Went to my usual lowland haunts for late general archery in 335 and 336. Didnt see a dang thing but one lone set of deer tracks in my spot in 335, which had a small group of 5 cows during early archery, and no sign whatsoever. Just a lone coyote, wanted to shoot him too!
Then my spot in 336 in the lowlands was even more devoid of animal life, only birds flying by every once in a while. Stumbled on someones bait of Alfalfa pellets and pieces of alfalfa hay, nothing had touched it, or even walked by it.
I was tired of getting to noon with only one set of tracks to show for it. So I made the crazy decision to go high thinking maybe the critters just havent made their way down. Driving up it didnt look good, not a single track along the logging road, no fresh cut tracks up or down the banks. Then I decided to venture into timber or behind a gate on foot. The timber was like a never ending ghost town, just creaking trees and sound of wind whipping the snow. Finally I cut some tracks that were within the last few hours right next to a gate. I was on it like a bloodhound and followed until it went up hill through the brush, then I decided to loop around and catch the skid road that would take me to the top the easy way and possibly give me better wind advantage. After a few hundred yards the tracks disappeared and I decided to go a bit further and turn around, since it was 13 degrees up there, 6inches of snow, and 2:30pm and nothing but one mule deer buck as the only proof that something can still survive up high with snow on the ground, and not move on to the feeding station like its going out of style.
Well the tracks disappeared and I turned around to make my way back to my car. Not 12 min since I had just passed this spot, when I see freakin antlers!
and from where I was I figured it was a spike
Im at around 50-60yrds(guesstimation), pull up my binocks and check him out, 2x3 with really small projections. I felt as though God was punishing me, putting a fat, fluffy (thick and long coat) bull that was to big to shoot. Then I noticed some ears flicking, and there are two cows with him. One a big girl and the other a yearling baby. I can hardly contain myself, shaking, looking with bino, fogging up binos, crouching down, creeping forward, keeping a 3ft sapling between me and them. Unlucky for me, but the wind changed from blowing directly at me, to right at them. The cow, which had my name on it, decided to wind me, and take her posse with her.
Anyway, long story short, I had success up high catching a few stragglers(elk that didnt head for the feed stations {4 total, 2 bulls, 2 cows}). There are few animals period up high, but at least the snow gives you a "time stamp" of when the animal(s) were there and what it is you might be following. Anyway I just thought I'd give you my
