John and Chris’s 2019 Roosevelt Adventures

[Nunyacreek]

This is a fun thread, I really enjoy your effort in scouting posting. Thanks!

 

[Little Big Man MT Chris]

Chris are you expecting a draw tag or OTC?

You look prepared either way.

OTC Roosevelt archery, most of the state is the same for Rocky Mtn Elk as well in Eastern Oregon , there’s a few units that are draw for archery , but the rest are all open with the OTC tag , I could go hunt Roosevelt’s for a week and if I don’t tag out then drive to eastern Oregon and chase Rockies the next on the same OTC archery tag , but as for me just OTC and hunting the home turf with my friends

 

[bobbydean]

Thanks for the reply and you are so damn lucky to have OTC elk. I am envious. I am also enjoying your posts. Very informative and just looks like fun.

I hope you tag!

 

[Little Big Man MT Chris]

I did get out today , went to check a cam and was hoping pull some pics to share , since it’s the growing season , we put this cam up over a month ago , was checking it to make sure no plants grew up in front of it since we hung it , but johns card was locked and wouldn’t open on my phone card reader, I was bummed, but on the way there I saw 2 groups of elk , and some deer , I also took a pic of how our landscape here is constantly changing and even in the change the animals adapt quickly to it .

This is the butt of the last of 3 elk all cows , was driving down the road saw a glimpse of a Blacktail disappear ahead , stoped the truck pulled up the binos , to try and see it , but it was gone , started to drive ahead, made it about 20 feet and there was 3 elk in the trees looking at me ! They ran a few yards to stop and looked back at me , as I got my phone to take a pic , I just caught the last one as it disappeared into the dark timber


The next one is the last elk of a herd I drove into as I came out of the trees into a cut , there was a herd of 20 to 30 cows and calf’s out feeding, they were hidden by the terrain, I was glassing the far hillside , only to hear that familiar sound of breaking timber , looking down , I could see elk everywhere moving out , the last cow just strolled along taking her sweet time , which allowed for a pic , on the far hillside as the cows left cut , I glassed up 3 elk all bedded 50 or so yards apart from each other, 2 were in the shade backs to the timber on the high ground where they could see everything, the other was just in the sunlight where I could make out antlers , I assumed the other 2 were bulls as well , but the distance and the shade hid antlers from my sight , they were just far enough out of ear shot that the cows leaving didn’t alert them , there was a pond area I wanted to shed hunt over by where the bulls were at , but I chose not to blow them out and left , here’s the last cow from the bigger herd


This is the tree line the bulls where on , it was closer to 1000yds and the sun was in my binos , I couldn’t get a better pic , but 2 of them are in the pic even though u cant make them out


This next pic is how where I hunt the landscape is ever changing, last year on this same nob , I sat during the summer and watched a herd of 40 elk and 4 branch bulls come out of the big timber single file to feed in the grass of an young clear cut next to it , today all the trees are gone and the elk bedding area , but in 5 year or so it will begin to look like the area in front of the downed trees , after I took this pic , looking down I see directly below at maybe 100 yards a doe looking up at me with a mouth full of grass and 2 fawns , smiling I take the pic , she was feeding just 200 yards from the new clearcut where just hours earlier there was men and machines , work and noise , log trucks taking timber off the mountain, the men leave the deer and elk come out like we were never there .

It might look far in the pic , but it’s maybe 200 yards to across to the cut ,and the deer below me

After taking the pic , I spoke to the deer in a quite gentle voice , turned to my truck and called it a night , I was out for only 2 and half hours tonight , I did see 3 more deer and one other elk tonight or should I say half an elk , walking the grass road back from my trail cam debacle, there was an elk in the meadow area we hung the camera in , and on the way out I saw half of him as I bumped him out of the meadow area and crossed the road in front of me and down the hillside he went

 

[Little Big Man MT Chris]

Thanks for the reply and you are so damn lucky to have OTC elk. I am envious. I am also enjoying your posts. Very informative and just looks like fun.

I hope you tag!

Me too , I took 3 weeks off to try and fill my 1st archery tag , this will be year 5 hunting this dirt , I should have several good chances in that time it will just come down to that 5% good luck breaking my way , there’s like 7 or 8 of that will be hunting together, on and off at different times , since were all local not everyone takes vacation time , some will be hunting weekends and after work , the other good thing and everyone being local , it’s easy to get a pack out crew together when a bull hits the dirt

 

[Little Big Man MT Chris]

I had to work today, but John and Big Chris went out for a scout today , who is Big Chris you ask ? He will be in our bow crew this fall , so he might show up in some pics later , so I’ll introduce him today before I post the pics from there scout trip , Big Chris has been bow hunting with John for years , I first met him in 2016 when John tagged out on the last day of archery, and I went and helped pack out , Big Chris got the his nickname because I’m Chris too and well he’s bigger so that’s how it goes when we’re together. I’m the newest edition to the archery crew , John and I live 10 minutes apart , and in the coast range so John and I end up doing most of the scouting, but not all .
2016 is also the last time Big Chris tagged out a few weeks before John did , here are pics of his bull and me packing out the head of johns bull in 16




Here are some highlights from John and Big Chris’s trip today

 

[Little Big Man MT Chris]

