Well, this is what happens when I wait too long to write anything. The details get lost. But that's okay, the elk hunt this year wasn't too spectacular, even though Butch and I both put in a lot of miles. We had the warmest and driest season that I can ever remember; consequently, the woods were extremely "crunchy" and all the critters were down in deep, dark holes...coming out at night. Which, we couldn't blame them. We'd get hiking around and pretty quick, no matter how slow you would go, you'd be sweating. Then the only thing you wanted to do was go hunker in the creek bed.
I did see some new country though! I'd only ever crossed the creek to hunt the opposite side...where we ended up the first day. But after discovering a huge gash in my hip boots, we decided to poke around the north side.
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| A little more toward the creek |
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| Camp down below...steeper climb than it looked from the bottom |
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View west
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Well, we both tromped around those hills and found a lot of fresh sign. But again, with clear skies and a full moon...I'd be out in the middle of the night too. The day of these photos I got sick of the heat and decided to just walk a small creek back down to camp. As soon as I hit the bottom, the wind must have swirled just right and a whole herd of wild ponies suddenly decided they needed to head to Montana. At least that's what it sounded like. Well, there was no heading these elk off...even though I knew better, I tried. How do you do that? Run back up the same hill you just dumped off of and head toward a distant saddle. Once on the saddle, you figure out they beat you there by oh...half an hour and were likely in the creek down the other side. Now, I'm not one to push elk that I've spooked already, because it's basically a ridiculous waste of time in this country. There are no "long shots" up there, despite the way the photos look. I'd love it if it WAS that way...be a lot easier, but they don't really come out in that open stuff until a.) Two o'clock in the morning or b.) February. I've always wanted to check out that little finger ridge in the middle ground of the first photo, so I did just that. All I found was a mess of downfall and a single wolf track! I have yet to see one of the "famous" wolves of North Idaho.
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| View back toward camp. The first photos were taken from the grassy hill beyond the road. |
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| Of course... |
Well, the last day we had to hunt we decided to take the four-wheelers up a road, cut in, and wander around in a spot where Butch had seen a lot of sign the day before. I parked a little ways up the road from where Butch started and made my way though they BRUSH, trying to hit the darker timber. I walked for a long time in an area devoid of any sign and then finally hit the trees! Wouldn't you know it, I was on that same ridge above camp by that time!! Rather than go back to the ATVs I decided to hit the creek where I spooked the elk the day before and walk that down to camp. Got down to the creek and spooked a large, solitary critter I never saw. Yet again, I hoofed it up to a vantage point and tried to spot this thing when it came out of the draw.
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| Looking down the draw from my high point |
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| Looking east (where I thought I would get a shot...looks promising) |
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| Looking west |
It never did. I waited up there for quite a while, then went down in the drainage again. I have NO IDEA where that thing went, unless it went underground. Oh well, it was too hot again, so I made my way to camp. I was HOPING to find Butch there so i could get a lift to the machine, but he was still walking the hills. So I took some photos of camp.
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| Entrance |
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| Ample parking |
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| Organized as always |
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| Never had to put up the tarps. A first! |
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| We had a nice head too |
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| Just far enough away from camp |
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| We hardly used ANY of the wood we gathered |
I got tired of waiting around, and then got a crazy idea to see how fast I could walk back to the ATV. I had no idea how far it was, but it didn't seem TOO bad. I strapped the .22 on my belt, grabbed my rifle, left the pack and headed out. I was in a foot race, so I just put my head down and motored along...always hoping to hear Butch coming out. I got close enough to his machine that I decided I would decline a ride, just to see how fast I was going. After rounding the bend though, it wasn't there! Hmph, oh well, I guessed he was on a ride. But, as I rounded the bend to where I parked...there he was sitting on his ATV waiting for me to come out of the woods!
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| Looking to where I went up |
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| Yep |
Well, I clocked the mileage back to camp, but had to stop to get this photo. Then, wouldn't you know it, the next one just kinda fell in my lap!
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| I noticed this on the way up, but didn't want to stop and ruin my time! |
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| Hey look, it's Butch! |
After getting back to camp I learned that I had walked the 1.8 miles in 30 minutes flat. Doesn't sound like very good time, but that road was a steep goat trail and I had been humping up and down the hills all morning. A hiking pace of 3.6 mph isn't too shabby.
Overall, we had a good trip. We saw interesting things every day. Our first hike up across the creek yielded two mule deer does staring at us from 20 yards. They didn't move a muscle and let us walk off down the hill without running. One night I saw an ermine running around...he was curious by my headlamp and came to within a yard...his eyes glowed green. We had a doe and a yearling in our camp and watched them walk up the creek itself. Butch heard that initially when he was sitting on the can, he came back to camp and said, "Tom! Get your gun. Something's in the creek." There were good grouse woods on the flat where camp was, an over the course of the trip I was able to come out with three grouse. Ooh, one was a great head shot with the .22 handgun....the kind of shot that makes you want to blow through the barrel and act nonchalant. I saw a grouse dusting itself near a wallow. It was nervous when I came down there, but still wanted to continue...so it'd lay down and start to roll, then stand up and look at me. Then it'd lay down on it's other side and staaart to roll, no. We met a really talkative guy and his pal from MinneSOTA (that's the accent.) They were in our camp a lot....talking. And we found out this little guy and his girlfriend liked chili - lime sunflower seeds.
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| Cute little bugger |
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| Had a scratch |
So, that was elk camp 2012.
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| This one is for you, Nicole |
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| Common scene at night |
The weather has finally turned around here and gotten rainy and windy. I'll tell ya, it doesn't feel like deer season yet, but it sure feels like duck season! So, that's been on my mind. I took care of part of the itch Sunday morning by going on a walk down in the Chain Lakes...hoping to just jump shoot something out of the slough. There I was, thigh deep in mud, when I flock of wigeons came zipping over me. I was half turned around with my feet stuck in place and the shot almost sent me down into the mud and water. Seriously, it was one of those arm-flailing things. Well, I didn't hit what I was aiming at...a.) because my face wasn't even close to the stock and b.) I "instinctively" shot at the entire flock. JEEEZ Tom. I need to get some Velcro to attach my face to the stock and get a trigger that has a five-second delay on it or something. If I could only shoot a shotgun like I can shoot a rifle and handgun! Well, I watched the flock fly on, then one separated and flapped it's way back to the main lake. I'm not sure, but I'm guessing it had caught a pellet and was wounded. That soured my attitude and I was pretty darn disappointed in myself, so I decided to not shoot anymore and just watch. There were a lot of birds in the air, some within range, but it was pretty fun to just stand there staring up at them...gun at my side.
