2025 Mule Deer Hunt story and stuff.

Here’s a little recap of this year’s mule deer buck hunt in 4D. Evidently, I am the lucky boy in the wheelchair for drawing another tag. It must be the clean living or something like that…

This year we took off on November 13. We planned on hunting Friday, November 14 through Sunday, November 16 and on the 17th we would make our way home. We this year included Brad the designated driver, Shelie the snack girl in back, Mom/Deb who makes sure that the hot tub works daily at the American Inn while the other three of us are hunting the back roads and myself the one with the tag.

Thursday when we got to Medora in the new Trail Boss, we had about an hour and ½ of daylight left, so we dumped off our luggage at the motel and took a little cruise east to see if any animals were moving. In that short time before dark, we actually saw quite a few deer but were all on posted land.

When we got back to town, we decided to go to the Little Mo Saloon for supper and cocktails. While we were there we ran into Clay and Ross Erdmann. We have known these guys forever as they are from the Enderlin area. Ross also had a tag in 4D. It was a good night at the saloon. Thanks again Ross for supper.

Friday when we started hunting around noon, Brad, Shelie and I were by ourselves so we decided to go down to the Brown Ranch where we have had luck before. It is about an hour drive from Medora. When we got onto the Brown Ranch, I decided I needed to tilt back a while. As we were sitting there on the side of the driveway, the owner of the ranch John Brown came driving up. We hadn’t seen each other for a couple years. He is a great person like the rest of the family.

He said he was going to check mail and he also needed to make a phone call. I’m not sure how far their mailbox is from the ranch but it’s gotta be 10+ miles. And evidently the cell service on his phone is sketchy at best down in the valley. He said this which also cracked me up, “I didn’t know you are coming down this year to hunt. Nick (his son) never mentioned anything to him about it.” Later when I talked to Nick, he said he told his dad many times that I was coming down that weekend to hunt. Classic. Of course, John didn’t care he told us just like Nick said, “You are welcome down here anytime and you can go anywhere on the ranch.” That is good stuff right there.

We saw a lot of animals that first day cruising around their place. We decided to go to the honey hole where I shot my last buck in 2023, the story here. As we were making our way in there, I noticed some deer in a deep draw. There were a couple skinheads and a buck who was sniffing around. He spotted us right away and bounced up a tall butte and there he was, gone. We kept going down the path to see if we could bump him again. But we never did see him. It was a good sign.

We made it all the way to the bottom of the draw which is a long ways off the driveway and parked for a while, we got out and glassed a hillside across the Horse Creek. There were skinheads here and there then we finally found another buck. We took out the rangefinder and he was at 600 yards laying on a hillside. Long distance AT&T. Brad did get a picture of him through the spotting scope. He looked like a 2 x 2 with tall daggers. The longest shot I have taken with my Tika 270 is at 300 yards. So we decided to move on to try and find something a little closer.

We saw quite a few animals including antelope and upland game cruising around the outskirts of the ranch. There was one group of antelope that numbered in the 60s. That was quite the sight to see. By this time, it was starting to get dark on us and we decided to head back to Medora slowly checking out other spots on the way back to town.

This night when we got back to town we decided to go to the other bar, Boots Bar and Grill. We knew that Sam was going to be there with some of the Olson family. In 2022 I hunted with these guys and I got my first mule deer buck. Here is the story of that hunt…

There was a big table filled with the Olson family and Sam. While they were having supper we decided to order. When everyone was done eating, we started talking about a plan for the next day, Saturday. That’s when the Olson boy’s dad, Shawn mentioned that he had a hunting shack I could get in if we wanted somewhere else to hunt. I thought that was quite the offer for someone that he just met. We really didn’t know what the hunting shack was but he said the deer come out from the draw at the same time every night around 4 PM. It was a great night at Boots.

On Saturday, I called Sam in the morning and he was west of town doing some scouting. That morning it was foggy, raining and the further west we went turned into snow. It melted when it hit the ground but it was tough to see anything at a long distance.

We drove around the Sentinel Butte area. If you have never done this you should. Great scenery everywhere you look. Again, we saw a lot of animals but mostly on posted land. When I got to 3 PM we decided we would meet Sam at the hunting shack to make sure I could get in before the deer started moving.

When we got to the hunting shack, it is about a couple hundred yards off of a main road. When we saw the shack, we could tell it was no shack at all. I named it the Taj Mahal of hunting shacks. The shack is probably 15’ x 15’, with a deck in front overlooking a steep draw. We used a couple of the wooden ramps in the back of the 2026 Trail Boss to get onto the deck and into the shack.

