Can you believe ANOTHER surprise elk?

Okay, so this last weekend, I decided to go up the ridge where I almost shot that buck a couple days ago...which was in line with the two other hunters. But THIS time, I decided to wait until the afternoon when the morning army came out of the woods. This worked out really well, the woods were practically empty. However, it was blowing fits of snow...in winds that were really a little too high for my hunting convenience. You could almost feel your scent swirling around the hill. But, up I went, back onto the ridge. I was just starting to sneak along when out of the trees to my right (thick Christmas trees) jumps this ELK. I hadn't expected anything, let alone an elk, to be right there! He passed through this opening and I could see he was about a five-point raghorn...just meaning the tines on his antlers were short...he still had a lot...they were just short. Well, after I pushed through the trees that made my shot impossible, he was long gone. I didn't really want to push him completely off my ridge...I'm hoping he's still poking around that one this weekend...so I continued looking for some deer. In walking up the ridge, however, I found that he'd been cruising around the whole thing since last week (when we got this new snow) judging by all his tracks wandering here and there. If a guy had enough patience to sit in one spot for a LONG time (days?) he'd probably get a shot at a nice deer AND an elk on that hill. I'm not sure I have enough patience. Well, I continued along the ridge...the snow kept getting crunchier and crunchier...plus the top inch was this new snow and was really sticky! After a couple steps I'd have about and inch and a half of snow under the arch of my boot which made walking treacherous. Every once in a while, my ankle would fall to a side off my "snow heel." Well, I set up a couple times and tried to rattle. That really didn't seem to be the thing to do, one because it felt like the wind was just blowing the sound to the next mountain over the highway and because sitting there IN that wind made me pretty cold, pretty fast. I also tried to put out some scents, but with the same kind of thought in mind, the wind was just too strong. On the way back down the ridge, I heard a doe doing that "huffing" thing they do when they're spooked. Impossible! The wind wasn't going her way, she couldn't see me...how'd she get spooked? I finally figured it must have been my footsteps in the snow "crunch crunch crunch." Deer have little feet and don't seem to make as much noise...and yes, I WAS moving slow, but obviously not slow enough. Short story short, I moved up to where I finally saw her and what looked to be a decent buck booking it up the hill at about 50 yards. That was enough for me. It was about 1630 and was going to be dark in an hour...I had about a 45 minute walk out...so I just eased along the ridge and back out.
When I got to where I could see across the highway, there were some fellas lighting brush piles in a logging unit. The flames were probably about 40 feet high and you could hear the fires popping and cracking from 1/2 mile away. Of course, about this time the wind died down and it was relatively comfortable to be still, so I sat on the edge of the road and watched these huge fires burn into the approaching dusk. A pretty interesting evening.

Continuation of the same

Do not be fooled that since there have been little recent entries that I haven't been in the woods! I'll tell you what, it's just getting to be a repeat of other times. But I shall have to keep this relatively short, due to a time issue; thought I'd update real quick though.

