Too Far Gone

Chapter 1 - Opening Day

Like many of our trips, our 1996 hunt started out with the usual excitement and enthusiasm.  Bruce would be coming from Denver Colorado and would be meeting us in a small town 65 miles from our destination.  My youngest brother Alan had come from Pocatello Idaho the night before and was traveling with me from Orem Utah.  It was to be the first time that all of us would be together for such an adventure.  Coupled with our experience and the quality location we were confident that we would achieve success.  Especially since for the first time we were spending an entire week in its’ pursuit.  Little did we know the events that were about to occur that would change not only our opportunities for success but would improve our concern for safety and preparedness.  

The six hour Friday trip went smoothly and we arrived to a chilly 10,000 foot mid October climate at 4:00PM.  The canvas cabin tent went up without a hitch and the plastic tarp that we secured over the top would help protect us from the 10 to 18 inches of snow that was expected to come while we were there.  We unloaded our vehicles and arranged our equipment in the cramped quarters.  We assembled and fueled the new 2200 Btu kerosene heater that I had purchased just days before.  Soon we were toasty warm and having our first meal prepared over a temperamental, flame belching, Coleman stove.

Our neighbors, Ricky and Jack, who were kind enough to invite us, enjoyed an extravagant layout with all of the comforts of home.  This included a rather large army tent complete with stereo, cooking and dining tables, two kerosene heaters, and an attached bathing and storage tent.  We were amazed that they could fit all of this stuff in two Toyota pickups. 

Near us were four additional camps that contained approximately 40 people.  Their living arrangements consisted of tents, and small trailers as a result of the 35-mile dirt road used to access this area. We were assured by our hosts, that despite the large numbers, hunting would be good the entire week. 

That first night was cold and filled will restless sleep resulting from the cramped conditions, new cots, and the apprehension of the crazy hour we would arise to try to beat the other 40 hunters to the field.  Despite these problems we were able to leave on time and drove the mile or so to the trailhead where we would begin the day.  We walked down the trail for about 3/4 of a mile and began to peal off in separate directions.  Bruce, Alan, and I all had topographical maps of the area and had been studying them for several weeks prior.   Rickey, our host, made some suggestions as to where we might find success based on his knowledge of the area.  Alan and I took his advice and headed North East of the trail about 100 yards and waited for daylight.  As we lean later, about 100 yards down the trail Bruce heard a bull elk bugeling just West of the trail and decided to head up that direction in hopes of locating him.  Although this was the area I had planned to hunt the night before I had forgone it based on the encouragement from Ricky to try the North Eastern route. 

Alan and I spent most of the day trying to avoid other hunters that were in the same area.  There was some fresh sign but it was infrequent especially compared to the amount of blaze orange we were seeing.  We found the remains of an elk that had been taken in seasons past but were unable to connect with any of the breathing kind we had hoped for.  I say this because when you are strenuously looking for something you tend to think you hear and see what you are looking for.  Rocks and trees form perfect silhouettes of what appear to be your quarry. 

Despite the disappointment it was good to be out in the forest breathing the fresh air and enjoying the outdoors.  As the day wore on the clouds over head began to get thicker and darker and seem to race across the sky.  I could tell that the storm that was suppose to hit Utah on Saturday was also going to reach us some time that afternoon or evening.  Alan and I had made a large loop and were set for an easy walk back to camp.  We arrived there about 1:00PM and started cooking some lunch fighting the blasts of flame produced from our fire belching Coleman stove.  About 1:30PM we began to hear thunder and see lightning flashes which was strange when the temperature is in the 30’s.  At 2:00 PM it began to hail and we scrambled to better cover the tent to keep the snow from blowing in through the windows.   That was when I began to worry.  Bruce and I can be radical at times when we are out hunting and we both have on several occasions come back to camp well after dark from a full day in the field.   What worried me the most was the fact that even with our scouting in September and the typo maps, this was still a new area, and adding a winter storm to the mix set the stage for problems.

