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Wednesday, November 29, 2023

2023 4D Muley.

This year deer applications were due June 7 and we got the results June 20 in North Dakota. I was lucky enough in 2022 to receive a mule deer buck tag in unit 4D. When deciding where I should apply in 2023, I remembered the landowners from last year said I can come back anytime. So before applying this year I contacted the landowners in unit 4D and asked them again if I could come back to hunt and one response was, “You better damn well apply for this unit!” After that and other conversations with the landowners, they wanted me back and wanted to help in any way. With that I applied and wouldn’t you know it the “Lucky Boy in the Wheelchair” drew another coveted mule deer buck tag. That didn’t suck.

After the tag was secured, I needed to figure out scheduling and who was going to come with on another one of my adventures. First, I called up my friend and guide, Sam. He works seven on, six off in the oil fields and grew up in Medora. He knows stuff and things about the North Dakota Badlands. He sent me his schedule and said try to work around this. It worked perfectly, the second weekend of rifle season would be our huckleberry. Then I got a hold of landowner Nick who said I could come down anytime no matter what the season. He also said him or someone would be around pretty much every day.

Next, I made sure my mom, Deb would be able to go or I should say I told her I was going west for hunting and she replied, “Who’s coming with?” I then got a hold of my sister Shelie who had mentioned when I applied for the tag that her and her husband Brad should be able to go along. This time when I talked to her she said, “Yep. What are the dates and where are we staying?” I told her would take off November 16th, hunt the 17th-19th and head home on the 20th. Plus I said we would be staying at the AmericInn in Medora. She said she would make it work with her and Brad’s work.

I knew we had one landowner secured but Sam and I also got a couple other landowners to give permission. Plus, both of us know people. And if we don’t know the right people, we know people who know those right people. It’s good to know people. It’s also good to be respectable about other people’s property when they graciously let you on. Not being an idiot is helpful.

Brad and Shelie got to the farm that Thursday a little before 10 AM. In no time they had their stuff and our stuff plus all of my hunting crap packed. I believe we were on the road right at 10. That’s good planning. Our first stop was at Steele. They have a huge travel plaza with snacks of every kind plus a subway. Here is where I tilted back for my first time. I am supposed to tilt back every hour for 10 minutes to relieve pressure off of my derrière. Pressure sores suck I have learned the hard way, numerous times. We also got a little lunch and snacks for the trip. I think I checked at least three times on the way to see if I packed my deer license and elongated trigger. Nervous I was. 

Of course, we were bucking a 30 mph northwest wind most of the way with higher gusts. Could hear my 2017 GMC Sierra 2500 HD SLE pickup sucking the gasoline. Our second stop was in Richardton where there is the best convenience store along I 94. I tilted back here again, got some more snacks and filled the gas tank. In no time we were entering the beautiful rugged badlands. Couldn’t check-in until 4 PM mountain time so Brad decided he would take us to Buffalo Gap. I had never been. If you haven’t, you should check it out. I even got to meet Ole the owner. He is entertaining. The scenery is breathtaking. 

If you don’t know this is a place where you can stay, eat, drink, bring your horse, camp and just about anything else. You should check it out you haven’t. We stayed here for a bit as I tilted and we sampled some libations until we decided to go for a cruise to see if there was any deer movement. It didn’t take long to see our first deer on the East River Road. There was a bunch on the greens at Bully Pulpit Golf Course. There were deers everywhere it seemed, not only on the golf course. My hopes were high for the hunt.

Next, we decided to go to the Little Mo Saloon for supper, cocktails and to see the best bartender throughout the land, Lasko. This man is a machine. The bar was packed and he kept everyone happy and not sober. Just stay out of his way and never say you’re going to Boots Bar. He will lock the door when you leave. I don’t even think he’s kidding when he said that. Truthfully to watch this guy work is entertainment in itself.

The next morning, I got a hold of Sam and of course he was out and about already scouting the area for anything that moved. We made a plan that I would get in the chair around 11 AM and we would meet by the Brown Ranch. When we met Sam, he was excited and said there were a couple bucks and a bunch of does a couple hundred yards off the trail. We got excited. But first we had to drive down a sketchy trail to get there. Actually it wasn’t too bad but my head was flopping around like a bobble head as we bounced for about a mile, probably a little more. Once we got to the spot we couldn’t drive anymore Sam asked, “Do you think your chair can get over there? A couple hundred yards,” as he was pointing to the north. I said, “I think we can do it.”

We got out of the pickup and got all my equipment ready. Sam and Brad attached my rifle mount to my chair and then got his rifle attached to the rifle mount. They also attached my elongated trigger to the trigger guard on his rifle. We also tested the trigger a couple times. We had a scenario last year while hunting so we make sure we do this now. Good stuff. It is a process, but they get it done in quick fashion. Shelie was helping me get my orange clothing on and getting other stuff. Before we knew it, we were making our way across the pasture. Shelie had the spotting scope with tripod, Sam had his rifle which was attached to my rifle mount cradle and Brad was helping push and steer me in the right direction as I was navigating rocks, dried cow pies, holes and other things while bouncing a couple hundred yards to a vantage point where we could see the deer without them smelling us. I would guess the whole process took a half-hour maybe a little more.

