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“Agreed,” Grant said. “Let’s enjoy the hunting season, and after it’s over, come to my office, and we’ll talk.”
Chapter fifteen
The next morning, the hunters began to stir around 5:30 am getting ready for the hunt. Elk had risen before anyone else and had French toast and bacon cooking in the kitchen. The coffee pot was brewing, and everyone grabbed their first cup and filled their thermoses. A small fire glowed in the fireplace, and the hunters were upbeat and eager to get to their blinds before daylight.
All of the hunters had predetermined spots to hunt. Elk hunted over a two-acre rye field not far from the cabin. She claimed this spot when she first joined because it allowed her to get back quickly and get meals started. Turk had been assigned to an extra blind that overlooked a three-acre field planted in clover. Eddie planned to take Turk with him in the morning and drop him off before proceeding to his blind about 600 yards away. Jeff had a blind in the middle of the property that sat on a small ridge that extended into the swamp. Over the years, Jeff harvested lots of great bucks from this area. Frenchie’s blind sat right in the thickest part of the cedar swamp. Frenchie found that spot years ago while rabbit hunting and had not hunted elsewhere since he discovered it. Grant’s blind sat the farthest distance from the camp. The 6x6 blind featured a metal roof and slider windows. Most considered it the fanciest blind on the property. Grant loved the spot overlooking a two-acre field mainly because it sat in one of the most isolated spots on the property. Mooch and Chet had their blinds within 300 yards of each other near the middle of the property. Although they were close together as the crow flies, they were separated by a large hill with extremely thick aspen stands surrounding each blind.
Friendly banter ensued as the hunters grabbed their gear and headed to their deer blinds. “Listen for a shot around 7:10 this morning,'' Eddie said to the group. “That will be me winning the buck pool with a ten-point trophy. I’ll mount it and have it on the wall at camp for all of you to admire for years to come.”
Frenchie could not resist that statement and replied, “Why is it no surprise to me that Eddie wants to mount his buck? I always suspected he did terrible things to those deer when he hunted alone in the woods.” With that, the whole camp erupted in laughter at Eddie’s expense.
Eddie finally replied, “Write it down, boys. My ten-pointer will be harvested at 7:10 this morning. Have those crisp bills ready for me.”
Grant was the first to leave camp. Driving would save time because he was starting a bit late. Grant’s blind was the furthest from camp, and he still had a 15-minute walk from the highway after he parked.
Elk called out to the entire camp as they left for the hunt, “There’ll be a pot of chili on the stove for anyone who returns for lunch. Dinner tonight is a bear roast. Good luck to everyone, especially me.” With that information, the hunters all left camp, stepping out into the cold, snowy morning with visions of success churning in their heads.
Jeff arrived at his blind around 6:40, about a half hour before the first shooting light. He turned on his heater, cracked his windows, and poured a cup of hot coffee from his thermos. He then sat quietly in total darkness as he watched the first rays of light appear on the horizon.
The day went slowly because Jeff had only seen six deer by 4:00 pm. The biggest deer was a nice 6-point buck that walked past a shooting lane around 10:00 am. There were only three shots all day that he thought might have been from the Trail’s End crew. They may have come from Eddie or Frenchie, but he couldn’t be sure.
Eddie experienced a slow morning, too, and didn’t fulfill his prediction of a 10-point buck by 7:10 am. He had not even seen a single deer all morning. Around noon Eddie sipped some Jack Daniels whiskey to pass the time. He dozed off for a while and had no idea how long he’d slept.
Chet remained in a terribly pissy mood as he walked to his blind in direct contrast to all the other hunters in camp. This would likely be his last hunting season at Roads End, and he silently cursed as he approached his blind. Chet had just about enough of the Koehler boys, except for Eddie, the only decent one of the bunch. Maybe he could tolerate the new rules they imposed, but he couldn’t get over what Grant and the school board did to him. Chet would never forgive Grant for that.
Chet taught shop class at Granite Cove High. His job was scheduled for elimination due to budget cuts the following year. The school offered a janitorial job, but that crappy position paid less than half his tenured teacher earnings. A guy has to plan for the future, and Chet had developed a plan for a career change once his teaching job disappeared. He used school funds to purchase a cargo van from Whitey Kominsky. He planned to have his auto shop students repair the van and use it for his future business. Chet didn’t see anything wrong with using his students to repair a van he planned to use.
