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  1. #1
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    Fall days afield 17/18

    It's on.

    Post up your stories and photos of stomping around the woods in search of wild beasts.

    We headed out the evening before opening day of deer season.
    Not a bad evening to sleep on anchor



    With some whales hanging out feeding



    cruise ships rolled in ~3:30 am, I wasn't able to sleep through the rocking - so coffee on and game on!



    Headed a few thousand feet up to alpine and started paying attention.



    Spotted a buck and started the stalk - she is in the spot that we shot two deer side by side last season.


    Due to the clear weather, they were on to us and any animals above us knew we were there, so time to scope and chill




    Headed to the summit to peak in the meadow, there were at least 12 deer. They all knew we were there.



    Pretty sure it was because the two black dots in the pond had been leaving lots of sign and had obviously been spending a lot of time in the alpine.


    With this sow and cub cruising around we figured that hunting the alpine meadow wasn't an option so watched the bears for a while.
    We noticed the cub and sow looking at something, but it was out of our line of sight, the sow wasn't concerned so we figured it wasn't a boar.
    A few minutes later I noticed movement below the bluff/cliff we were on and there was a buck heading our way. I think it popped out of the woods and saw the bears and was trying to find safe passage. My wife took the shot and dropped it, I downclimbed the bluff, she wasn't comfortable with that so she started looking around for another way down.

    So, I'm by myself with this dead deer


    and a sow and cub about 500 yards away.

    The two dots were the bears sitting in the meadow watching me



    Finished up the deer, as my wife came around the side. The bears were groaning at her, but not moving off as she passed by.



    The bears were blocking our way out, so our options were to scramble up a loose rockface with heavy packs or drop into the unknown valley on the other side of the peak and roll the dice. We decided on the latter. After exploring three different descents, they all cliffed out and so we trudged back up to the meadow.



    We were hoping that the bears would have moved onto the carcass, but unfortunately we spotted the arse of a bear just where we wanted to go. Now options were to scramble up the rockface to known terrain, or head up another peak to access the other valley into the unknown.

    We headed up the rack scramble. I went up, dropped my pack and rifle and came down to grab my wife's pack. We swapped out in a precarious spot, but she made it through. When she popped out on top, about 10' above me, I heard " Oh shit - the bears are right here". Turns out that the bears had climbed up the ridge from the easy side and she popped up 10' in front of them. I said my rifle is 15' behind you get it and chamber a round. I dropped her pack, grabbed the her rifle and chambered a round because if the bears dropped directly down there was no place to go but over me.

    Fortunately they were as freaked out as we were, turned tail and dropped down the ridge about 50' away. We watched them catch scent of the kill and the sow headed over for some eating while the cub remained entirely freaked out baying and moaning. Eventually it figured out that mom wasn't concerned and had a few bites to eat as well.





    All photos were with an iphone so: objects may be closer than they appear.
    Last edited by wendigo; 08-21-2017 at 11:09 PM. Reason: stupid photos

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
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    General Sherman's Favorite City
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    So much rad in that post. 5 stars.
    I still call it The Jake.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Mar 2005
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    Killin' time
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    223
    That's a tough act to follow. Well done
    Being grown-up sucks!

  4. #4
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    Sep 2001
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    Orangina
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    Sweet action, Wendigo.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
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    idaho panhandle!
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    9,952
    Way to kick it off man! Well. Fucking. Done.

    I'm just training right now. No seasons are open for me. I drew an Elk tag in WY this year for rifle. Super stoked on that. Buddy has been killing some Giants in my zone.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
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    8530' MST/200' EST
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    I've been getting out and have some cameras set up in the high Uintas. Went in in early May but couldn't get across the creek to get on the mountain I wanted to hunt. Saw a few cows feeding that day, so knew it would be a good place for cams. Went back in and set a few up. Went to check the cameras and got ~250yds from 4 branch antlered bulls, 3 spikes, and a handfull of cows on the hillside. Got one good bull on camera (below) then the cattle moved in. Still seeing fresh sign as we scout up there but lots of cattle around. Going back Monday to check the cameras one more time, and hope that the cattle haven't pushed the elk way off. Should be a fun backpack hunt opening morning (8/19 here).

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    "If we can't bring the mountain to the party, let's bring the PARTY to the MOUNTAIN!"

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
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    Last Best City in the Last Best Place
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    7,270
    Great story wendigo. What a hunt.

    Got all kinds of tags this year. Elk options start Aug. 15 and deer starts Sept. 2 for me. Getting psyched! Gotta find time to go to the shooting range soon.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Dec 2002
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    2,137
    Sweet fucking experience. Thanks for sharing. Cant wait for fall in Northern WI

  9. #9
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    Oct 2006
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    Well the cattle are still there, but the new camera produced elk almost every day, and a bull that really likes that as a travel corridor. Just haven't pinpointed the water source they are utilizing yet.
    Just got a new rest and now my bow is off high and right, nothing like back to square one with less than two weeks to go.
    "If we can't bring the mountain to the party, let's bring the PARTY to the MOUNTAIN!"

  10. #10
    Join Date
    May 2007
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    A wretched hive of scum and villainy
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    1,958
    Sweet story and photos!