When we got to the little draw that was holding the deers, we were happy to see they were still content and just milling around aimlessly eating beside a windmill and water tank. There was one buck we could see from our vantage point. He wasn’t huge and he wasn’t small. Sam asked if I wanted to take a poke at him and I said yes. Soon after that they were attaching the rifle cradle which holds a rifle onto my rifle mount on my chair. After that I snuck forward a little bit to get a good angle and to be able to get the buck in the scope.

Pic of rifle on Afognak Island.

Let me stop and tell you about Sam’s rifle and stuff. His rifle is a 300 Norma Mag with 230 grain Berger bullets topped with Swarovski DS scope, the scope has ballistic calculator and rangefinder. It’s like looking through pure sex. You see things looking through that scope that most only see in movies and magazines. It is wild.

Back to the story. Sam got the yardage and it was 515 yards from where we were to the buckaroo. It took me a while to get lined up. In fact, while I was trying to get on him, he decided to lay down. It really takes me a long time to get the elevation correct, up and down. To do this I hit the recline button on my chair, once I get within a couple inches then I do the fine adjustments with my shoulder. It’s a little not precise. Anyway, after a handful of minutes I said I was on him and Sam asked, “You sure, we have a lot of time, he isn’t going anywhere.” I responded, “Yep!” As he reached over and took off the safety. Next thing I knew I was pulling on the trigger waiting for the crack of the barrel. “BOOM!” I knew right away that I missed because there was no hollering. It was a clean miss.

It didn’t take me long to find him in the scope again and Sam jacked in another bullet. By this time the does around him knew something was up and they started to head to the north, away from us and he followed. Once that bunch was gone another bunch from the same group of trees got up and followed the first bunch. We didn’t even know they were there. After that, another couple followed them all. There was probably close to 25 deer in group. It was awesome to see. We knew they were gone and they were not coming back that night.

Before we packed up to head back to the pickup, Sam spotted a coyote laying down in the shade like 700 yards away. Some people just have the eyes to see things. I have good vision, like better than 20/20 and I had a hard time seeing the coyote in the spotting scope. It’s impressive to see that kind of vision, it seems to come with a lot of time glassing different territories.

Next, we bounced back to the pickup around and sometime over rocks and crevices. When we got back to the pickup, we got the rifle mount unattached and everything put away. Then I tilted as we made a plan for the rest of the daylight. Sunset out there during my time was around 4:15 PM Mountain Time. Legal shooting hours are a half-hour after sunset in North Dakota. Making the couple hundred yards out and back took a couple hours. It was around 2:30 PM after this first attempt, which gave us a couple hours to drive around and look for another buck but we never found anything that we could get to. But we enjoyed the scenery and company.

When we got back to the motel I tilted again. Shelie rounded up Mom, she doesn’t go along when we are traveling on what she considers sketchy roads. She would rather sit in the hot tub, do some shopping or play the machines. Then we went back to the Little Mo for supper. Sam joined us for an evening full of food, libations and reminiscing. Good times.

I should explain that I get in the chair so late every day because I am only supposed to be in the chair a limited time per day. I tried to keep it under eight hours but more likely around six hours a day. But on this trip, it was more like 10 hours a day. Reclining hourly and limiting time in the chair every day keeps away pressure sores and keeps me out of the hospital. You can read about some of my hospital visits in earlier blogs.

Saturday morning, I got a hold of Sam wondering what he was up to and of course he was out scouting. He is awesome. He told me he was way south, farther than we had been this year or last. I said I would get in the chair at 11 and head that way. It took us a little over an hour to get down there. I was glad Sam went this way. The views and scenery are spectacular. The view to the west was like looking over a little Grand Canyon. It was impressive to say the least. We were only 2 miles I believe from the Montana border at this time. I definitely want to come back and explore this area. Then we went back north a couple miles to the spot where I could tilt. After that I called Sam and he said he hadn’t seen much but he almost tipped his pickup over. Geesh. Close call. I mentioned to Sam we were going to head back to a place we were yesterday. It is a spot we were at a year before. 

Once we got down there, we pulled onto the trail and we didn’t go 100 yards before seeing a mule deer doe with twins. We watched them for a couple minutes and didn’t see a buck so we decided to go down the trail farther. It is a gnarly road, the kind of roads I like. We didn’t make it 50 yards and we saw a muley buck on top of a break a long ways away. Then we noticed some muley does not too far from him, just below. About that time Sam pulled up behind us and we showed him what was up. He asked if I wanted to try and of course I said, “Yep!”

He ran back to his pickup to back up because we needed to back up so I could get out of the pickup on flat ground. When I got out of the pickup, everybody did their thing. Brad attached my rifle mount to the chair, Sam got his rifle attached to my rifle cradle, Shelie gathered orange clothing, binoculars, spotting scope and then Sam and Brad attached the elongated trigger to the rifle. It goes pretty smooth for how chaotic it could be in pressure time.

Pretty soon we were sneaking over a rise trying to get closer. When Sam ranged the buck, he was at about 600 yards. We were able to get about 20 yards closer but not too much closer. At that distance it took me a while to get him in the scope. But he didn’t have a care in the world except those females. He was twitterpated. He would lay down for a while, get up not move really and lay back down. The does were just meandering around the hillside. Soon enough I got him in the scope and Sam dialed him in so he was bigger in the scope. This is fine and dandy but it gets touchy at that far a distance. Move the scope 1/32 of an inch, and downrange 500 yards the crosshairs are 6 feet off, give or take. 

