 360 yards away, I made the shot and got him. Haha. I was pretty nervous about killing an animal! After I had shot, Spencer says, "I was going to tell you this, but decided against it, but I've never shot an animal from that far." He was pretty proud I made it in one shot from that distance.

 He's not impressive, but he's my first, and at least I got one, and that it was a good shot. Sorry 'bout the blood btw.... I was nervous to walk up to him, I thought I would feel bad about killing something haha. But, actually as I walked up to him, I had this huge sense of respect for this animal come over me. Weird, huh?!? Haha! That sounds weird, but it's true. The circle of life is a magical thing.. ;)

I shot him from atop these cliffs... And yes, we had to hike down that sucker, and then back up, with deer in tow.

I'm glad we had this experience together. I actually enjoyed it, and Spencer ended up being very proud of me, which is the only thing I cared about anyway. So it worked out.

In case you haven't heard, we're having a GIRL! I'm so happy about that. I thought it was a girl, and at the ultrasound, my nerves were going crazy! Finally, we looked for the gender, and yep! Girl. Yay. So, it makes things a little more exciting. I get to shop for a girl! I haven't bought anything yet, but have looked online, and it is just too much fun.