The other day I went up Highway 12 again and checked out where my Dad had been hunting. This was a morning I couldn't ignore because it was the middle of the week and it had just snowed the night before. I could still do some hunting and come home to work...really, it actually worked out. Well, I went up this steep trail and topped out on the top of the hill...I cut many fresh tracks in the new snow, but that whole east face was extremely thick. I figured the deer were hanging out in the valley at night, then moving to the top of the ridge during the day...so that's where I was headed. But, I got to the top and didn't see nearly as many tracks as I'd thought. From the looks of it though, the deer had these thick areas between the open park-like Douglas-fir that they'd use to move from one finger ridge to another. I walked along until I cut some fresh tracks, they were little tracks but I still considered following them; the bucks are actively following the girls right now. But as I'm standing there, back in the trees on the trail ahead of me jumps this buck..just flying up the hill! Rather than follow a spooked deer, I decide to do some exploring...and hoping he'd cross to a close ridge on the other side of a small hollow. Maybe I'd get a shot. Well, I made my way over there and was poking along for awhile (not seeing anything) when I cut a NICE buck track. Here we go again! I followed this deer here, there, over there, back here, near there...wandering son of a gun...and guess where he ended up? YEP, it was the SAME DEER I HAD SPOOKED EARLIER. I found his tracks wander over the trail I was on, hide behind a tree where he was obviously listening to me..watching?...and then bolting up the hill. Well, it was about an hour later by this time so I figured he'd be calmed down a little, so I continued my tracking. He only ran a little ways, but then started taking to some heavy cover and...sure enough...crossed over to that other ridge, just quite a bit further down than I had been. This went on for awhile and I got out into a clearcut, where he had cut some doe tracks...which he followed readily. Which I followed readily. Okay, so this led down to a road that looped around the hill to where the truck was parked, so I decided to keep on trailing them...the closer he got to the truck the better...I smiled thinking about how easy this might be! Judging by their tracks, the buck was kinda chasing or playing with the does...their tracks were all over, running, walking, wandering...it was weird. But after awhile of walking on the road, they all took off into that thick stuff that I had been in earlier while walking to the top of the ridge from the truck. Where they turned off the road was 400 yards from where the truck was parked. Who knows, do you think if I hadn't spooked him, they wouldn't have come around the road? Or do you think if I had just walked up the road they would have walked into me? Funny.

ahh, yes. Another day during rifle season

Well, I've got to tell you. In a way I'm glad to have rifle season start, but at the same time I'm sad. There are SO many people in the woods and so many people crowding my roads early in the morning on a Saturday. It's good to have the insurance of shooting something between 20 - 300 yards, but it's bad to have to wear the orange and compete with the myriads of casual hunters. I guess I have a problem with sharing my woods. It's not so bad when all the people in the woods are invisible, but you get a bunch of folks tromping around in bright colors with rifles that can reach out and touch you at long distances...well, it makes me nervous. I never really thought about this in the past, there is something about calling yourself and performing the act of bowhunting that makes you appreciate the rifle. Shoot, it's made me appreciate my pistol! I have killed a deer at 60 yards with a pistol and have MANY opportunities this season to kill some deer at ranges much shorter...there is a challenge with a bow..the extra movement, the exact range you are comfortable at, the wind, your camouflage...all of that combines to make it infinitely more difficult than hunting with a projectile that moves with the press of a finger. Funny how things come out isn't it?

Now, I'm not saying that I disdain rifle or pistol hunting! Far from the truth! I actually enjoy it...it gives me a break from getting to within 25 yards of a deer or elk before I can consider shooting. It gives me the leeway to actually spook something, then have a chance to still make a kill. I'm getting nervous about putting up meat this year, so that added advantage is welcome.

Okay, so now that I have the politics out of the way...I went hunting this morning. Yep, it was snowing and blowing and seemed to me to be just perfect for tracking a whitetail to the death. Well, many others thought the same thing. I went up highway 12 again to try some old spots I have used to collect in the past. Actually, I was going to try a place my Dad had said had a lot of deer in. I got up this narrow dirt road to find two hunters JUST getting out of their truck...shoot, I wasn't going to follow THEM into the woods, so I backed out and looked for another area. Place after place had either one or multiple cars in it and I started to think I shoulda brought my waders...no one crosses the creek that parallels the highway...perhaps later I'll do that. Anywho, the place I killed the biggest buck of my life so far was empty of vehicles. I parked there, loaded up, and went straight up the darn hill. It's a STEEP climb for about a half and hour, then levels out on a nice flat ridge. This in turn breaks out into multiple finger ridges and a nice main ridge; perfect!

I hiked to the top, sweating up a storm, and in no time cut a buck track. Now, I didn't really KNOW it was a buck track because it was pretty small and I couldn't see any dew claws in the new snow (about 3 inches) but it was alone. I figured that was good enough for me, I'd again, follow it until I saw what was at the end of it. I mean shoot, it had just stopped snowing this morning, this was a FRESH track! I followed this thing up the ridge for about a half mile when it intersected some fresh doe tracks...immediately the trail I was following cut and followed these other tracks...I KNEW I was on a buck! It didn't take long before I noticed movement below me and saw the deer running around together; at thirty yards! I was ON them! I didn't have any shot because of the brush, but I could see the buck following the does close...he was something like a forkhorn or a three point...I couldn't tell because he was moving in some thick cover. Well, I had thrown up the rifle and noticed I couldn't get a good "seat" in my shoulder with the pack on, so I EASED it off me and then snapped the inevitable twig...at thirty yards, that's hard to ignore, so off they went. They really didn't know what they were running from, but they ran...on their toes like that elk last night.

