Long hunt -maybe
- Thread starter diamond hitch
- Start date
diamond hitch
Well-known member
I needed a 3/4 day after yesterday. I went to the district east of the house. For many years it was a beautiful place with wet bottoms, deep grass and numerous bedding grounds. I usually go to the top to get above them and get a favorable wind position. That south wind this spring created a hell not previously imagined. I started cutting my way to the top in stacked windfalls. The little electric saw performed wonderfully. I thank you folks for your assistance. I did have to draw the line at the 30 inch spruce. That would have been like attacking an elephant with a toothpick.
I sawed my way into the early 1900s logging sleigh trails. Travel was so so as I worked through the downfall. I tried the bottoms, the north sides, the tops , all to no avail. Even my horse thought I had lost my mind. Five miles of nearly solid wood. The tally? Two elk leaving at the bottom, a moose lost in the middle and a large mtn lion on the main trail at the top. A good test for the little trail saw but I think that basin is done for elk.
I sawed my way into the early 1900s logging sleigh trails. Travel was so so as I worked through the downfall. I tried the bottoms, the north sides, the tops , all to no avail. Even my horse thought I had lost my mind. Five miles of nearly solid wood. The tally? Two elk leaving at the bottom, a moose lost in the middle and a large mtn lion on the main trail at the top. A good test for the little trail saw but I think that basin is done for elk.
diamond hitch
Well-known member
And the cycle starts over. Last night a north storm blew in - literally. I had cornices on the drivers side of my truck. We loaded up the ponies and went to the far end again. More trees down so more sawing. Sawed all day and only got the dewalt saw down to one bar. I'm very impressed. Two batteries and you could cut down the world. We bundled up in multiple layers and rode from 9:00 to 5:30. Frozen to the saddle except for tree removal. Temps ranged from 8-5 degrees with a snowy breeze. Back to snotcycles. Beard frozen to the mustache which froze to the coat zipper.
At 4pm we cut tracks of 4 coming out of the bottom where the aliens dropped them off. Tomorrow we will focus on the next drainage where I was on friday. Hopefully the FS folks will not be there.
At 4pm we cut tracks of 4 coming out of the bottom where the aliens dropped them off. Tomorrow we will focus on the next drainage where I was on friday. Hopefully the FS folks will not be there.
diamond hitch
Well-known member
It's gonna be a long hunt. We skipped monday . It was -10 and warmed up to 6. We declared a movie day and fed the stove.
Today we went east where we picked up tracks where the elk had boiled off the ridges yesterday to feed all night in the bottoms. We scouted a few of the ridges on horseback and then went west where we have seen them move through. We had created a hide for the ponies 2 years ago where they were protected and no trees could fall on them. Once we stripped down we worked our way up the west ridge. Shortly after starting we cut a fresh bed of a cow. We followed her where she picked up four more and after short distance picked up three more. They lined out and headed south whete we were two days ago. We followed them for 2 miles and gained 600 ft of elevation. Just short or an old logging road a cow jumped up and starred at us from about 50 yds. As my partner got set and the crosshairs started to center on her neck she suddenly bolted, pick up another cow and headed up the steep ridge. I cut into the regen, picked up the rest of the herd and headed towards the top of ridge. Suddenly they turned with the wind and headed straight to the top another 600 to 900 ft higher. That was one hill to far and cut off the chase and headed back our ponies. A 30 mph wind at 30 degrees when you are sweated out after 6 hrs leaves a lasting impression.
It took two hours and dinner to warm us up.
Today we went east where we picked up tracks where the elk had boiled off the ridges yesterday to feed all night in the bottoms. We scouted a few of the ridges on horseback and then went west where we have seen them move through. We had created a hide for the ponies 2 years ago where they were protected and no trees could fall on them. Once we stripped down we worked our way up the west ridge. Shortly after starting we cut a fresh bed of a cow. We followed her where she picked up four more and after short distance picked up three more. They lined out and headed south whete we were two days ago. We followed them for 2 miles and gained 600 ft of elevation. Just short or an old logging road a cow jumped up and starred at us from about 50 yds. As my partner got set and the crosshairs started to center on her neck she suddenly bolted, pick up another cow and headed up the steep ridge. I cut into the regen, picked up the rest of the herd and headed towards the top of ridge. Suddenly they turned with the wind and headed straight to the top another 600 to 900 ft higher. That was one hill to far and cut off the chase and headed back our ponies. A 30 mph wind at 30 degrees when you are sweated out after 6 hrs leaves a lasting impression.