Anyway, I finally got him on the crosshairs steady, he wasn’t moving standing perfectly broadside. I reached for the trigger, breathed out and squeezed back the trigger. It goes off and he doesn’t move. Sam says, “Miss.” Nobody could tell where the bullet hit on the hillside. Sam racks in another bullet. The buck still hasn’t moved much neither have the does surprisingly. I get the buck lined up again in the crosshairs, pull the trigger, it goes off and still he doesn’t move. Sam says, “Miss.” Again no one could see where the bullet hit. Sam racks in another bullet. This time the buck has moved but not far. It takes me a couple minutes to get readjusted and lined up. Eventually I get him in the crosshairs, Sam takes the safety off and I fire again. I can see in the scope that I did not hit him. Sam says, “Clean miss. I got to run back to my pickup to get more bullets!”

By this time, we are all laughing perplexed because I just fired three shots and the deer are all still there. Sam was giggling his way to his pickup and back. We have a conversation about where we think I am hitting and Sam looks over the video he has been taking on spotting scope and there is nothing to see about where the bullets went. Thankfully this buck and the does were as clueless as we were. So, Sam jacked in another bullet and I got realigned. I fire again with a clean miss. I did this two more times for a total of six shots and no hits. Frustration settling in.

But Sam made me laugh when he now said he had to go back and get a box of bullets. First two times he only had three in his hand. Good grief what a scenario. Now he had ample kill pills ready to do the job, again. He jacks in three more bullets and I fire three more times without hitting anything. We did see dust a couple times in this last volley of lead. By the way, the deer still haven’t moved.

The buck is now looking to my right but broadside. He was following one of the does pretty hard but thankfully he never moved more than 20 feet the whole time the barrage was going on. I get readjusted and get him in the crosshairs and Sam jacks in another bullet. As I’m looking down the scope Sam says, “I think your hitting to the right of him, aim right at his ass.” He then takes the rifle off safety. I reach for the trigger for the 10th time, slowly pull back and I hear that beautiful SMACK sound. I hit him right in the back hip but the 230 grain bullets dropped him like a sack of potatoes. Sam yells, “He’s down! You got him!” Shelie and Brad were yelling, “Congratulations! You got him! You got him!” There were probably some expletives too and Sam grabbed his phone to get most of the celebration recorded. I told Sam, “The scope said it was 571 yards!” Holy Shinto. What a relief.

We high-fived, hugged and probably cried a little bit celebrating. That’s what it’s all about. Camaraderie. After the celebration we were a little concerned that he might get up. We waited for probably 20 minutes and Sam could see through his spotting scope that his eyes were not blinking. By now some of the does had left. The rest of them left when we started putting away my gear.

Now we had to figure out the easiest way to get him. There was a big draw between him and us. Sam called up Nick the landowner and he said there is an easier way around back to the north to come back south. On the way over there, Sam pulled over to tell us he was going to ask some hunters camped not too far if they could help. It was a good idea but nobody was home. At this point we were losing light in a hurry. We decided not to go longways around and just go in where we were.

For the 600 yards or so it didn’t take them long to go down the gully, back up the other side to get him and put the tag on him. By the time he was in the back of my pickup we maybe had an hour of sunlight. Sam found a perfect spot to take pictures. The buck turned out to be a 4 x 3 counting the eye guards. These pictures are awesome with the backdrop. Sam then mentioned we should bring the deer to Buffalo Gap to get him quartered. He said they have a set up just like a regular locker with walk-in cooler, rails on the ceiling and pressure washer to clean everything up. Good thing Sam knows everybody. Evidently he has helped Ole while Ole has been hunting a time or two.

We followed Sam to Buffalo Gap. When we got there, it was dark. We backed up to the door and by the time I got out of the pickup and inside they already had the buck hanging and started to skin him. When I say they I mean a character named Itchy Twitchy. This guy is neat. He helps at the Gap. If you have met him, you know what I mean. Hard to explain. I asked Shelie if she would go to the bar to get a couple six packs of refreshments. In the meantime, Brad went back to Medora to pick up Mom. It’s only like 5 miles away. The beers were flowing and we kept the butchers lubricated after Shelie got back. Itchy Twitchy said we could keep the deer there overnight and pick him up in the whenever we can. That was nice and handy. I hope to meet Itchy Twitchy again. He’s got good stories and I’m sure they’re all true…

Then we went to the Little Mo for supper and to celebrate. Of course, the place was packed but we found a spot I could get to. Lasko greeted us with our beverage of choice which he remembered from the days before and the year before, crazy. Sam joined and we had a couple rounds with supper while reminiscing the day’s events. Pretty soon it was just Sam and I at the table because the others went to gamble. Then a couple of cowboys with their girlfriends asked if they could sit down with us. We told them go ahead. They were all in town for the North Dakota Rodeo Association year-end banquet. Parker turned out to be the saddle bronc champion of 2023. He was with his lovely girlfriend Brianna. The other couple was bareback rider Tanner Jarrett and his lovely girlfriend Sierra. They are all good people.