I watched the buck pass into an opening at about 50 yards and got the rifle up to shoot, he paused, I hesitated, and he was gone. I ran up the hill, well, hurried up the hill, to try to intercept him. I figured he'd move down the ridge...which he might have done...and I thought I could get a shot in an opening that was up ahead. Well, in moving down the ridge, I saw some movement through the trees...really ORANGE movement. Sure enough it was another hunter, walking in the OPPOSITE direction of where the deer had gone. I tried to signal her with many "psssstssss" and low whistles but nothing was working so I just closed the distance. When I was 10 yards away from her I said something...she turned and jumped nearly out of her boots! I got TEN yards from a person with a rifle without them hearing me! Ugh, backtrail anyone? Anywho, I talked to her an the fella that was with her about the buck deer that passed right between us. I'll tell you what, I'm SO glad I didn't take a crack shot at that buck when I had the chance...they were right in line with the shot. That would have been seriously bad. I was discouraged with others up there, and scared because I might have killed one of them, so I left. I made my way to the truck after some fruitless walking around sidehill and made my way out.

Well, then I thought I'd drive up to Lolo Pass and check out where hunters were...by this time it was only about 0830. I had time to waste. There were still people at every turnout until I got to road that my Dad had talked about seeing a lot of sign in. It is close to the pass, and the snow was about shin deep at the truck. I figured I'd make my way in and see if I could cut any elk tracks. I KNEW they were up there because it was the upper-end way to access that last terrible-thicket bowhunt I went on. I'd show those elk..I'd get them from the top! Well, I walked up this road for a ways and cut a deer track and decided to follow it. That led me straight up the side of this huge clearcut then took off...problem was, I couldn't figure out if the tracks were going INTO the clearcut or OUT OF the clearcut..the snow was that deep. I couldn't tell which way to go, so I gave up on it. I made it to another road and followed that for a ways...by this time I'm a couple hundred feet off the highway and the snow is now knee deep. There was a saddle about a mile off I thought I could get to and cut some tracks..that was my goal. I walked for probably an hour in this knee+ deep snow IN A CLEARCUT the whole time. By the time I got to the trees the road ended and my hip flexors where spent. I just couldn't foresee going any further safely. I was wearing long underwear (of course), cotton camo trousers, a wool sweater, and a coat...pack, rifle, blah. They were ALL soaked through, and I figured if I went traipsing through the woods with snow covered logs and broke something I'd pretty much be screwed to die within a mile of a major highway. Not for me! That's when I turned to go back.

I followed my track for awhile, but that was almost as frustrating as walking in fresh snow, so I jumped off the cutbank to get down to a lower road. STEEP. Seriously, I put my hand out a couple times to keep myself from falling and it was at shoulder height...I'd say a good black diamond slope for all you skiers. About halfway down I decided that was one of the dumbest things I could have done...sure, leave a clear road to walk through knee deep snow that covered down trees, slash, brush, etc. I'm an idiot. But, I was committed so down I went. After a couple falls I made it past another road to the one I needed to get on to get to the truck. Breaking trail again, I walked another half a mile to the truck. I was absolutely spent.

It was good though, a real good hunt...I finally saw deer, I tracked a buck, I saw the buck, I had a shot that I didn't take because it was hurried, I didn't kill anyone, and I got enough exercise to make any bodybuilder jealous. I got to walk for hours in a beautiful snowstorm in early November in Montana, I got to see a simply INCREDIBLE sunrise from high on a mountainside, and I talked with some nice folks. Plus, I'll tell you, there's nothing like coming home after a morning like that! It feels SO good to be inside and warm after being wet, cold, and tired for a couple hours. I stopped at my folks' house on the way home and they "donated" some chicken and rice soup to the Tom Relief Fund..can't beat that!

