Thanks to the White Stallion, a.k.a. Dusty and the guys in my texting group I got the opportunity to hunt in the most prized unit in the state for mule deer. You see the White Stallion was hunting last year and he noticed that someone had a different looking tag wrapped around an antler so he asked about it. He found out from this person how he obtained the tag. So one day during our daily conversation of random texts, he asked me if I knew about it. I had no clue. I didn't even think it was true. But then another guy in the texting group Taylor, a.k.a. The Cando Killer made some calls and found out it was possible.
So knowing this valuable information I now had to decide what unit I was going to apply for. I knew in the back of my mind I wanted to go after a mule deer buck. It was on my bucket list. But I just didn't know if it would be possible for me physically, getting my wheelchair around the rugged territory of the Badlands. Also did not know where or who I would get land access from. I know there is a lot of public land out west but it would be even more not sucky if I could get on some private land. That is when Enslow a.k.a. Matthew, another guy from texting group said I should apply for unit 4C. He had been hunting out there for years and knew a landowner that he thought would let me hunt on his land.
Enslow made a call and landowner graciously said that I could hunt on his land. So it was settled. 4C was going to be my destination. I was pumped. Now I have to decide where I was going to stay. I really didn't want to stay in a motel in Killdeer or Watford City. The drive back and forth to the hunting grounds would suck. I knew there were cabins up there to rent so I inquired if there were any openings during the rifle season. The first place I contacted was the Lone Butte Cabins. Just by looking at their website I could tell I wanted to stay here. But I needed to make sure there was an opening and I needed to make sure that I could get my wheelchair into the cabin.
I asked the owners if they could take some pictures and do some measurements for me of the cabins to see if my wheelchair would work. They have two different cabins to rent. The owners said no problem and within a couple days I had pictures and a lot of detailed information was sent to my phone. With this I decided that the Juniper Ridge Cabin was going to be my Huckleberry. It also worked out perfectly that the cabin was available November 15 through the 19th. I figured this was the perfect amount of time knowing that my body would be dead tired after that many days of hunting, especially after the long drive. That really takes it out of me. Also, later in the season the more likely the mule deer bucks will be in rut.
After some paperwork of stuff and things I had a tag. I could not believe that I had a 4C any deer tag. Never thought it would happen. To draw in this unit might take almost 10 points for a mule deer buck tag. I have even been buying points in South Dakota for mule deer but that might take five more years to get enough points. I knew going in that the odds of me actually shooting something was going to be pretty slim. But being able to get on private land was going to help those odds. It's good to know good people. I just love hunting new territory. I had never been north of 94 on Highway 85. I had never been to the North Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Because of the good people I know all of this was going to happen.
I knew I was going to use my dad's Tika .270 WIN rifle for the location. I tested it out on my gun mount earlier in the summer and it was going to work perfectly. Even the trigger mechanism worked slick. When I got my new wheelchair in September I did not know how my rifle mount was going to work. But as I wrote about earlier in a different blog, the rifle mount attached to my new wheelchair with just a couple different modifications.
Enslow and I were in communication throughout the whole process about how things were going to go down during the hunt. He graciously took vacation for the days that I would be out there. He said he had a bunch stacked up anyway and he just loves that country. So first of all it was just going to be myself, my mom and Enslow. I think we could've made it happen but it would have been tough. A couple weeks before the hunt my friend Don B offered to go along and help. This was a big relief for not only me but also my mom I believe. Now she could just get me ready around noon and she could relax in the hot tub while I was hunting. That doesn't suck.
So on the morning of November 15 mom and I drove to Enderlin to get Don B. He hopped in the driver’s seat and drove the whole way to Grassy Butte. We had great weather on the way out and we only stopped once for a pit stop. There wasn't much traffic on 94 or on 85. It was smooth sailing.
When we turned east off of Highway 85 we started to see animals. First we saw antelope, then we saw whitetail deer, then we saw turkeys, then we saw grouse and then we saw some mule deer. I knew this wasn't going to suck and I knew that I picked the perfect place to stay.
Enslow got to the landowner's place earlier that morning. When we turned north of Bellfield I contacted him to see if he could help us unpack the pickup and set up the ramps when we got there. Sure enough just like clockwork he was right in front of us as we pulled up to the Juniper Ridge cabin. It wasn't long and everything was unpacked and in the cabin. I also brought along three of my ramps. We used one of the wooden ramps to get on the walkway, we used the Roll-A-Ramp to get up the steps and we used a piece of plywood to get up to the threshold of the cabin door. Everything worked slick.
