2009 solo elk hunt

Alright, here's the story.

I left town at 0900 on Thursday, the truck packed to the bedrails with all my gear. That's the trouble with camping alone. You need all the same stuff as you'd need for many more people...but it's just you. Not sure how I would have room in the pickup for a critter, but I went with it.


Full truck

Rounded the bend to Butch's and my camp from two years ago and spooked a spike moose who ran through the camp, so I took that as a sign and didn't even look for another spot. At 1130 it was 42 degrees up there, but I got everything unloaded and set up the tent. I had to go get firewood!


My new tent


Vestibules are good


Got the crapper set up too


Approach to camp


Looking out of camp


Road outside of camp looking west

Road down the hill to the east

That far ridge is where I hunt

Professional Forest Service sign

Well, I drove down to the east and saw a coyote on the road, pretty neat. Got a quick little dead lodgepole and noticed that there was no one up there yet! One camp down there about a mile, but that was it for a ways. Arriving back in camp there was a LARGE bull moose checking out my tent. I shut the truck down and walked with him for a while...just interesting to watch moose.

I then started thawing my last elk steak for dinner. Since it was beginning to snow, I started a nice fire and got my cot and whatnot set up for a cold night. Dinner was good and simple...steak and beans. Hard to stay motivated when sitting next to a fire in a snowstorm.

The light aftermath

Well, the night was cold...actually it was frigid! I slept on a campmor bag, in a 20 degree down bag, and had my 40 degree synthetic draped on top of me. Long night.

The next day I had to get more wood. Figured if it was going to be that cold at night, then I wanted to be comfortable. I also realized I needed to figure out a way to rig a tarp canopy over the fire and get stuff organized for the first day of big game season. Off I went and managed to get a bunch of poles and enough wood to last a long time.

View from Summit camp. (27 degrees at 1200 and 15 w/windchill!)

View toward Clarkfork close to camp

Well, I got a tarp rigged and was fairly proud of myself. Getting a large tarp up on poles, in holes you dug in the ground, anchored, and stretched tight....all over a hot fire is quite an accomplishment!

My fancy tarp

The whole shebang

Well, that night it cleared up and dropped down into single digits. I had the great idea to put my 20 degree bag inside my 40 degree bag...that plus long johns and wool socks worked out great. Also, my Big Buddy heater and lantern allowed me to get the tent to about 50 degrees when turning in. That was welcome!

View inside my big tent

Moving counter-clockwise

Pile o'hunting gear

View out the door

So I went hiking in the morning and traveled for a good 2.5 hours before I was near where I wanted to really start getting stealthy. NOTHING. No tracks, no fresh sign, nada. I ran into another group of guys way out there who were there during archery season and they were pretty bummed that it was so desolate when 3 weeks ago it was hopping. Ran into a very nice whitetail buck, but wasn't about to shoot him when I was looking for elk. If I was going to pack something out of there it was going to be worth my time. Plus, that leaves me the rest of the season to hunt!

Since I didn't see anything, the next day I went across Whitetail Peak and headed down into a recent timber sale. I found some fresher tracks, probably Thursday morning, but they were followed by two sets of human tracks...so I didn't even try. I tried to sit down in the sun and away from the wind to eat something, but my fingers got so cold I didn't last long. I basically ran up the hill for a while until I got warmed up, but then started sweating...so I kinda defeated the purpose. Ran into some fellas carrying a forkhorn whitetail head down the hill. Really friendly, all they said was, "Howdy." Nice.

The next day was a camp day. I decided that since I was seeing so little sign, that I would bag it and move down into some front country and hunt from home. After being alone for 5 nights and talking to camp robbers and chipmunks, I decided it was time to bail. I was tired of all my veggies being frozen. Tired of frozen eggs. Tired of slushy hot sauce, jalepenos, and pickles. Tired of being COLD! In the mornings, it was becoming routine for me to start a fire and thaw out the lid of my water bucket. Then I had to use the blunt end of a hatchet to free the threads, then the sharp end to chip a hole down to water. Just to make coffee! My water bottle would freeze throughout the day. My fingers would freeze making a fire...I was worried I was going to chop one or two off using the hatchet for kindling! Everything was either frozen, melting, or burning. Not so much fun anymore.

