SO, the first KILL

Ahhhh, had you going didn't I?

That's terrible, I'm sorry. But the real story is this.

Photos below are from this weekend. Camp, hunting, and me at camp.

I left the house at about 2:00 on Friday and drove for about three hours because I didn't want to drive on paved roads,...(otherwise it coulda taken about 2.)

I explored, I poked around in the truck seeing many, many ruffed grouse! But I didn't try to shoot any, because I figured, "what would I DO with it?" On coming down the hill (in the truck) from where I wanted to start the next day I thought, "that could be a tasty snack for TONIGHT!" Well, critters don't cooperate when you are out to get them, only when you are not. So, no flame-roasted grouse. (I even had foil!)

So that night I sat and watched the fire. I had forgotten my book, after about two hundred yards of leaving the house...and didn't return! Dumb. ALWAYS go back for stuff to do at night! So, I'm watching the fire. Elk are bugling all over the darn place! It looks open, it looks to be a lot of lodgepole. I'm a happy camper...MY country at last!

I got up early, packed up camp, then went out. TOUGH GOING!! It was STILL thick. I'm not sure what it is, the soil, the water, whatever....but everywhere around here is thick with either brush or deadfall. Every step, no matter how carefull, is cracking. You cannot see more than 40 yards at any given time. So I was already frustrated by 10:00...when I started hiking at 7:00. There is sign! Don't get me wrong. But those elk have a fortresses when it comes to security, so I was done for. Shoot, about three hours later I made it to the road (thankfully) and humped down to the truck...a mere two miles away. (so actually, the photo of "on the way" is me after I got back...it was dark when I left the truck.)

All in all. I found a pseudo-salt lick that I will try again later in the season for deer. I say "pseudo" because it was kinda used by elk, but had a lot of deer tracks in it. (My eye this year is on a fat doe! Screw the bucks, I want some quality meat.) I found a good ridge with a good trail on it, lotsa sign, open...shoot, that's when I figured out I was more destined for high-country than this stuff. Back home, you get into forests and the brush is low, you can see and walk quietly, here, if it is open you can expect chin-high brush. If it's a closed canopy, you can expect waist-high brush. It all sucks.

So I found the place to go for grouse. I had a LOT of fun camping, just because it was quiet and different...but COLD! I had frost on my tent this morning! (Glad I took heavy clothes.) I found elk and deer sign. I found steep freaking hills (where can I go around here to get away from THOSE!?)

I chased a small-antlered bull moose down the road last night. I saw numerous mule deer does...in range..that I cannot shoot because of the law. And overall, I had a good time. So, on the last day today, it wasn't so bad. Halfway through the morning I wanted to quit because, again, I don't know this country, but I did anyways. And it was a good thing....I am always learning, always figuring out things, always learning the country.

I found a good place to snipe from too. So, hopefully my five days of "any weapon" season will pay out with a fat deer if nothing else.

Cheers

view of camp 

on the way 

Last hunt. 

OK, back again strong with elk hunting

Ok. Here we go. It's the last day of the initial bow season in Idaho. Actually, it's the last night before the day before the last day of bow season in Idaho. BUT, these folks have been working me so hard, that combined with a four HOUR public meeting, I have met my 80 for the week plus some, so I am gone. I chatted with my boss about that today. She told me, "if you show up tomorrow I will wail on you." Good enough for me!

This morning was hectic! People running around needing this and that, but I got it all accomplished! Plus, since this first season ends at midnight this Saturday, I have a day off, Friday, to pack (not much changed since last time...so no worries), get food, and head out. I have a strong idea of where I'm going but to do so in the daytime tomorrow will help. I looked at a map SLIGHTLY tonight, but we'll see what happens tomorrow. I will get up late. I will go to the store and get some food, then I shall head out. This is leading into a much better chance of camping. NOT getting up at 3:30, NOT driving for two hours, but rather, leaving early in the day to hunt the evening first THEN the next day. PLUS, I shall have that Sunday to recuperate at home. (I plan on going to work ,since no hunting is allowed, but still...I can queue maps.)

The plan? Shit. Drive until I'm pissed of driving. Get up on the border and figure out a camping spot with no people. Then, hunt wherever I feel like. I KNOW elk are everywhere out here, perhaps if I set up camp first with no worries of hunting and plenty of time to spare, I'll be more comfortable. Then, a leisurely hunt in the evening (since I'm on top) then on Saturday a heavy, balls-to-the-wall hunt.

who knows

After THAT, I know I have a weekend to relax before any season begins again. Plus a holiday. So, I shall be spending next weekend in Glacier. Alone for the first time there; ever. And I shall do some thinking, remembering, and crying.