But before I even went into the cabin I couldn't take my eye off of the view. Holy Shinto. Everywhere you looked was a postcard. Sincerely. It is crazy beautiful. What a view. There is a deep ravine to the northwest of the cabin and to the northeast is Lone Butte. We took a lot of pictures but even though the pictures are great it does not do the view any justice. The best part is you can see all of this from the hot tub on the deck. There is also a path to the west of the cabin that takes you to what Don B called, "Inspiration Point." From this spot you can see for miles. I believe we saw deer right away down in the gully.
We then checked out the cabin. It is fully loaded. The only thing you need to bring is food and beverage. There is a full kitchen, dining room, cable TV, four beds, a rocking chair and a couch. It is a log cabin and it has that log cabin feel. There are antlers and stuff hanging all over. I could live here. Easily. Kind of looks like my bedroom with the dead things on the wall. I would highly recommend staying at the Lone Butte Cabins.
I needed to tilt back for a while and after that we decided to go for a little tour of the area with Enslow. He knows this place like the back of his hand. When we went west of Grassy Butte I couldn't believe what I was looking at. It is hard to explain. The ruggedness and the just pure beauty are overwhelming. I think it is indescribable. I fell in love with everything that I was seeing. And just to top it off we were seeing deers of every variety. It definitely did not suck. If I go back I might not ever come back. I told the guys that the trip was already worth it. I really didn't care if I shot anything. Just being out there in that country was a dream fulfilled. I cannot get enough of it.
On the way back to the cabin which was 19 miles away from the place we were going to be hunting, I figured out an easy way to explain how to get there if I was ever held up by gunpoint. I would say, "It is six cattle guards and seven culverts away just on the other side of the Beicegel Creek." That should narrow it down…
One thing that I for sure learned is that this trip would have never been possible without my pickup. We were on some rugged roads and I know the shaggin wagon would never have been able to make it to the spot I was going to hunt. Also, there would have not been enough room in the shaggin wagon for all of the gear we brought along. Thanks again for the pickup. Notice how I do not call it a truck. Sorry, that is a pet peeve of mine. Carry on.
When we got back to the cabin we had some homemade lasagna that mom heated up. That hit the spot. We brought lasagna, pork chops, deer sausage, potatoes, onions, noodles, bread, butter, eggs and bacon along to eat. The only thing I forgot was the summer sausage that was in the fridge at home. I was worrying the whole way up that I forgot something essential like bullets or my tag. Thank goodness the summer sausage was the only thing.
We decided earlier that I would not be hunting in the morning. As most of you know I only can be in the chair so long so we decided that the afternoon hunt would be the best. So I would get in the chair around noon and be at the hunting spot around 2 PM. It took about a half-hour to get to where we needed to be.
The next morning we had some eggs and bacon for breakfast. The anticipation was high. I couldn't wait to get in the chair. It was actually bothering me. I wanted to get up early and just get out there. It sucks waiting. But eventually it was noon and I got in the wheelchair. We had some more lasagna and in no time it was time to head out. Enslow met us at the harvested oat field where we would set up a pop-up blind. We didn't set it up the night before because it was very windy. Enslow hopped in the back seat of my pickup and we drove through the dried-up creek onto the field. The view from where we were was unbelievable. There were buttes in every direction. We took quite a few pictures but again the pictures just don't do it justice.
I believe we were in the blind by 2 PM exactly. As Enslow drove away I couldn't believe where I was. I was happy in my facial region. I still am by the way. As he was driving out of the field we saw a decent whitetail buck jump out of the draw just to the west and burn to the southwest. He must've gotten spooked.
After that first whitetail buck we didn't see anything for the first hour and a half. But right at 3:30 PM stuff and things started to happen. We were facing west and the wind was generally from the northwest. We thought most of the deer would come out of the draw that was a couple hundred yards in front of us. I could hear some soft grunts to the south. I believe I heard two of them and I asked Don B if he could hear them. Then I heard a couple more grunts. Then I could hear footprints through the crusted snow. Then a mule deer doe with twins were the first to appear. They came from my left. The old doe knew something was up. She was giving us the stink eye. The twins didn't care. But she did not like that pop-up blind. She stared at us for quite a while. I knew we were busted. She then made her way to the east out of view but I could hear her them bounding away. First time I have ever heard that. Neat. Boing, boing, boing…
Not long after she took off Don B looked behind us through a crack in the window and said there was deer behind us. There was a handful of mule deer. Pretty soon he says, "There is elk also!" I couldn't believe it. At first I thought he was shitting me. But I could see the excitement in his eyes. I was pumped. He could see four elk through the crack. He then said, "I wish you could see them. Do you want to see them?" Of course I said yes. We just had to figure out how to get me turned around. Then Don B had a brilliant idea. We would do the pop-up blind pivot. He would kind of stand up and push up on the ceiling of the blind and turn slowly while I turn my chair at the same time. The problem was we had to do this very slowly plus there was also a stool and a bag of gear in the blind. So picture this, Don B would turn the blind about 30° then stop, then I would turn as far as I could go, then Don B would move the stuff and then the process would start over again until we had moved 180°. Plus we had to do this so the deer would not notice. When we got turned around there was about a dozen mule deer in the field and 4 elk that we could see.