Like any good businessman, Chet saw a need in the community and devised a plan to meet it. Granite City attracted lots of elderly people and retirees. Due to abundant available land and cheap labor, two senior assisted living facilities and a large nursing home were built in the area. Many of those people didn’t, or couldn’t drive, and were cut off from friends and families that lived a long distance away. Chet saw a business opportunity transporting people from outlying cities to visit the elderly in Granite Cove. Many people were unwilling to drive that far or lacked transportation. They still harbored a strong desire to remain in contact with their loved ones. Chet decided to start a transportation business. The pay would be better than his salary as a shop teacher, and he envisioned his business evolving into something like “Uber for the Elderly.” In fact, he decided to register his new LLC in that name using the initials UFTE.
Unfortunately, students talked, and some parents got wind of his plan. The parents complained to the school board. The board, including Grant, agreed to launch an outside investigation into Chet’s shop class. This put his entire plan at risk. He particularly hated Grant for his support of the inquiry. A guy can’t expect even a bit of support from a hunting buddy. Typical Koehler! Chet felt really pissed!
By 5:30 pm, the forest had darkened when Jeff began the walk back to the cabin. When he arrived, Elk stood in front of the oven preparing dinner. She said she’d briefly seen a nice buck around 5:15 pm, but it would not come out from behind a pine tree for a decent shot. It disappeared into the thick woods, and Elk remained confident the deer would return the next day.
Soon the other hunters began to file into the cabin as they returned from the hunt. “See anything?” Chet asked as he stormed into the cabin. “I saw twelve deer today but no bucks. I also saw a coyote and a small bear. Many animals were moving by my blind, but the big bucks were laying low.”
“Maybe tomorrow will be your lucky day, Chet,” said Jeff.
“I hope you’re right. I definitely need some good luck the way things have been going in my life.”
Mooch and Frenchie were the next to return to camp. Frenchie drove up on his UTV because he hurt his ankle a week earlier and couldn’t walk to his blind. “I saw a monster buck this morning.” He came right out in front of my blind about 120 yards away. He wouldn’t turn and give me a shot. I had the scope on him for five minutes but never could get a bead on him.”
The guys undressed and settled in front of the fire while Elk and Frenchie prepared the evening meal. Frenchie had come in from hunting at around 2 pm for a late lunch before returning to the woods for the evening hunt. Elk already had set up in the cabin, preparing for the evening meal. She planned to cook a bear roast, something new for most of the guys. A friend from Elk’s days at the restaurant gave her the bear meat from a hunt in Manitoba, Canada. Elk put Frenchie to work peeling potatoes, skinning carrots, and cutting up onions for the roast.
When the guys returned from the evening hunt, Elk told them dinner would be later that night. They had no issues with that and were anxious to try roast bear. Elk turned to Frenchie and said, “Frenchie, I’m going to take the roast out of the oven. I want you to throw out all the potatoes, carrots, and onions and cut up a brand-new batch of each.
Frenchie looked at her quizzically and said, “Why don’t we want to use the ones I already cut up in the roaster?”
Elk looked him right in the eye and said, “Frenchie, I’ll make you a deal. You don’t tell me how to cook, and I won’t tell you how to be lazy.” The whole camp enjoyed that quip. Elk then said, “Frenchie, get a move on so the roast gets back in the oven, and we can eat sometime this year.”
“Seriously, Elk, not telling you how to cook, but why throw out all the potatoes, carrots, and onions?” Jeff cautiously asked.
“Bear meat is extremely fatty. It’s similar to duck in a lot of ways. That’s why you probably saw me pricking small holes in it before putting it in the oven. First, you put the potatoes, carrots, and onions in to soak up most of the fat. Then you throw them away and put a new batch in with the roast. The result will be a tasty roast without excess grease and bear tallow that would make it taste gamey. Now unless anyone else in this camp wants me to stop dinner for another cooking lesson, go back to your beer drinking and let me take care of dinner.”
Beer from the keg flowed, and Chet pulled out some venison sausage to share with the guys for an appetizer. The guys told stories about their hunt and laughed at jokes when Jeff asked, “Hey, where are Grant, Eddie, and Turk?” Everyone stopped talking when they realized they were missing three guys. In all the festivities, nobody had mentioned that it now approached 7:00 pm, and none of them were back yet.
“Maybe they shot a buck and are tracking it or dressing it out,” Chet suggested.
“I didn’t hear any shots that sounded like they came from their areas,” replied Jeff.
