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In addition to the deer, there was other game in the area that could challenge the bowhunter. Since the ban on baiting bears and hunting with dogs in the mid 1990´s, the black bear and cougar populations have been growing steadily in Washington. We had seen several bear, a cougar and a bobcat the previous hunting season and we were hoping for a chance to get one with a bow. The success story of the wild turkey is no different in Washington than in other parts of the country where their numbers continue to grow and the seasons are extended. Other small game such as grouse and snowshoe hare are fairly abundant and would always be a treat for an evening meal. The ever-cautious coyote also calls this area his home and can be seen quite frequently. The noisy and annoying little Douglas Squirrel (protected) and the striped skunk can also be encountered while hunting or around the camp site. In addition, many kinds of small mammals inhabit this region as well as eagles, hawks, owls, and several other species of wild birds.

The national forest is also the temporary summer home of hundreds of cattle who roam and feed throughout the area.

I arrived two days before my partner and established our camp. One of the first orders of business was to set up a tree stand in a favorite whitetail area in an evergreen tree about 16 feet high overlooking two well-used trails. Just as I finished the last detail, a near tragedy struck. I always use a safety harness while hunting from a stand, but foolishly I seldom use one for climbing in and out of the stand. What happened next is a good lesson learned. For some unexplained reason, I placed my right foot on a limb instead of the step and then made the same mistake by grasping a branch with my right hand. The limb on which I was standing snapped, causing my entire body weight to shift to the limb in the right hand which also broke. I landed hard with my right foot twisting inward. The pain was sharp, but I figured it was not broken after I got to my feet and tried to walk. Luckily, I missed the screw-in steps on the way down, but my jeans received a long ragged tear from one of the steps. My hands and arms were scratched and bleeding, but nothing too serious.

By the time Chris Hill, one of my hunting partners, arrived the next day I could hardly walk on the badly swollen foot. Unfortunately, it was 6 days of ice packs, ibuprofen, and taking it easy before I could do some serious hiking and hunting.