The boys of the Highbanks Hunting Club, again this year, headed north for the opening weekend of bowhunting season. It goes without saying that everyone was incredibly pumped up about the arrival of another season of chasing Mudbrook whitetails. Barnacle, Lefty, Paco, and Pedro all met up at "The Corners" for breakfast on the morning of Friday the 13th. The "Corners" is a small gas station/diner not far from the Mudbrook Valley. The talk was all about deer and the food was excellent. After breakfast we jumped in the trucks and headed for Pedro's Uncle Jerry's house for a quick visit and to drop off a couple of Highbanks Hunting Club hats and decals. Uncle Jerry owns much of the land that the boys hunt on so it's always a good thing to stop in, say thanks, and deliver some goodwill trinkets. After the visit it was time to make our way to Underdog's cabin where we would "make camp" for the weekend. Making camp at this place means dropping your bags next to a bed and putting your cooler of beverages in the custom made bar downstairs. Underdog's cabin offers deluxe accomodations for the Highbanks Hunting Club!
After getting things unpacked Lefty, Barnacle, Paco, & Pedro went to the local golf course for some friendly competition on the links. It was there that a good buddy named Fast Freddy would join them. The last member of the opening weekend crew was Pedro's cousin Poison (the reason for his name will be provided later) who would hook up with the boys later that night at the cabin. In the meantime, the golf game was on and, as usual, provided some awesome entertainment. There were some beverages consumed, some incredible shots made and some not so incredible shots made. Fast Freddy showed up at the end of the first nine holes and certainly added to the days follies over the next 18 holes. One particular choice of golf "slang" had Barnacle spewing a carbonated beverage out his nose due to laughing so hard. The whole day was very enjoyable. After golf, it was back to Underdog's for the annual venison feed....and what an awesome feed it was. Lefty outdid himself in preparing this years meal. Everyone ate until they were more than full. After eating, the dishes were quickly done and a camp fire was started outside in Underdog's excellent fire pit. We sat around the fire for hours exchanging hunting stories and talking about the weekend hunts that were ahead.
Finally, at around midnight, Pedro's cousin Chad showed up and he was ready to partake in the festivities. As the others were "hitting the hay" a little later on, Chad was on a roll and somehow managed to keep Paco and Pedro awake with him in Underdog's bar (this is why we started calling him Poison). There was music playing on the juke box, microphones for singing karoake, and no shortage of silly talk. Finally it was time to get some sleep before the opening mornings hunt. When Pedro's alarm went off and Underdog came in to wake him up, he had only been asleep for half an hour. They went downstairs to do a weather check and saw that it was raining hard. After waking up the rest of the crew, the general consensus was to go back to bed and wait until the evening hunt. Thank goodness for the rain!
Saturday, September 14th ...The Opening Night Hunt
The rainy weather cleared off late in the afternoon and it was time to gear up for the first hunt of 2002. We were all pretty excited and looked forward to seeing some deer. Lefty went to the Clear Cut Stand, Fast Freddy to the Tunnel Stand, Barnacle went to the Taint Stand, Poison went to Rocky's Stand, and Paco & Pedro went to a new place Pedro had found (which is now called Buck Hollow). Almost everyone saw deer but Paco and Pedro had the best story of the night. They were positioned about 50 yards apart so that Pedro could film Paco with the video camera if a deer offered up a shot. Well, about half an hour before dark, here comes this good sized deer walking straight for Pedro's stand and passing by Paco's stand to get there. Both men could see that it was a buck but Pedro couldn't tell how big it was, due to the shadows in the forest. Well, Paco could see that it was big so he whistled to stop the buck. It stopped for him but directly behind a big tree. Paco pulled back his bow then decided that it was not a good shot, and, the buck was on the move again and going towards Pedro. Pedro hadn't heard Paco whistle and still didn't know how big the buck was. It proceeded to feed just 20 or so yards away from Pedro for 15 minutes...but Pedro still couldn't tell how big the rack was. (All the boys were holding out for 8 points or better). Finally the buck walked off and after dark, when the two partners met up, Pedro asked Paco how big the rack was on that buck. Paco said it was 8 or 10 points! Needless to say, Pedro was quite upset that he couldn't make out the rack in the dark shadows of the setting sun. Maybe next time!
Barnacle, Paco, And Lefty Take A Break During A Pre-Season Scouting Mission
The Mudbrook Boat
During the 2002 off season Pedro took on a project to build a boat that would help the club members retrieve deer that run across the creek after being shot. A canoe had been used in years past but they just didn't seem to have enough room...hence the boat idea. Pedro got the idea for a Mudbrook Boat from his Uncle Lloyd who told him that back in the old days they used to make their own boats for drifting on the Mudbrook. After drawing up some crude plans and buying the necessary lumber Pedro was on his way. He would work on it whenever he had a spare moment and sometimes would take his three little kids out in the garage and let them "help". His daughter Bailee even had green hair one day to show her mom how much she had helped (she actually sat on the ground and dipped her hair in the paint can on purpose). After many trial and error building experiences the "boat" was finally completed in mid-August. It was quite a site.
Pedro had kept it a secret all summer, but after completion, he started showing it to people, including the other Mudbrook boys. The sight of it caused a chuckle from just about everyone who looked at it and many comments were made regarding the "seaworthiness" of the vessel. One of the most notable remarks was that it would make a really nice fish crib when it sank. Ouch! When it came time for the initial launching of the boat, Pedro decided that it might be best to do it alone. So, on a Saturday morning in August he loaded the boat in his truck and drove to Mudbrook. Once there, he cleared an opening in the thick brush, backed his truck to the creeks edge, and pulled the boat into the water. To Pedro's relief (and disbelief)...the boat floated! It was a great moment in nautical history! Pedro was so proud of himself. Now, to see if the oars would work. Nope, they didn't work all that great...needed a little adjustment. Pedro proceeded to paddle the boat around the Birch Point to the place he had chosen as a strategic landing spot...only having to portage it around one big beaver dam.
During the next visit to Mudbrook, Lefty came along with Pedro and his newly adjusted oars. They went for a ride down the creek and Lefty mentioned that he had an old 5 horsepower motor at his house that might work well on the boat. Are you serious? A motor on this thing...what a great idea! The following week the same two guys headed to Mudbrook again, but this time with the 5 horse motor and Barnacle in tow. Barnacle was badmouthing the whole idea of the boat floating and the motor actually working. Well, after some "enhancements" to the boat (to allow the motor to be attached) everything was ready and it was time to start the motor. It didn't run well at first but once it got warmed up it purred like a kitty drinking warm milk. It was beautiful! The motor pushed the boat wonderfully through the tight winding curves of the Mudbrook. The only setback of the day was when Barnacle and Pedro were sitting on the middle seat and it broke, sending Barnacle to the floor of the boat with a thud. After recovering from hysterical laughter, the trip continued and the seat was totally removed after the boat was up on shore. The Mudbrook Boat was a success and whether or not it will ever be used to transport a deer is trivial. The fun, laughter, and enjoyment it brought to Pedro and the other boys make it a special part of Highbanks Hunting Club History.
Lefty And Barnacle Paddle Out To The Middle Of The Mubrook
