SFC B
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Well, I am BACK!! I am trying to get the pics organized and my thought straight before I start back to writing. It was a good week and I hope to relay some of that to you all!!
A SGT, a SFC, a MSG and CPO head to the Flat Tops!!
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7mm08mo
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Looking forward to it.
sn.outdoors
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Looking forward to it!
SFC B
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So, after packing up CPOs truck and trailer with the remainder of my crap Tuesday night CPO, MSG and LGC tucked ourselves in for a few hours of fitful sleep. Dreams of the mountains and furry things were certainly dancing around in this guy's head. After the planning and packing the time was upon us.
Wednesday morning came and we were all up and raring to go, especially LGC. As a 12 yo, this was his first big game hunt AND he got to take a week off of school to boot. We got outside and shoe-horned ourselves into the truck as everything for the 4 of us was in it and on the 5x8 trailer being pulled (SGT was coming up Friday and meeting us at camp).
We headed up to Laramie and as the sun was rising saw the west roll out before us. The speed goats always are a harbinger of the trip to camp for me. Seeing them milling around in a kind of taunt/welcome. We dropped off the interstate and headed into some beautiful country.
Wednesday morning came and we were all up and raring to go, especially LGC. As a 12 yo, this was his first big game hunt AND he got to take a week off of school to boot. We got outside and shoe-horned ourselves into the truck as everything for the 4 of us was in it and on the 5x8 trailer being pulled (SGT was coming up Friday and meeting us at camp).
We headed up to Laramie and as the sun was rising saw the west roll out before us. The speed goats always are a harbinger of the trip to camp for me. Seeing them milling around in a kind of taunt/welcome. We dropped off the interstate and headed into some beautiful country.
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SFC B
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After a little while we rolled into Walden. We always stop for gas and snacks here and you can feel the electricity of hunting season in the air as there is orange everywhere. Moms, kids, everyone. They are either hunting, supporting hunters or making a living off of hunters. As I stood gasing up the truck the guy at the next pump was doing the same to his rig with a horse trailer attached. He looked over at me and said "Going in or coming out?" I said "Going in" and he replied good luck with a head nod. We all share the same gamut of feelings and hopes when it comes to this season.
We hope for success. We hope for safety. We worry about the weather. We think about the space in our freezer that needs filling. We feel the longing for wild places intensify.
Next stop, Toponas.......
We hope for success. We hope for safety. We worry about the weather. We think about the space in our freezer that needs filling. We feel the longing for wild places intensify.
Next stop, Toponas.......
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SFC B
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Toponas is our last bit of civilization and a must stop for us. Anyone who has gone through there knows the general store. It is a funky, smelly place with a pair of characters as owners. Last year a bit of the tradition got taken away as they quit selling OTC licenses ( we used to wait until we got there to get ours). However, they still carry beer and THAT tradition for me is always to take mountains to the mountains 
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SFC B
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From the store we were off to camp. Miles of county dirt roads through ranch lands led us to the trail head. As we started up the trail we came to the first campsite where a group we see every year sets up with a pop up and some tents. We stopped and shot the sh#$ for a bit. One of the guys, Ben, had a first timer with him as well. His son was 15 but this was the first time his schedule permitted accompanying his dad for the week. The trail was better than usual and didn't require us to chain up. The 2+ miles up the trail went without incident and we rolled up the final valley toward our usual campsite before noon. There were some folks camped directly across from where we were going but CPO said he recognized them as 1st season hunters from last year. We rolled up and asked if they were cool with us going ahead and setting up in close proximity and they said "Sure!". The three of them turned out to be top blokes and we ended up sharing a campfire and a couple of beverages that evening. This is camp.....
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SFC B
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JohnCushman
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Excellent!!
SFC B
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Sorry for the breaks but still trying to get unpacked and back in the swing at home......so Thursday and Friday were fairly quiet and laid back. We did a little light hiking around the area looking for fresh sign and showing LGC around the AO. We weren't entirely pumped as it didn't seem to be as active as it had in the past. Saw a lot of coyote tracks and a set of bear tracks along the way. Also found a couple of cow carcasses from 1st and archery seasons. Weather was warm and clear but the forecast called for colder temperatures and a bit of snow for the opener.
