The cactus wasn't granite, but it was rooted in it...
While exploring for the best place to put a popup, I came across some Gemsbock. These things are huge, built like tanks, and boldly colored. Unfortunately they're also very skittish. This one stood still just long enough for a photo and then he was off running through the brush.
The second day I was scouting out a new area for activity during the middle of the day. I saw some dark shapes thorugh the brush and stalked closer with the camera, since they were obviously not white tails.
I wondered why they didn't take off, until I spotted Buster bedded off to the side. He had no clue I was there, so the others stayed around with their daddy.
We got back to the cabin late, but the Milky Way was rising and I wasted no time setting up the tripod while everyone else got a hot meal and showers.
Here's the cabin and the stars. The full size photo is really nice, but Tinypic won't let me put a large one on this site.
I did get a doe. When I walked over to load her in the truck, I realized it was a tiny animal that looked from a distance like a deer, but up close was way too small. I was embarrassed when I took it in to the ranger station, thinking I had committed the sin of shooting a fawn on accident. With one hand I unloaded it and put it on the concrete. They loooked at it and didn't say anything negative. He checked the teeth and said, "yep. Two and a half years old and 55 lbs. That's average.
What? For a Sheltie maybe, but deer are larger animals ...or so I thought. I just finished packing it in the freezer and it made eight quart sized bags of meat. Eight. But you know what? A buck with 130 inches of antler and a tiny body would look awesome! Just put the mount way in the back of the room so poeple don't get to see it close.
Oh well, it should be some really good meat, and I helped with their management program and saw some fantastic property and animals!