I couldn't believe my eyes. I was looking at elk. And there was one mule deer buck that was about the size of the whitetail I shot this year with my crossbow. I had him in my scope at 175 yards. Broadside. For a long time. But I was there for something bigger. This was of course the first day. And I don't think I would have even shot him the last day. It was awesome. I could not believe there was elk in front of me. The spooky elk didn't even budge when we did our maneuver. We could not believe it. The elk were 270 yards away. I could not believe how big they were. This is the first time I have ever seen one in the wild.
We tried to get a good picture through my rifle scope but the attempt was futile. We giggled in the blind about that. Good stuff. I also told Don B that I named the pivot maneuver that we pulled off, "A Glorious Shit Show Pivot." I wish someone could have seen what we did. We could not believe what we did and what was in front of us. I was so glad that we were able to do it though. The sight in front of me was worth the trip.
The deer and elk fed in the field and grazed aimlessly but never got any closer. Not that we needed them to get closer but they were all to the east and never moved closer. From our vantage point we could only see that one mule deer buck. There had to of been another buck somewhere with all of the skinheads around.
Pretty soon it was after sunset and there was still no more deer coming into the field. But the ones that were there were still there. I was watching in awe. Soon enough it was 4:45 PM and legal shooting time was over. About then we heard the pickup start about a half-mile away and Enslow made his way towards us. It was crazy. Some of the deer ran right away but the elk did not move. They must've been hungry or knew they were safe. Even when Enslow got to us there were still three elk inside of 300 yards just grazing away. What the heck. We tried to be quiet but that is almost impossible with getting me and all of the gear into the pickup. We decided to take down the pop-up blind to reposition it the next day. So that even made more noise. I got loaded into the pickup and the elk were still there. On the way out of the field Enslow told us there were 32 mule deer in the field plus another eight outside of the field. Plus a real decent whitetail buck. The other mule deer were over the hill to the east and the other deer were to the west down in the draw behind us. Enslow was glassing, sitting about three quarters of a mile away on a vantage point to the northwest where he could see everything that was going on. He also said there was seven elk total including two spikes. We were pumped. On cloud nine I was.
We told Enslow about the "Glorious Shit Show Pivot" and he could not believe it. We're all pumped and excited for the next couple days. Put it didn't matter what happened in the future because my trip was already worth it, a couple times.
We dropped off Enslow at his pickup and we made our way back to the cabin. Boy does it get dark out there. It is entertaining when it is pitch black going through the winding roads dodging deer on the highway and gravel. But soon enough we made our way with nary a collision. That night we had some deer sausage with fried potatoes and onions. It did not suck.
The one thing that did suck about the trip was the 4:15 PM sunset. Going into the eastern side of the Mountain Time Zone really screwed with my internal clock. By 9 PM every night I was ready to go to bed. Then I would wake up at 2:30 AM and not fall back to sleep. I even tried alcohol the second and third night and that didn't even help. That is saying something.
Enslow decided to go to the Long X Saloon that night. He texted me, it was a dumpster fire. I figured that that meant something bad happened. But there was really a dumpster fire. What the heck. He then replied, "Only in Grassy!" Ha ha. Neat.
Tuesday when the sun came up I could hear the wind gusting over the chimney. My bed was right next to the fireplace. The wind was out of the southeast so we decided to move farther to the east on top of the knob in the field. We would set up next to some bushes along the fence line. I got in the chair again around noon, we had some lunch and I tilted back before we took off for that afternoon hunt.
We met Enslow at the same spot and we told him our plan. He agreed and we made our way through the oat field. When we got to the top of the knob the view was out of this world. In every direction we were surrounded by buttes with the layers of beauty and the greenery that filled the voids. We quickly popped up the blind and Don B got my rifle mount and rifle attached to my chair. They threw the blind over top of me and we got settled in for the afternoon hunt. Enslow grabbed my phone as he was taking pictures with it he said, "Look at this place. Just look around." I agreed. It was the perfect setting. After he was done snapping some pics he hopped in my pickup and headed out to get to his vantage point after a little drive about.
