What is one of your most memorable experiences in nature?

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 With being an outdoorsman, I have quite a few memories of being in nature. However, there's one that stands out the most to me. This experience took place during the fall of my sophomore year of college. I received a mule deer buck tag in the 3B2 unit of North Dakota. Within this unit, I hunted north of Killdeer North Dakota right beside the Little Missouri State Park, just north of the Killdeer mountains. This hunting trip, my dad and I rented out a cabin within the state park from a family whose land we also hunt on. Nothing too fancy, but a nice little wood cabin for a father-son hunting experience. 

The hunt started early in the morning, 30 minutes before sunrise. We wake up around 5am to get our morning coffee and breakfast in before a quick morning drive followed by hiking throughout the badlands. We didn't see much for deer activity that morning, so we parked our ranger and began our day hike in search of the elusive mule deer of North Dakota. Some people think this is an easy chase, however, these animals are very smart and have pretty good eyesight. They camouflage themselves well and can see you before you see them. 

After hiking all day, we are nearing mid-afternoon. My dad and I are thinking about laying low till our evening hunt. We were camped out on a butte and scanning the valleys and any little crevice where these deer could be hiding in. My dad decides to wander off about 400 yards or so to check out another area. This was quickly followed up by him sneaking back to the top of the butte. He began jumping up and down, trying to get my attention, and making motions in the air that the buck was big. I got the memo and covered those 400 yards in what it felt like 30 seconds which was actually only a few minutes. I get set up and make the shot on the buck. We slide down the cliff, find the downed deer, and get to work. This was the first time I've had to quarter out a deer and pack the meat back to our ranger. In the past, we've been fortunate enough to not have to pack out and drive to the location. This was a first for me, but I knew I could handle it. We got the deer packed up in our packs and began our trekking back to the ranger. With how steep the cliffs were, we couldn't simply head back up. We had to back track around the butte to get back to the ranger, which added more mileage. We eventually got back to the ranger right at nightfall. One of my favorite sights, is seeing the badlands during the day. However, at night, it's a whole new world with a added spooky element to it. 

My dad and I have done numerous hunts, fishing trips, and camping trips. However, this is by far one of my favorite memories I've experienced. The laughs, the troubles, everything in between makes these experiences ten times better. 



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