The deer season was open in the fall of 1950, but after several trips no one had found a deer, as of yet. A group of us came up with the idea of going to the Boise Front to hunt the upper end of Dry Creek. There was usually plenty of deer living in the area year around. Finding one was the hardest part.
Dad, Harry and I would drive from our home north of Eagle to meet Uncle Louis Drury at his place in the Boise, North End. Dad would take his riding horse on all one day trips, because his health was beginning to fail, even at middle age. Besides that if we should happen to find a deer and shoot it, he would be around to pack it to the truck for us.
Uncle Louis was waiting for us to arrive and was ready to go. He only needed to take along one truck to pull the horse trailer. Harry and I would ride in the back. Away we went a|1 hoping to be the one that finds a deer.
We went up the Bogus Basin Road to where it crosses over Dry Creek. There was a good place to park off the road to leave the truck and trailer, for the day. We would use Dry Creek as a land mark, so everyone could get back to the truck in case they got separated from the rest of the people in our party.
Dad saddled up the bay mare to ride the ridges while the rest of us would go on foot and hunt the bottom areas and hillsides. Harry, Uncle Louis and I would stay fairly close together to help each other should someone shoot something
We walked for several hours, Checking all the draws and brush pockets along the way. We had covered most of the upper Dry Creek Valley by noon. We had sandwiches with us and by then we were ready to eat them. Dad was around somewhere, but we had not seen him for quite awhile. He would show up when needed, he knows where we are all the time. After eating our sandwiches and an apple, Uncle Louise
wanted to check some brush patches nearby. Harry wandered
off looking around for tracks, while I was just sitting on the hillside watching the creek bottom for any movement. Suddenly a doe appeared out of no-where in front of me. Uncle Louise may have scared her out of hiding somewhere. She was sneaking along hoping I would not see her. She was straight down hill from me which made shooting her a very difficult shot. The first shot broke her front leg at the knee, but she could still run on the other three legs pretty fast. I chased her into the next draw, where I finished her off. By this time Uncle Louis and Harry came running over to see what was going on. I had a fine young doe laying on the hi11side ready to be cleaned out.
The weather was very dry and warm for October and since we did not
carry any water along with us, we were getting pretty dry. Dry Creek was only about fifty yards down the hill. I could see water running along in a good flow. While Uncle Louis and Harry started dressing out the doe, I was volunteered to go get some water to drink and to wash up with after the cleaning job was done. I had a plastic bag in my pack that would hold a gallon of water so down the hill I went. We are very careful about the water we drink from creeks, but this time we were too thirsty to care much. The creek was running a fair sized stream, cool and clear and clear. I filled the bag very carefully to get clean water then climbed
back up the hill, to where the guys were working on the deer. They really welcomed the cold water. They were almost‘ finished with the deer, by
that time and they were ready for a drink.
Now, we were a long ways from the truck and we did not know where Dad and the horse were. We had just about decided to climb to the ridge top to 1ook for him, when suddenly here he was coming down the hill to us. We never did figure out how he always knew where and when to show up but we were happy to see him and the old bay mare.
The deer was loaded on the horse and away they went to the truck.
Uncle Louis went along with them, in case Dad had any problems
along the way. Harry and I Wanted to hunt back along the creek therefore, we took out on our own. We knew where we were and where the truck was parked. Dad would hear us shoot and come back looking for us if we shot a deer. The next couple hours was spent wandering around checking out the brushy draws and sage brush flats but there were no more deer to be found.
Dad and Uncle Louis were already at the truck by the time we arrived. We had nothing else to do but load up the horse and the deer and then head for home. The hunt was a success with everyone having a good time. We dropped off Uncle Louis at his place, as we went through
town and headed on home. We would get together for another hunt before the season closed. After the deer had cooled out for several days she was cut into steaks and roasts. We took some of the wrapped
meat up to Uncle Louis so he could enjoy it also.