The anticipation was high again. Especially after the day before with all of the game that came in to the field. We were just about right on top looking down on the area where the elk came in the first day. The mule deer came in just to the west of us where we were sitting this time. Everything was perfect. I was anticipating the field to come alive again around 3:30 PM. But there was nothing at that time. Except for pheasants. Holy shinto are there pheasants out there. At about 4 PM I looked to my left which is to the south and I saw a doe with twins. They were whitetail. She looked at us quizzically but we didn't seem to bother her too much. She didn't cross the fence, she made her way to the east down the draw into some trees. The twins followed and they disappeared. A little while later they did cross the fence and jumped into the field. A couple other whitetail skinheads also joined them. I just knew something else was going to follow them but nothing ever did.
Right when it was about time to start getting ready to pack up, the hills came alive with the sounds of coyotes. In every direction it was absolutely nuts. There were a few that probably were within a couple hundred yards. I can remember the view and the sound right now. It was impressive to say the least. Soon enough we could see Enslow in my pickup making his way up the field to us. He asked us what we saw and we told him. He said he didn't see much either from his vantage point. But when he was driving around before he got parked in his spot where he oversees the field, he saw quite a few muley bucks. He sent us some of the pics of them. They did not suck. It didn't matter. It was a successful night.
Soon enough we were all packed up and in the pickup making our way out of the field and back to his pickup. When we got east of 85 we had a nice whitetail buck run across the front of the vehicle. We had seen him the day before also. This night when we got back to the cabin we had some fried pork chops and parmesan noodles. That hit the spot. I even indulged in some Morgan 7's. I needed to change up my luck. It couldn't hurt.
To say it is entertaining in a blind with Don B for any amount of time is an understatement. The things I have learned from him while hunting would impress some and shock others. Ha ha. It's all good. Good grief. Plus there is always candy when you are with him. The only time I ever eat candy is while hunting with Don B. It usually has something to do with black licorice and chocolate. He is a candy fiend. If it's in a wrapper he will eat it. Good & Plenty's were on the menu the first two days of the hunt.
When the sun came up on Wednesday, the last day of my hunt the wind was the same. But it seemed to be just in a little bit more out of the southeast with an overcast sky. The wind was a little discouraging but when we looked outside and saw deer out the cabin window, that made me feel better. Every day we would see deer from the cabin. This day there were two muley bucks and I believe three skinheads across the ravine. We would also see whitetail. This place is something else.
Right before lunch Kelly, one of the owners stopped by the cabin to check on how we were doing. He and his wife Rachel have run the cabins for quite a few years. He asked how the hunt was going and we told him. I could tell right away that he was good people. He told us some hunting stories and asked us where we were hunting. He knew that landowner and said that was a good area. He then told us about the mountain lion that he killed that was first spotted by his mother on the cover of the hot tub. The same hot tub where mom had been relaxing the last couple days. Hee hee. Evidently this cat was beaten up by another lion and was emaciated. It was looking for a safe, warm spot to lick its wounds. His mom told him about the cat and he shot it not far from the cabin. The cat had nothing in the stomach when the biologist looked at it and it weighed 138 pounds. That is a big cat. I wonder how big the cat was that beat it up? Geesh. He told me that I should apply for unit 4A next time. That is the unit on the east side of Highway 85 where the cabins and their ranch is located. I might just take him up on that offer.
After lunch I went out to "Inspiration Point" and took in the view one last time. I knew I wouldn't have time to do it Thursday morning, the day we left. I just couldn't get over everything that you could see. I spotted one muley way off in the distance. The wind had a bite to it this day. I wish it didn't because I could have stayed out there all day. But I went back to the cabin and tilted before the afternoon hunt.
The wind was out of the same direction but it was a little bit stronger. We thought it was going to suck sitting on top of the hill but after we crossed the six cattle guards and seven culverts the wind had died down when we got to the bottom. The weather was going to be perfect. We met Enslow again and he hopped in the pickup as we made our way into the field. We popped up the blind in the same spot we had the night before. The anticipation was high as usual.
This night there was no Good & Plenty's, Don B decided to switch it up with some different candy for some luck. This night it was some type of taffy. It was not new. I would guess a decade old. But it was tasty. The switched up the candy did not bring any luck though. Nothing came into the field that night. But it didn't matter. Everything about this hunt was awesome. There was no suckage.