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SFC B
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Friday afternoon SGT made it to camp and we finalized our tent arrangement along with preliminary tales of "What have you been doing for the last year?"
Saturday we woke up to temps in around 10f and about an inch or so of fresh snow. That is how I like it, although I would have liked a bit more snow. I headed out down a back valley to my favorite spot to settle in and watch a long meadow that runs down to a big creek. It is a popular spot so I left early to be sure and be first in there. I got there and reveled in the cold morning and sunrise. About a half an hour into shooting light a red fox scampered out across the meadow. That was the first fox I had seen up there and a cool start. 45 minutes or so later a coyote comes out and takes the same route the fox had. She ends up on the edge of the meadow about 150m from me. After a bit I pull out the binos and realize she was chowing down on what was left of a gut pile. I sat there waiting for her to get her fill and split but she wouldn't have it. I simply couldn't take it anymore and realized this had happened to me in the same spot on my first elk hunt. On that day I popped the coyote and 20 min later a bull came out that CPO got. I figured it might be an omen so down she went. Given the amount of tracks in the AO the coyotes could use some control for sure. The rest of the morning was uneventful so I headed to camp for a bit of chow and to replenish my water. The others came in and also had tales of quiet on all fronts. And given the amount (or lack thereof) of shots in the surrounding area, there really wasn't much going on anywhere nearby. We regrouped and went to a couple of different spot on another big valley for the afternoon. It was a beautiful day, sunny and cold. The only down side was some jack leg running a 4 wheeler off the trail and into the valley. It seems anywhere there isn't a strong LEO/Ranger presence people on those f%^kin machine will simply ignore the law. As the sun set all hunters return to camp for a dinner of kase spaetzle and a warm wood stove.
Saturday we woke up to temps in around 10f and about an inch or so of fresh snow. That is how I like it, although I would have liked a bit more snow. I headed out down a back valley to my favorite spot to settle in and watch a long meadow that runs down to a big creek. It is a popular spot so I left early to be sure and be first in there. I got there and reveled in the cold morning and sunrise. About a half an hour into shooting light a red fox scampered out across the meadow. That was the first fox I had seen up there and a cool start. 45 minutes or so later a coyote comes out and takes the same route the fox had. She ends up on the edge of the meadow about 150m from me. After a bit I pull out the binos and realize she was chowing down on what was left of a gut pile. I sat there waiting for her to get her fill and split but she wouldn't have it. I simply couldn't take it anymore and realized this had happened to me in the same spot on my first elk hunt. On that day I popped the coyote and 20 min later a bull came out that CPO got. I figured it might be an omen so down she went. Given the amount of tracks in the AO the coyotes could use some control for sure. The rest of the morning was uneventful so I headed to camp for a bit of chow and to replenish my water. The others came in and also had tales of quiet on all fronts. And given the amount (or lack thereof) of shots in the surrounding area, there really wasn't much going on anywhere nearby. We regrouped and went to a couple of different spot on another big valley for the afternoon. It was a beautiful day, sunny and cold. The only down side was some jack leg running a 4 wheeler off the trail and into the valley. It seems anywhere there isn't a strong LEO/Ranger presence people on those f%^kin machine will simply ignore the law. As the sun set all hunters return to camp for a dinner of kase spaetzle and a warm wood stove.
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SFC B
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Sunday morning came with cold temps again and a bit of wind. I was a little slow out of the rack and split off to a bit of higher vantage point up on a ridge by the mountain. Heard more coyotes but didn't see anything. Mid morning a heard a couple of shots far down the valley and was hopeful somebody in camp was pulling triggers. Just after noon I got restless and figured sitting on that point in the wind was not the place for me. I planned to stop by camp on the way back to my favorite spot, grab some water again and hump back over the ridge. As I rolled down the trail toward camp I saw all hands on deck milling about. Did someone score? YEP!!! Not once but twice. CPO, MSG and LGC had been together at a spot just inside a wood line when 2 does came out. MSG fired first and dropped the smaller of the 2. Then LGC had squeezed off a shot at a quartering to angle and dropped his as well. NICE!! I hoofed over to meat pole and helped with the skinning (they had used the sled and brought both of the deer back gutted/whole). After the work we all shared some lunch in the sunshine and SGT decided to join me for the evening hunt back down in my hole.