With that, wish me well!

This is the shit I get into all the time here. This is some seriously knarly country.  

Alright. So this is going to be quick. Check this day out:

I got up at 3:30 in the darn morning. I left the house at 4:30. I searched and searched for this trailhead after 2 hours of driving with no luck. So, I settled for a nice landmark of a creek coming into another creek as well as roads diverging. I was headed directly south, so it was no worries getting back to the truck. OK. So, I was led to believe the stream would be very small and I could get across without getting too wet. WRONG. It was shin-deep, so over the boots it went. Oh, by the way, it was freaking RAINING. So what the hell, right? But, I had my warm-weather hunting clothes underneath my hunting rain jacket and hunting rain pants. I start up the hill. Hill is an understatement. Cliff. So I'm headed up this moss/stick/blowdown/hemlock-infused hill in a cloud (it was a misting rain) and instantly sweat in all my clothes. Now, I WAS going very slowly, trying to keep myself from getting sweaty, but it just cannot happen with that kind of elevation gain...no matter how slow you go. Seriously, I could have walked five steps in five minutes and wouldn't have been able to get around it. NO JOKE. (See photo)

Ok, so I never really topped out on a ridge (because it wouldn't end until I was higher than I wanted to be), just a lot of Hemlock and brushy areas. I saw elk sign. Was it fresh? No telling because of the rain. Elk poop was cold, rubs were aging, I was cold, shoot. It was like hunting in a rainstorm...go figure!

I walked up that hill. I walked down the hill. I cut across many draws, many openings (brush covered openings, don't think I had it easy), blowdown, trees, sticks, moss, creeks. NOTHING. I am seriously discouraged and think I may have made a mistake paying the money to hunt an area I am unfamiliar with without someone who can show me how to do it. Then I started to get worried. What would happen if, while walking down the hill (or up for that matter) I slipped on a wet log or branch, or freaking twig (they were all slippery) and hurt myself? So I'd be sitting there with an injury, wet clothes (inside and out), and little chance of making a fire. SCREW THAT. So, cautiously, I hunted back down at about 12:30. Somehow, I made it to the creek safely and simply resigned to walking IN the creek until I got to where I thought I would make a camp. I peeled off my layers and let them sit out on the truck to dry and thought about setting up camp. And I thought. And I considered. I did NOT want to go up that hill again, with so little fresh sign, why would I? But, not knowing the country better, I didn't have many options. So instead I chose to leave that place, take a road up to the top of a ridge and find a place there.

That's what all the locals do.

That ridge was CROWDED with trucks and tents. That sealed my fate. I was pissed. I was disappointed in myself. I paid a lot of money for this opportunity and here I was, tapping out. But I was done. I had had enough with people, of assholes tailing me on a dirt road at 5:00 in the morning, of steep hills, of wet feet, of all that crap. So I made for home. On the way, I started to think, now what would make this better? A float in the canoe, on a calm lake, with a bobber and a beer!

So that's what I did.

I was in and out of the house as fast as I could get everything taken care of. Had to wrestle with the canoe to get it in the truck and then battle TRAFFIC up the lake. It's amazing what I nice day will do to fisherman. This lake has been empty the past week...but not tonight. OK. So I got launched okay, and met a nice gal and this kid, who caught a REALLY nice catfish. So we chatted about recipes and I helped them get there boat on the car, and I was off! Relaxing time! NO. Motorboats all over. Fisherman crowding a lone canoeman. So I paddled far FAR to a little cove. NOTHING BITING. I heard the kids across the lake (on the shore) catching fish. I saw guys in a boat near me catching fish. But, my bobber and worm were not doing it. OK. So I did that for a couple hours, then figured, "how pleasant would it be to paddle out to the middle of the lake and let the (constant breeze) blow me to the put-in site?" Very nice. So I paddled out to the middle of the lake and JUST THEN, the downslope breeze began and sent me in the wrong direction! So there I was, fighting a headbreeze alone in a canoe. Great.

I was approaching the landing when I noticed a Suburban pull up. About 8 Asians kids piled out. Pretty quick, the one with really white shoes ran over to my truck then ran back to his friends. Then four of them ran back to the truck. (I'm paddling like a sonofabitch now...wishing I had my pistol with me, but glad I didn't because I would have fired on them.) So I can't see what they're doing over there, but seeing as how my truck was the only vehicle in the area, I knew they were trying to break in. They posted on gal on the dock to keep an eye on me. She threw rocks in the water until she knew I was committed and coming in fast. So she screams, "Hurry hurry, get going! We got to go now! Come on!" They all piled in that Suburban and were gone. I had no description, no plate numbers, nothing. (You can only paddle so fast in a canoe alone.)