Sunday was a free day to do whatever we wanted. Our number one thing on our list was to go down and visit the Brown family. Mom even came with this time. She only freaked out a couple times with the roads. It is about an hour from Medora to the Brown Ranch. We stopped at Beach for lunch around 12:30 PM at the Buzzy Café. Classic small-town restaurant. I suggest ordering the hot burger on bread with mashed taters and brown gravy. It didn’t suck.

After I tilted, we grabbed some libations from the local watering hole and made our way south. After going through Golva which is 14 miles south of Beach, the views get better and better. It gets more rugged and rugged the farther south you go. The definition of wide-open spaces. Once you get onto the ranch everywhere you look is spectacular. When you get down to the homestead everywhere you look is a postcard. 

When we got down to Nick & Maria’s it didn’t take long for the whole family to be outside, Nick, Maria and their kids Mason, Aubree, Miles and Ava. Grandma Nikki also walked the half mile to visit. She is a sweetheart. (I can still picture the cookie story scenario with Grandpa John. I am smiling at the inside story.) Soon we were gathered around in the yard sitting, visiting and commenting how nice the weather was while enjoying each other’s company. It was close to 55° every day that weekend. We were only able to stay a couple hours because we wanted to be able to see some new territory on the way back to Medora. Before we left, I was able to give Mason a ride on the back of chair just like the year before. Good times. Next time I give Mason a ride he wants to bring a rifle along in case we see a coyote. Ha. They invited us to come back again. I really hope to get down this summer to spend some more time enjoying the Brown family. A truly genuine, nice family.

We left the ranch with about a half-hour of daylight left. Brad had a plan to go home on the Pipeline Road which leads to the West River Road back to Medora. Glad he had this idea. We saw hundreds of deers. When it got dark, the deers really came out. I’ll need to go down this road again in daylight to see what all we missed. It is a very winding and up-and-down road. Coming over one hill Brad came to a complete stop because there was a black bull standing in the middle of the road. He didn’t want to move so we had to drive around him. This is open range area, FYI. Cattle guards everywhere.

We managed to make it back to the motel a little after 6 PM. I laid down in bed immediately. The others of course went to the Little Mo for supper. I ordered takeout. When they got back, I ate and they went to the hot tub for the evening. While soaking Brad listened to three guys in the hot tub talk about their day of hunting and what they did for a living. Finally, they asked him he did for a living and Brad with his quick wit said, “I am a game warden. I like to go undercover every once in a while.” I guess the other guy’s faces were in shock because of what they just told him. Ha ha. I wish I would’ve been there.

Monday morning it was time to go. Before I got in the chair, Brad & Shelie were already packed. They said they would go to Buffalo Gap and pick up my deer meat while mom got us packed. It didn’t take long get it and come back. Evidently Itchy Twitchy was there to help them. Geesh he is neat. When they got back to the motel, they helped us get everything loaded into my pickup.

On the way home the wind was actually pushing us, shocking. We didn’t need to stop for gas but I did stop to tilt in New Salem and Tappen. The Tappen Roadhouse Bar & Grill is a good place to stop. They have good food and homemade soups. I had a huge bowl of beef veggie soup that made me happy in my facial region and in my belly.

We got home around 5:30 PM on Monday the 20th. It didn’t take long to get everything unpacked and in the house. Then we got the coffin cooler in the shop and got the meat in a freezer. We will trim out the quarters soon. Can’t wait to eat the tenderloins, back straps and heart.

When I got in my room, I got in bed, gosh it felt good. This was going to be where I stayed until Thanksgiving three days away. My backside needed a couple days rest after averaging 10 hours a day in the chair during the trip. Good news, no problems with skin breakdowns. The couple days in bed will also get rid of muscle soreness built up from bouncing around and just being up in the chair so much. You might think it would suck laying down for days, but going on trips like this make it not suck.

Another trip of a lifetime thanks to Mom, Brad & Shelie, Sam, and the landowners Nick & Maria, John & Nikki. Without you all, none of this could have happened. Thank you. You all don’t suck…

Sorry if this got a little long-winded but I love the details. Great memories.

Thanks for reading, Clint.

Tuesday, June 20, 2023

Indies Hall of Fame stuff and things.


The North Dakota Amateur Baseball Hall of Fame celebrated the four members they selected for their 2023 inductions on June 10. The four inductees are Don Dick of Enderlin, Bryan Erstad of Jamestown, Larry Omdahl of Fordville and Scott Johnson of Tolna. The celebration started with a golf scramble in Park River which the Enderlin Indies took 1st, then there was a social hour at The Wells Drinking Well in Fordville, the Hall of Fame banquet followed where a roast beef dinner was served before the inductees each gave a speech and the night ended with a dance and silent auction. The banquet hall was packed with family and friends of each Hall of Famer.

Don Dick, Larry Omdahl, Scott Johnson and Bryan Erstad.

Manager Don Dick has led the Indies for 22 years. During those years of managing, he has brought Enderlin 6 state titles. Being a manager of an amateur team means filling many roles, which include scheduling games, recruiting players, making lineups, making sure there are enough players to fill a lineup, playing games, field maintenance and making travel arrangements to name a few. It also takes a lot of time and commitment to keep the program running and he has done that with flying colors. Most of all Manager Don Dick makes the summers awesome for the individual Indies. Our hats are off to you. Thanks Don.