It took two hours and dinner to warm us up.
diamond hitch
Well-known member
Made a run up the creek to the south of yesterday's hunt. The hope was to pick up their tracks and see where they are going. Nice thought but no seegar. We rode 4 miles in and then hiked another 1.5 miles up the creek bottom. Lot's of snow and excessive downfall of big trees made progress impossible. Some of it was so steep that even with cork boots it was dangerous to comtinue. After 6 hours and no tracks, we returned to the ponies. There are a few places yet that meet the criteria- you can't get there from here!.
Best of luck!
diamond hitch
Well-known member
Decided to hunt a neighboring district for variety. We rode into the same country as we were in the wed before last. Two wind storms later and we got to cut it out again. No people in it but the elk had moved with the storm. The bottom elk were moving up, the bulls were going west, and everywhere we went were more moose. Tracks were 1-2 days old and not worth chasing. We covered 10-12 miles and maybe got a glimpse of a deer. We have heard 4 shots in 3 weeks so everyone else is having a rough go also. Tomorrow back closer to home.
diamond hitch
Well-known member
Went back to the north end of my drainage. The elk had come down to feed in the bottoms at night. We tracked them by horseback for a couple miles but when they started for the top we tied up the ponies and took out on foot. It's amazing how much it takes to find a safe place to leave the stock because of the falling trees.
We noted elevation and gps location for an efficient return and started up the hill. Things were going well with the wind from the west for the first 400 ft of elevation. As we worked our way across a big park we noted a wind change. Now it was right at our backs. When we hit the top we found soft fresh beds where they jumped off the cliff and headed down in a place where the the man from snowy river would have shied. Too steep to venture down we went around and cut back in the bottom. About 300 yds up the other side we cut their tracks. As we followed we noted they changed direction as the wind changed. In a swirling wind. The changes were frequent and erratic. Finally we went to the north side, gained 350 ft of elevation and then worked back towards the elk. As we hit the severe blowdown we cut the tracks going into a nasty patch that we could not work around the wind. With 30mph gusts we cut to the far north side and cut back to the horses. Two miles later we saddled up and rode back to the truck.
This ended three weeks with two to go. Tomorrow is the last day my partner can hunt so the next two weeks will be on me. Some years are hard.
We noted elevation and gps location for an efficient return and started up the hill. Things were going well with the wind from the west for the first 400 ft of elevation. As we worked our way across a big park we noted a wind change. Now it was right at our backs. When we hit the top we found soft fresh beds where they jumped off the cliff and headed down in a place where the the man from snowy river would have shied. Too steep to venture down we went around and cut back in the bottom. About 300 yds up the other side we cut their tracks. As we followed we noted they changed direction as the wind changed. In a swirling wind. The changes were frequent and erratic. Finally we went to the north side, gained 350 ft of elevation and then worked back towards the elk. As we hit the severe blowdown we cut the tracks going into a nasty patch that we could not work around the wind. With 30mph gusts we cut to the far north side and cut back to the horses. Two miles later we saddled up and rode back to the truck.
This ended three weeks with two to go. Tomorrow is the last day my partner can hunt so the next two weeks will be on me. Some years are hard.
diamond hitch
Well-known member
We put together a sweep of the western drainages for the block of drainages I have been hunting. We cut 2 day old tracks but the high winds and swirling filled even our own tracks within minutes. We had to saw out 30 trees to get back to where we were the first week. Only 2 bulls had gone through. We went north through a mining district and rode out on the roads that assisted the logging from the 90s. We cut tracks of 4 bunches but their travel was erratic. I 'm not sure where they were going but it provided targets to hunt the next two weeks. I might need another saw battery. Might be nice if this countinuous wind storm would move - like to the east coast. They are used to high winds and don't have elk and other useful things to chase.
diamond hitch
Well-known member
Sorry folks! I got tired and slept on sunday. The wind was howling and intermittant snow seemed like a good reason to take a break.
