First, the guide we hunted with, although very cordial and willing, was woefully under-equipped to conduct the hunt he had committed himself to. Had my son and I not brought with us a complete camp set-up, including food, other provisions and our own 4wd vehicle, I am certain that our hunt would have ended in complete disaster. In addition, this man's knowledge of the techniques necessary to bowhunt in the oak brush thickets prevalent there was weak to non-existent. All of that said, as the week progressed, this sincere and hard-working man proved himself to be rock-solid genuine, and he did everything in his power to make our hunt a success. My son finally collected a small mulie buck on the last evening of the hunt. He took the animal from a blind which had been shown to us by another Navajo guide whom we happened to meet in the area. Had it not been for this chance meeting, it is doubtful that we would have bagged anything at all. I tried (unsuccessfully) to shoot my wooden arrows from my long bow through the oak thickets at a couple of small bucks. The arrows hit the intervening branches in each case.
When we departed, we made a gift to our outfitter of a brand-new tent, a lantern, tarps, gas cans, water jugs, ice chest, etc. to aid him in outfitting hunts for future clients. We were also able to teach him about bowhunting techniques necessary for success in such difficult terrain. One immensely important item we lacked, and were not advised beforehand to bring with us, was portable tree stands. Other hunters in the area who were........(continued)