As 4:00PM rolled around with no relief from the storm I began saying to my self “Where are those guys?”  We had talked about the pending storm thinking that it would arrive on Sunday but surely they were smart enough to see, as I had, that the storm was going to arrive sooner than we expected.   By 7:00 PM the sun was down and it was getting rather dark and shortly after that Ricky and Jack returned to camp.  They had shot a deer and had to take care of it, delaying their return.  As the evening wore on we discovered that three others from different camps were missing that night.  We began to drive the roads in hopes that Bruce would find his way out on one of them and be attempting to walk back to camp.  At 1:00 AM we returned to camp having returned one lost hunter to his camp but with no luck in finding Bruce. 

Chapter 2 - A Night in the Woods

The night was bitter cold even in a 6lb Holofill sleeping bag.  As I woke up repeatedly because of my unfamiliar sleeping conditions and as the result of worrying about Bruce I kept saying to my self, “How could anyone survive a night like this in the woods without a heavy sleeping bag to help keep them warm”.  If Bruce was physically ok he could build a fire to keep him warm but if he was hurt he would have a difficult time keeping himself alive.  Ricky had told Alan and I that it takes about six hours for a search and rescue team to muster and arrive to the search area.  He suggested that we get up at 3:00 AM and make the 1.5-hour drive down to town to get the process started.  I hesitated to start so soon because I felt that if Bruce was not lost but had gotten an elk down in the late afternoon he might have opted to spend the night there instead of trying to make it back to camp in the dark.  I wanted to wait until morning to see if he would come out on his own. 

By 8:00 AM I was too worried to wait any longer and headed to town to report him missing.   We found the sheriff’s office and filled out the necessary paper work and relayed the information to the sheriff’s office in the other county (the county we were hunting in).  They were not too concerned and told me to check with them in the afternoon if he didn’t show up.   I was more concerned because Bruce had a cellular phone back at camp and we had left him a note to call if he returned.  Also out of the 15 years that we have been hunting together, he nor I have ever spent the night on our own in the woods.  We always came back to camp even if it was 10:00PM.  I was convinced that he was hurt up there some where and the kind of delay they were talking about would only make a search that day un-fruitful leaving Bruce to spend another night in hostile conditions reducing greatly his chance for survival. 

I continued to plead my case to the Sheriff that was assigned to my case.  My pleadings escalated the process up to the next level.  The sheriff contacted Scott, the leader of the search and rescue team that was already out in the field searching for two others.  Soon I go a call from Scott and he began to ask me a series of detailed questions about what he was wearing including the brand name of his boots.  Below is a list of the things that I knew he had:

8 inch Leather Gortex Boots from Cabela’s

Wool Socks

Wool, Morris Feel Gloves

Insulated Underwear

Military Issue Camo fatigues

Heavy Insulated Coat

Large Fanny Pack including: Compass, Global Positioning System, Lighter, Matches, First Aid Kit, Snack Food, Maglight Flashlight with extra batteries, Flint and Steel with magnesium fire starter, Rope, and Extra Shells.

Ruger M77 30-06

Bushnell waterproof binoculars

After collecting this information Scott began to reassure me based on his experience and the information that I had given him, Bruce was probably all right and would probably walk out before noon.  This began to calm and sooth my fears that were running rampant.   Scott told me to return to camp and if Bruce did not return by noon, I was to call him via cell phone and he would gather the necessary resources to begin a search. 

The trip back up the mountain was arduous and filled with doubt as to what would transpire in the next few hours.  As we turned the last corner to our camp we saw Bruce’s truck (we had parked it at the trail head the day before).  We were elated at first, then we began to get a bit angry thinking “Why did he do this to us?”.   We found Bruce resting in our tent, tired but all right.  He had shot a 5 point bull at about 2:00PM and was in the middle of processing the animal when the hail began.  He had attempted to drag out one of the hindquarters but had gotten disoriented as a result of the blowing snow. 

The next day when we went out to retrieve his elk we discovered that at one point he was within 50 yards of the trail and never saw it because of the falling snow.  Shortly after being so close to the trail he made a wrong turn and headed due South when he should have headed South East.  As darkness fell around him he began to worry about his safety and the worry that he would put us through if he didn’t return.  He said that we could live through the worry but he was afraid what would happen if he continued. 

Bruce said that his reading of stories from outdoor magazines concerning being lost in the woods helped him decide not to risk going on.  He forced himself to accept the fact that he was lost and to continue would only put his life in more danger.  So he began to look around to find a suitable place to spend the night.  He found a large downed log that he could get under and began to collect firewood from under the nearby trees. 

