2016 Hunting Season

Archer season the Winds above Lander.

     This season was kind of a different one.  Didn't quite know what to expect since our move to Mountain View.  We're so lucky we built the cabin in Winds though... it's only 180 miles away, which made it pretty easy to buzz over to on the weekends.  I missed the first weekend (Labor Day) of archery season, which was kind of tough because there was weather that weekend- it did get cooler.  I was doing a MTB race in Spearfish instead.  It was kind of hard hearing about the elk that were bugling that weekend.  The very next one though Seamus and I made it up (I think mom and Tally might have been along too).  I was able to bugle in a spike (had some snowy, overcast weather).  There was a bigger bull that was calling too- but I couldn't get him to come in.  Later that evening Seamus and I nearly got a deer just hunting off the road from the jeep.  Two big ones just stood there and I almost was able to walk up in range.  Not quite though.  It was a fun weekend.  We took the next one off though (opening weekend for rifle) and decided to stay home and try the deer hunting around Mountain View.  It was cool to see some new country- check out the Uinta blog for that.  No luck for deer though.  The next weekend we headed back to the Winds for more some elk hunting. 

    That weekend was cool because we met up with my friend Chuck and got to stay at their cabin and hunt some of the country by it (South Pass) on Saturday.  We saw some sign (actually saw some run off when we pulled in that night).  Never were able to hook up with anything on  Saturday though- despite quite a long hike.  Saturday afternoon we packed up and headed up to our cabin.  Once we got up there, we loaded up in the jeep and decided to try the Timber Top loop.  By the time we got up to Timber Top there was only about an hour of light left.  We sat up there glassing around and notice some other hunters in the same area (which I was kind of bummed about) then Seamus, full confidence and expertise says, "Hey... I think I have some elk spotted dad.  Yup!  Yup, those are definitely elk.  There they are dad!"  I looked around and could see them.  Then I got the binocs out and sure enough- there were about 30 head right by the homestead park slash/ burn pile.  I couldn't believe it.  It was perfect- we both new how to get on them there.  Weeehooo!  Charge!

    I fired up the jeep and we bounced down there as fast as we could.  I told Seamus to wait in the Jeep when we got there until he heard shots.  We parked the jeep by the burn piles and I hopped and walked around the edge a over the sky line, and there they were- maybe 250 yards out.  Set down the ol' 300 on the pipod and picked out the first antlers I could see and Ka-Bang... wop!  Elk down.



Not the biggest I've gotten, not the smallest.  Very fun hunt though!

Seamus was pretty proud.

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The work started.  Wasn't too bad really- could drive the jeep right up to it.  Took an hour to get it cleaned out and cut up so where it would fit in the jeep.  Got er done though.

Seamus... ready to roll back up the cabin.  Once we got up there it took me until 1:00am to get it all skinned out and hung up in meat sacks and what not.  Had to head back to Mt. View the next day.

The morning after.  Beautiful way to wake up!

   We loaded up the elk and buzzed back to Mt. View with ample time to get it hung up in the trees and ready to take to packer the next day (no time to do it myself this year).  Didn't miss a drop of work.  People think they have to take a lot of time off to get elk.  Not so if you can get an area dialed in and the elk gods cooperate.  I've managed four bulls in a row now from the cabin and have not had to miss more than a day (and that was only for two of them).

   The next weekend deer season up by our cabin opened up. Mandy's folks came up for that (so did mine- but I never did see them- too busy hunting).  The deer part was easy.  I got up early- kind of... was sitting around drinking coffee with Mandy's dad and deer start appearing.  At first just does/ fawns, but then little bucks.  I dressed and saddled up and walked out over the limestone ridge below our cabin and immediately got into a bunch of twenty deer.  There were at least three with antlers.  I put the bipod down on the ol' 300 H & H, picked out the biggest one, and bang- whop.  Deer down.  If Ray would have been with me he could have shot another one.  He went a different direction though and missed out.  I went back up to the cabin and got my hunting buddy to help me clean out the deer and pack it out.

Seamus... in on another kill.

Not very big buck, but bigger than any I've got up at the cabin so far.

Dad built this trailer for me last year.  Finally had a chance to try it out.  Works pretty slick!

Paid a $1K for my  little 350 1985 or 87 Honda.  Probly been the best quad I've had so far.  Gotta love it!

Had the deer skinned out and hanging off the porch before 10am. 

    We continued to do some more hunting with Mandy's dad that day.  Not much luck though.  That afternoon we met up with Sam and we got onto a herd of elk way below Timber Top.  We decided to make a run at them (he had an elk tag).  It was a very long hike and a long belly crawl sneek.  Sam got a long shot at bull about the size of the one I got.  Hard to say for sure, but we think, in the end, he missed.  It was a great hunt though... another one for the books with Sam.  As we were bouncing back out of Timber Top in the dark that night I got a message from Barney.  He'd gotten and elk down near Suicide point a little further up the range near Mexican creek that evening.  He was asking for some help tot get it out.  Since I had Monday off, and my deer down... I decided I had nothing better to do.  I got up early and headed over there to help him out.  With some rainy weather that morning, this turned out to be another adventure.  Been several years since I've watched Barney tear up the side of his truck trying to get an elk out of Mexican creek.  The elk gods must have figured he was due again or something.  Ha!  Actually- that's another story.  Not much damage was done thought and we managed to get the elk all out and stuff by early afternoon.

Barney's elk.

More deer.

     The next weekend I headed back up to the cabin to do some hunting with Tom Wilson (I still had a doe antelope to get)... plus I had to haul a load of water before winter came.  I hunted Saturday with Tom- we saw lots of deer, but no elk.  It was good hunting though.  Barney came up that evening and his boy, Josh got his first deer right by the cabin.  When I rolled in that night there was a deer hanging from the porch.  I fixed up some chili Tom's wife Sarah had made and we had a nice dinner/ evening catching up.  Got up the next morning and Barney walked down below the cabin and killed another deer.  We got to use the Honda and trailer again to haul it out.  They were headed down the hill with two deer before 10am.  Good times!

Barney and Josh, with Barney's deer.

Horn soup!  Yummy!

   A couple of weeks later I headed back up the cabin to boil horns and button things up for the winter.  The weather was superior for November.  I got a great trail run in Saturday and an epic MTB ride in with Sam on Sunday.  More good times! 

        Earlier this year (opening weekend of rifle season) my friend Scott Polson finally got his first elk ever... up by Dickenson park in the Winds above Fort Washakie, where Mandy and I got married years ago.  It was a dandy one.  Not quite sure he understands they all don't come this big.  :)  Good job Scott!