Bulls, Bucks and chickens .. .a Wingnut, Trashwood and Jason adventure

[Talondale]

Originally posted by wingnut:

More later.

Mike

When you said later you weren't kidding.  Step up the pace.

[Keefer]

Mike must be out taking another nature call !!! We gotta relize he has been gone away from home a while and sounds like he had lots of good food at camp. Lets give him some thinking time for a few more minutes...........O.K. hours !  :D

[Charlie Lamb]

   

[wingnut]

Here are some pics of camp:


New wall tent 16x20 with 5 ft walls and new shower on the left

 

10 x 20 cook shack

 

Inside the cook shack 5 burners, oven, and a propane grill

 

Mike

[wingnut]

Here are some pics inside the tent:

5 dogs stove and coffee pot

 

Ol' geezer with laptop

 

Me enjoying the new stove

 

[Shaun]

Was wondering when you'd get back. Nice looking camp with ALL the amenities. They know steep in Idaho, hope you shot something up hill from camp.

[trashwood]

For the last 4 or 5 five years I have been tring to get Mike to write a book, do a video, or series of articles on DYI Elk hunting.  There is no two ways to cut it,  Mike is very good at DIY Elk hunting.  He has got the deal figured out.

This was the nicest camping hunting camp I have ever hunted out of.

rusty

[wingnut]

Teh first half of the hunt could really be classified as scouting.  We put some tough miles on the truck and walked a bunch on gated roads and trails.  What we found was a bunch of people hunting a few elk.  This was not what we were looking for so we went to more vertical country and on day four we found elk. . . .real live, not tracks and droppings. .. ELK.

We lost light before we closed the distance but they were there and it was some dang steep and rugged country.  No other hunters and real elk.  Cool!!

We went back in the morning,  it was a bugger of a one hour drive and a real early get up.  But Jason and I were there before daylight and ready to do it.

We found fresh sign everywhere and had a bull bugling in a real hole.  We tried to talk him out but no deal and we climbed back to the truck.  Back to camp and some food and rest.  We'd be back tonight unless Rusty found something in his walkabout camp.


We decided to hit town for a few provisions and a full tank of diesel.  As we pulled out, the rains began to fall.  this is a good thing!! It was way too dry.

We came back to a steady rain for the evening.  We decided to not get that wet and to drive to another area for a look see and to check for grouse.  The grouse were not that cooperative.  these were roughs not the usual spruce grouse and they were very spooky.  We found a lot but didn't get many first shots and almost no seconds.  Only one had fallen to an arrow to this point.

We found a doe with twin fawns this evening and Rusty got a short stalk but the whitetail deer didn't hang around like the mulies do and it was game over very soon.

Headed for home and made some cookies in the oven for a snack before we hit the sack.

Mike

[pine nut]

Good stuff Y'all.  It's next best thing to being there.  Keep it coming!
Bill

[cjones]

Keep it coming guys. Looks like a great camp but ya need Mickey there to organize everything for ya!

[knife river]

Looks like some tall medicine bottles stashed under one of those cots...    

[OzarkRamblr]

...'specially the blue one, I'd recognize ole Dr. Bombay any where.    

Looks like a great camp & sounds like a great time thus far.

[robtattoo]

Man! Y'all like to camp in comfort, don't you! I've stayed in less well-appointed hotels than that.
Looks like a really nice place to spend a few days.
Great stories so far!  

[wingnut]

Well now the fun started to get rolling.  I left you with elk found an hours drive away and the rain falling.

Well it rained all night and into the morning hours.  We decide to walk from camp this morning on Rusty's observations.  He said he had seen a herd of "mule deer" tracks going across the creek to the other mountain.  Real big "mule deer" tracks.  Hmmmm, can Rusty tell between a muley track and an elk?

We'll find out.  My journey was to head north and loop the ridge to the west.  Had to go a mile to get the wind right but it was finally quiet and I moved 150 yds at a time.  Calling sparingly to see if elk were in the draws as I went.  After a couple of hours, I found myself on top of the ridge in full sunlight and dipped over the west side.  Now the wind was perfect as the thermal started moving down the ridge.  As I moved slowly up the drainage, I started feeling the elk.  They were here alright, but where?  A hundred yards further and fresh track.  Real fresh, looks like a cow, calf and maybe a bull track.  Heading into a small blind canyon.  Perfect!

I slowed my pace and moved from tree to tree, following the trail.  Fresh droppings now.  Still warm!  Good!  Finally a couple hundred yards up, I get a look at the small drainage.  On top just under the ridge, is a small bench with large trees, bedding area for sure.  But it's too early for bed.  They should be feeding.  Across from me and up higher is a steep slope covered in huckleberry bushes.   Hmmmm, maybe.

I setup behind a large tree and called softly.  Dang the diaphram has blown out.  Got to get another out.  I do and cow call softly again.  Nothing!  no sound, so movement!  Yet I seem to know they were there.  I decide to drop into the bottom of the draw for more cover.  I step around the tree and a herd of 4 cows, 3 calves and a nice 5 pt bull step around a bush 60 yds out.  They were coming to the call and now had me in the open.  They waved and spun, I called and waved as they crested the ridge in a few minutes.

Dang we have elk in camp.  Cool!!

Mike

[JC]

I don't think my lil ol v8 would pull the trailer it would take the haul all that stuff up there. Looks like you guys spent most of your time packing, settin up, tearin down, and unpacking.    

LOL, woody & ozark...looks like they won't get sick with all that "medicine" around.

[wingnut]

Mean time, Rusty had moved up the other side of the mountain and crossed more of them "mule deer" tracks in the soft earth.  Looked fresh so he headed back towards camp hoping to get Jason before he headed the other direction.  They hooked up and headed back up the mountain.  Rusty hung back and let Jason move towards where they thought the elk were.  Sure enough a fickle wind swirl and a nice 5 pt bull showed for a few seconds, rounded up the cows and headed off . . .stage left at a brisk walk.   We're not sure but think they were the same herd I'd seen earlier on the other side of the mountain.  Anyway, we had excited conversation when we met in camp an hour or so later.

Mike

[Tim Fishell]

Great story!!  Keep em comming!

[IB]

Such a GREAT camp,    But ya ain't swallered nutin but cookies        

When ya gonna break out the "DUTCH OVENS"      

[wingnut]

Vance,

The dutch ovens were in full use throughout.  I forgot that you need a bite by bite call on the hunt instead of a blow by blow.

LOL

Menu included:

Steak and taters
Wild Pork steak and dressing
Chili Mac with deer burger
Wild Pork fried rice
pork and rice cassarole with cream sauce
spagetti with elk sausage
Jambalaya with wild pork and chicken plus hotdogs from hell.

etc.

Mike

[IB]

             

 Your so KIND....ThankYou...