When we got inside, we were all amazed. Shawn turned the heat on earlier in the day. It was toasty warm. It had a bathroom, small kitchen, heat, air conditioning, TV, hardwood floors, comfortable recliner, leather couch and windows with no screens so you can stick your pipe out while waiting for deer. What else do you need in life… I can’t thank Shawn enough for the great offer and hospitality. It was nice being inside while it was raining pretty good.

Like clockwork, we started seeing deer right at 4 PM. There was a doe following a three-legged coyote down deep in the draw around 300 yards away. Sam knew that I had never shot I coyote before. The deer hunt turned into a coyote hunt very quick. Sam asked if I could get on him and he was ready to take the safety off when the three-legged coyote went deep in the draw out of site. That doe did not like him in that area. A pretty neat site to see.

Not long after that a muley doe with twins started walking up the draw straight towards the shack. There was a huge path they were following right towards us. They got within 100 yards and they knew something was up. At the same time there was a 4 x 4 muley buck about 500 yards straight to our south going in a different direction. There was also a bunch of sharp-tales that kept us entertained right below the window.

The muley doe with twins still wanted to come up the path towards us but they were on edge. All of a sudden to the west of them coming over top of a hill was another 4 x 4 muley with a kicker on one side. He was chasing two does. They were hot and he was willing. But for some reason when they got within a couple hundred yards of the shack they were also on edge. We watched them for a little bit but it was a hard angle for me to get on him. By that time, they started bouncing over the hillside, out of sight. But the doe and twins came right up to the shack and were eating within 5 yards of us right below the window. That was neat.

By this time, it was dark and we decided to head back to Medora. That night we decided to meet Clay and Ross at the Little Mo for supper and cocktails. That night we met some others that we knew from back home. We seem to always run into someone. When I was coming into the bar that night I ran into Stephen Sveet. He was there with his wife and daughter. They were going to Theodore's Dining Room to have supper but he said they would come back afterwards. We have a mutual aunt in Enderlin but different sides of the family. He grew up in Grenora but now lives in Beach with his family. I’ve known him and his family forever, what are the odds of running into them.

That night I also met Clay and Ross’s cousin AJ whose land they hunt on just southeast of town. AJ the Hawaiian cowboy is pretty neat. He told me next year he will hopefully have a cabin/trailer house on his land that he will let hunters use. That would be entertaining. He is another good dude.

On Sunday morning it was bright with blue skies. We got out of Medora around noon and decided to head down to the Brown Ranch again. We went back to the place we were a couple days before. Going into the area again we spooked a buck and he was nice. Again, he ran over a butte and we looked for him for quite a while but could never spot him. We found a spot in the valley and glassed trying to find one of the bucks from Friday. We saw a bunch of skinheads on the eastern slope of the ridge but never did see a buck while we were there. With that many skinheads there must’ve been a buck or two but it was hard to see in the shade 600 or so yards away.

We sat there for a couple hours and decided to go peruse other parts of the ranch and I also had a gift for the Brown family I needed to drop off at their place. Nick and his family were all gone that weekend. Him and Maria were at a Bobcats football game in Bozeman. I can’t wait to see them and the kids again.

On our way down their long driveway, we spotted another buck. He was only a couple hundred yards off the road. But by the time we found a spot flat enough for me to get out of the pickup, he was gone. I thought he was going to be the one but that’s hunting.

In the meantime, I was in touch with Sam and he was down some two track road when he noticed he had a fuel leak. Not so good. I told him what we saw and asked if we could use the Olson shack again that night. He talked to Shawn and Shawn said the heat is on and we were more than welcome.

We took the back way to the Taj Mahal and saw quite a few animals here and there. A lot of pheasants and some great scenery. Brad, Shelie and I got to the Taj Mahal at the perfect time. It was a perfect night but we never did see any deer while sitting. We did hear quite a few coyotes in every direction. That was cool.

When we got everything packed up and into the pickup, we noticed some deer silhouetted against the sunset to the west. There was a muley buck chasing skinheads a couple hundred yards away from the shack. Pretty sure he was the same one we sought to the west the night before. It was fun watching them run around twitterpated but it was too dark to take a shot.

Then we headed back to Medora. On the way back I decided I wasn’t going uptown that night. I needed some rest because I knew the next day would be a long trip home. Brad, Shelie and mom went uptown and brought me back some food. Then they went to the hot tub as I was sleeping hard.