Chapter 3 - The Rescue

Roy had been resting, waiting patiently for his opportunity.  Hunting for 18 years he knew that success could not be rushed.  He caught some movement to his left and quickly turned his head to observe a heard of cows entering the clearing at a quick trot.  They were eager to reach the safety of the thick pine trees on the far side.  Roy quickly put a round in the chamber of his 30 06 and eased it up against an aspen tree near him.  Some hunters rely on their safety to prevent accidents but Roy had learned from his family that you could never really rely on a safety.  The only sure method was to chamber a round only when you were ready to shoot at an animal.

As he looked through his scope he could tell that the angle would be wrong and that he would not have a clean shot.  He needed to move up a couple of steps to improve his view, allowing a better opportunity.  The elk were now midway across the meadow and he would have to hurry to get a decent shot.  Roy cradled the rifle in his arms and took his first step with his right foot.  He shifted his weight to take the next step when his right foot gave way to the mud oozing between the blades of grass.  Loosing his balance and beginning to fall he loosened his grip on his rifle in an attempt to catch himself.   In doing so the rifle swung down towards the ground.   Generally this is a safe place, but would it prove true today?   The rifle discharged and the report was heard by Ricky and the others who were hunting near by.  Roy quickly examined himself and said “dam I’m lucky” and began to get up.  That’s when he discovered his left foot wouldn’t cooperate.   On closer examination he discovered a small hole in the top of his boot near his ankle. 

Roy too had been concerned for Bruce's safety the night before and had transferred that concern to himself that day.  This resulted in the modification of one important factor in his method of hunting.  Because of Bruce’s night in the woods for the first time in many years Roy brought extra shells with him that day.  Normally he only carried the 5 rounds that his gun would hold.  The most important thing that Roy needed now was to get help from his friends near by.  He fired three rounds in quick succession and began yelling his head off and then fired three more.   This did catch the attention of his friends and they listened closely trying to determine what he was saying.  Finally they recognized “I’ve been shot.  Be careful.”.  They immediately began to suspect that someone had shot their friend and may soon be shooting at them.  They were very cautious as they worked their way to Roy.  

When they approached Roy he was calm and described to them how he had fallen and shot his foot.    Jack’s years of training as an EMT for the fire department was about to be used to its full extent.  Roy was hesitant to allow Jack to take off his boot.   Jack knew that Roy could bleed out in that boot and they wouldn’t even know it.  He cut the boot away and found a Hugh exit wound.   A large hand full of tissue came out as the sock was removed.  Jack was sick and worried about Roy’s future.   When Ricky arrived they immediately sent him for help.  Jack knew that they were in too far and Roy was in too bad of condition for them to attempt to get him out themselves. 

Ricky walked briskly the three miles back to camp awkwardly carrying 4 rifles.  He arrived at our tent at about 6:00 PM exhausted and deeply distressed.  He quickly described to us what had happened and asked Alan and myself to grab a sled and head down there to help haul Roy out.  We were very concerned and were uncertain as to what to take with us.  He then asked Bruce to take his cell phone and call for an ambulance and coordinate that part of the rescue effort.  Ricky said that he was going to the other camps to see if he could find a horse or a 4 wheeler to help.  In about five minutes Ricky and another guy on a 4 wheeler went whipping by as we were getting dressed.  We felt that it wouldn’t be long before Roy would be out but hurried along just in case something didn’t work out.  We drove the mile to the trail head and Ricky was there waiting.  He voiced the concern that the 4 wheeler may not be able to make it around a bunch of downed trees and that we should hurry along.  Although it was cold out, we began stripping off clothing to prevent overheating as we walked.  At about a mile and a half we began to see the lights of the 4 wheeler and were feeling relieved that Roy would soon be out and receiving medical attention.   We soon realized that the light was not getting any closer to us just moving around in the same area.  As we approached we could see why.  The operator of the 4 wheeler was trying desperately to get around a series of downed logs and was stuck.  We pushed him out and we agreed that there was no way for him to get around the logs and that he would have to wait for us to bring Roy to him. 