Count this as wild monday. I had decided to hunt an isolated bench that isn't immense and doesn't have any horse access so today was a park the truck and walk day. As I cleared the main access trail, I noted a large number of elk coming down last night. I reversed my path and decided to Let the elk educate me. They are really good at it if you are patient. I followed the tracks carefully and discovered that there had been a large herd living in the creek bottom in the willows. No man tracks yet it was only 200 ft from the main road. They worked up the drainage to the upper end and then crossed the main road at a juniper thicket. They worked their way up a steep sagebrush slope and then bedded down to watch the trucks go by. I worked my way up the ridge to the top where all the wandering and feeding elk came together in a couple of herds of 10-12. They lined out, jumped a grazing fence and worked their way up a short stub ridge of lodgepoles through openings in the massive deadfall.
I had been noting that they were clearing out their bladders as they usually do prior to bedding. I kept watching the ridge for them as it is also common for them to work up a drainage and then "button hook" back on their ridge to watch their back trail.
As I broke over the top I found lots of beds where they waited for me. The wind was calm so how they caught me I don't know. Maybe thinking too loud. As the herd lined out they went through bed after bed. We kept gaining elevation working our way to the top of the ridge on the jungle side about 30ft below the top. As we neared the peak the face became so steep that I could barely hang on with cork boots. Maybe the next step is crampons. I carefully clinged to the trees to keep from going over the cliff while the elk scrambled through it. They lined out over the top of ridge and cut around the open face about a mile and then cut to the right and went down a face that would have challenged the last of my 9 lives. I checked my altimeter and I had 1000 ft since the truck. My gps put me at 4 miles from the truck in a challenging downfall verticle northside thicket. At 20 I would have gone over the edge and damned the torpedos. At nearly 70 I gracefully retreated and looked for an acceptable lunch log with a view and minimum breeze. The view was excellant and I built up my courage for the trip back to the truck. Tomorrow will be a horse day.
Count this as wild monday. I had decided to hunt an isolated bench that isn't immense and doesn't have any horse access so today was a park the truck and walk day. As I cleared the main access trail, I noted a large number of elk coming down last night. I reversed my path and decided to Let the elk educate me. They are really good at it if you are patient. I followed the tracks carefully and discovered that there had been a large herd living in the creek bottom in the willows. No man tracks yet it was only 200 ft from the main road. They worked up the drainage to the upper end and then crossed the main road at a juniper thicket. They worked their way up a steep sagebrush slope and then bedded down to watch the trucks go by. I worked my way up the ridge to the top where all the wandering and feeding elk came together in a couple of herds of 10-12. They lined out, jumped a grazing fence and worked their way up a short stub ridge of lodgepoles through openings in the massive deadfall.
I had been noting that they were clearing out their bladders as they usually do prior to bedding. I kept watching the ridge for them as it is also common for them to work up a drainage and then "button hook" back on their ridge to watch their back trail.
As I broke over the top I found lots of beds where they waited for me. The wind was calm so how they caught me I don't know. Maybe thinking too loud. As the herd lined out they went through bed after bed. We kept gaining elevation working our way to the top of the ridge on the jungle side about 30ft below the top. As we neared the peak the face became so steep that I could barely hang on with cork boots. Maybe the next step is crampons. I carefully clinged to the trees to keep from going over the cliff while the elk scrambled through it. They lined out over the top of ridge and cut around the open face about a mile and then cut to the right and went down a face that would have challenged the last of my 9 lives. I checked my altimeter and I had 1000 ft since the truck. My gps put me at 4 miles from the truck in a challenging downfall verticle northside thicket. At 20 I would have gone over the edge and damned the torpedos. At nearly 70 I gracefully retreated and looked for an acceptable lunch log with a view and minimum breeze. The view was excellant and I built up my courage for the trip back to the truck. Tomorrow will be a horse day.