    Drew a tag for my first pronghorn hunt this season. Anyone want to recommend a good lead-free .300 WSM round?
    "...no hobby should either seek or need rational justification. To find reasons why it is useful or beneficial converts it at once from an avocation into an industry, lowers it at once to the ignominious category of an exercise undertaken for health, power or profit."
    -Aldo Leopold

  11. #11
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    Oct 2006
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    Heading in on Friday, 3 mile backpack in to camp, Saturday opener. Bulls, spikes, and cows on camera, the one camera that we found had been pulled out, hopefully due to cattle images. Let's hope they don't come in for the opener.
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    "If we can't bring the mountain to the party, let's bring the PARTY to the MOUNTAIN!"

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
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    I-70 West
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    Switching it up this year -
    Elk muzzleloader either sex
    3rd season buck tag
    4th season cow tag.

    Heading up Friday evening to check the trail cams!
    This is 3rd season is this zone. Only challenge with scouting is that elk seem to stay away until Labor Day.

  13. #13
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    Oct 2005
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    Idaho
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    Bad ass Wendigo!

  14. #14
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    Aug 2011
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    panhandle locdog
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    Anybody have opinions on cheap/good game cams? I'd like to put a few up on my property but don't want to drop a ton of money on them. There are a lot of options on Amazon, all seem to be mostly the same with just a different brand on them.

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
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    idaho panhandle!
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    Quote Originally Posted by Leavenworth Skier View Post
    Anybody have opinions on cheap/good game cams? I'd like to put a few up on my property but don't want to drop a ton of money on them. There are a lot of options on Amazon, all seem to be mostly the same with just a different brand on them.
    I have a spare I will send you for nothing.

  16. #16
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    If that doesn't work, always check Camofire.com, its the SAC of the hunting world. Tuesdays are Trail cam Tuesdays, you can generally get a two-pack of Steathcam's, with batteries and SD cards for under $150.
    "If we can't bring the mountain to the party, let's bring the PARTY to the MOUNTAIN!"

  17. #17
    Join Date
    Sep 2001
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    Orangina
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    Just got a Vortex Razor HD spotter and I have to say, it's pretty amazing. I'm not a good enough archery elk hunter to need a nice spotter but I actually have a rifle bull tag this year. Something is going in the freezer, I'm confident in that. Hoping it's big enough to put on the wall, too.

  18. #18
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    Sep 2001
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    Quote Originally Posted by Phall View Post
    If that doesn't work, always check Camofire.com, its the SAC of the hunting world. Tuesdays are Trail cam Tuesdays, you can generally get a two-pack of Steathcam's, with batteries and SD cards for under $150.
    This. Those ones with cell transmission are rad.... If you happen to hunt somewhere in cell range, which isn't even vaguely possible around here.

    Otherwise I've never understood the need for crazy optics, etc.

  19. #19
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    Oct 2006
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    Leaving tomorrow around noon for the Archery Opener!
    "If we can't bring the mountain to the party, let's bring the PARTY to the MOUNTAIN!"

  20. #20
    Join Date
    Jul 2016
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    Mostly the Elks, mostly.
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    1,279
    Nice TR wendigo, thanks!

    Most excited for 17/18!
    (+ freezer running low)

    -5th antlerless elk
    -2nd either sex deer
    -mtn lion
    -small game
    -furbearer

    Glad to see some familiar names back on the hunt.
    Good luck yall.

  21. #21
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
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    Well, we did everything right, but alas, the elk moved on. Activity shut off on the camera ~8/7 after a few weeks of constant elk. We think they moved much higher up. One long day walking around, but this early, its hard. Time to figure out a plan b, and let that zone sit until closer to the rut.
    "If we can't bring the mountain to the party, let's bring the PARTY to the MOUNTAIN!"

  22. #22
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    Nov 2012
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    Way she goes Phall. Checked the camera yesterday, showed nothing but moose and deer and wasn't really worked over at all, moved it quite a bit higher , hope they are up there.

  23. #23
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    Sep 2001
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    Orangina
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    Finally got acceptable groups on a .300WM load I've been cooking up for elk and muley season yesterday. I call the round "Rick James" and it features a Swift 180g Scirocco II bullet. Shot it out to 400 today with no misses on steel, so it seems to be working. Not the most magical on paper at about .80 MOA but it's one of the best, true hunting rounds I've worked with personally. Going to set 500 and 600 later this week, then start working on different angles, etc. I won't take a shot longer than 400 on an elk but it's fun to dick around.

    God, I love having a rifle elk tag in the backyard for once.
    "All God does is watch us and kill us when we get boring. We must never, ever be boring."

  24. #24
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    Mar 2007
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    Damn that is some distance. Longest shot I've ever taken was 180 (caribou) and prefer to keep things <120. I would get the same results at 400 if I was throwing rocks.

  25. #25
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    Quote Originally Posted by wendigo View Post
    Damn that is some distance. Longest shot I've ever taken was 180 (caribou) and prefer to keep things <120. I would get the same results at 400 if I was throwing rocks.
    I don't disagree with you and I sure as shit don't pretend to be talented. I work in the hunting industry, so I get cool toys. One toy is the rifle--A store bought Tikka .300WM Lite that I put a brake on, trigger job and Manners stock. Optic is a Vortex Viper PST 24x. Long story short, with modern rifles (even store bought, mid-level ones), decent optics combined with hand loads, shooting out to 600+ becomes very easy with some practice.

    Plus I have a small range in the back yard, which helps.

    Edit: I won't shoot an animal farther than 400 yards because I don't care who you are or what you shoot--the variables will catch up to you (and the animal) at some point.
    "All God does is watch us and kill us when we get boring. We must never, ever be boring."

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