Princeton Hunting, Ponderosa Motel and Blind Dog, Gilbert

Laura and I had hoped to hook up with my old hunting buddy Bill Mewhort’s son and his wife.  They were hunting Clinton area this next couple of weeks. However Gilbert lost his first eye last spring to hereditary glaucoma and the second flared up a couple of weeks back. So our fall hunting season has been seriously disrupted, not to mention Gilbert had surgery to remove his second eye and is only now recovering.  It’s been a tough couple of weeks with him up most nights at first with pain and now just confused and anxious and lonely.  Coupled with that my colleagues had planned vacations and conferences so I felt a duty to cover for them as they covered for me when I was bow hunting  in August.( i.e. walking about in the woods with a bow immensely enjoying the fall and not seeing any game.)
I love Princeton. It was the first place I came to hunt, driving a VW Rabbit that got stuck immediately in the snow till I gave up and went home. I had my old Browning 30:06 from Italian Sports and a whole lot of enthusiasm but no luck. It was back in the late 1980’s.  I’ve come back again and again over the years mostly staying at Ponderosa Motel, sometimes Princeton Motel and sometimes the Riverside Cabins. Over the years I’ve tended to hunt the Pemberton area, Boston Bar, Merritt, Clinton and 100 mile House, and Princeton. I’ve also really enjoyed hunting north Vancouver Island.  We’ve gone far north for Moose, beyond the Prince George area, Pink Mountain or Fort St. James.
Bill Mewhort always laughed because I’d tell everyone I was a grouse hunter and just happened to shoot big game.  Once we were hauling home the first moose I shot,  these guys asked where I’d shot it and I held up my grouse and told them “just over there. Along the side of the road” . I  proceeded to tell them in detail waxing poetic, how I’d seen the grouse, what it was doing and how I’d stalked it, even explaining what what gun I’d used and the merits of the Ruger 22 rifle.  All the while they were looking at this great moose with a rack.  Bill was chuckling as we drove away saying, “Did you see their faces, how their jaws dropped when you went on about the grouse.?”
Dad and my brother Ron started me prairie chicken and partridge hunting with a 22 when I was 12 yo in Manitoba. I’m thankful to have grown up in Canadian home with Canadian values and an appreciation for conservation,  stewardship of resources and the depth of appreciation we have for game and harvest. In the city surrounded by pavement and cut off from God’s country too many people live in echo chambers eating food wrapped in cellophane and not knowing anything about what they go on and on about.
It was a nice drive up to Princeton through the winding roads of Manning Park,  leaving after clinics at  3:30 pm.  We had  the mandatory stop at MacDonald’s for Gilbert’s much loved MacDonald’s burger paddy which Laura breaks up and feeds him by hand. As adults we had cheese burgers and fed ourselves. Did I mention Laura spoils Gilbert, her fur baby.   I stopped for weekend snacks in Hope.  I’d phoned ahead to Ponderosa and made reservations with the lovely Korean Canadian  couple who have owned the motel forever.
At Ponderosa. the lovely lady I’d talked to had reserved the outer spot for my new truck.  The last time we were there, the high Pioneer ATV  in the back and the length of long box truck made it difficult to get out of an inner parking spot. Fortunately another hunter was leaving so I was able to get out.  The previous year I’d shot a deer and hung in the back of the truck till leaving in the morning. The lady had  reserved me a perfect spot on the outside  parking her own car there so no one took it. .  They’re always so helpful.
After checking in I walked across the street to the incredible 5 star restaurant, Little Creek Grill. They had prime rib specials so I got two for Laura and I knowing Gilbert would like the bits.  The only trouble we had was carving meat on styrofoam plates with plastic knives on our laps in bed.  Laura eventually grabbed the whole piece and began chewing on it like a lovely little animal. I cut through the bottom and spilt the juice on my pyjama bottoms. Gilbert thought this was all for his benefit happy to lick up every drop.   We watched NCIS on the cable tv.
