Top_Heavy's World

I was exhausted, the weight of the world still on my shoulders, as I ate my breakfast. We talked little as we stuffed eggs, bacon and toast into our mouths. We were done eating and our equipment was loaded in the truck. Lunches were made and water bottles were filled. The truck crept up the winding dirt 2 track that led away from the lodge. I should have been bright eyed and full of excitement... I could hardly keep my eyes open. The truck stopped and I piled out. My bow, gear bag and water jug hastily gathered, I started the quarter mile walk that would take me to my box blind. The moon was just bright enough that I didn't need my small flashlight, as I carefully navigated down the steep side of a bowl that held a small pond. This water was the only surface water for over a mile, and the antelope were hitting it hard. I carefully entered the well located blind, being sure not to startle any creeping nasties that might have taken up residency there. My gear was stacked in the corner and I opened the windows to survey my surroundings. The shape of the blind, the length of my arms and the remainder of the water forced me to only have one operable window. I quietly lowered the plywood window and settled on my lawn chair. I yawned... my eyes watered... soon I yawned again. The first day of no stress, after a week like the one I had just endured, was catching up to me. I decided to lay down on the floor mat for a minute or two.
I awoke to a small bird fluttering at my window, the sun was now high and I could see antelope, dozens of them, working there way to water. I knelt against the front of the blind, letting the sun hit my face, in an attempt to wake up. I lazily day dreamed until motion caught my attention. A beautiful antelope had moved within 8 yards of the blind and was staring right at me! We sat for a second or two and he was gone! I tried to regroup, that was a book goat and I didn't even have my bow unpacked! I decided I needed more food, sort of "stoke the fire" idea. I ate all of my lunch and drank most of my water and again sat in my lawn chair. That floor mat looked so good... I took off my heavy coat and used it as a pillow... just a couple of minutes... just
I don't know how long I slept, a couple of hours at least. I woke again, inserted my ground peg into the soil at the far corner of the blind, and I got my bow ready. I ranged my few land marks, rocks, bushes, edge of the water. I was atleast acting like I was hunting. The stupor didn't last long, that buck from earlier was walking up the trail to the water. He didn't stop until he was belly deep! He was now at 31 yards. I put the laser back down, raised my bow and drew back. I leaned a little too far forward and when I released... BANG, the lower cam cycled and hit the blind, causing the bow to lurch a little. I watched excitedly (finally I was awake) as the speedy little blazers guided my arrow through the vitals. A little high and back but he was down in less than 70 yards. I was amazed, I had been in the box blind almost 5 hours on the first day. I had been awake for less than 40 minutes of the entire hunt, and I had just harvested a P&Y antelope that grossed in the low 70's!

Not many of my hunts are this easy, but Wyoming is about as easy as they get! The population of book goats is unreal, we saw dozens in the first day while driving around after my hunt. This is the view of my blind and water hole where I was sleeping for an antelope!