Days 4 - 8
by Harley Hawbaker
The day after the big flood, Dodge Creek returned to a state of calm, as frost covered the beaten soil of
its banks. Sunshine pierced through the leafless trees, but the buck were not moving too much.
Over the next few days, all I saw was small groups of doe and fawn hanging out in the fields and scampering
through the woods. The temperatures rose as the weekend progressed, keeping many hunters out of the Irish Basin...even
though everyone knew that there were a few beasts still out there.
Big Jim, Lefty, and Lynford saw this as an opportunity to get ahead of the pack. Sure enough, on Day
#8, as the sun was going down, Big Jim bagged the biggest buck of his life - an 8-point with a perfect rack and 150 pounds
of flesh ready to be converted into sausage.
 By the time I showed up, Big Jim was already in the Lodge chowing down on supper. Leary of getting
his picture taken, Big Jim left Lynford and two of the youngest Hawbakers, Chester and Garrison, to pose with the historic
prize.
Jedediah, Lefty, and Clem came by to celebrate, but you could see the envy in their eyes. It
was Big Jim's 98th buck of his long hunting career...once again proving that the Ol' Master still had a keen eye and steady
hand.
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