Past and present Indies who attended the banquet were Taran Langland, Tanner Groth, Bruce Madsen, Lawrence Rolland, James Gillespie, Don Dick, Travis Midthun, Kevin Bratland, Kayl Hamre, Clint Lindemann, Neil Roesler, Dustin Nelson, Pat Adair, Logan Midthun and David Dick.



Wednesday, November 9, 2022

2022 Mule Deer Hunt.

Sam, Shay, Cole, Brad, Shelie, me and Brady.

I have a lot of stuff and things on my bucket list. To shoot a mule deer buck is at the top of that list. Of course, to hunt mule deer you have to go to where they are and this is the main reason I wanted to hunt them. To get out in the Badlands of North Dakota. There is just something magical about the place.

The quest to wrap my tag around a muley buck antler started a couple years ago. My friend Matthew who has spent a lot of time in the Badlands around Grassy Butte told me to put in for that unit, 4C. He said once I draw the tag he will take care of everything else. Wouldn’t you know that I was lucky enough and I drew the coveted tag. I wrote about that adventure here. If you haven’t read it, please click on, “4C hunt.”

Those days hunting and exploring around Grassy Butte got me hooked. I seriously didn’t care that I didn’t fill that tag. Seeing those elk and seeing the sights absolutely blew my mind. I couldn’t wait to get back again. After that hunt a guy name Sam who I only knew through a group on Snapchat, offered to help me chase mule deer in unit 4D if I could draw that tag. And wouldn’t you know it, I drew that tag in 2021. I got to know Sam more and more with our conversations over phone and texts. We had everything lined up, places to hunt and I had my motel room booked. But there was one problem, I got sick. And not just a little bit. I ended up with pneumonia and spent six glorious days in Scamford Hospital & Suites. Good times. You can read all about the blog entry here. If you haven’t read it click on, “Pneumonia sucks.”

I was pretty disappointed missing a chance at that hunt. I thought the opportunity was going to be gone. But Sam told me to apply again and we will just do it next year. I told him, “I am coming hell or high water. I don’t care if I’m on my deathbed!” But I first had to draw the 4D tag. And wouldn’t you know it, I drew it again. So we started making plans for the 2022 rifle season. Sam works in the oil fields and works seven on seven off, Wednesday through Wednesday. So it would work for me to hunt the opening weekend. Sam also drew a buck tag in the same unit but he didn’t care. He said, “I can hunt after you kill.”

Now I had to convince my mom about the stuff and things that were going to happen. She was hesitant but she would do it. I didn’t know at the time but my brother-in-law Brad and sister Shelie offered to go along and help. I am a full-time job. We all decided that we would take off for Medora November 3 the night before the season opens and head back on November 8. That would give me three days to hunt and two days to travel. 

After we got everything packed up and there was a lot of packing, we headed west. It should be around 4 ½ hours to get to Medora from the farm but I am supposed to tilt back 10 minutes every hour. So that adds time. We stopped at a rest area west of Jamestown, rest area east of Bismarck and at my favorite convenience store in the state in Richardton. Of course, the wind was in our face on the drive. Doesn’t it always work that way?

I believe we got to Medora around 3:30 PM local time. We got checked into the AmericInn early and we decided to head south on the West River Road. My eyes were wide with the views. The beauty of the landscape is just unmatched in my eyes. Pictures do not do it justice. We drove and maybe put on 30 or 40 miles. We saw quite a few mule deer here and there. Mostly on the river bottom. To say I was excited would be an understatement.

I got a hold of Sam who lives in Dickinson and told him to meet us at the Little Missouri Saloon for some supper and cocktails while we made a plan for the next day. This was actually the first time I had met Sam face-to-face. He is a character and he fit right in. His mustache is phenomenal. I am envious. That night we also ran into a couple guys from Enderlin, Kyle and David. It’s a small world. We took it pretty easy the first night because of the long drive. So we got a plan together and headed back to the motel. I went straight to bed while the others went to the hot tub. Sidebar: If you ever go to the Little Mo, say hi to Lasko the bartender. Best bartender in the state.




Sam and I. Blood brothers.

Rifle season opens at 11 AM local time in Medora. Sam had a plan for us to go down to the Brown Ranch. It was a little over an hour away from Medora on the south end of the unit. Was a little hesitant to go that far but once I got there I was in heaven. We met the awesome landowner Nick at his house, plus we met his beautiful wife Maria and his adorable mother Nikki that first day. Their place is right along the Little Missouri. Everywhere you look is a postcard. It is something to see. As I was tilted back waiting to go on the hunt Nikki told us that Teddy Roosevelt camped not more than 100 yards from the house while he was on a hunting trip through the area. That just gives you goosebumps. Nick and his family are awesome. They made us feel like we were part of the family. After I got done tilting to rest my backside we headed out after I showed them how my rifle mount and elongated trigger works. They were impressed, I think. I brought along my Tikka 270 rifle. Then Sam jumped in Nick’s pickup and we followed them.