Medora town deer playing leapfrog.

On Monday we got up and headed back east river to home. I can’t say enough how well the new pickup worked out there. The smooth ride was not comparable to the old three-quarter ton pickup. The 2026 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Trail Boss LT is the perfect machine for what I do. Can’t thank everyone enough for that. The story is here…

It was another great hunt out west. I think I had just as much fun this time as any other time. People always say it’s not about the kill; it’s about the hunt. And those words couldn’t be truer. It’s what the hunt all entails. Meeting new people, seeing different sites, reminiscing with old friends and just being out there is well worth it.

I would like to thank everyone involved including all of the great landowners, my friend Sam, my family and everyone else who make my dreams come true. I can’t wait to do it again and again and again…

Thanks for reading, Clint. 

The new 2026 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Trail Boss LT 4WD and stuff.

This last year my brother-in-law Brad had been pestering me all the time about when I was getting a new pickup. My 2017 GMC Sierra 2500 HD was getting up to 100,000 miles. And it is a rough ride. He wanted me to get a suburban for some reason. Evidently, he thinks I have a lot of friends and luggage. Anyway, I said if I get a new vehicle it was going to be a half-ton pickup because now both the three-quarter ton and half-ton have the same headroom as each other. In 2017 the only pickup I could fit in was a three-quarter ton because the cab was taller. 

Anyway, Brad said pick out a pickup you want so we can get it done before we go on your hunting trip out west. It’s rough country out there. Bouncing around in a three-quarter ton pickup for four or five days really wears me out. 

After looking at a lot of pickups and talking to some people I decided on the 2026 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Trail Boss LT 4WD. It has a 5.3 L ECOTEC3 V8 Transmission with a 10-speed automatic. The paint is sterling gray metallic with a jet-black interior. 

The Chevy Trail Boss package is a series of off-road and appearance enhancements. The package includes items like a 2-inch suspension lift, Z71 off-road equipment (like skid plates, shocks, and an automatic locking rear differential), MT tires for off-road and unique blacked-out wheels, grilles, and bumpers. The interior tech with the LT Trail Boss includes a 13.4-inch diagonal color touch-screen and 12.3-inch diagonal reconfigurable Driver Information Center. There are a lot of buttons and stuff. It is a mean machine.

When we picked out the pickup, we had to make sure I would fit in with the conversion so we gave AT Conversions the VIN number and they gave us the okay. They said it was going to be a tight fit but it would work. I was happy in my facial region. In July Brad and I filled out AT Conversions wheelchair measurement guide, the engineers there used this guide with the VIN number to figure out if me and my wheelchair fit.

On October 2nd the pickup was purchased from City Chevrolet, Columbia City, Indiana. Then the dealership drove it to AT Conversions in Roanoke, Indiana, as it was only 24 miles. The conversion usually takes 4-6 weeks. We were hoping we would get back before the trip to hunt muleys, which we were scheduled to take off on November 13.

Thankfully everything went smooth with the new pickup and the conversion, it was done on October 27. It only took AT Conversions 25 days to complete the project. Impressive.

Now that it was done, how do we get it back? We asked around to see if it could get hauled back on an open spot in one of the semi-vehicle haulers, that was a possibility but there would be no timeframe. We wouldn’t know when it would get picked up in Indiana and we would not know when it would get delivered to Enderlin. Another option was to drive a vehicle down there with two people and drive two vehicles back. The third option was to fly as close as possible and drive back the new pickup. Brad and Shelie decided to do the third option.

Friday, October 31 Brad and Shelie booked the tickets. They left for Fargo early the next morning to get to Hector International Airport.

Saturday, November 1, Brad and Shelie flew from Fargo to Chicago and then flew to Fort Wayne, Indiana. From there they took a 12-mile UBER to Roanoke, Indiana to pick up the new converted pickup. From there they started their 16+ hour road trip home, bypassing Chicago and Minneapolis. They went straight west and ended up at the Par-A-Dice Casino in Peoria, Illinois. Going through Indiana and Iowa they went over a lot of bridges and went through a lot of trees scattered around the farm fields.

Sunday, November 2, they had a slow leak in one of the back tires and had to have that fixed on Sunday at one of the Farm & Fleet stores in Iowa that day. The culprit was a drywall screw. Possibly ran it over the first day or the screw was in there from where they did the conversion. One will never know. That night they stayed overnight at the Grand Falls Casino and Golf Resort by Sioux Falls, South Dakota. By the way, Brad really was liking driving the new pickup. That Sunday sister Randi and mom went to Hector to pick up Shelie and Brad’s vehicle at the new parking ramp, so they wouldn’t have to deal with it coming home with my new pickup.