So I took some funny photos that made me giggle for at least a half hour.

Happy Tom

It's freaking COLD!

Relaxing


Heeey

I burned my socks trying to dry them out after a 7 hour walk

The old meat pole Butch and I put up

I went home via the backroads and had the windows down by the time I got to Magee. 45 degrees at 1300?! What!? And that was pleasant!


Tate was happy I was back and wanted to go out the next time

Why you shouldn't ever be gone too long! (nono, it was actually that Stan and his friend were wondering if I wanted to go hunting with them.)

Well, I then took Wednesday off and put gear away and got ready to go out for cow season. Only three days, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.

Thursday I went out before light to Deception creek and stopped the truck. Up on the hill above me I heard the sound of elk moving! I hustled down the road and managed to call in another hunter via cow calls. But still hearing the elk moving in behind me, he left and I waited for them. 50 yards away when the wind changed direction...I just held my head low...and sure enough 20 seconds later I heard them crashing away.

Friday I went to the same spot thinking they may be on a pattern and again called in the same guy. This time I was more aggressive (and thought he may be an elk ahead of me) and moved in on him. When we were finally able to see each other (about 20 yards...it's thick in there) I put my safety back on and heard his click as well. I must be doing something right, he thought I was an elk too!

Saturday morning I joined THRONGS of people heading into the hills and went to another area. Pissed off at 0630 in the morning, pre-sunrise is never good. Getting tailed on a dirt road at 0600 is never good. TRAFFIC IN THE WOODS is never good. I figured they would all stay on main ridges, so I went to Honeysuckle campground, gained about 1000 feet in elevation in a quarter mile...and contoured my way back towards five-finger saddle. Woke up a cow moose who just blinked at me like, "Oh dude, what time IS it?" She ambled off the way moose do. I hiked my butt off through all the brush, then gained another couple thousand feet (I'm exaggerating) and contoured BACK the way I came. I figured I'd cut something in there. Nope. No fresh sign, didn't spook any elk, didn't see anything. I made it back to the finger I needed to go down in order to get to the truck and checked the GPS for giggles. Half a mile!? Bull! The river is right there! I proceeded down the hill and spooked something big...figure it was probably the same moose...and hit another road. Huh? They don't call it Deception Creek for nothing! Sure enough, I had a ways to go.

I've never sweated that much going DOWNHILL before. It's crazy country out here, if the terrain doesn't get you, the brush will.

So, that was the quick and dirty story. I'm going to a new place on Saturday (the last day of elk season) which is in the front front front country to see what I can see. Cross your eyes, toes, fingers, and legs and we'll see what I can make happen. Then, it's all about deer.

I'm back early

Yep, no real news to report. Well, not now anyways, still at it. I will write more about my five days out camping later. Hunting the next few days from home because it was FRIGID up there.

But, since my Dad accused me of always being so serious in my self-portraits, I did something for him. Bear in mind that it's about 34 degrees without the windchill in this photo. So...about 26 degrees (even though that great orb in the sky is out.)


Me being a smartass. You're welcome Dad. :)

Today, I was 50 yards from a bunch of elk that I couldn't see, but could hear, that were approaching. The wind changed direction, 90 degrees the way I DIDN'T need it to go...and here I am. Tomorrow.

LEAVING!!!

Yep, it's that time of year and elk season opens on Saturday.

Just for the sake of safety and not of protecting my little patch of ground, I will be at Whitetail peak (or near it...at least that is the goal.) Not to worry, everyone at work knows where I'm going to be (and some of them will be camped near Magee that week), Butch is VERY familiar with where I'll be, and I will have a radio. The goal is to camp there at the landing by the trailhead, but I guess we'll see if someone has snagged it before me.