The good news? Shit, I explored some country. I got exercise. I took some nice photos. I fished. I floated. All in the same day!

But crap folks, I am DONE with it. Tomorrow, I am giving in. Yes, despite the "timeline" I'm on with hunting season. I thought about that a lot today and realized something. I hunt where I'm happy to hunt. I hunt areas that are pleasant to be in. When it takes upwards of two hours to START ON THE TRAIL, then another two hours to get to a decents spot, the rewards start to get a little trivial. I used to hunt because it was fun; it got me in areas that I wouldn't normally go; it was interesting and had lots of views; it made me happy. In THIS shit, I'm not happy, can you tell? So I think I might have jumped the gun a little in buying an elk tag for an area I wasn't familiar with. BUT, I have time, and I'm sure after a good rest, I'll want to go out some more. But for now? Shoot. Tomorrow is mine to laze around the house and get caught up on Tom-time.

Ready to Hunt?

Getting ready 

Well, I'm not, but I'm getting there.

So, I talked to my relative here in town and he pointed me in an interesting direction. Directly northeast of where I wanted to go is a place he's pulled three bulls out of in the past couple of years. He stopped hunting there because of the pressure it gets. That combined with an outfitter camp up on top of the hill, as well as an analysis I did of the area using GIS and elk habitat leads me to believe that this place is shaping up real well. Plus, it has an access trail! What I would give for a trail in this thick country.

It is Friday night. I could be heading out now, but I'm not. Instead, I'm gearing up and staging, so tomorrow morning (I know how long it takes to get there now) I can leave with all my stuff, and be on the trail at daybreak. It's looking at being a short night. But, I am packing for the weekend! Yes, a hunt, camp, then another hunt. This way, it'll get me in-country early in the morning twice, and also salvage the end of the day on Saturday. (I hate leaving the woods at prime-time just so I can get home, sleep, then get up again at 3:30. Call me crazy.)

So what goes through my mind the night before something like this? Well, first and foremost...gear. I already have my hunting gear together, that's the thing I think we all like to concentrate on all year. New broadheads, new camo, this call and that call, and a whole bunch of other trinkets. But what about the other stuff? The stuff that makes camping bearable? Like food? Water? A PILLOW?

I'm a list maker, so I know I'll get everything organized and ready to go prior to going out. (But I always am able to forget something.) And because of this listing, I always seem to pack too much...the list just grows and grows. But, I've never been caught in a situation that leads to anything I can't handle. I now have a warehouse in my house...outfitted with a little store...a nice big closet. Seriously, it's like going to an outdoors store when I open that door. But, I can stand there and grab anything I need for a day to two weeks, minus the food. It's simple really, a tent, a sleeping bag, stove, pots and pans, a water filter...I'm good to go. Load some food in a bag in the fridge/freezer the night before, and all you have to do is plop it into the cooler. Essentially, that's it.

But it's the little things. Like a chair to sit on next to the fire at night. Here's what I think makes a camp more comfortable after 12+ hours of hiking:

- Chair
- Slippers or tennis shoes (your feet will thank you)
- Coffee in individual bags like tea bags
- Powerade powder (nice to have a change and recharge the electrolites)
- Something to roast over the fire (for tomorrow, I chose German sausage)
- A pillow (pack pillows are fantastic)
- FRESH SOCKS
- Handi-wipes
- A good book and a headlamp (because the days are not always long enough)

I think the most important though, is probably plenty of wood for the campfire. There's nothing like a cold camp to make things a little sad. However, it is a good idea to have OTHER clothes so you don't stink up with woodsmoke and cooking odor.

So that's what I'm up to tonight. It's always a lot of fun to plan an adventure, then get home and start planning the next!

Just thought I might throw in the view from my apartment here in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. 

Sunday afternoon

Ever wonder what it looks like to bowhunt? There is a lot of this. 

So there I was, exploring another new area...but at least this was closer to my house. Again, I found it very thick and got closer to a driveable road than I thought I should be, so this hunt was kind of a bust. Short and sweet, I just did a lot of walking around. However, on my way out this fella in front of me on the road stopped, they were falling a tree up ahead, so we got to chat. Turns out he was in the same general area I was in and had the same comments. Woods are dry and crackly. His suggestion was to do what they had been doing and just staying on old logging roads and existing elk trails. The wind was squirrely everywhere, so he also said that was busting elk on them. I asked if he had even heard them bugling and he said not as much as they "should" which is kinda what I thought. Turns out they were camped up in there, and he mentioned on Saturday night, the elk were going nuts between 12:00 and 3:00 am! Not sure what it'll take to get them more vocal in the daytime, but we'll see. So, relatively uneventful, but a good trip nonetheless.

