Bigfoot-----------bows??

[Mad Max]

I see Bigfoot holding your bow and some arrows.  Tell us the story, he came by your house?? ect.
How did all that go??

[Kirkll]

                                            The legend of Bigfoot

 It was a dark and stormy night, high in the coastal mountains on the Oregon coast where i had my first encounter with this legendary creature. I was hunting elk from a base camp, but i hunted solo a lot down there. There are areas down there that are so steep, and full of shear cliffs, that you would be a fool to travel at night. I always carried a 30# pack with enough food to last a couple days, and a water filtration unit. So when i got on a herd of elk, it wasn't uncommon for me to bed down with the herd, and continue my hunt the next day vs hiking several miles back to where i parked my ATV.

On this particular evening i finally spotted the huge 7 X 7 Roosevelt elk i had been hunting for years. I was back into the steep country 2 miles when i recognized that unique bugle that sounded more like a growl than an elk bugle. This big boy sounded like he was gargling gravel when he went off, and was as loud as thunder rolling.....i could see him busting off trees about 300 yards across a deep canyon, and he had a herd of at least 30-40 cows. To say i was excited would be an understatement. But.... Getting closer to that herd would take much more time than i had daylight left that late afternoon/ evening, and there was a rain storm blowing in. I could feel the electricity in the air watching those giant thunderheads boiling across the mountain tops. So i needed to find a place to take cover before dark, and hopefully before the storm hit my location.


(To be continued) .........Kirk

[Mad Max]

 

[Stagmitis]

Hey kirk is this going to take as long as Roys build alongs?

[Mad Max]

Not that story, but keep going

[Kirkll]

I can cut to the chase if you don't want to hear the rest of the story....

[Longcruise]

I can cut to the chase if you don't want to hear the rest of the story....

No need, that was me that you saw. 

[Mad Max]

Keep it going

[Pine]

Great Kirk, you just keep our suspenders on  .

[Captain*Kirk]

Cut to the chase? Don't you dare! I've been waiting on the rest of the story and don't leave out a thing!

[Kirkll]

    So here i am watching this bull round up his cows, and at the same time the wind is picking up and i smell that rain in the air. The dark thunderheads had taken over the whole western view of the 3000-3300' high mountain tops and were pitch black in color with a shade of green mixed in. I was sitting in a saddle at about 2500' looking down a shear cliff in front of me. I had to back track around the knob and look for the game trail that went off the edge. I could see it below zig zagging below me about 50 yards at one point. But there are no short cuts in this country. You follow the game trails carefully watching your step, or it could end up in a fatal fall.

Fortunately i found the main trail carved into the side of the mountain before it got too dark and slipped down it hugging the side of the hill. As it curled around this giant bowl of rim rock i could see several shallow caves below on the other side about half way down..... Perfect!  just what i was looking for!  As i came into the bend of the turn a small stream of water was flowing out of the rocks above like a little water fall. Knowing fully well i was here for the night i took the opportunity to fill my water bag that i kept in my pack, and topped off my canteen too. These springs that came out of the mountain side needed no filtering at all or treatment. This stuff was like the champagne of water....

As i shouldered my pack again i was feeling pretty optimistic about getting settled in before the storm hit. I didn't have far to go to reach the first overhang that i'd spotted. But it was wishful thinking, because about right then was when the first bolt of lightning crashed into the mountains above me, and the sky opened up like a river.... I'm talking serious down pour. I quickened my steps on the rocky trail thanking god that it wasn't mud. or i'd be in trouble for sure. I wasn't worried about getting wet. You don't hunt the Oregon coast without top of the line rain gear, or you are miserable most of the time. Gore Tex boots are a must have too. Clumsy rubber boots just don't cut it climbing these mountain down here.

When i finally reached the overhang that looked like a cave in the shadows, i was sorely disappointed. There just wasn't enough room in this ledge to get fully out of the rain with the direction the wind was blowing, but i was able to step back out of the down pour and hunker down for a few minutes. I figured i still had about an hour of daylight left, so i pulled out my tobacco pouch and fished out my old pipe and just watched that storm for a bit......

Some folks go to church to strengthen their spiritual beliefs and pray. Well my church doesn't include people, nor does it have a roof. To say i was in Gods country hunkered down on the side of a cliff in the rain, miles away from any roads, would be an understatement. The thing i noticed over the years is that God isn't much of a conversationalist, but he can make a believer out of you
in a lightning storm in the mountain tops... 

The elk herd below me had moved up into the trees, and i hadn't see anything since leaving the saddle, but i noticed movement in the shadows below me, and what ever it was.... it was big!

To be continued.....   