Brittany Chukarman
Well-known member
A for effort. I wouldn't want you on my trail. My money's on you filling your tag.
Thanks for sharing your daily hunts, Diamond Hitch. Due to an injury, I'm living vicariously through other's hunts this year...and yours has been outstanding. Please stay encouraged as you persevere, be safe and shoot straight.
God bless,
Wayne
God bless,
Wayne
diamond hitch
Well-known member
Thanks! Today was interesting but not all that exciting. After yesterday I needed a leg break so I went east 30 miles where I have killed a number of elk. It was warm and sunny and very pleasant. About 7/8s of the way to the top of the ridge I met two nice guys who had just hunted my favorite basin out from the bottom. I started down the east side but the tracks had some age on them.
i found the cross-over trail and climbed to the top of ridge where you can sit on a flat topped narrow park and glass 15 miles or so in a number of directions. I cut a bull and a cow track but they were heading for the freeway or downtown and the snow was running out.
I rode back to the first park and rode up to the old mine and then across to the BLM water trail. From there I went out 3 miles to another park but no sign. Then I went back up the trail to a cow trail I took to the top of the main ridge. It's kind of steep for a mile and then breaks out into another massive park where you can see about 6 miles and three drainages. I ate lunch and glassed but nothing appeared. I had cut tracks of three cow elk that were working their way east but lost them on the south slope where the snow was gone.
I led the horse down the rocky slope to the bottom where I got back on and rode six miles back to the draw I came up. I rode past that trail and worked my way to another massive park west of there. Near the top a muley doe walked out to watch me. First deer I have seen in 4 months. Nice but unshootable. As I broke over the top a cow elk walked through the basin below me. A yearling maybe but small just the same. Behind her was a spike with 10-12 inch spikes. Also quite small. I watched for a while thinking that if I could just find a moose I would have seen everything I can't shoot. About that time a blue grouse took off and shattered the moment. I worked my way to the bottom and ended my 15 mile trip. Yesterday I wore out my legs. Today I wore out my butt. What's left? Guess back to my legs tomorrow.
i found the cross-over trail and climbed to the top of ridge where you can sit on a flat topped narrow park and glass 15 miles or so in a number of directions. I cut a bull and a cow track but they were heading for the freeway or downtown and the snow was running out.
I rode back to the first park and rode up to the old mine and then across to the BLM water trail. From there I went out 3 miles to another park but no sign. Then I went back up the trail to a cow trail I took to the top of the main ridge. It's kind of steep for a mile and then breaks out into another massive park where you can see about 6 miles and three drainages. I ate lunch and glassed but nothing appeared. I had cut tracks of three cow elk that were working their way east but lost them on the south slope where the snow was gone.
I led the horse down the rocky slope to the bottom where I got back on and rode six miles back to the draw I came up. I rode past that trail and worked my way to another massive park west of there. Near the top a muley doe walked out to watch me. First deer I have seen in 4 months. Nice but unshootable. As I broke over the top a cow elk walked through the basin below me. A yearling maybe but small just the same. Behind her was a spike with 10-12 inch spikes. Also quite small. I watched for a while thinking that if I could just find a moose I would have seen everything I can't shoot. About that time a blue grouse took off and shattered the moment. I worked my way to the bottom and ended my 15 mile trip. Yesterday I wore out my legs. Today I wore out my butt. What's left? Guess back to my legs tomorrow.
diamond hitch
Well-known member
I almost skipped today. When I got up the weather for the day was - drizzle. I was first exposed to drizzle in Ketchican in the 70s. Given enough time you can feel the torrent of water running down the crack of your butt heading for your boots. I really wasn't up for that. At a critical point it turned to snow and I decided to let the torture continue.