We found Jack, his friend, and Roy down the trail about 3/4 of a mile further.  They had gotten Roy down through the ravine and up partway the other side before they stopped to build a fire.  Roy was loosing too much blood and was going into shock when they stopped.  This was brought on by the blood loss, trauma, and the cold.  Jack had felt it best to stop and wait for help.  Because of the gaping hole in the bottom of Roy’s foot Jack had placed a tourniquet just above the ankle to stop the bleeding.  He told us that he was afraid of loosing Roy while trying to save his foot and thought it would be better for him to loose his foot than to loose his life. 

Roy, despite all this, was in good spirits and this raised my hope that we would be able to get him out alive.  I did not want to have to forever remember hauling out a corps on a hunting trip.  It would affect me the rest of my life so failure was not an option.  Jack’s skills had kept Roy alive but it was the skills that Alan and I had that where needed now.  Building and fixing things is one of my greatest strengths.  I quickly devised a plan and instructed everyone as to what to do.  In thirty minutes we had Roy situated in the sled.   Normally it would only accommodate his upper body.  We attach part of a tree limb to the side of the sled to help support his legs.  We attached a pull line in the front that had two loops in it to allow two people to pull the sled.  We had also taken another 4 foot pole and attached a rope to the middle and made a loop that we could fit around Roy’s legs when we needed to carry him.  This would allow two people to carry and support Roy’s legs without bending over.   We had 3/4 of a mile to cover that was filled with downed logs before we would reach the awaiting 4 wheeler. 

Bruce met the ambulance in the saddle 1/2-mile from out camp.  It was a huge 4-wheel drive dully outfitted with the best equipment money could buy.  The driver was hesitant to attempt driving down to the trailhead where Roy would be coming out.  With the ambulance ready and waiting Bruce and the Sheriff drove down to the trailhead to await Roy’s arrival.  Bruce talked to Ricky and asked why it was taking so long to get Roy out.  They both agreed that something must have gone wrong.

As Jack and his friend would later comment “Alan pulled like a mule.”  Despite the fact that Alan had just had surgery on his ankle that summer, his concern for Roy outweighed the pain he was suffering.  Jack and his friend had both spent their strength getting Roy across the ravine.  They were helpful but it was Alan that was bearing most of the burden.  We lifted Roy’s 200 lbs. over a countless number of logs on the 3/4 mile trek to the awaiting 4 wheeler.  Each of us were surprised that Roy didn’t cry out more with all of the bumping and dropping that we did.  All the while he kept praising and thanking us for what we were doing for him.

When we arrived at the 4 wheeler we slid Roy, sled and all right over the seat and up to the handlebars.  The driver had to straddle Roy’s body to drive the 4 wheeler but soon they were off with Jack riding on one side of the rear rack.  The ride was bitter cold but Ricky was glad to see the headlights coming from down the trail.  He and the sheriff had started down the trail to see if there was any help they could offer.  They cut Roy loose and slid him into the back of Ricky’s waiting Toyota truck and they drove up to where the ambulance was waiting.   They transferred him and began to work on him.  It was now around 9:00PM and it took two more hours to get him to the hospital in Craig Colorado.   The doctor cleaned up the wound and then suggested to Ricky that they waist no time and proceed with an amputation.  The foot was black from lack of blood and from frostbite.  The probability of saving the foot was very low and the doctor was afraid of gangrene setting in the bone.  Ricky pleaded with him to wait and transfer him to one of the Hospitals in Denver where a specialist could make a more conclusive assessment.  He was transferred the next day and the specialist agreed that the foot was too far-gone and they took Roy’s foot off just above the ankle.  Roy was just glad to be alive and was willing to learn to deal with his new handicap.  His work did not require that he walk, but with a prostheses, it was likely that he would be able to walk after some rehabilitation.  The trauma that Roy had experienced would spoil any future-hunting attempt on his part, as it would affect all of us. 

Chapter 4 - The Retrieval

The next day we got up late and headed out to retrieve the elk Bruce had downed the day before.  As we were walking the trail Bruce stopped and looked off the trail and noticed some of the orange trail tape he had used to mark the trail to his elk.  We exited the trail and began following his markings.  All of us were still affected by what had happened to Roy the day before and realized that our own safety procedures could be improved.  We all agreed that since we would be working so close together that we would not chamber any rounds unless we came across game.