We put on a ton of miles that day. We were going up and down and bouncing all around the buttes and valleys on their place. It is something that I will never forget. I just can’t get over the scenery. We took a lot of pictures. It’s hard to absorb it all. We saw some deer that first day but Nick was disappointed that we didn’t see more. We did find quite a few does and one buck that I could have tried to get on. But Nick told me he wanted me to get something bigger. He is neat. That first day we explored most of the north side of the ranch. I really didn’t care about seeing deer. I was in my element driving through that land of history. Nick invited us back the next day to search some more of the territory. He promised me the next day that I would be able to notch off another item off my bucket list. That is to ford the Little Mo with my pickup. So we headed back to the motel and I went straight to bed. The others went to the saloon and had supper. I believe my mom won $600 that night on the machines also. Then they came back with some food for me and they hit the hot tub.


Gate bitch.

The next day which was Saturday we headed back down to the Brown Ranch. This day it was windy. I mean like 30 mph with higher gusts. We got down to the farmstead and there were some other hunters there plus Nick’s mom Nikki and dad John. Plus Mason, one of Nick and Maria’s four children. This kid is entertaining. More stories to come. They were gathered around on the porch trying to get out of the wind enjoying a Busch Latte. I tilted and we got to know the other hunters. They are lifelong friends of the Brown’s. I told Nick that I didn’t want to pull him away from his visitors but he said it was no big deal and we headed out. This time Nick got in Sam’s pickup and we followed them around.





We headed through the corrals and to the south end of the property. It wasn’t too long and we were staring at the Little Missouri. They went first and we followed shortly after. I didn’t think it was going to be as deep as that was seeing there has been so little rain. But it was up to the floorboards or little higher. It was a blast going through until we got to the other bank. It was steep. And there were deep ruts. We tried going up but we slid off the high points and stopped. So we backed up down into the river and this time we gave it the onion. I didn’t look over at the tach but she had to have been close to pegged. The GMC sounded great. Nick and Sam were on the top of the bank and as soon as we give it the onion Nick put his thumb up and smiled. They got back in Sam’s pickup and we explored some more. I don’t know how those guys see the deer they see. They would stop and glass and point out deer. Most of them I have to say I didn’t see. I don’t know how they could see them while driving. They just must have the eyes for that kind of territory. It’s like a needle in a haystack. Soon enough we were at another crossing. This time fording the river wasn’t as sketchy but just as much fun. There were deer here and there up high on the sidehills and one buck I would have tried to get on but he ran like a raped ape for some reason into the other unit.

Soon enough it was getting dark and we started heading back to the house. This meant fording the river two more times. I was in heaven. Going this direction the riverbanks were not so bad climbing out of. I was just glad my mom did not come along this day, she would have been crying and walking back to the motel. She is not a fan of going over old bridges or any type of water. I am the exact opposite. To watch the crossings of the river click here.

L-R: Nick, Mason, Sam, me, Shelie, Brad.

When we got back to Nick’s place he opened the garage door and we went inside. He threw a 30 pack of Busch Light on the floor, we had some libations and talked about the days hunt. He invited us back the next day but I told him I couldn’t do it one more time. I really truly enjoyed going around their property but I was jostled around quite a bit. My muscles were tenderized and I knew I would be sore. I could see he was disappointed but he understood. We stayed there for a couple hours. It was fun. He showed us his mounts of the animals he has been able to take. Pretty sure Jim Shockey would be envious. The stories he told us were awesome. I could’ve sat there all night. I think the highlight of the evening was getting to know their son Mason. He is a card. He asked me questions straight out about everything. I actually told him the truth. He offered to make me a cocktail. He started pouring the Morgan into my mug and my eyes got huge. I think he was trying to kill me. I am laughing as I am typing. I can see the whole thing playing in my mind. To say it was stiff would be an understatement. He also kept straightening my feet. So when he wasn’t looking I would move them in different directions by running into something. When he would come back he would stare at me and straighten my feet again. He was so disgusted with me. He also showed me his switchblade skills. It was entertaining. We also got to meet their other kids Miles and Ava. They are all awesome. But soon enough we had to head back. I so hope to run into that family again. If you guys are reading this let me know if you ever head this direction, I would love to meet up.

Austin, me, DB.





Like I said it is a little over an hour back to Medora. On the ride home I was contacted by Stephen a friend who lives in Beach. He said him and his dad Andy would who was visiting would meet us at the Little Mo. Was also contacted by Kristy and Tyler who also wanted to meet up, they live in the area. But they were not able to make it. Stephen and Andy did though. It’s always is good to see them. Too bad there was a band at the bar and it was too loud to really have conversation. While we were there Austin and DB came strolling in. These are also two guys who are in that same Snapchat group as Sam and I are. I had never met these guys face-to-face either but it didn’t matter. It was a blast and there were plenty of libations to go around.

I was glad to wake up that next day which was Sunday. Sam had a plan to hunt closer to town. He said him and his buddy Brady had some land I could get on that there should be deer. I was still in bed at the motel when Sam got a hold of me. He said he had a buck bedded down and it was just off the road. I could hear the wind howling in my room and I knew it was going to be a sketchy day shooting anything. We got packed up again and Brad, Shelie and I headed out west of town. It wasn’t long and we ran into Sam. We made a plan of driving past the buck, then I would get out of the pickup and get the rifle mount and rifle strapped on my wheelchair. This time we would use his 300 Norma Mag with 230 grain Berger bullets. Sam said we should use this because the heavier bullet would cut the wind a lot more than the 150 grain bullets I was shooting. When I had everything ready Sam and I would go alongside the pickup as it was headed the other direction so the deer could not see us. They are more afraid of people walking than vehicles. It was brutally cold, around 25° and winds were at 40 mph. I was shivering uncontrollably.