During the day it was decided that we would go to the bar afterwards no matter what happened, to pick up some shitty ass frozen pizza for supper. It was a good thing we did. On the way to the Long X Saloon in Grassy Butte I got a text from Spiek asking me if we wanted to meet up at his cabin or somewhere. I told him where we were headed and he said they would be there shortly. Spiek and Kron, friends of ours from back home, were also hunting in 4C and were staying not too far away at the Paradise Ridge Resort.
When we pulled up to the Long X, I noticed right away that there was one big step to get into the saloon. So we looked around for a makeshift ramp but there was none to be found. All of my ramps were back at the cabin. So we opened the door and Enslow said he could lift the front end up and that Don B could push me through. Well I could tell right away this wasn't going to work out so well for the home team. But a friendly patron inside came over and helped Enslow lift the front end up into the bar. Everybody inside was nice. It was good times. We were only going to stay for a couple. Don B held true to his word, but me not so much. The Morgan was flowing like the wines of Capistrano. We were there for only an hour and a half but there always seemed to be two cocktails on my tray. That problem doesn't suck.
It wasn't long after I sucked down my first Morgan 7 the boys from back home walked through the door. We had a grand time. They come up to hunt 4C every year. Sometimes they make two trips. They go earlier for bow season and they go during rifle season even if they do not get a rifle tag. I can see why they keep coming back.
The boys from back home and some of the bar patrons told me I should stay longer to fill my tag. People I didn't even know were giving me places to hunt on private land. That is awesome. But I knew I had to go home. My body just cannot take that many days in a row of abuse. Even I catch on, sometimes. I thanked everybody for the information and the opportunities to stay and hunt as I tried to make my way out of the bar. I was not sober. But I could still drive my wheelchair good enough to go backwards out the front door. Thankfully we had some help getting lifted down the step.
The Long X was a good time. I was glad we stopped. Everybody decided to leave at the same time. Enslow took off to make supper for his landowner buddy. He actually came back up town to try to climb the pterodactyl but he had no luck. The bar was shut down because it was after 10 PM by the governor's order. On the way back to the cabin when we got east of 85 we saw that same whitetail buck. This time he was laying right on the shoulder of the gravel road. He didn't budge. Must've been worn out.
By the way the pizza wasn't bad at all. It was Badlands Pizza and it did not suck. We got two different kinds of pizza and made them back at the cabin. In fact my mouth is still burnt from the first couple bites as I am typing this. Who would've ever thought that a bite of 400° molten cheesy pizza would burn your mouth? Good grief. One will never learn.
Yet again I woke up early. I think it was around 2:30 AM. Dang time change stuff. Around 7 AM we all started getting everything ready to head out. Don B pretty much had the back of the pickup filled up and I got in the chair. There wasn't much left except for the ramps. Enslow came and helped with that before we took off. We thanked Enslow for everything that he did for us. It was a blast. This trip could not have happened without his help. I think it was just a matter of time before I would've pulled the trigger. I could have in fact pulled the trigger that first night but I think I would have regretted that.
We took off early from the cabin because there was some rain moving in and it was supposed to turn to freezing rain. We got ahead of the front but we drove through some sprinkles north of Bellfield and some sprinkles east of there on the interstate. We stopped in Richardton so I could tilt back. Don B got some more candy for the ride home. A candy bar named Bueno. It didn't suck. The fog rolled in just west of New Salem. It was like pea soup for a while. It got real thick when we drove through Mandan. The fog lifted a little bit but could still not see farther than a half mile for quite a ways. I had to stop again in Steele to tilt back again. It felt good. Ten minutes later we were on the road again. I believe we got to Enderlin to drop off Don B a little after 2 PM. We both thanked him for everything he did for us. In the beginning of this trip I was going to do it with just mom and me. I am very glad that Don B offered to come along. I don't think it would have been possible without him. Thank you Don B. I am indebted. I believe I was home and in bed around 2:45 PM. I still am in bed as it is Saturday as I type this.
I can't thank everyone enough who made this trip successful. Especially mom. She kind of got wrangled into this whole thing. She wasn't too keen on the idea when I told her about it. But I think she did have fun. I know she really enjoyed the hot tub and the not driving. She would have not liked driving through some of the stuff we did. Especially driving at night, dodging deer left and right.
Don B, you are the best. You were my right-hand man throughout the whole trip. Thanks.
Enslow, not many would have done what you did for me. You got me on land, you took off work and you were there through it all. Thanks.
I truly hope I can get back there. It was the best trip I have ever been on. Like I have said before, if I do go back I may never come back here.
Thanks for reading, Clint.
