When Brett found out that he drew the Henry Mountains rifle tag that he’d been putting in for 25 years for, he was more than excited and knew it was time to get to work. He pulled his camp trailer over to Hanksville in May and parked it at an RV park. That would become his weekend home until October. Brett spent every weekend over on the Henry’s, scouting from May until the week of his hunt in October.
He scouted many bucks throughout those months, and many prospects were taken down in the archery and muzzleloader hunts except one that he knew he wanted to go after that he had found back in August. Brett and four other guide services knew about this buck, so he was nervous that he might not get a shot when the time came. However, on the morning of October 21st, Brett and his group of 10 family members set out at 3 a.m. to do what he thought may be impossible. Not much sleep was had between any of the group the night before. The nerves were high.
Once the group got to the area where the buck had been hanging out, Brett scattered his group along the hillside while he hiked and they glassed, watching the area where this buck had gone to bed the night before. As the morning went on, more vehicles and hunters were hiking into the area and everyone knew which buck they were all after – the “Trash” buck.
Once daylight hit, it wasn’t long until the group heard a “Boom!” at around 8:04 a.m. Brett’s group waited a few seconds, anxiously waiting to hear from him, hoping that the shot taken was his. Shortly after, that boom was followed by cheerful screams on a walkie and our group celebrating. “I got him!” Brett cheered. Everyone loaded up in their vehicles to make their way to where his vehicle was parked. The group hiked to him as fast as humanly possible, not knowing exactly where he was.
After a 26-minute hike, the group found Brett sitting with the biggest grin on his face and cheering, holding his trophy buck. It was him. The buck Brett thought would be impossible to get was sitting in his hands. The only words he could get out were, “Can you believe it? I can’t believe it!” Many happy cheers were let out by Brett and his family members. He and his brother counted the points on this “trash buck” multiple times. They counted 14 on one side and 16 on the other. Brett also made sure to take the time to thank his late father, Gerald Dude Brindley. After Brett took his shot and was done cheering, he looked up and said, “Thank you, Dad. I know you had a hand in this and would have loved this.”
The group took many photos and videos, and many congratulations were had. The group then quartered the buck, and Brett packed him out proudly thrown over his shoulders. The pack out wasn’t too strenuous, a 26-minute hike on a steep hillside followed by a lot of adrenaline and joy. As Brett and his group hiked out, Brett’s brother, Ryan, pointed out what a perfect day it was to get the job done. The scenery was phenomenal, the weather was perfect, and the buck was exactly what Brett had worked so hard for.
Once back at camp, the group made a late breakfast and took a nap before making the long trip home to Cedar City. The group loaded up to go home, and Brett said, “I am actually sad to leave this place. It has been my second home this year, and I’ve enjoyed every minute of being here. I might have to bring my trailer over every summer from here on out.”
In the days to follow, Brett had his buck scored at 225". He would like to thank his kids, Coy, Kinzlee, and Brecklyn, his brother, Ryan, his nephews, Kolby, Kache, Rayne, and Landon, and his brother-in-law, Kasey, for being there on October 21st and helping make this hunt successful.
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