Lark Bunting
New member
- Sep 14, 2016
- 710
I got up to camp on Friday earlier than expected. I had hoped I\'d be leaving after my son got out of high school around 3:00...he had a couple migraines late last week and decided he didn\'t want to go. They leave him feeling like hell for the rest of he day and part of the next day. I got to camp around 2:00 and had my nice camp all set up. I didn\'t really have a return date in mind so I brought the whole lot of comfort items. I got the exact spot I\'d hoped for and set up tent, canopy, tables, gathered firewood, etc. I went to check out a couple spots that afternoon and walked the road to see if I could see where elk had been crossing.
See, years ago my son and I had this exact spot and found it full of cattle crap. We spent an hour or more clearing this spot of crap with shovels and using pine boughs to rake the area. Opening day we left camp at 5:00 am, walked 50 yards into the woods and began waiting for the sun to come up. We had hiked a big loop that morning and made our way back to camp around noon to find elk had come through our camp!
We still laugh at that story.
I walked up the road to say hello to the other camp I\'d seen on my way in. They were a bunch of dicks. I figured I\'d drive the road to the dead end to see if anyone else was up there...nope! Perfect! Well, around 7:00 it sounded like a highway up this road! Truck after truck...I started getting nervous.
Saturday morning, I got up at 5:30 and made my way into the woods in the dark. Again, you can pretty much be hunting from camp so no hurry to get anywhere too far away. This area is skinny. About two miles wide and few miles long. I wandered around for a few hours and made my way to the spot where I\'d heard elk late last year and had a bull come near me but stayed behind an evergreen. I hadn\'t been doing any calling so far so I tried a quick cold call setup with lost calf chirps. I went nuts for about 12-15 calls, then waited, then did it again, and I heard something come CRASHING through the thick stuff toward me...then I could smell my jerky in my pack...wierd...OH SH!T!!! Wind shifted and I heard something go crashing through the woods away from me. Oh well, we\'re not 2 hours into my hunt and I believe I\'d called in an elk. I never did see it as this spot is really thick with new growth pine trees. It\'s a nightmare to walk through and really noisy.
I tried circling around the spot but ended up in stuff so thick I couldn\'t make my way through.
I went to a small bench and hung out for a bit, it was now 9:30 or so. I dropped my pack and snacked for a few, ranged some trees, and waited. Then...I heard it, branches breaking, They were coming up the hill toward the bench! I was in a nice big shadow with good cover around me, arrow knocked, release on, just checked the wind and it was crossing...should be good to go!!!!! Then I saw him, another hunter coming up the hill toward me. I whistled and he changed directions but basically came right where I\'d hoped the elk would be coming from.
I moved down hill a bit to check a meadow and found a pot farm...or a pot patch. I got a bit freaked out and moved on...
I came back up hill and tried an aspen meadow where there used to be a creek/wallow area. It was dry as a bone. I saw another hunter on the other side.
I went back to camp and checked some cameras on the way. Nada...
I ate a hot lunch and made my way back out around 1:30...no rest for the weary!
I set up on another bench with aspens and found a comfortable log to sit on. I kept an arrow knocked and figured I\'d just let the elk move to me. Well, a hunter came through. :help2:
I moved to a spot near private property to glass a meadow with a creek...and watched two more hunters cut the meadow.
After I\'d seen the fifth hunter I left the woods. I packed up camp and drove over to my plan B.
As I approached Plan B I turned my phone on as I get good reception from that spot and had numerous emails and texts. My son was in the ER again with migraines. That was number 3 in 4 days. I called home and it was panic mode as we\'re uninsured at the moment.
I made the 3.5 hour drive home Saturday night. He had come home that evening. Sunday morning I woke up to him throwing up with yet another migraine, 4/5 days now. I called his neurologist and pleaded with him to work with me. He called in a couple new prescriptions and it was all about keeping him relaxed and chilling out.
I am at wits end with looking for a job, his migraines, and in general.
I\'m not sure if I\'m hunting again this season until I know he\'s good to go.
It was nice to be in the woods at sunup Saturday but the day and my mood went downhill pretty quickly.
At least I didn\'t have to come home because of a sick pet rabbit.
See, years ago my son and I had this exact spot and found it full of cattle crap. We spent an hour or more clearing this spot of crap with shovels and using pine boughs to rake the area. Opening day we left camp at 5:00 am, walked 50 yards into the woods and began waiting for the sun to come up. We had hiked a big loop that morning and made our way back to camp around noon to find elk had come through our camp!
We still laugh at that story.I walked up the road to say hello to the other camp I\'d seen on my way in. They were a bunch of dicks. I figured I\'d drive the road to the dead end to see if anyone else was up there...nope! Perfect! Well, around 7:00 it sounded like a highway up this road! Truck after truck...I started getting nervous.
Saturday morning, I got up at 5:30 and made my way into the woods in the dark. Again, you can pretty much be hunting from camp so no hurry to get anywhere too far away. This area is skinny. About two miles wide and few miles long. I wandered around for a few hours and made my way to the spot where I\'d heard elk late last year and had a bull come near me but stayed behind an evergreen. I hadn\'t been doing any calling so far so I tried a quick cold call setup with lost calf chirps. I went nuts for about 12-15 calls, then waited, then did it again, and I heard something come CRASHING through the thick stuff toward me...then I could smell my jerky in my pack...wierd...OH SH!T!!! Wind shifted and I heard something go crashing through the woods away from me.
Oh well, we\'re not 2 hours into my hunt and I believe I\'d called in an elk. I never did see it as this spot is really thick with new growth pine trees. It\'s a nightmare to walk through and really noisy. I tried circling around the spot but ended up in stuff so thick I couldn\'t make my way through.
I went to a small bench and hung out for a bit, it was now 9:30 or so. I dropped my pack and snacked for a few, ranged some trees, and waited. Then...I heard it, branches breaking, They were coming up the hill toward the bench! I was in a nice big shadow with good cover around me, arrow knocked, release on, just checked the wind and it was crossing...should be good to go!!!!! Then I saw him, another hunter coming up the hill toward me. I whistled and he changed directions but basically came right where I\'d hoped the elk would be coming from.
I moved down hill a bit to check a meadow and found a pot farm...or a pot patch. I got a bit freaked out and moved on...
I came back up hill and tried an aspen meadow where there used to be a creek/wallow area. It was dry as a bone. I saw another hunter on the other side.
I went back to camp and checked some cameras on the way. Nada...
I ate a hot lunch and made my way back out around 1:30...no rest for the weary!
I set up on another bench with aspens and found a comfortable log to sit on. I kept an arrow knocked and figured I\'d just let the elk move to me. Well, a hunter came through. :help2:
I moved to a spot near private property to glass a meadow with a creek...and watched two more hunters cut the meadow.
After I\'d seen the fifth hunter I left the woods. I packed up camp and drove over to my plan B.
As I approached Plan B I turned my phone on as I get good reception from that spot and had numerous emails and texts. My son was in the ER again with migraines. That was number 3 in 4 days. I called home and it was panic mode as we\'re uninsured at the moment.
I made the 3.5 hour drive home Saturday night. He had come home that evening. Sunday morning I woke up to him throwing up with yet another migraine, 4/5 days now. I called his neurologist and pleaded with him to work with me. He called in a couple new prescriptions and it was all about keeping him relaxed and chilling out.
I am at wits end with looking for a job, his migraines, and in general.
I\'m not sure if I\'m hunting again this season until I know he\'s good to go.
It was nice to be in the woods at sunup Saturday but the day and my mood went downhill pretty quickly.
At least I didn\'t have to come home because of a sick pet rabbit.