First day out

Yesterday claimed to be my first day hunting as an Idaho nonresident.

After getting up at 4:30, leaving the house at 5:30, I finally arrived to where I would leave the truck at 6:45! It's only about 37 miles, and it took a little over an hour to get there. Windy dirt roads. So I start up through the jungle of brush and downed timber, straight up, for an hour before I topped the ridge. The elevation change was so quick that my ears were popping and I was sweating through both shirts. Great for scent right? Nothing I could do.

I topped the ridge and didn't see any fresh elk sign. So I dropped off the edge toward the north on a little finger ridge following something I spooked but never saw. This got me back down to nearly the bottom in about 15 minutes. So then back up it was, and an hour later I came out on another small finger ridge...cow calling periodically. I was about to get to the top of the ridge when something spooked in the brush about 30 yards ahead of me. Things HAD been going great with the wind, but it was a squirrely day and it did a complete 180 on me and blew directly from me to the top of the ridge. This WAS a bull elk, even though all I saw of it was it's back. So of course, it goes right back into where I had just came out. No thank you. There is no sneaking around in those woods, with the amount of downed limbs and trees...and being how dry the woods are. But, I knew it was a bull elk because I found droppings and scrapes.

Getting on at about 2:00, I decided to do a little more exploring up another ridge. This led me into a MUCH better area full of Douglas-fir and Larch, beargrass and huckleberries. But the wind was howling up there, so it was more exploritory than anything. Eventually I got to a place I wanted to call from and set up. I couldn't hear any replies because of the wind, so I figured I'd move to the next saddle just to check the country out. When I saw something move I slipped behind some trees and peeeeked around. Two hunters were standing there. When I approached them (I got to within 20 yards before they saw me) they said they had heard a herd of elk down here somewhere. I smiled at them and told them it was me. (At least I can call humans!) They then asked where I had come in from, so I told them. One fella just gave me a look like I was simply crazy. "So you've been walking all day?" he asked. Yep. Another look like I was crazy. Nice guys though. We separated and I headed back to the truck.

Right, the truck. Where WAS the truck? I didn't have a real good idea, but I knew if I headed north long enough I'd get to the meadows or the road. Again, I dropped elevation so fast my ears were popping. The cover was so thick and the blowdown so prevelant, that I was again sweating through both my shirts...going DOWN. I finally pushed through and came out about 50 yards from the truck, not too bad. I quick run to the creek to splash my face and arms, filter some nice COLD water, then I was on my way back. I'm glad I left when I did. It would have been really bad to be trying to find my way around in the woods in the dark. Not that it couldn't be done, it just would have sucked more. So, after 10.5 hours of hunting I found one elk! But I think that upper portion of the drainage is where it's at.

My feet hurt so bad I did not go out this morning. That combined with that hill made me less anxious to go back. The plan for next weekend, providing I don't get some info from my cousin (local), is to camp up on top of the ridge above the area I was in and working down into it. Saves me an hour and 15 minutes in the morning (and night) and will give me easier access. This afternoon I'm going to check out an area closer to home here where I want to go after work. It only takes about 30 minutes to get there, so that's a plus.

Day prior to my first weekend of hunting!

Check this out, this is perfect. So in getting ready to go hunting, I ended up in a sporting goods store to get some replacement blades for my broadheads. While in the sporting goods store, I ended up grabbing some game bags as well as a "Hoochie Momma" cow call. But while I was hovering there by the blades, I couldn't remember what grain I was shooting! So I didn't know what size blades to get. I ended up going with the 125 grain blades, thinking they "looked right." I got home, ripped open the package and instantly tried to replace my blades. Too long by about 1 millimeter! I shoot two different weights of the same broadhead, I'm not sure why. I had a pretty good chance of choosing the correct weight, but leave it to me to screw that up. Ok, so it was a terrible trip to the sporting goods store as far as driving was concerned...seriously took me 30 minutes to go about 5 miles. Rather than go back and exchange them, I decided to get online and order them, which is what I did...pretty lazy, but I figure if I ever get 125 grain heads...I'll be good to go! (That's the positive side.) This left six to ten days for them to arrive. I waited patiently.