Monday, November 3, they made it to the farm around 5 PM that night. That was a hell of a trip and I cannot thank them enough. Then the nerve-racking part took place, I backed into the lift, raised it up and swung into the cab. Everyone let out what I sigh of relief when I fit in the pickup and I closed the door. Then we did a little road trip with Brad, Shelie, Randi, Mom and myself around the countryside. I could tell right away how smooth the ride was in the half ton instead of the 2017 three-quarter ton. It drives like a dream. From there we went to town and celebrated at the Spare Time with Dad and others.

That week I had Randy and the crew at Cityside Collision in Enderlin put on the Tonneau cover, mudflaps and running board. I found out the running board that I picked was not low enough for the short people in my family so I ordered some different ones. Mike Lemna put on the new one with my guidance in his shop. That was entertaining. I think this running board will work well for the vertically challenged people in my world. Thanks Mike, put it on my tab. By the way, I only put one of the running boards on the driver side. Not needed on my side, and hooking it up would suck. So if there is anyone out there looking for just a passenger-side running board, I have a couple.

The next thing I needed to do was schedule putting in the wheelchair locking device onto the lifting tray with Bert’s Mobility Solutions in Moorhead. They sell and buy handicapped vehicles plus they do maintenance and add on locking devices plus do many other things for handicapped people who want to drive. By the way, they are not located at Bert’s Trucking anymore. Bert’s Mobility Solutions is located south about two half miles on Highway 75.

On November 3 I scheduled with Bert’s to put in the wheelchair locking device on November 10 at 8 AM. The wheelchair locking device is like a fifth wheel lock but for wheelchairs. There is a pin between the back tires of the wheelchair and I back into the locking device. Mom drove the new pickup there and they gave her a loner wheelchair accessible van to bring home that night. The next day mom and I drove the van to Bert’s Mobility Solutions. This is when I remembered how crappy minivans are. Sitting in the back, not being able to see much, sitting so close to the ground and scraping gravel constantly with the bottom of the van because they are lowered. So lucky to have a pickup. No comparison.

On November 12 Shelie and I went to the Lisbon DOT and got my license plates switched over to the new vehicle. Also got some other paperwork done with the new pickup. I would like to thank the ladies at the Lisbon DOT for all their help. I owe you all a cocktail.

The conversion looks pretty much the same as it did in 2017 when I had the first one in North Dakota. The new pickup conversion does have a couple things different that they have made better. The hydraulic reservoir and motor used to be under the hood. Now all of that is under the back seat. Hopefully this means that the hydraulics will warm up quicker in the cold temperatures so it won’t have to run as long for everything to work smoothly. In the 2017 conversion, if the temperatures were below freezing, I would have to run it for at least ½ hour if it wasn’t in the garage or the hydraulics wouldn’t be loose enough to lift me into the cab. Also, where the door locks when it closes shut, there used to be a big magnet that held the door closed. Now there is a hydraulic clamp that pulls the door shut and secure when closed. I’m sure there are some other things they have changed over the years to make the conversion work more gooder but these are the ones I have noticed so far.

There is no comparison when comparing the 2017 GMC Sierra 2500 HD SLE and the new 2026 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Trail Boss LT. This new pickup is like riding on water compared to driving on square wheels over railroad tracks constantly. The trip out west went smooth like butter. It was a lot easier on my body in the new pickup for sure. The gas mileage makes a big difference also. The 2025 4D hunting trip story will be on my blog shortly after this is posted. It did not suck.

We were lucky everything went so smooth. Everything just seemed to line up perfectly when it came to the pickup, the conversion and all of the extras that are needed.

I never thought a new pickup was going to happen, I thought I would drive the 2017 Jimmy until it croaked or I did…

I also can’t thank the people at Chevrolet City for their help getting the vehicle I wanted and delivering it to AT Conversions. I would also like to give a big thank you to everyone at AT Conversions for answering all my questions and putting up with me before the conversion and during the conversion. Chauncey, you are the best.

I can’t thank Brad and Shelie enough for making this happen. Another dream comes true. If it wasn’t for Brad pestering me for the last year about when I was going to get a new pickup, this never would’ve happened. I’m glad I talked him out of getting a suburban. I’m more of a pickup guy. I would also like to thank my entire family and some great friends who contributed to the new vehicle. Forever indebted.

