Neil Waugh
Well-known member
A couple years ago my older boy Alistair's high school football team was lucky enough to get into the provincials.
Our running back is now playing down east (either Acadia or FX) and two other boys are playing for the University of Alberta Golden Bears so it was a pretty good squad.
The northern semi-final game was in Grande Prairie.
The Peace River Country is getting a pretty good rep for whitetails - lots of 'em and big ones too. Jack Barton has a monster on the wall of his archery shop on GP's main drag that's a few ticks shy of a non-typical record. Someone found it dead in a field near Debolt.
The boys went up on the team bus Friday night and I followed along in the Jeep with the 30-30 and my hunting gear.
Kick-off wasn't till around 2 so I figured I'd get up before legal light and do a little scouting around. The county map showed some Crown land down by the Wapiti River that was close to town. But I wasn't sure how to get onto it. And I really didn't have enough time to line up landowners permission.
On the drive up Highway 63 there were deer everywhere. I counted over 30. And probably that many or more I didn't spot.
So when I hit the road before sun up next morning I was pretty pumped.
I ran into some elk south of the river (no tag) and saw lots of deer on private land while I tried to find an oil road into the Crown sections.
No luck.
It was getting on toward noon by now and I figured I better head back to the motel and get changed for the game.
That's when I saw a doe at the corner of a field by a patch of bush. And behind her another big-bodied deer.
The doe came out on the field to feed but the big boy stayed put.
I knew there was a rack in there somewhere. But it was hard to tell with the bush.
Until the doe flicked her tail and he stepped out.
I can't exactly say how big the buck was but good enough to make my taxidermist Harv happy. Because I'd have to write him another cheque.
There was a powerline and a driveway that led behind the bush. And to the south I could hear a tractor working.
I'd have to drive down that road to get permission. And that would in all likelihood spook the deer.
I was clearly hooped.
It took a while for the old boy to get up in the wedding saddle. And even after he had done his bit to perpetuate the species, he hug around long enough to shoot him a hundred times over. I watched it all go down through the Bushnells.
At the game we came up against a hoss and an O-line of beefy Peace River ranch kids.
I can't remember his name but #11 sure ran it up on us. When he wasn't playing linebacker and kicking field goals.
We had to go aerial in the second half after they shut down out running game. We came close but were never able to seal the deal. (If I recall #11 intercepted one of our last gasp scoring drives.)
Somewhere in the game Alistair broke a bone in his hand which messed up his hockey and had to play most of the season in a cast.
It was still bugging him when lacrosse got going in April.
And on the second last day of the season I had to fill my tag with a doe.
Sometimes life happens.
Our running back is now playing down east (either Acadia or FX) and two other boys are playing for the University of Alberta Golden Bears so it was a pretty good squad.
The northern semi-final game was in Grande Prairie.
The Peace River Country is getting a pretty good rep for whitetails - lots of 'em and big ones too. Jack Barton has a monster on the wall of his archery shop on GP's main drag that's a few ticks shy of a non-typical record. Someone found it dead in a field near Debolt.
The boys went up on the team bus Friday night and I followed along in the Jeep with the 30-30 and my hunting gear.
Kick-off wasn't till around 2 so I figured I'd get up before legal light and do a little scouting around. The county map showed some Crown land down by the Wapiti River that was close to town. But I wasn't sure how to get onto it. And I really didn't have enough time to line up landowners permission.
On the drive up Highway 63 there were deer everywhere. I counted over 30. And probably that many or more I didn't spot.
So when I hit the road before sun up next morning I was pretty pumped.
I ran into some elk south of the river (no tag) and saw lots of deer on private land while I tried to find an oil road into the Crown sections.
No luck.
It was getting on toward noon by now and I figured I better head back to the motel and get changed for the game.
That's when I saw a doe at the corner of a field by a patch of bush. And behind her another big-bodied deer.
The doe came out on the field to feed but the big boy stayed put.
I knew there was a rack in there somewhere. But it was hard to tell with the bush.
Until the doe flicked her tail and he stepped out.
I can't exactly say how big the buck was but good enough to make my taxidermist Harv happy. Because I'd have to write him another cheque.
There was a powerline and a driveway that led behind the bush. And to the south I could hear a tractor working.
I'd have to drive down that road to get permission. And that would in all likelihood spook the deer.
I was clearly hooped.
It took a while for the old boy to get up in the wedding saddle. And even after he had done his bit to perpetuate the species, he hug around long enough to shoot him a hundred times over. I watched it all go down through the Bushnells.
At the game we came up against a hoss and an O-line of beefy Peace River ranch kids.
I can't remember his name but #11 sure ran it up on us. When he wasn't playing linebacker and kicking field goals.
We had to go aerial in the second half after they shut down out running game. We came close but were never able to seal the deal. (If I recall #11 intercepted one of our last gasp scoring drives.)
Somewhere in the game Alistair broke a bone in his hand which messed up his hockey and had to play most of the season in a cast.
It was still bugging him when lacrosse got going in April.
And on the second last day of the season I had to fill my tag with a doe.
Sometimes life happens.