Second time in elk country

[jhg]

Originally posted by Pat B:

... I did notice on this trip that there seems to be a spruce/fir die off. About 1 in 5 of these evergreens were dead or dying. I wondered if it was a natural phenominon or something else. Some of the trees had saw dust around the base indicating a boring insect ...

A small number of trees will have this but over the last several years we have experienced a huge pine beetle attack which has killed millions of trees. My own hunting area has seen an increase in dead from almost zero two years ago to about 40% this year. Next year will be easily 60-70% die off. Its the fungus the beetles carry that kills the trees. Not the larva themselves. The powder is after the fact from other insects moving in on the dead tree.

Joshua

[Pat B]

Thanks for the explanation Joshua. When I was in the same area 5 years ago the "dark side" of the creek was truely dark. This year I notices lots of green ground cover that wasn't there before indicating more sunlight hitting the forest floor. I guess the aspins and other early secession plants will take over. More food for the elk I guess but way less cover.
  We have an invasive edelgid(aphid) here that is killing all of our hemlocks(Tsuga canadensis and T. caroliniana), one of our predominant evergreens here in the Southern Appalacian Mountains. It will for sure be changing the forest and forest floor here. It is interesting to see the change but it is a shame if we caused it. I guess it is natural even if we cause the problems. We are part of it all!

[ron w]

Thanks for sharing Pat.....good looking bow you were tote'n.......one you made?

[Pat B]

Ron, I actually made both of our bows. The bow Kenneth is shooting is "Elkie". I made Elkie for my first elk hunt with Kenneth in '06 and when the hunt was over I left her with Kenneth as a thank you gift. I wrote an article for PA Magazine about it..."The Story of Elkie" (vol 15, issue 5 Oct/Nov 2007)
 My bow is a 60" osage static recurve with choke cherry bark backing, 56#@26"
Elkie is about the same but reflexed tips and draws to 29". She used to have sinew backing but after difficulties I removed the sinew and added rawhide.
Here is the pictographs my wife drew on Elkie's rawhide backing depicting our hunt.

[ron w]

Excellent ,,,,just plain cool!      

[Pat B]

Too bad it didn't happen that way! d;^)

[b.glass]

Thanks Pat. I seems like I've been waiting and waiting to see this thread and it's finally here!

Your wifes "cave drawings" are way cool!

Bona

[Osagetree]

Too cool!

[tracker1]

Pat, thanks for the story and pics I have to break down and make plans to go.  Each one of these elk threads makes me want to go more.

[rastaman]

Beautiful country there sir! Thanks for taking us along!

[Shinken]

Some good memories right there!

Thanks for sharin'!

Shoot straight, Shinken