Yesterday I finally got around to putting the new blades on, which fit perfectly of course. While preparing my pack and getting things together, organized, scent free...I got into a small pocket of my pack and...to my surprise, found TWO PACKS of 100 grain replacement blades. Fantasmo! I'm ROLLING in small razors now.

I'm starting to get pretty excited about hunting. I have done some reconnaissance by truck and even more analysis via maps and GIS data. I narrowed down my search by looking at chunks of land that didn't have motorized trails or roads within a quarter mile of them. Then I got in and looked at the topography using contours, aerial photos, Triangular Irregular Networks (TINS are essentially Hillshades in a more angular format, but gives a nice breakdown of elevations using color), as well as Hillshades. I found a place that met this criterion that is six square miles of land! It has two trails traversing along it, making any sort of pack-out easier. It has undulating hills, saddles, long ridges, creeks, benches...everything an elk could ask for...plus, it's within about an hour’s drive of my house. But, it will probably take longer in the dark. I asked some trusted “locals” what they thought of that area and they said it was VERY good elk hunting…so my pulse quickened and I cannot wait to get out and explore.

I also did some online research on elk populations in the area (provided by the Idaho Fish and Game.) Statistics for the units I’m hunting look decent. They are running an average of about 15% success, with most of the archery kills coming in the way of bulls; which is surprising to me. I got to thinking the other day that I had a chance last fall to pursue some cows, but was so intent on the bull bugling over the hill, that I completely forgot that I could kill a cow! Not so this year, I learned a good lesson with that one. Bull fever comes on fast!

First adventure comes tomorrow!

quick

I went ahead and bought all the out of state licenses and permits. I bit the bullet and just did it. I have till the end of September with a bow for both deer and elk. Then the general season elk, since I bought an "A" license, I only have about five days with a rifle. Then again in December with about two weeks I can pursue them.

However, the deer general season is much longer, so that will be good. I also have that two weeks in December for deer with a bow...so that's nice.

This all maximizes the time I can be out in the woods...which is what I was going for.

That's it. The fun will begin soon! We're getting predicted rain and cold weather the next couple of days and then this weekend will warm up a bit and won't be as rainy. We'll see when I can't take it anymore after work!

Residency tip

Well, I'm going to give you all a little tip to hopefully keep you sane if this situation ever comes up. When moving from Montana to Idaho, make sure you buy your hunting licenses PRIOR to changing your drivers license. Despite the six-month residency requirement (you would think it'd work backwards too) I am now a nonresident of any state. The other day I thought I'd try and sneak around the system and buy my Montana licenses online. When I got to the residency thing, I clicked "yes" since I still believed if I was not a resident of Idaho, then I'd officially be considered a resident of Montana right? No. It booted me and told me to talk to my nearest Fish and Game dude. So, I talked to the folks at Idaho Fish Wildlife and Parks the other day to see if I could buy a license there for Montana. They don't issue those, but told me that here in Idaho you ARE still considered a resident for six months after you leave the state. Jubilant, hopefull, the following day I called Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks and asked the same question. "Since you are actively pursuing residency in another state, you are not considered a resident of Montana." However, if you buy your license prior to leaving, those are still valid.

So crap.

I had one gal sympathizing and she said, "So does that mean you don't have to pay taxes in either state for that six months?" I like the way she thinks!

The good news here is that I am now committed to buying a license and tag here in Idaho. That means I won't have to drive for over an hour, just to get to the state where I could hunt. Heck, now I can hunt my backyard if I want. I had pretty much counted out hunting elk this year after hearing that because I always thought the price was too high. But then I got curious and looked at nonresident tags and they're associated cost. A big game hunting license for nonresidents is $141.50...so then add that to these:

Elk tag: $372.50
Deer tag: $258.50
Turkey tag: $67.50

(Honestly, why all the $0.50? Will that half a dollar do anything useful? Just round up!)

So if you put all that together (I'm still wavering on the turkey just yet) it comes to $840. Just a deer would be something like $400 and just an elk would be $514. The way I figure it, if you are going to put down almost $150 in a license, why not get another tag? Anywho, it doesn't matter. Hunting keeps me sane and I'll do what it takes to make it work.

The other day I finally bought a small game license (a mere $85 to hunt little critters, ugh) and have been enjoying myself immensely driving around in the woods after work. Of course, most of the area is still new to me, so the only grouse I almost got was with the truck. See, I was gawking at the trees and mountains and whatnot and didn't notice it in the road. By the time I got out it was gone.

So that's the update. "No-state" Tom is what they will call me.