[Kirkll]

After sitting for about 20 minutes huddled up under that rock overhang, the rain seemed to ease up a bit, and the lightning was moving north of my position. So i thought i better move on while i had the chance. The trail was nothing more than a ledge along a solid rock face that angled downward at about 20 degrees, and sometimes no more that 18' wide in some stretches. it never ceases to amaze me how these huge elk run effortlessly down these narrow trails that i was carefully holding my back to in spots. One slip and you were looking at 50-60' free fall to the next ledge down...But the beauty of it is breath taking. Adds a whole new understanding to the term "living on the edge".

After two more switch backs the ledge widened out to a regular trail with trees here and there providing a bit of cover, and i considered a big root wad of a fallen tree for building a lean too as the light started to dim. but the wind direction was totally wrong. i needed to circle to the south side to get a wind break. So i worked my way downward until the trail split. The one going down was the wrong way to find a wind block, So i continued south on the main trail seeing that it wrapped around another shear cliff with more cave like shadows that looked promising.

The first one i came upon was definitely a cave. But the opening was rather small, and it reeked of bear. I didn't even bother shinning a light into that one. If it was occupied, i didn't want to disturb what ever critter was holed up in there... No place to run, or climbable trees close enough. So i quickly and quietly passed that one up, and judging by the bear scat on the trail, i think it was a wise decision..... The next deep shadow was just what i was looking for. The opening in the side of the cliff was tall enough to walk right into and it was about 10' deep , and circled around to the west a bit giving a perfect wind block. It was bone dry in there too!  Bonus!   So i shrugged off my pack and headed back to that last batch of trees to bust off some branches with my hawk, and used a pruning saw for a couple more big pieces of dead wood full of pitch. Good score on the pitch wood too. That stuff burns hot and is easy to get going....

 By the time i returned with a couple arm loads of firewood it was getting almost too dark to see and the wind had almost totally stopped....... It was kind of an eerie feeling after all the lightning, wind, and pouring rain to have it become dead calm like that... It was too early for the moon to be up, but i could see lighter colored breaks in the swirling clouds over head and i figured that the eye of the storm was almost here. All i could hope for was that the wind direction didn't switch directions too much and blow into my covered area as the tail of the storm moved through. In my experience with these fast moving rain storms we get on the coast, the tail of the storm is sometimes the worst part and we often get higher winds than the leading edge. but i was in a great spot if things got really bad.....

Building a fire in a cave sounds like a great way to stay warm in a rain storm, but depending on the height of it , the depth,and the air flow, the smoke can run you out of there too. This one i found had been used before for a shelter. Using my head lamp i could see the soot on the ceiling running deeper into the mountain as i explored, and found the old fire pit a little bit deeper than i really wanted to go inside. What looked to be just a big room , actually went much deeper into the mountain, and the roof of the cave got much higher too as it narrowed and turned off to the west.... There were no overwhelming scents of bear in this cave, and no bear sign at all. So i settled in and got a fire going.... This was late September, and low temps were getting down into the high 40's at night. So it wasnt getting seriously cold. But trying to sleep on solid rock is not a good idea. Makes for a long sleepless night. So after i got my fire going, i slipped back out to cut some fir bows. I always keep a set of rose pruning clippers in my pack for getting into really brushy spots down there. These made short work of collecting some bedding material. I shook off the water and scattered them in the cave to dry while i went about making coffee first thing. With the warmth of the fire and a cuppa Joe in hand i started to relax a bit, but still needed to change out my long john top that had wicked in water at the neck line. I don't care how good your rain gear is, you still get wet in this crazy oregon rain. For that reason i always kept a thin wool shirt and a long john top in a plastic bag at the bottom of my day pack. Ya never know when you'll need it, and it was going to get used that night..... A flask of brandy isn't a bad thing to keep on reserve too.... 

To be continued......

[Kirkll]

Time out for a day…. Gone fishing….

[Kirkll]

After getting a dry shirt on and warming up a bit, It had become pitch black in the mouth of the cave. The wind was still dead calm, and the rain hadn't returned yet. So i decided on going back out for one more arm load of firewood before the tail end of that storm hit. There was one more dead log i had cut earlier i wanted to retrieve.  As i slipped back down the trail with my head lamp guiding the way, i picked up a strange scent on the wind that stopped me dead in my tracks. it was like nothing i'd ever encountered before., but reminded me of an elk wallow scent in a way, but different. a thick smelling musky smell, but only for a moment.... I looked around, and over the edge, but could see nothing but a pitch black abyss. So i shrugged it off and finished my last chore for the day. i was getting hungry now....