When we got to a good angle that I could get on the buck, we snuck around the backend of the pickup. The buck was bedded on a hillside amongst trees. It took a while for me to see him but when I did I could see the two antlers pointed straight up. He was cool looking. He was also in velvet which is weird this time of year. He looked like the devil. Looking through the glass on his Vortex Razor Gen 2 scope was a treat. I could see the cold air coming out of the buck’s nostrils. He was a little over 200 yards. We were all set up and I told Sam I was on him. He reached forward and took off my safety. Right afterwards the gun went off. Sam didn’t have time to cover his ears. For some reason by elongated trigger set off the rifle trigger when the safety clicked off. Sketchy. But we got the whole shot on video. I was inches away from bagging that buck. The buck and a couple others ran around but had no clue what happened. They were actually going to bed back down but we made the decision to pack up and figure out what went wrong. 

When Sam was taking off my rifle mount my controller on my wheelchair got stuck under my tray. This put me into a flat spin like on Top Gun. I spun around once and Sam asked, “Are you doing that on purpose?” I responded, “Hell no!” I spun around quickly two more times uncontrollably and Sam was able to grab the handles on the back of my wheelchair and he held me in place, thankfully. Shelie saw what happened, jumped out of the pickup and lifted the tray off of my controller. I thought for sure I was going to spin and end up tipped down the ditch. I would’ve been flopping around like a crappie on the ice. What a scene. I wish that was on video. Or maybe I don’t…


By this time, I was freezing. Brad and Sam helped get everything loaded into the pickup and we followed Sam to Sentinel Butte. There we were going to meet his friends Brady and Cole. We met at the gas station which is also the local coffee gathering spot. That place as quite the story. It was even featured on Oprah. The owner opened the back door so I could get in and I tilted back. Shelie got some tea and the owner heated up for me. I was so cold, my left arm wasn't working well. She had to work my controller for me to work my tilt. After I was done tilting, I started sipping on the hot tea. I don’t even like tea but that didn’t matter at the time. It helped me warm up. The owner also brought out a platter of baked goods including caramel rolls and pumpkin bars. It did not suck. While we were there, we figured out that when we put the elongated trigger on the trigger guard of Sam’s rifle it must’ve been too close to the trigger. That is what made the gun go off prematurely. But it worked great earlier when we tested it. Brady said we could use his 300 Win Mag that shoots 215 grain Hybrid Berger bullets. His rifle is topped with a Vortex Viper Gen 2. Very easy on the eyes. The elongated trigger worked perfectly on his rifle.

Brady said they had some family land that I could hunt on. Brady shot a 200-inch mule deer on this stuff with his bow. Crazy. It was number three or four in the state record books when it was shot. Brady and Sam hopped in his vehicle and we would follow them from the gas station. I later learned that I am the only person other than family who has hunted this piece of property. I truly am the lucky boy in the wheelchair. We headed from Sentinel Butte. We pulled into an old abandoned farmstead and we made a plan. Brad, Shelie and I would stay at the farmstead in the warm vehicle while they did some scouting. It wasn’t long and I got the call from Sam that they found a good buck bedded down.

It took us a bit to get to the spot. But it wasn’t nearly as rough as the stuff I had been through the last couple days. Brady was concerned about the roughness and Sam said with a laugh, “He’s been through a lot worse.” When we got to the top of the hill there was a field of harvested peas. The wind was pretty much directly in my face. Perfect to get on the buck. It was perfect but blowing 40 mph with higher gusts. I got out in that wind and I knew it was going to be a hard shot. Brad, Brady, Sam and myself made the sneak up to the edge of the hillside and got prepared for the shot. The deer was bedded 290 yards away from my position. My tray was vibrating and my chair was blowing around like a kite. Brady grabbed one side of my chair trying to hold it still and Sam on the other. My eyes were watering and I was shivering. I was miserable at that moment. It took me a while to get on him with that wind. And then once I was on him the wind would bounce the scope around terribly. But I finally felt like I was on him so I took a shot and it went right over its back. The buck had no clue where the shot came from. He got up and ran maybe a hundred yards and bedded back down. I was ready to give up but they said he ain't going anywhere. So, I got back in the pickup for half hour to warm up. Then I got back out and we reattached the gun mount and Brady’s rifle. We then made the second sneak. We got up to the hillside and he was bedded 130 yards away. It worked perfectly. For some reason it was just as windy but at that spot the wind wasn't affecting me as much. I moved my chair to get in line, adjusted my elevation by tilting a little, looked in the scope and he was right there. The crosshairs were right on him! Sam grabbed one side of chair and Brady on the other. I said, “I'm on him.” Sam dialed the scope in a little and I said, “That’s good, I'm taking the shot.” I pulled the trigger and didn’t even feel the trigger or the recoil. It felt good. The next thing I knew Sam, Brady and my brother-in-law Brad were screaming like school girls. “He got him! He got him!” I got a little choked up. It was quite the moment. We congratulated each other and I thanked them all. 