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SFC B
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It was still chilly but brilliant as we huffed down the valley toward the trail head. The climb up the ridge wasn't too far and then we started back down the rocky, winding bit into my favorite bit of the area. I like the upper part of the valley and as we got to my spot I told SGT of a spot about a half a mile down the valley where he would get a great view of the lower valley and the creek at the bottom. We settled into spots in the wood line and watched the rest of the afternoon unfold. The first photo is a shot I took looking out from my spot with about an hour and a half before dark.
As the shadows grew and there was about 30 minutes left in shooting light I noticed some movement coming up the valley. I shifted position to get a better view and saw SGT eases toward me. I motioned for him to come into the wood line. He asked if I was ready to go. I told him "Naw, we got about 30 minutes left and head lamps, let's give it a shot". He sat down next to me and we proceeded to have a great chat in hushed tones. We talked about our troubles with the VA. We talked about our kids. We talked about the diner he and his wife just opened. We even touched on memories of BIAP, Route Irish and how the mountains in Afghanistan seemed so beautiful and gloriously unaware. He told about his time in Iraq on an SF compound named in honor of the first Green Beret who I conducted a memorial ceremony for at 10th Group. It was getting really chilly now and we were starting to get our stuff together with about 5-10 minutes left of shooting light when I caught movement again in the meadow. This meadow has a depression in the middle of it and it is possible for animals, if they are moving in just the right way to skirt your view for a bit. As I focused I whispered "Son of a B%&TCH!!" under my breath as I reached for my rifle. As I raised it and pushed the safety off SGT exclaimed "BEAR!" At that the bruin began to lope. Thankfully I had the magnification turned down on the Vortex, caught the shoulder of the bear and squeezed. The report of the rifle seemed unusually muffled and I saw the bear tumble through the scope. I lowered the rifle and found the bear still in the spot where it fell. SGT and I sat in silence for a couple of minutes watching then eased out into the open. SGT looked at me and said "You shot a BEAR!!" I looked at him and returned "Holy s#$t, I just shot a f#$king BEAR!" We cautiously started moving the 110m toward it and about half way it gave a last shake which made us pucker for a minute. We waited for a few more and then got the courage to go up and ensure he was done. A touch on the eye ensured he was and then the realization hit us both. I had shot a bear about a mile and a half for camp, it was now dark and the temperature was plummeting. I told SGT to head back to camp, get the sled and CPO with lights and knives to help with the chore. As he left I took stock of the situation. I knew we would all be cold and and I could hear the coyotes getting active now.....know what I need? That's right, a FIRE! I proceeded to build a little fire and start on skinning. I had the bear opened and was working on one of the front legs when I heard the voices and saw headlamps of my boys at the top of the valley. They got to me and the work commenced in earnest. We boned the bear and skinned as carefully as possible by head lamps and fire light. Finally we had the meat in game bags and the hide/head rolled up and in the sled. Since CPO was a bit tuckered out from the earlier deer duties, SGT and I chugged up the steep incline to the top of the ridge mentioning to each other how much we dug the sled . Breaks were often as the load and incline were rough. Once to the top of the ridge we knew the worst was over and grinned a bit. We finally got into camp and cleaned up about 2230 hrs and MSG offered up show spaghetti. I was so wooped I could only manage a couple of bites and about a half a gallon of water. It had been a long and successful day.