Sitting back at the edge of my fire i opened my food box. i use a Tupper ware container that fits in my day pack nicely. and had a variety of trail mix, chocolate bars, & packages of deer jerky in zip lock bags. Grabbing a piece of jerky, i set the box aside and dug further into my pack to find my freeze dried meal packages. I had my choice of Chicken and rice, or the beef barely stew tonight. It never ceased to amaze me how much food comes out of these small freeze dried packages just adding boiling water, and some of these are really tasty!

By the time i had finished eating i could hear that thunder rolling in, and the wind beginning to pick up. It was probably about 8:30 pm by this time. The sun had set about 7 pm. With a full belly, and being warm and dry, i wouldn't be up much longer. So i set about gathering up the fir bows  i had scattered around and made a pile to bed down on for the night. the branches were mostly dry by now, but i spread a small 4X8' tarp over them i keep in the bottom of my pack anyway to help keep my body heat in my body while i slept. That thing has come in handy many times building a small shelter from the rain using parachute cord. Its ultra light and doesn't take up any space in your pack either...   It was surprisingly warm in there at the time, and not even needing my rain coat. But i'd put that coat back on before wrapping up in that tarp for the night.

Having everything set up, and ready for some rest, i put a couple more branches on the small fire  that was mostly red coals now, and treated myself to a splash of brandy. i thought about that big bull elk i saw at sundown, and was hoping they had bedded down in this drainage somewhere. i couldn't wait until the crack of dawn came around. i was pretty jazzed about finally finding this big boy again. He had escaped 3 years of rifle hunters and archery hunters since i first saw this magnificent creature. And considering where i was right then, i knew why.... Nobody else is crazy enough to hike way into this blind canyon with no road access at all hunting a 1200-1400 pound animal.... This thing was HUGE!

to be continued ......

[Mad Max]

 

[Kirkll]

  As my fire burned low, i could hear the wind picking up outside, and the far off sound of thunder echoed off the canyon walls like a base drum. I wrapped myself up in my drop cloth like a big red burrito quite pleased that my rain coat had dried completely. the fir bows made a comfortable cushion over the rocky floor of the cave. It didn't take me long at all to fall asleep either after the long day of hiking...

I'm not really sure how long i'd been cutting Zzzzz's but i was rudely awoken by a brilliant flash of lightning, and the crack of thunder was instantly following. The wind gusts outside had to be running 40-50 mph as it howled through the canyon walls, and it was so dark i couldn't see my hands in front of my face after that searing flash of lightning. The coals in my fire pit were completely dead, and there was a damp chill in the air. i was already awake , so i figured id take a peak outside and empty my bladder while i was up. 

I was fumbling around looking for my head lamp, when i caught that strange scent i had smelled earlier that evening, only it was much stronger this time. I felt the hair on the back of my neck tingling a bit as i took in that musky scent, wondering if i wasn't alone in the cave any longer.  But before i could turn on my head lamp, the lightning flashed again and i saw movement in the front of the cave opening......

My blood ran cold for a moment trying to comprehend what i just saw.... Finding my head lamp i switched it on and there was nothing but the pitch black opening of the cave looking like a large mouth getting ready to swallow me whole, and the moaning sound of the wind blowing into the cave reeked like something dead.... At this stage to say that fear had taken a hold of me was an understatement. I reached across the fire pit and grabbed up my hawk as my head lamp danced around like a jitter bug. I wasn't so sure i really wanted to go out on that ledge right then. The urge to pee was replaced with a ball of anxiety in the pit of my stomach, because i knew i saw something move in that cave opening.... But as a few moments went by, the strange scent was whisked away by the wind, and was gone....

So without taking my eyes off the opening i slowly fumbled with my fire wood stash and loaded another pile of sticks into the fireplace and pulled out the ball of pitch i had found in a cedar tree earlier the day before. That stuff is hands down the best natural fire starter there is. It didn't take long at all to have a friendly blaze going again and the flickering reflection dancing brightly on the walls of the cave seemed to calm my nerves...... But man i really needed to pee! So i dug out my extra flashlight, and with my head lamp on, I ventured out onto the ledge once the wind had died down a bit..... The lightning had moved away, but was still flashing behind the mountains in the distance, and i could taste the rain in the air that would surely follow. But for the moment it was almost calm between the gusty wind puffs, and i could see nothing moving at all out there....

Going back inside i checked my phone for the time, and found it to be 3:20 Am. I had gotten almost 6 hours sleep, but i wouldn't be getting any more that night.... That was too spooky for this kid... As i built the fire up a bit, the rain finally came in huge sheets making the cave opening look like being behind a water fall at times..... and while setting there watching it, i couldn't help wonder if some other creature wanted to share the comfort of the dry refuge i had claimed.... That thought ripped it!   I grabbed up my bow, and nocked an arrow and positioned it at arms length away trying to shake off the tingling in my spine again....   It was going to be a long 3 hours before the crack of dawn.....