This Korean Canadian couple have been the Ponderosa owners for  as long as I can remember.  They’re terrific people. The rooms have always been so clean and well cared for. Every year there are upgrades. They used to have a pool and hot tub. Now they have a Sushi Restaurant.  They serve a smorgasboard breakfast just like European hotels do and travelling tourists love it.  I had their sausage and eggs  today.  It was delicious. Normally I’m gone before 7 am and pick up coffee and sausage at the A&W here which opens at 6 -7 am.  Already there’s the local woman with her lap top there and the ubiquitous group of retired men having coffee and talking weather and politics.  No one in Canada is happy with Justin Trudeau’s government especially working people, country people and the middle class. So I passed the wisdom circle of grey hairs condemning his latest taxes on the disabled while I waited for my sausage and egger and hash browns.
I didn’t take Gilbert for the morning hunt. He’s still healing.  I left him in good company.  Laura was still in bed with her blond tossed hair.  Poor blind Gilbert was looking at the wall when I went out the door.
Before light I was unloading, “Charles” the glorious Honda Pioneer side by side 500 cc ATV  (all terrain vehicle).  There’s always a moment before going down the ramp in reverse that I have ‘doubts’.  Especially this week after the very funny Facebook video of a fellow loading his offload motorcycle and flipping himself over the hood of his truck. He survived. I’ve survived several ‘incident’s’ of ATV loading or off loading which trigger minor panic attacks for briefest moments and then I’m prayerfully thanking the Lord for survival.  Hunting trips are associated with so many such little victories.  I can’t say how many times I’m almost died going over cliffs, crashed or rolled vehicles.
I transferred rifles and my bag from the truck, secured the ramps by backing the truck over them, then was off on the back roads.  I should walk more. I used to sit in ambush before dawn for a couple of hours and I’d stalk a couple of hours. But since I got this ATV I’ve been pretty much a lazy road hunter. The fact is , I flipped my last ATV and had a bit of pain walking for a couple of years. That’s over but it was a great excuse to eat Hagen Daz ice cream and get out of shape. I’m also a bit older and the last deer I’ve shot have taken all my energy to get them to the truck.  I’ve concluded that I’m only going to shoot something close to the road simply because of the issue of hauling and loading.  That makes for a pretty good rationalization for not hiking as much. I do. I stop “Charles” and walk the trail ahead of me a lot but I’m impatient and don’t sit in ambush as much simply because I don’t quite know the flow of deer in Princeton. In Pemberton and North Vancouver Island I actually know where the deer highways are but Princeton I’m still exploring.  It’s fun too and I just love driving around off road on the Pioneer.  The grouse are along the trails too.
I carry my stainless steel Ruger 30:06 Rifle, Bill named “Sexcaliber’” , It was the first of the stainless steel rifles and very sexy in the light.  I use  180 grain Nozzler Partition bullets since they’re good for deer, bear and moose. I also have my Miura I Over and under 20 gauge shot gun. . I was shooting the Ruger semi auto 22L with Luke until our Sikh hunting buddy Sonny turned me on to the 20 gauge.  The 12 gauge tore up the flesh of the little birds and my 4:10 was just too light.  Luke hit the head every shot but I didn’t like missing grouse that would fly as I tried to get close enough. As Sonny had showed, the 20 gauge could be as good a head shot, shooting just above them but if they flew you could still drop them on the fly with the second barrel.  I’ve been enjoying this way of hunting grouse the last few years.
I saw a few doe and possibly one buck. A couple ran across the road ahead of me and I saw one dear in the distance so stopped “Charles”  and stalked uphill  to the tree line.  There I spooked the doe and the doe and buck were out of there. Sllogging uphill out of breath knowing this was good exercise, being fat and out of shape. but I did having trouble keeping  silent as I  was wheezing like a freight train.
The 2 grouse were kind enough to sit long enough for me to stop the vehicle, load my shot gun and sneak up the road where I shot one sitting and the second one on the fly. I missed Gilbert because I almost lost the one as it was wounded and hid under a log.  I found it with some serious searching but knew Gilbert would have pounced on it right off.
The morning was spectacular. It had started  in the darkness and cold with lots of low level  fog.  I’d had to scrape the ice off the windshields. As the day moved along the sun came up on the forest alive with fall colours.  Evergreens next to the perennials clothed in oranges, yellows and reds.  A great day to be alive.  I drove at a snails pace all over the mountain drinking Starbuck double shot canned cold coffee and breathing in the forest fragrance and the smell of cut timber.  There were dozens of hunters in town staying at the various hotels and motels but out in the woods I only came across one or two waving passing each other on the narrow logging roads. I saw a few camper vans in the back woods and one substantial camp of three vehicles. With all that much wilderness it’s amazing how alone one can be.
