Transcripts (night one)
Yep, the FIRST hunt. Here is what I wrote in my notebook, word for word, no edits, the night prior to hunting season:
09/02 1745
"I left work at 1200 and went home, showered, and made my way to camp. I actually got to the trailhead earlier than I thought I would [explanation comes later]. Holy crap, an elk is right there. As I'm writing this, an elk is coming. Pretty quick I'm going to need to get the bow out for self-defense. This, if I ever actually see it, will be third bull I've seen in about 45 minutes. I was walking down the the trail, planning on watching those wallows tonight and almost spooked a spike about 60 yards away. He had heard me walking down the trail and was jumpy. He fast-walked toward the wallow side. I figure, "Screw this. I don't want to spook a bunch of critters the night before opening day." So I turned around and walked UP the trail and back towards camp. Not 50 yards away was a nice 4 or 5 point. He was staring toward my camp. He finally must have smelled it (amazing it took so long, he was directly downwind) and ambled to the side of the ridge AWAY from the wallows. I just heard [more] commotion down close to where I had circled around to get to camp (so as not to spook the 4 or 5 point). Haven't seen anything there yet, but KNOW it was not a squirrel!
The only thing I can think of is that they heard me trying to hang my food bag earlier. I was thumping and bumping, breaking limbs, trying to get a rope over a high branch. They came to that? Or, am I just in their road to the wallow? Of course, after I set up camp I started poking around and found many fresh rubs around me. Shoot, I HAVE to camp here for safeties sake...the rest of the woods are full of dead trees from that fire. I could get killed by a tree falling on my tent. No thank you. Crap. Two weeks ago I didn't see any fresh sign up here, what's the deal? Now I don' know if I really screwed up, learned something valuable about the pre-rut, or both. Man, there is STILL something over the hill there, the squirrels are going nuts. The sun is setting.
I'll tell you something about moral dilemmas. If I just could get a shot tonight, no one would know I didn't shoot it first thing opening day. Well, I would know. Heck, maybe tomorrow I'll get some chances. Dang morals! Whoops, I think my watch was on T2 instead of T1. I think it is now 1900...which would make sense since the sun is setting...
Now I'm curious as to where I'll start tomorrow. Heck, if I could make it work right here, that'd be perfect. Man that was a pretty bull. Bigger than I'd thought I'd see. Some call those satellites; I call them trophies.
Now I'm paranoid to do anything. To move, breath. I'm still in carharts and a grey t-shirt! I haven't even scent-treated these! And no bugling yet. My Dad thought it might be the case, but I thought I'd hear that tonight. Still time I suppose, but these two simply drifted in silently.
Do you think if a bear was making lotsa noise, they'd come check THAT out?
Good news: cell phone works at truck and at camp.
Bad news: I'm guessing I won't sleep tonight.
Good news: Neither (or none) saw me.
Bad news: I think they all might have got a whiff of me though.
I don't know what to do. Just crawl in the tent, read, and wait until morning? I tied my bow to a tree with a strap and a bungee cord. I don't want mice gnawing on it. The food is hung. And both my packs are hanging from trees as well. I learned a lot about what mice can do on a camping trip we went on over the 4th of July.
The wind was out of the west/south until about 1830. Now very calm. Seems like just up and downslope winds. Being on a ridge, it seems to be having problems deciding where it wants to go. I've seen two mule deer already on both trips in. One doe and one spike. The spike was straight downwind too, but his back was to me and he was looking pretty seriously (ears too) the direction he was facing.
Squirrels going nuts down there again. I don't think that 4 or 5 point went very far.
I don't know what emotion to feel. Excited? yes. Anxious? yes. Nervous? yes. Paranoid? yes. Happy, thrilled, or ecstatic? yes. This place is alive!
09/02 1745
"I left work at 1200 and went home, showered, and made my way to camp. I actually got to the trailhead earlier than I thought I would [explanation comes later]. Holy crap, an elk is right there. As I'm writing this, an elk is coming. Pretty quick I'm going to need to get the bow out for self-defense. This, if I ever actually see it, will be third bull I've seen in about 45 minutes. I was walking down the the trail, planning on watching those wallows tonight and almost spooked a spike about 60 yards away. He had heard me walking down the trail and was jumpy. He fast-walked toward the wallow side. I figure, "Screw this. I don't want to spook a bunch of critters the night before opening day." So I turned around and walked UP the trail and back towards camp. Not 50 yards away was a nice 4 or 5 point. He was staring toward my camp. He finally must have smelled it (amazing it took so long, he was directly downwind) and ambled to the side of the ridge AWAY from the wallows. I just heard [more] commotion down close to where I had circled around to get to camp (so as not to spook the 4 or 5 point). Haven't seen anything there yet, but KNOW it was not a squirrel!
The only thing I can think of is that they heard me trying to hang my food bag earlier. I was thumping and bumping, breaking limbs, trying to get a rope over a high branch. They came to that? Or, am I just in their road to the wallow? Of course, after I set up camp I started poking around and found many fresh rubs around me. Shoot, I HAVE to camp here for safeties sake...the rest of the woods are full of dead trees from that fire. I could get killed by a tree falling on my tent. No thank you. Crap. Two weeks ago I didn't see any fresh sign up here, what's the deal? Now I don' know if I really screwed up, learned something valuable about the pre-rut, or both. Man, there is STILL something over the hill there, the squirrels are going nuts. The sun is setting.
I'll tell you something about moral dilemmas. If I just could get a shot tonight, no one would know I didn't shoot it first thing opening day. Well, I would know. Heck, maybe tomorrow I'll get some chances. Dang morals! Whoops, I think my watch was on T2 instead of T1. I think it is now 1900...which would make sense since the sun is setting...
Now I'm curious as to where I'll start tomorrow. Heck, if I could make it work right here, that'd be perfect. Man that was a pretty bull. Bigger than I'd thought I'd see. Some call those satellites; I call them trophies.
Now I'm paranoid to do anything. To move, breath. I'm still in carharts and a grey t-shirt! I haven't even scent-treated these! And no bugling yet. My Dad thought it might be the case, but I thought I'd hear that tonight. Still time I suppose, but these two simply drifted in silently.
Do you think if a bear was making lotsa noise, they'd come check THAT out?
Good news: cell phone works at truck and at camp.
Bad news: I'm guessing I won't sleep tonight.
Good news: Neither (or none) saw me.
Bad news: I think they all might have got a whiff of me though.
I don't know what to do. Just crawl in the tent, read, and wait until morning? I tied my bow to a tree with a strap and a bungee cord. I don't want mice gnawing on it. The food is hung. And both my packs are hanging from trees as well. I learned a lot about what mice can do on a camping trip we went on over the 4th of July.
The wind was out of the west/south until about 1830. Now very calm. Seems like just up and downslope winds. Being on a ridge, it seems to be having problems deciding where it wants to go. I've seen two mule deer already on both trips in. One doe and one spike. The spike was straight downwind too, but his back was to me and he was looking pretty seriously (ears too) the direction he was facing.
Squirrels going nuts down there again. I don't think that 4 or 5 point went very far.
I don't know what emotion to feel. Excited? yes. Anxious? yes. Nervous? yes. Paranoid? yes. Happy, thrilled, or ecstatic? yes. This place is alive!
posted by geotracker12 at 1:20 PM
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