Our main goal was to retrieve Bruce’s elk, but if an opportunity should arise we had our rifles.  We followed Bruce’s trail tape for about a half of a mile before we got to the opening where he shot his elk.  We continued to follow the markings to the location where his elk had gone down.  Not 75 yards from where his elk lay I saw a bull elk.  I softly yelled “Buck” (I was too excited and said the wrong thing) to my brothers and tried to work the action on my M77 30-06 to get a round in the chamber.  The action on this new rifle was stiff compared to my old well-worn rifle that I was used to.  I had to look down to see what was going on but soon got a shell in the chamber.  I threw up my gun to get a look through my scope.  His head was blocked by a fur tree and I couldn’t count the points it had (we were in a 4 point or better area).   I had a nice broad side shot but I wanted to be sure it was legal before I took a shot.  Soon he got nervous and bolted.  I ran parallel to him in the same direction.  After 60 yards I saw him again, but still couldn’t see his head clearly.  He reversed his course and I attempted to follow but lost track of him in the trees.  I headed back to the trail and found Bruce working on his elk.  Alan was above us and came walking down.  The bull I was chasing ran within 50 yards from him but he didn’t get a shot off.  Alan was new to hunting and using a new gun made it difficult to take a running shot.   We all agreed that just having an opportunity at an elk was sufficient to get us to return each year.

We finished butchering the elk and loaded it into the three sleds that we had brought with us and headed back to camp.  Bruce had tried to haul out one hindquarter by himself the day before so we had to again trace his trail tape to locate it.  He had left it on a tree stump and started climbing uphill.  It was only about 70 yards from the trail making it easy to retrieve.  The sleds worked perfectly over the 12 inches of snow that had accumulated. 

We returned to camp at about 5:00 PM and it was dark before we were able to get in our tent to start our dinner.  We talked to Rickey who had returned form the Hospital about how Roy was doing and then about the 4 point bull that we had seen.  We talked and made plans for the next day and then went to bed.

Chapter 4 - SIX POINTS ARE BETTER THAN FOUR

Alan and I hunted hard together the whole day.   We had covered about 5 miles before we stopped for lunch. We found a prime area and were sneaking around trying to spot our quarry.  Just before lunch we spooked up a heard of three elk that were bedded down across a clearing.  We crossed the creek that ran down the middle and discovered through reviewing the tracks that were left and the bedding site that there was a small bull with them.  We were disappointed that we didn’t see them sooner but were excited at the prospect.  We stopped for lunch in a prime location and took a little nap under a tree.  Soon however we started to see hunters that were coming from a road that ran along West side of this mountain.  We talked to one set (a father and his two boys) and discovered that we were only about 3/4 of a mile from the road.   We relaxed a little more and then headed back towards camp.  As we were returning we approached a clearing that we had been through that morning.  We found it was now covered with elk tracks.  We decided to split up and worked our way around the outer edges.  I was working on the left side and Alan was working the right.  We both were taking our time checking out every little thing. As I did this I came up over a little rise and looked back to my right a little when I saw a very nice 6-point bull.  He had about a 6” span between his 5^th and 6^th point. He was looking towards Alan and was standing broadside to me.  The biggest problem I had was the fact that I had a very narrow window to shoot through and if he moved very much my opportunity would be over.  He was out about 160 yards with a tree running right down the middle of him and his head was also behind a tree.  I had a clear shot at his vitals and tried to kneel but found that the tall grass blocked my view.  I pulled up for a free hand shot and realized that I wasn’t very steady.  I looked around and the closest tree was 10 feet away and would put me at the wrong angle.  I decided the only shot I had was free hand so I flipped off my safety and squeezed off a round as my cross hairs went by his lung area.  I felt that this was the opportunity that I was given and if I hesitated I would miss my chance. 