On the way back to the truck I saw a huge timber wolf run across a field crossing the road just in front of me and streaking up into the woods uphill.  I love seeing wild life back woods. I’ve not seen wolves around Princeton before but sure saw a lot up by Merritt and Clinton.  I’ve been blessed to see Cougar, Lynx, bobcats, coyotes and foxes on my various hunts. Sometimes I’m lucky enough to get a photo. I used to carry a camera but now all I’ve got along is my much loved IPhone.

At the truck I loaded the Pionneer finding this time I was missing a bolt on the ramp, That had happened last year and I’d replaced it in Princeton.  I’m always looking over my equipment but there’s simply no end of surprises.  No harm but that internal “oh shit!” thought.
Back in town I was driving down the highway and there was a deer.  A doe. Standing in front of the RCMP headquarters. I really do think they’re smarter than we think.
Back at the motel Laura and Gilbert were waiting. She’d had her bath and taken Gilbert for a walk.  We walked up to the hardware store where I got another bolt and a spare. In addition we got Gilbert one of those little flashing collar lights. He didn’t walk into any walls on this walk which was good.  We stopped at a little coffeeshop across from Save On.They had a whole bunch of pottery, home made candles and jams inside for sale.  We had quiche and turkey soup sitting outside in the sun with Gilbert drinking up the scents of other dogs passing.  I’ve always loved the town of Princeton, with it’s war epitaph, legion hall, all the funky little cafe’s and shops and everyone so friendly.  It’s nice too that all the housing that would cost millions in the lower mainland only costs hundreds of thousands of dollars here.
Leaving Laura to read and do cross word puzzles at the motel, my big now blind hunting dog,  Gilbert, the cockapoo and I headed out for the night hunt in the truck. With his waking me through the night and early morning hunt I’d needed an hour nap before getting going.  But there we were doing due hunting diligence.   Old fat white guy and old blind cockapoo.
I didn’t unload Charles but drove along the main almost paved logging road in my white Ford F350 truck enjoying the comfort and smooth ride.  Past trucks I’ve used for hunting taking them almost everywhere I now take the quad but this truck’s purpose is principally to haul my RV or to get Charles and me too the hunting grounds. The logging road mains are generally kept safe enough for cars with few potholes. Older, hunting now  I go very slow.  Too many times younger I almost went off cliffs.
Gilbert used to watch the road head like a hawk but now sniffs the air.  He’s such a great companion.  I didn’t see anything.I have no idea what he smelled.  I stopped the truck and stalked a mile ahead with him walking behind. I was thankful for the flashing blue light I’d clipped to his harness. He stumbled off the road a couple of times but only once did I have to go get him as he woofed his distress. He’d walked into a fallen tree and couldn’t find his way out of the maze of branches. By the end of the walk he was keeping closer behind me.  They say blind dogs in the wild just stay close to the pack and survive that way.  Gilbert’s learning. Back at the truck it was dark and we drove out as the sun set behind the mountains.
I stopped at the great pizza place in town getting us an all Meat Pizza. I love the Princeton Pizza. So another night of TV, an old movie with Anthony Quin and pizza. I walked Gilbert around the town with his flashing light.  Unlike the city a country town closes down for the night early and the quiet and peacefulness is a thing of beauty. Overhead I looked at the stars not masked by city lights and waited while Gilbert chose a perfect place to poop.
This morning I’ve just had breakfast while Laura is in the bath. We’re going home early. Sometimes I get an early morning hunt in and back before check out but today I just loved sleeping in.  Gilbert had me up at 3 am fuzzing and wanting to play or walk so I stumbled about the town for a bit before going back to bed. Laura told me he’d had her up playing a couple of hours before. He’s insecure in the strange environment and more vulnerable. He’s been able to sleep through a night in my place since his surgery a couple of weeks back so we think he’s still just a little scared and needs reassurance.
Right now he’s facing me and if you didn’t know you’d think he was looking, his hair covers his face.  That’s another good reason for a Beatles hair cut.
The fall weather and sunshine has been a god send.  It’s been a great weekend and I’m looking forward to heading back for a week of work. Might even get out for another weekend of hunting yet. Next weekend we have BC Ballet and Pacific Theatre to attend.