Went over to Johns and did my 1st Broadhead Test was consistently about 6 inches lower than field points , John weighed my field point and broadhead in his shop to dbl check , they were the same 100gr , he looked at my bow did one click on the dial and said try that , I got the TROPHY RIDGE REACT H5 pin system this year, where u only adjust the 20 then the 30 yd pin and then 40 50 60 all systematically adjust, we went back outside I shot at 30yd dead center , then 40 50 60 all in the black , John smiles , ain’t that easier than chasing the tune ! Broadhead test complete we turned the bow back one click for my Field points , good to go , I would recommend looking at this sight if your looking to change up 150$ is what it cost me , also John got a wild hair up his ass , and started building a walk in cooler to hang meat , looks like we’re gonna be processing our selves now , John looks to have the project complete before season , he’s an ambitious man . I suck at carpentry , but offered labor , I will chronicle the project





The new pin system







This bottom pic is the dial John adjusted and I was shooting dead eye with broadheads


I’m still a noob with archery equipment even though I can shoot good , nice to have someone who knows there stuff to help my learning curve

 

[Little Big Man MT Chris]

i had the afternoon to myself, so I went to learn a new patch of dirt , I took my girlfriend in this area last year Blacktail hunting , but didn’t get to far in , have been wanting to get back there , it’s an area that’s on our radar , so went learned the roads in case we hunt this area. Saw elk , we’ve been on a roll lately, John and I have seen elk seems like every trip out for the last month





Walked some grass roads looking for a shed , no luck


When I got back to the truck I realized I took this pic right as she cow called, you can see her mouth open, immediately after this pic 3 more elk showed up .
2 cows and a spike



Got my 1st flat tire and ended the trip, didn’t want to risk the gravel road over the mountain, so head for the pavement

 

[rtraverdavis]

Hey Chris, is that a picture of you with a backpack on? Weird. Where was the winch?

 

[Little Big Man MT Chris]

Always on a buddies back , never mine , I take the pictures while my friends pack .....um ..... I mean , drag up the hillside to my truck !!!!! For those that missed last year , here is an example







Always easier to take the pictures !!!

 

[Little Big Man MT Chris]

Instead of going to the woods today we worked more on the walkin cooler , BBQ’d some elk backstrap and tri tip beef and flung arrows , John also put up a tv in the shop and we watched YouTube hunt videos all day while we worked

The door is on and the hole is cut for the cooler


We drilled and ran wire for electrical


The insulation is on stand by


Watching hunting all day also note the AC unit is on standby as well


The bear skull entry


Dinner

 

[Little Big Man MT Chris]

John turns 40 this weekend, mom made him a cake , she’s got skills , just wanted to share her creation and it’s elk related, well kind of , happy birthday you old coot !!!

 

[gouch]

Looks delicious

 

[Little Big Man MT Chris]

Went to Johns today , the start of the insulation is underway on the cooler , then we took the afternoon to checks some cams and scout a little , Cam another friend who will bow hunt with us this year came along today , were picking up bulls on all 3 cams we checked today ,hung another camera and a creek crossing we found between 2 clearcuts and saw between 20 - 30 elk today as we drove around and caught a 4 point bull out in the open in the early evening on the last hike of the day , heres the goods from the days adventures























Walking in to check the last camera


The new camera spot at the elk crossing


The bull was feeding so we whistled at him to lift his head our way hes was 240 yds he stared at us for 5 min or so then waked to the tree line

 

[Little Big Man MT Chris]

This is Cams best scouting pic of the summer so far , I’ve been wanting to share it with the Hunttalk crew, he doesn’t get to go out as much as John and I do , the last time the 3 of us got out together was back in January

 

[Duck-Slayer]

Awesome follow along thread Chris! You get hooked on archery and I’ll have you out to Idaho for deer/elk/antelope
Matt

 

[Little Big Man MT Chris]

Awesome follow along thread Chris! You get hooked on archery and I’ll have you out to Idaho for deer/elk/antelope
Matt

Thanks Matt , I’m already enjoying the journey, I’m sure I will get hooked on Archery hunting. Seems like a natural progression for a hunter. Glad your enjoying our Rosie pics , my Girlfriend or should I say the future Mrs OregonChris and Parents should be getting to Idaho this afternoon, my uncle has a place up off the Pack River out of Sand Point , there gonna spend the week up there , I couldn’t get away this trip

 

[Duck-Slayer]

Thanks Matt , I’m already enjoying the journey, I’m sure I will get hooked on Archery hunting. Seems like a natural progression for a hunter. Glad your enjoying our Rosie pics , my Girlfriend or should I say the future Mrs OregonChris and Parents should be getting to Idaho this afternoon, my uncle has a place up off the Pack River out of Sand Point , there gonna spend the week up there , I couldn’t get away this trip

If your ever in the Boise area let me know, we’ll have some beers and good bbq,
Matt

 

[Little Big Man MT Chris]

If your ever in the Boise area let me know, we’ll have some beers and good bbq,
Matt

Your on

 

[Little Big Man MT Chris]

John and I did 14 plus miles on the bikes either riding them or pushing them through some country , were are getting close to finishing up our trips in the field to learn new areas to hunt in and around our main zone. We walked into a small herd of around 15 elk all cows from what we could see , only got one quick pic before they spilt . Here is some pics of the country we got in today