October 9-11th we went hunting by Loa for doe antelope tags that I drew. The weekend involved A LOT of driving, but it was a very fun hunt. We brought our tent trailer to camp in. Let me tell you how much I love that thing! It makes camping with the kids much more comfortable for multiple night camping. It is one of my favorite purchases. We didn't see much on Friday night, so we came home to some yummy dinner and just hung out until bedtime. Saturday I got up bright and early and hiked up the hill by our camp. We had seen some antelope there the night before, just before dark, so I thought I'd try to find them in the morning. No luck this time, so I headed back to camp. We ate breakfast and headed out in the truck to see what we could find. We drove for a couple of hours and around 11:00 we found a herd about 1000 yards away. I grabbed the gun and my pack and went after them. Luckily they were in terrain that had a lot of rolling hills so it wasn't too hard to sneak up on them. I got within 450 yards and something spooked them over the next ridge. They weren't looking at me when they spooked, so I thought I'd continue my stalk. I reached the place they were before they spooked and was able to peek over the hill. There they were! I was so excited. They had no idea I was there. They were 340 yards away. There was one that had a collar of some sort. Brayden really wanted me to shoot that one if I had a chance (so did I). I set up next to a tree and made a steady rest with my backpack. The collared goat was wide open. I took my shot and she dropped in her tracks. I didn't even see her move after I shot. The rest of the herd ran about 100 yards up the next hill. Since I had two tags I hurried and set up again where I could see them. They were now 440 yards. I found one standing alone and took the shot. She dropped in her tracks. I was so pumped. Two shots within about three minutes and they both went down in their tracks. I love Brayden's gun. It gets the job done. The hunt was a blast! Brayden's parents and little brothers, Dylan and Chase, came that evening. Dylan and Chase had drawn the same tags as I had. We went out with them the next day with no luck, but still had a good time.
As a side note I was on this hunt when I found out about the death of my step-sister Heather Christensen from a phone message from my dad. I was shocked and my heart went out to my step-mother most of all. She is very close to her children and I knew it would be very hard for her. Heather is an amazing person and I had a great time living down the hall from her in college. She knew how to have fun and loved to laugh. She never compromised her standards and along with her roommates was able to keep the spirit in their apartment. I spent most of my time in their apartment because I liked how I felt when there. After college years she always greeted me with a huge hug and smile. Then she'd update me on the old roommates. She was very motivated and knew what she wanted. She showed a lot of dedication and it paid off. She was doing what she wanted when she graduated to the next stage of life.