Me, Shelie, Brad.

Brady, me, Sam.

They then helped me get everything back into the pickup. Then Brady and Sam went down to the buck and tagged it. They told me to head back to the abandoned farmstead where Brady’s brother Cole was with their cousin Shay. I later learned that these two videoed the whole thing a thousand yards away at the farmstead. You can see the video here.

After the shot, Cole and Shay drove up to help load the buck. It’s a good thing they did because Brady’s fuel pump went out on his pickup. What are the odds? So they threw the buck in the back of Cole’s pickup and made their way down to the farmstead. We then all got out and went over the events that just took place. It was a great time. It was now time for pictures. We found a good spot next to an old building and took turns capturing the moment. They then gutted it and told us to follow them to the Grandpa’s farm so we could quarter it out.

Didn’t take long and we are at their Grandpa’s place. He was very inviting and a great guy. He was pumped for me. He let us use his garage to hang the deer and it didn’t take Sam and the others long to skin and quarter Mr. Big. We all enjoyed some celebratory beers watching Sam work. I was also tilting during this time. I was so cold I couldn’t my left arm, so Shelie had to run my wheelchair controller. But one of the guys got a propane turkey fryer going right next to me. The flames got me warm. They threw the tenderloins and back straps in one game bag and the quarters were in a couple other game bags. Then they threw everything in my Uncle Joe’s big cooler that was in my pickup box. They didn’t even know me an hour earlier and they rolled out the red carpet for me. Forever indebted.





Before butchering we couldn’t see where the bullet entered. But when we looked at the heart we knew where the bullet hit. The top half of the heart was completely gone. The bullet entered his right side went through the heart and Sam found the bullet on the other side in between the ribs and the skin. That bullet and the casing will be with me forever. Forgot to say that we caped the buck also. I texted my taxidermist Shad Stoddard and he said get it here as quick as you can. I will have to find room on my wall for another shoulder mount. That’s a good problem.

I can’t believe how everything worked out so well. I was ready to give up a couple times. Because I was happy with just being out there. Glad the fellas urged me on. Could not have done any of it without the help of my new friends, old friends and family.

After we got the buck in the cooler the boys got the garage cleaned up and looking just like it was when we got there. I thanked Grandpa for helping and he said any time. I thanked Cole and Shay. They were smiling the whole time. Grandpa told us the shortcut to get back to Medora so Brad, Shelie and I headed back to town to raise a little hell at the Little Mo. Brady hopped in with Sam because he now had no vehicle and needed a ride to Dickinson. We told them to stop at the bar to have some supper and cocktails. Which they did. We all had a great meal and a great time reminiscing the day’s events. We weren’t there very long, I think we were back at the motel by 9 PM. Sam and Brady left earlier. When we got to the motel I went straight to bed. The others went to the hot tub. I didn’t sleep very well that night, I think it was because I was little excited.



The next morning which was Monday, November 7 there was snow on the ground. I looked at the forecast for the day and it said strong southeast winds with snow showers. So we would be bucking a headwind heading east also. Just lovely for a long road trip home. Checkout was at 11 AM and we had everything packed and ready to go a little after that. The roads weren’t too bad until we got to about New Salem. But then they got really sketchy when we got to Mandan. The passing lane was pretty much not usable. The temperature was just right and the highways were warm enough that things were starting to ice up. When we were going down the hill towards the river, we were driving 5 mph. There was an accident somewhere up ahead. We were almost stopped on the bridge going over the Missouri River. It was slow driving all the way through Bismarck also. 

Only stopped twice to tilt on the way back. Once in Richardton and once in Steele. I just wanted to get home and lay down. The weather added an extra hour and ½ to the trip. I think I was home and back in bed a little before 6 PM.

While mom was helping me get in bed Brad, Shelie and my dad helped unload everything. They also made a plan to bring the cooler of meat to the locker that night. My dad works at Maple Valley Meats in Enderlin. That is quite handy. They also brought the buck’s cape to the locker. The next day my friend Don B brought the cape to the taxidermist. It takes a team. I am a lot of work. Ha.

Shelie and Mom/Deb.

I knew this hunt was going to take a toll on my body. But I didn’t care. I figured I had all winter to rest up if I needed. And I probably will need it to recover. Check that, I will let my body recover after I fill my bow tag. Priorities.

Nick and Brad.

I still can’t believe how everything came together. The whole thing was just perfect. There wouldn’t be anything I would change. Everyone that I met was so awesome. They didn’t even know me and they were willing to help in any way. I am forever indebted to everyone that was involved. There is no way to say how thankful I am to everyone. It’s not about the kill, it’s about the memories made. And I sure made a lot of memories during this hunt.

Thanks for reading, Clint.

Another sidebar: Grandma Nikki sent me a message and told me that she enjoyed having us down and really loved the conversations we had. I told her if I ever make it back down to be warned because I might never leave. She told me, “The house next door is empty!” That just goes to show what kind of people they are. Just another reason why I love hunting and meeting new people. Lifelong friends are made. I will cherish my time I spent with everyone I met during this hunt.

Sam with his bow buck. Shot 11/8.