Well it was plenty cold the next morning and the fresh snow from the night before showed evidence of deer movement throughout the night as we hiked to our rock to glass, hoping the brisk weather would have the deer out soaking up the sun and trying to warm up. No such luck. We covered 3 ridges and never saw a live deer, even though we cut tracks all across the top of the ridges. I followed Rich to the highway and saw him off and returned to camp after checking some lower lying ridges that another hunter had recommended.
I have to admit my spirits were at their lowest point so far in the hunt as I faced a lonely cold night alone. As I hiked back to the truck I saw the “fingernail moon” (as my three year old daughter refers to it) in the western sky with the remnants of the red sunset. I snapped a photo and it brightened my outlook for the next day