I can’t believe how everything worked out so smoothly. I am a happy person with a real nice ride. Thanks everybody who made this happen.

Thanks for reading, Clint.

2022 Mule Deer Hunt article for Dakota Country Magazine.

This article was published in Dakota Country Magazine. If you want a print or digital magazine subscription or looking to do some advertising click the link Dakota Country Magazine.

The North Dakota Badlands. There is something magical about the place. Aside from its beauty and more, it's mule deer country, my third attempt at filling a muley buck tag.

A couple of years ago I chased them around Unit 4C west of Grassy Butte. I saw elk and a lot of deer but never did pull the trigger. That experience got me hooked. Next time I had a tag I came down with pneumonia and couldn’t make the trip to hunt with my friend Sam in Unit 4D.

I got one more chance.

My brother-in-law Brad and sister Shelie offered to go along and help. I am a full-time job. We 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. 

We arrived at Medora the night before the season started, we met my buddy Sam at the Little Mo Saloon for supper, libations and to make a plan for the next day. Sam grew up in Medora and was my guide/gut man for the hunt.

November 4, opening day Sam had a plan for us to go down to a big ranch southwest of town. It was a little over an hour away from Medora on the south end of the unit. I 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 family. Their place is right along the Little Missouri. Teddy Roosevelt even camped not far from their homestead while hunting the area. They made us feel like we were part of the family. 

Before we headed out, I showed them my rifle mount and how it attaches to my electric wheelchair. Then I showed them how my rifle attaches to the mount and how my extended trigger attaches to my rifle. They were impressed.

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. 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 the landowner told me he wanted me to get something bigger. 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 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 next day which was Saturday we headed back down to the ranch. This day it was windy. I mean 30 mph with higher gusts. 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. Nick and Sam went first in Sam’s pickup and we followed shortly after in my pickup. I didn’t think it was going to be as deep as it was seeing there had been 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 down into the river and this time we gave it the onion. 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 didn’t see. I don’t know how they could see them while driving? Soon enough we were at another river 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 the wind for some reason.

Soon enough it was getting dark and we started heading back to the ranch. This meant fording the river two more times. I was in heaven. Going this direction, the riverbanks were not so bad climbing out. 

We made it back to the ranch right before dark. We had some refreshments and talked about the last couple days. Nick invited us back the next day to try and fill my tag but I knew my body couldn’t take another day of bouncing around. Sadly, I had to decline. I told him I would be back in the future though. Then headed back to the motel.

The next day Sunday, Sam had a plan to hunt closer to town. He said he 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 called me. 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. 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 from my 270 Tikka. 

It was brutally cold, around 25° and winds were at 40 mph. I was shivering uncontrollably. We were using my pickup as wind protection and a barrier so the buck couldn’t see us. It took me a while to find him in the scope as he was on a hillside full of buck brush. He was a cool looking devil buck and for some reason he was still in velvet. He was a little over 200 yards. When I was on him I asked Sam to take my rifle off of safety and when he did that the rifle went off. Missing the buck by only inches that we could see from a video from Sam’s phone. The buck got up and ran away in a hurry. We made the decision to head to Sentinel Butte to figure out what went wrong with my rifle and to figure out the next plan.

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 has quite the story. The owner opened the back door so I could get in and I tilted back in my wheelchair. I am supposed to do that every hour for 10 minutes to relieve pressure. Shelie got some tea and the owner heated it up for me. I was so cold, my left arm wasn't working well. 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. They didn’t 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. My elongated trigger worked perfectly on his rifle.

Brady said they had some family land that I could hunt on. Brady and Sam hopped in Brady’s vehicle and we would follow them from the gas station. 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 on my wheelchair 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 isn’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 wheelchair 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. 

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. I love watching that video.

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.

Once we got in to the garage the boys hooked up a propane turkey fryer right next to me so I could warm up with the flames. In no time the buck was quartered and in game bags. I also had him caped because I knew I was going to do a shoulder mount. We found the bullet and found that the top half of the heart was completely gone. Lucky shot.

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 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. 

The next morning which was Monday, November 7 there was snow on the ground. It snowed all the way to Jamestown. At one point we were going 5 mph on the interstate going to cross the Missouri River. It took a while to get back to Enderlin.

I still can’t believe how everything came together. It was just perfect. There isn’t anything I would change. Everyone that I met was so awesome. Glad they urged me on to try one more time. 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.