From there I plan to concentrate my efforts on the CDA R.D. side...yep, down in that deep dark HOLE that takes hours to get in, and out, of. Talk to Butch if you need an explanation on what that little brushy approach is like. ugh. Oh, and refer to the post in October of 2007!

BUT, there are elk there and I know the country so that's where I'm heading. If by some chance I don't end up there, my other option is south of Summit Camp...and if that doesn't work, I will probably be poking around near "Tom's Ridge" (yea, it's real) on the Kaniksu. All these places are really close to each other...just a couple of miles...so it'll be easy to find the single white Chevy, a big green tent, and a bunch of CRAP scattered around.

So the past couple of nights (hmm, probably the last 10 nights) has been spent organizing and buying gear. That's why I mentioned there may be CRAP scattered around...I am taking so much stuff it's almost unbelievable. However, the weather is turning and there is anticipated snow in the high country (off and on) for the next week. I heard second hand from a guy who was traveling to hunt the Lochsa that it was sleeting in Missoula this afternoon...so I have reason to believe that I'll be into some snow and rain. Consequently, I am making this camp as comfortable as I can.

I bought a six-person tent that I can stand up in. I bought extra tarps to make a nifty little area around the fire. I'm taking absolutely all of my hunting and cold-weather gear. I'm taking backups of a lot of that. I have enough food to feed me for a much longer time than I am planning on being out. I'm taking a space heater that I can use to warm up the tent, and I also bought my first lantern! It's amazing how much money this little expedition cost. But, I rack it up being stuff I will easily use in the future. It's good to have options when going through your gear.

Anywho, I'm curious to see how my journal turns out. I know on solo trips it's easy to just bag it early and head home. Cold weather, wet clothes and gear, only yourself to talk to, added to the possibility of not getting into the critters can easily lead to leaving early. I've been there. Done it. (Thus the reason for trying to make camp as comfortable as I possibly can.) But, cow season is only three days this year...Thursday, Friday, Saturday of next week, so I have some motivation to stay up there for that! My goal is to be up there tomorrow and hopefully find my campsite available and then set up camp. Friday will be further refinements to camp plus a wood gathering run. That evening I will organize my gear and get set up to go out Saturday morning.

I just have a feeling in the back of my mind that I will kill something down in that hole because that would be the hardest thing that could happen. It takes about two and a half hours to get in and out of it...but you're only traveling about a mile and a half! But I guess if that's where I want to hunt, I'm setting myself up for it. It'd be nice if it does happen, and it'd be even nicer if it happens early in the trip so I have time to get it out and then come home and cut it all up.

Foreseeing this potential, I have gear organized for a spike camp. I can either just camp down in there for a couple of nights to hunt and save some time, or I can post myself near a fallen critter for a little protection from anything else that may want a piece of it. I figure I can rig a low meat pole out there, but the experience in Alaska of having a grizzly get at our game pole full of two caribou and a moose is enough to teach me. (I ever mention that? Following trails in the head-high grass to retrieve grizzly-stolen game bags with quarters in them? Scary recon to say the least. But, he/she ate only a bite or two off all of them, so we were able to salvage quite a bit of meat. It worked out.)

Okay, I have more to do.

You will hear from me sometime after the 19th...or perhaps earlier if I either flake out or get something!

If nothing else, it's nice to be done with work for awhile! I need a break! Who knows, maybe softly falling snow and a warm fire will be enough to just keep me up there just for the hell of it.

Annual September North Fork of the Clearwater trip

Yep, it's becoming annual.

Well, I finally figured out in my head what "Kelly Creek" actually was. It is composed of beautiful water, great scenery, and Washington residents in their uniforms, fishing waters that they cannot seem to find in their own state. They do not wave when you pass in your truck, they don't acknowledge you as you walk by, they push and shove to get to where they are going, they tailgate, they possess the attitude that speaks loudly, "if you don't look and act like me, I don't give a shit about you!"

