In the fall of 1969, a group of us planned a trip to the Middle Fork of the Payette River for deer. We had reports that deer hunting was good in the area around Hardscrabble Campground. This would be just for one day, as we were planning a trip for a week to Canyon Creek later in the fall. The group consisted of LeRoy, Harry, Kevin, and I. We all piled into one truck to cut expenses and headed out before daylight, on a Sunday morning. Bud could not go on this trip because of prior commitments.
To get to this hunting area we went to Banks, then up the South Fork of the Payette River to Crouch, then up the Middle Fork almost as far as we could go. The road up the Middle Fork was dirt all the way, rough and dusty. After we passed the last ranch, the road followed along beside the river for several miles. There were plenty of g○○d looking places to hunt as we drove along the river. We stopped several times to walk up the hill on short trips. We could not find a deer anywhere but there were tracks everywhere we went. There seemed to be a large amount of deer in the area. We felt it was just a matter of time before we would find one. Either-sex deer seasons were open so anything would do, except a very small fawn. The tracks we were looking at did not seem to be much help in telling us what sex the animals making them were. Some guys think they can tell the difference, but I cannot unless they are standing in them. Noontime came with all of us hungry as bears. There was a campground nearby with tables and all the other conveniences we needed. After a couple of sandwiches and a can of pop, we were just sitting around wondering what to do next.
Kevin decided to walk up the hill near the camp to look around for a while. Call it ESP or something but he felt there was a deer up there somewhere waiting for him. Kevin was only gone for about a half an hour, when we heard him shoot one time. That got our attention, then another shot echoed across the valley. We knew what had taken place, so we started up the hill to help him. We found him working on cleaning out a nice fat doe. He had found a timber pocket with very little brush around it. A stump made a convenient place to sit for a while where he could see a lot of the area. We accused him of taking a nap, which he denied. When the doe walked down the hill in front of him headed for the river for water, Kevin shot it through the heart the first shot but as he had been taught, he finished her off with a head shot. We helped him finish cleaning her out then looked around to find the best way off the hill to the road. We did not realize we were only a short way up the hill. All we had to do was to take her straight off a small ridge and we would be in the road. Harry and LeRoy put a rope on her head and down the hill they went. They were in the road before the rest of us even started. The truck was backed up to the doe and we tossed her in the back. Kevin’s feelings paid off. He was the big dog, right now. I was proud of him also.
There was still a lot of day left so we kept on hunting for different places, but it was all in vain. The deer were there, but we could not push them out of the thick brush for a shot. As we drove down the river towards home, we watched the hills and along the river for another deer. When we reached the farmlands, we gave up. Kevin was the hero of the day and that was fine with me. I went through this same thing with my dad, and I was full of pride that Kevin wanted to hunt with us. We had a g○○d time and a good hunt.