As the shadows grew and there was about 30 minutes left in shooting light I noticed some movement coming up the valley. I shifted position to get a better view and saw SGT eases toward me. I motioned for him to come into the wood line. He asked if I was ready to go. I told him "Naw, we got about 30 minutes left and head lamps, let's give it a shot". He sat down next to me and we proceeded to have a great chat in hushed tones. We talked about our troubles with the VA. We talked about our kids. We talked about the diner he and his wife just opened. We even touched on memories of BIAP, Route Irish and how the mountains in Afghanistan seemed so beautiful and gloriously unaware. He told about his time in Iraq on an SF compound named in honor of the first Green Beret who I conducted a memorial ceremony for at 10th Group. It was getting really chilly now and we were starting to get our stuff together with about 5-10 minutes left of shooting light when I caught movement again in the meadow. This meadow has a depression in the middle of it and it is possible for animals, if they are moving in just the right way to skirt your view for a bit. As I focused I whispered "Son of a B%&TCH!!" under my breath as I reached for my rifle. As I raised it and pushed the safety off SGT exclaimed "BEAR!" At that the bruin began to lope. Thankfully I had the magnification turned down on the Vortex, caught the shoulder of the bear and squeezed. The report of the rifle seemed unusually muffled and I saw the bear tumble through the scope. I lowered the rifle and found the bear still in the spot where it fell. SGT and I sat in silence for a couple of minutes watching then eased out into the open. SGT looked at me and said "You shot a BEAR!!" I looked at him and returned "Holy s#$t, I just shot a f#$king BEAR!" We cautiously started moving the 110m toward it and about half way it gave a last shake which made us pucker for a minute. We waited for a few more and then got the courage to go up and ensure he was done. A touch on the eye ensured he was and then the realization hit us both. I had shot a bear about a mile and a half for camp, it was now dark and the temperature was plummeting. I told SGT to head back to camp, get the sled and CPO with lights and knives to help with the chore. As he left I took stock of the situation. I knew we would all be cold and and I could hear the coyotes getting active now.....know what I need? That's right, a FIRE! I proceeded to build a little fire and start on skinning. I had the bear opened and was working on one of the front legs when I heard the voices and saw headlamps of my boys at the top of the valley. They got to me and the work commenced in earnest. We boned the bear and skinned as carefully as possible by head lamps and fire light. Finally we had the meat in game bags and the hide/head rolled up and in the sled. Since CPO was a bit tuckered out from the earlier deer duties, SGT and I chugged up the steep incline to the top of the ridge mentioning to each other how much we dug the sled . Breaks were often as the load and incline were rough. Once to the top of the ridge we knew the worst was over and grinned a bit. We finally got into camp and cleaned up about 2230 hrs and MSG offered up show spaghetti. I was so wooped I could only manage a couple of bites and about a half a gallon of water. It had been a long and successful day.
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Gerald Martin
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That's great bear! I'm enjoying your story.
7mm08mo
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Keep it coming I’m hooked!!! Nice bear, and deer.
noharleyyet
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Thumbs up on the progress pics & story..
Duck-Slayer
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very good read, congrats on the downed animals!
Matt
Matt
SFC B
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Unfortunately, the rest of the week held less drama to it. There was a lot of boot leather spent, beer drank and time spent shooting the shit. Also, the 17 HMR I brought up got a good work out as well. By the end of the week I think the LGC was up to about 6 furry little tree rats The weather stayed great and even without any more meat on the pole it was worth the stay. I can't say that I wouldn't have loved to see some critters with antlers but I still count myself extremely lucky. I got a beautiful bear, got to witness a young get his first animal with his pops and grandpa and got to sit around and be crotchity old vets together and talk about shit that doesn't float well with "normal" folks. We really do have a messed up sense of humor. The only really bad part of the week was the pack up and trip out. I always end up a little depressed and already thinking about next year. If I could, I would seriously never leave the woods. As for the rest of the fall and season...well Hunting Princess' RFW tag for DEC is now on deck and I am getting more excited by the day for that. She is a great kid and maybe she can do her pops one better and put some elk in the freezer.
The weather stayed great and even without any more meat on the pole it was worth the stay. I can't say that I wouldn't have loved to see some critters with antlers but I still count myself extremely lucky. I got a beautiful bear, got to witness a young get his first animal with his pops and grandpa and got to sit around and be crotchity old vets together and talk about shit that doesn't float well with "normal" folks. We really do have a messed up sense of humor. The only really bad part of the week was the pack up and trip out. I always end up a little depressed and already thinking about next year. If I could, I would seriously never leave the woods. As for the rest of the fall and season...well Hunting Princess' RFW tag for DEC is now on deck and I am getting more excited by the day for that. She is a great kid and maybe she can do her pops one better and put some elk in the freezer.Attachments
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Absolutely love the pictures and congrats on the bear!!!!
Well done!
Well done!
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