The bull whirled and backtracked for about 70 yards stopping in the trees.  I could see a faint outline of his body but when I brought up the scope all I could see was trees.  I desperately wanted a second shot.  I felt the likelihood that my first shot hit him was good but wanted a second shot to be sure.  Soon the small heard realized where I was and headed off in the opposite direction.  I worked my way down to where the elk had been and began looking for blood but there was none to be found.  Alan arrived and we looked closer and found some hair that looked like it had been shaven off.  I then realized that I had probably just grazed him under the belly.  We began to follow the tracks and soon found a drop of blood and then another and my excitement began to rise.  We waited for 30 minutes and then decided to follow the tracks a little further to see if we could tell where he had been hit.  We soon discovered that he was bleeding slowly down the back of his right front leg.  This was not the mortal wound that I was hoping for.   A slow bleeder would take hours if not days to bleed out.  The most likely probability was that he would soon stop bleeding completely because it was only a flesh wound.

We decided to continue following the tracks going very slowly hoping for a second chance. Within a half of a mile we bumped into them again, but because of the trees we never got a chance to shoot.  We soon crossed one of the main trails and another hunter began following the tracks.  This pushed the elk to move faster and it made the blood trail less frequent and harder to follow.   After two miles we began to get discouraged.   He was still bleeding and continuing to climb uphill jumping over logs with ease.  It was getting late and we were worried that if we continued we would get stuck out there for the night.  We marked our location and headed out. 

When we returned to camp it was dark and we described to Bruce our experience.  He was glad that we had been given another chance but was disappointed that we didn’t do better.  I was discouraged and began analyzing how I could have improved my chances.  My previous rifle had a standard sling that could you could loop your arm through to steady ones self when attempting a free hand shot.  The sling that I was using is a new design that allows you to carry your rifle across your chest and it was easy and quick to get the gun up to a firing position but it didn’t supply a ready support for free hand shots.  I tried several times to duplicate the looping arm concept and finally found one that helped.  I would be better prepared the next time.  Better preparation on my part would have increased my chances at taking that 6 point the first try. 

It was snowing heavy the next morning which meant the elk would be bedded down.  We finally got a break about 11:00 AM and Alan and I headed out.  We were out for about an hour when it began to snow again and though we hunted hard nothing was moving.  We split up for a while to improve our chances but neither of us saw a thing.  The 6-point bull that I had winged the day before would be impossible to find since his tracks were now all filled in.  I headed back to camp about 3:00 PM and met Alan on the trail.  We got back to camp and we all agreed that the amount of snow that had accumulated would make it difficult to for us to get out if we left right then.  The forecast was for more snow tomorrow so we decided to leave.  We hurried and broke camp and chained up and attempted to drive out over the summit. 

Bruce lead the way with his 3/4 ton 4X4 GMC but his wheel base was wider than my Isuzu Trooper and soon Alan and I were stuck.  The 18 inches of snow was too much to push while going uphill.   We took out the snow shovels that we had bought the day we left Orem and started digging our selves out.  Bruce had turned around and Alan and I had to back up to a wide spot in the road to do the same.  There was another way out that would require us to drive up through Wyoming and that was the way we headed.  It was much easier going because the snow was not as deep and it was down hill most of the way. 

We left Bruce at a gas station in Wyoming located at an intersection in the highway.  Bruce planned to take a more direct route to his home leaving Alan and I to head back through Craig Colorado.  On our way to Craig we came across several accidents because of the slick road conditions.  The wind and snow was blowing and we started to get worried about our ability to drive all the way back to Orem in this weather.  We stopped in Craig to get a byte to eat at McDonalds when Bruce pulled in behind us.  He had decided to follow us as far as Craig and maybe spend the night there.  Alan and I had been talking about the same thing over our CB’s as we approached McDonalds.  We were excited to see him and suggested that he spend the night with us in a hotel.  So we cowed down some Big Mac’s and went looking for a hotel.  We decided on Motel 8 which was near the highway.  It was expensive costing us $60.00.  The attendant said that they raise the rates during hunting season because of the demand for rooms.   We complained but were happy to have a place to stay the night.  The shower felt good on my tired worn body and for the first time in many days I was warm and comfortable.

Some of the very important lessons we learned during that hunting trip were:

1)  That you could only truly rely on your hunting partners during an emergency.

2)  You should never hunt alone. 

3)  You had better be well prepared or you could easily loose your life.

4)  Firearm safety is extremely important even to well seasoned hunters.

5)  Know what your limits are.

6)  Spending the night in the woods near a fire is better than freezing on you feet.

Hondo

Copyright  March 1996 Harlan Pooley