However, I did still pass some Kootenai county folks who waved, gave me room on the road, and smiled as they went by. And I even saw some washington guys, straight off of their ATVs, fishing with spin rods in Kelly Creek! Perhaps it is I who is snobby. It just didn't seem right. But, who cares.

I was on my way to a relaxing solo weekend on the Northfork of the Clearwater. A place I cut my teeth in the Forest Service world. A place where I figured that during bow season I could have the river to myself. Not so. The weather has been so pleasant here during our Indian summer that many many many people were on the river. Ugh. Irritating.


The gorgeous Kelly creek


Kelly again

Well, I went over there with a can of beans, a quarter onion, and half a green pepper. I figured I'd either catch or shoot my dinner! (I had a dehydrated meal as backup.) Sure enough, my first fish was over the legal 14" limit but I threw it back..."shoot, if I caught one this big the first cast out...I should be able to get more!" Negative. I fished and fished and caught nothing else that was legal. When I finally figured I'd just keep whatever else I caught for dinner, the bite shut off! I suppose someone wanted me to be totally legal. No matter, I still needed to get some firewood for camp...so I headed to Mush saddle thinking there would be no one up there for a little grouse hunting / wood gathering trip! Perhaps even, a little time alone.

Wouldn't you know it, I found a grouse. It flushed by the side of the road and I got to go up the sidehill, through head-high ferns (very cool by the way) and shoot this grouse out of a tree...yea, with a shotgun. I wasn't playing around at this point.


Dinner

I got some wood off the same log I cut rounds from when Sarah and I were up there weeks prior and headed back to camp. I started a stout fire and got ready to cook dinner.
I cleaned the grouse and stuffed it with onions and green peppers, wrapped it in foil, and got the beans going on my little backpacking stove.


Dinner cooking

Things turned out fairly well. The fire burned well, the wind kinda died, camp was made, and I could finally relax while dinner was cooking.


Perfectly cooked!


Dinner from the foil to the pot


Dinner

I then tried to relax into the evening. It didn't really work. Something about all the people and feeling like I needed to do something at all times got to me. I went to bed late in the night after eating and listening to sad Cash songs via the truck CD player.

There weren't as many salmon in the river as there was last year. It didn't have the same feel...even though I was in the SAME camp. Not sure what happened there, but it wasn't the same. I did sleep well and it got COLD that night.


View from the road to Mush saddle


Camp...easy access!


My little tent tucked in the trees


Old camp from last year


View one from the fire


View two from the fire


Self-photo opp Sunday morning


Me lookin' at you


Just for Kelly


I thought this fire picture was interesting. Look at the devil in the upper right.

All in all, the trip was kind of a let down. Perhaps next year I can go later in the year and not find the same situation.

I DID come to the cutoff that led over to Powell and thought about taking it. BUT, I told interested parties that I would be on the Northfork, and for safety sake, I committed myself to that instead of going up on the Motorway/Nee-mee-poo trail.

I WAS proud of finding my own food on the trip and following through with that.

Other news:

Butch cannot make our elk camp this year which kinda bums me out. But I'm going to live it for him (since he's gonna go to Colorado on a sweet elk trip anyways) and I'm going to do that trip solo as well. I'm getting a lot of raised eyebrows from guys at work, "you're going hunting ALONE for a week?! Wow!"

And I recently got my truck fixed. It had been making a whoomping noise from the rear-end for the past couple of weeks. I figured it was tires, so spent $850 on those. Nope.
Sarah and I went to Cabelas and getting back in the truck, she said, "I'm not sure I want to ride in this much more. You should take it in."
So I did.
Turns out the rear bearings were basically gone and the left-rear side bearings had worn a groove nearly through the axle. Also, gasoline was spitting onto my manifold from the fuel pressure valve! They fixed all that and now, two days later, I have a nice running truck. All in all, my axle could've broken, my truck could have caught on fire, and I could have been in a world of hurt...or dead. I'm glad I have someone here to tell me things I should do and not just put off like I was doing. It's interesting that I don't really care about myself, but when someone I care about says she is REALLY concerned that I finally do something. Interesting...
LYSK