I went back where I was two days ago but from a differant direction hence it was an elk education day. I rode in about 3 miles on block management that is closed to motorized travel. At the end of the sage I found an old cat road that continued up a drainage but was blown in so bad that I had to find a safe, protected place to leave my horse where she could stay dry and not get shot or a tree fall on her. The cat road had a tree across it about every ten feet. My cork boots helped getting over the downfall as I could get on top of the wood and walk on it. The drawback is that in wet snow the snow tends to build up on the heels. You have to kick it off every once in a while.
The topography on the north side of the main ridge is that there are a number of flat topped ridges about 1/3 of the way down. It was really quite nice with an open doug fir stand covering most of it. Where elk live a lot there are often an extensive trail system that connects all the ridges with a shallow grade trail that intersects where the ridges hook onto the main ridge. This one was no exception. The only drawback was that the first two draws were largely lodgepole - jackstrawed. A exersize in log slithering.
I traversed about 6 ridges and stopped just short of the last in a bad patch of deadfall. I cut day old tracks of 8 elk going east. Four were bulls and went to the top of the first ridge and bedded. The other must have been a special crossbreed of elk and billy goat as they took me out to the cliffy stuff where I had to cling to trees to keep from sliding down the hill. I really wanted to kill one to see what it looked like or to make sure it didn't breed.
The trip was a success if for no other reason than a new place to look. There were a lot of rubs and could be very good early.
I went back where I was two days ago but from a differant direction hence it was an elk education day. I rode in about 3 miles on block management that is closed to motorized travel. At the end of the sage I found an old cat road that continued up a drainage but was blown in so bad that I had to find a safe, protected place to leave my horse where she could stay dry and not get shot or a tree fall on her. The cat road had a tree across it about every ten feet. My cork boots helped getting over the downfall as I could get on top of the wood and walk on it. The drawback is that in wet snow the snow tends to build up on the heels. You have to kick it off every once in a while.
The topography on the north side of the main ridge is that there are a number of flat topped ridges about 1/3 of the way down. It was really quite nice with an open doug fir stand covering most of it. Where elk live a lot there are often an extensive trail system that connects all the ridges with a shallow grade trail that intersects where the ridges hook onto the main ridge. This one was no exception. The only drawback was that the first two draws were largely lodgepole - jackstrawed. A exersize in log slithering.
I traversed about 6 ridges and stopped just short of the last in a bad patch of deadfall. I cut day old tracks of 8 elk going east. Four were bulls and went to the top of the first ridge and bedded. The other must have been a special crossbreed of elk and billy goat as they took me out to the cliffy stuff where I had to cling to trees to keep from sliding down the hill. I really wanted to kill one to see what it looked like or to make sure it didn't breed.
The trip was a success if for no other reason than a new place to look. There were a lot of rubs and could be very good early.
diamond hitch
Well-known member
The good news? We got a half inch of fluffy snow. The bad news? It's on top of up to a foot of frozen slush. It's obvious that I am in search of a dead elephant cause that is the only thing I could sneak up on.
I needed a long scan to see if the elk are moving somewhere. I rode about 7.5 miles across three drainages. The elk had moved about 4-5 days ago at the earlest. I did see a lone track , likely yesterday in the slush, going south. I cut downfall for a mile to see if there were any elk on the west side but nothing showed. On the return trip I cut out the trail that takes me out of the drainage and goes into the west park. Nice effort but the only wildlife was busily hiding nuts. I figured he was a some kind of state employee in a former life.
I needed a long scan to see if the elk are moving somewhere. I rode about 7.5 miles across three drainages. The elk had moved about 4-5 days ago at the earlest. I did see a lone track , likely yesterday in the slush, going south. I cut downfall for a mile to see if there were any elk on the west side but nothing showed. On the return trip I cut out the trail that takes me out of the drainage and goes into the west park. Nice effort but the only wildlife was busily hiding nuts. I figured he was a some kind of state employee in a former life.
bobbydean
Well-known member
I am really enjoying your hunt. Wishing you good luck, but your hard work is more convincing.
diamond hitch
Well-known member
When the weather is against you all you can hope for is luck and the only thing you have is tenacity
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