THE MAN FROM SNOWY RIVER...

I got a call on my cell phone the other evening and it was Dyke. He said he was lucky to be alive...the reception was not the greatest, but I did hear that the mule broke loose - broke the hobbles and the swivel on the lead rope and ran off while Dyke was sleeping. After a 4 mile jaunt, searching for Sweet Biscuit, Dyke found him at the bottom of the mountain. He said grass was scarce as was water, so they were in survival mode. They were moving camp, as the elk were as scarce too. He said that it was like The Man From Snowy River that day, as he and Biscuit scaled the side of a steep slope back down to camp.

BACKING UP TO LAST WEDNESDAY...

I was able to get a few shots with a borrowed camera, before he embarked on his expedition...

His longbow skills (and homemade cedar shaft arrows) were honed to perfection.....

He was packed, locked and loaded.....

Axles were greased....


Biscuit's training was complete.... at least for now....


And by dawn's early light, they were off...

Only days prior to departure, during one particular saddling...Biscuit was lightly tied to the big weight machine in the barn, so that Dyke could saddle him and get one of the last practice runs underway. Something happened and within moments, he had jerked the weight machine out of the barn and dragged it all over the plowed field. He couldn't get away from it and it was flopping and skipping as he hauled it around! Here's what it looked like after that little trick!

He's supossed to be gone 10 days, so we'll see if he's able to bring some meat home for the winter. It sure would be nice to have a freezer full of elk for the winter...