To be continued......

[dbeaver]

this is fun thanks Kirk

[Captain*Kirk]

 
Someone please pass the popcorn?

 

[Kirkll]

 The hours passed much quicker than i thought they would as the storm moved through and the winds died to a whisper. I was really glad i had made that last run for more firewood last night and had enough to keep it going as long as i did. I passed the time reading an old Louis Lamour novel that i'm quite sure i had read 20 years ago. But there was a lot of good books written by him. Someone not familiar with tracking animals would be amazed what they could learn reading those old novels. I love those old books.... It was definitely not a good time for Stephen King novels the way my night had developed.

I typically love the solitude of the mountains, and am quite comfortable hunting solo. Even though the black bear population as well as mountain lions had increased significantly in the last 10 years, i was rarely intimidated by their presence or numbers. Years ago they used to hunt the big cats and bears alike with dogs, and you never saw the big cats at all while archery hunting in September. The occasional black bear encounter was inevitable though. But if you use your head, they pretty much don't want anything to do with humans. But after  they outlawed the use of dogs to hunt these animals, the population exploded. I knew a lot of archery hunters that carried a side arm after running into the large cats and too many bears for their comfort level, but i never felt the need personally.  But there were a few times i came across bear cubs playing, and couldn't locate the mama bear that spooked me pretty bad.... On one occasion the bear cubs had spotted me and were coming closer to me to check it out. I was down wind and they hadn't caught my scent yet, and were just being curious.... Mama bear was nowhere in sight and these cute little guys got within 20 yards of me before i could even blink. I was frozen solid looking around hoping like hell mama bear didn't circle down wind of me. I finally got seriously spooked and grabbed the police whistle i had hanging from my pack and gave a couple sharp blasts. This stopped the little cubs dead in their tracks, and they both stood up on their hind legs, cocking their heads like a dog. It was cute as hell, and If I wasn't so concerned with getting between those cubs and mama bear i would have laughed out loud.  Quite honestly I was looking for the best tree to climb at this point....   

Fortunately I heard mama bear coming running through the brush huffing loudly from down wind, and the little guys turned and ran towards her. When i finally saw the Mama she was about 35 yards out and standing on her hind legs sniffing the air with her cubs practically attached to her powerful legs...... I have never been a bear hunter even though there were other members of my hunting  party that were. But i've been around a lot of them. At that particular moment, i was thinking survival, not hunting....So i very slowly nocked and arrow, and unhooked the flap on my bowie knife too... There is nothing i know more vicious than a mama bear protecting her cubs, and if she charged me the odds weren't  good  i wasn't going to get mauled, and having a pistol wouldn't change the outcome much either. after about 5 minutes staying frozen, the bears moved off, and i took a deep breath... That one was touch and go, and i've never experienced another moment quite like that.... The mama bear was about 400 pounds id say.  Nice sized black bear. Most of the bears we see down here are 200-300 pounds and are seen running away from you.

 Getting back to my story.... I could see the sky line getting lighter outside and it was time to get
 my pack put back together in preparation for the upcoming hunt. Its amazing how much stuff i could put in that day pack of mine, and i was constantly razzed  by my hunting partners for carrying a 30# day pack every where i hunted down there. But you just never know when you are going to need to spend the night in the woods in that jungle down there. It's very easy to get turned around after dark, and very dangerous to try stumbling around in the dark with a flashlight trying to get back to the road again. I learned the hard way a couple times, and spent some miserable sleepless nights in some rough country.

 I was setting on the ledge outside the cave entrance watching that sky turn from black to a deep color maroon while a sliver of a crescent moon was peaking out between the clouds..... The only noise was the dripping of the  water coming off the mountain side, and I could hear the small waterfalls in the distance too. That storm had dropped a ton of water that night, and as it got light enough to see 20 yards i could see the puddles that were pooled on the path leading across the face of the cliff i was on.....  So i got to my feet and secured my pack while testing the scent of the still predawn morning.  I tried to detect wind direction, but it was dead calm. I'm thinking this isn't a bad thing because i needed to get down off this hill side before the sun came up and the morning thermal winds started moving. As the temperature climbs that wind direction changes 180 degrees coming up and down those canyon walls. The key to success is being at the right place at the right time without getting winded and hunting downward into the canyon is always best at first light......  But as i turned to head down the trail i stepped into a puddle right outside the cave, and froze solid..... Right next to my size 11 boot in the bottom of that puddle was a huge foot print....I'm talking twice the length of my boot and 2-3" wider...... Yes.... it was a BIG foot print.....

To be continued....

[Mad Max]