Surprise elk

Okay, so I went hunting tonight. Yep, I had 44 hours at work this week by 1200! I got home, got changed, and headed out. On my way up highway 12, I started to think about where I would go. It soon dwindled down to a place out of Florence, then ended up being up Ambrose Creek at a rancher's place who lets people hunt on his land...via some rules with FWP. Well, I got up to a parking area and made my way out. I planned on heading west, then to cut over some small finger ridges to see if I could cut any fresh tracks.

Did I mention that this is the first day we had fresh snow in the valley!? Well, it was. I wanted to go out this morning, but had pressing concerns at work, so compromised with the 1200 take off time. Okay, so there were some folks there already, so I went where their tracks were not...exactly where I wanted to go. Nice. Unfortunately, there were no new deer tracks, no sign of deer at all, nothing moving...it was simply terrible. After an hour and a half, I started making my way up the two miles back to the truck. In doing this, I investigated a small saddle, some flat/thick areas, and just HAD to look over the NEXT hill. (This always gets me in trouble.) In doing this, I cut a FRESH track!

Now, I wasn't sure if this was a large mule deer track or what, but it was big and it was fresh. I had about two hours before it got dark, so I decided to just follow it until I met whatever had made it. On the way, I kept going between it being a small elk track, a mule deer, or a very large whitetail. Obviously someone had spooked it because it had that gait like a caribou...kind of hurrying on it's toes. I followed the track, lost it, found it, followed some more. All the while it was headed up the mountain. Eventually, I got into snow that was consistently deep enough to hold a good track. I could see places where this animal was stopping and looking around....most often in areas where it left cover and was going to cross on opening. It felt good to be back in some cover...when I was out in the open, I didn't know what to do with myself. I could SEE everything with the binoculars...so what sense was there to walk it? The problem with that is that it's no fun.

Okay, so I found out that this critter was acting a lot like a moose. It'd go up the hill, down the hill, cross hill, in cover, out of cover, over creeks, up down up down....just wandering. But it was still moving quickly! I made time by not stopping and keeping on this thing...whenever it'd stop, I'd be moving so I was making time. Meanwhile, my boots kept accumulating the wet snow making me feel like I was walking on heels for half of my steps. This isn't real good, because it's easy to twist your knee when you're walking on two inch heels in the woods. Plus it's annoying.

After about two hours I finally had a glimpse of the animal I was following! A young, raghorn elk! I took a quick knee and pulled the gun up in one motion. In doing so, I lost complete sight of the elk. Cursing, I hustled to where I had seen him last. It was obviouse he hadn't seen me just yet, but was nervous from all the snow crunching behind him...you could tell his gait picked up considerably. He had started dragging his toes...which meant he was meandering...but now that quit and he was hustling on his toes again. In my hurry, I fell...protecting the gun, but falling hard on my right side. This made a bit of noise, and in following the tracks further, I found out where he had heard it. There were four even prints in the snow, followed by a sprint straight up the mountain! Of course, I followed right after him. He hit a road and was obviously tired, because he followed the road for a bit...just what I would have done. But then he bolted straight up a draw.

That's when I had to leave him. It wasn't a big elk, but it was an elk and I had blood in my eyes. I was SO close! So by this time, the sun is nearly set...I'm sweating in wet clothes...and I don't know exactly where I'm at. I knew if I headed south long enough, I'd come to a road or a creek (depending on where I was at) and if I followed that...I'd be at the truck. I hustled down the hill and to make this story short...I found the truck. I went through some interesting thoughts...wasn't sure if I should make a shelter/fire whatever..but knew I was close enough to not worry.

The whole time I didn't see a single deer. In following the elk's track, I cut some fresh deer tracks...but they were all running. Some of the other hunters before me weren't doing so good...they spooked this elk and at least six deer! No worries though, I tracked an animal for two hours, saw it, and made my way out of the woods before dying. I am satisfied.