Bearpaw Season - Fall 2017

[bearpaw]

Sorry to hear. Adds a lot of stress for you and the guides.

  there's always some stress, the guides want to be successful, that's part of what makes it all so much fun too

I'd think all those misses would be stressful for the guides as well

The misses on big animals is the toughest thing of all. This year so far every big animal has walked. 

Right now one guide has the father and son set up watching an elk herd and deer, they made it in to the tough spot, they saw a 4x4 buck but didn't get a shot, they saw a 2 point bull but he didn't offer a good shot then got in the brush, there's also a 6x6 bull in the brush, they are waiting for a shot right now at any of those animals all within shooting range if one will move in the open again. 

Also got a report from another guide, one of his hunters missed a large coyote or wolf a little while ago, both are open season here, they also saw a small buck this morning.

[quadrafire]

I'm glad you post this thread every year. I love reading about hunting from a guides perspective

[Machias]

VERY Exciting!!!!

[bearpaw]

I'm glad you post this thread every year. I love reading about hunting from a guides perspective

I thought some people would like to hear a guides perspective so I write it sort of that way on purpose. The adventure and the ups and downs are addictive, it's definitely not for everyone, but is like drugs to the ones who enjoy it. I had one guide quit in the middle of a hunt a few days ago, I think he lost a loved one at home so I can't fault him for needing to leave. I had another guide drive down overnight from another hunt location to take his place, halfway here he blew a head gasket, I made a midnight drive to get him in time for the morning hunt, he is using one of my spare trucks. Brian my son went and got the broken down truck yesterday and hauled it back to Washington to have a trusted mechanic check it out. 4 wheel drive went out out on another truck, but we have to keep driving it for now until I find another truck to buy.

Washington
We scaled back our Washington deer hunts last year to keep success rates high after the blue tongue die off a couple years ago. So far since the season opener last weekend the wife and her guides are running 100% kill. So the strategy is working well.

[bearpaw]

Every year we find animals that have been shot before. Sometimes we even get animals later in the season that our hunters have shot earlier in the season and they are usually mostly healed already. I am constantly amazed how well wounded animals heal. Yesterday I found a broadhead in the shoulder blade of a mule buck when boning him out, it was completely healed over and gristle had formed around the broadhead.

[Machias]

 

[Jpmiller]

Is it common for your hunters to have as many misses as this year?

[bearpaw]

Is it common for your hunters to have as many misses as this year?

We see a lot of misses most years, I think the biggest difference this year is that all the biggest animals have been missed so it seems worse. I thought about not mentioning the misses, but missing is part of hunting. When I first started hunting I would get buck fever so bad I couldn't hit anything. I missed deer for 3 years, I shot about a box of shells each year at bucks, finally on the 4th year I started controlling my excitement better and started hitting what I was shooting at and since then I've done better, so I definitely understand there will be misses in hunting for all sorts of reasons including the excitement that is involved, especially when large animals are seen.

I think the best way to reduce misses is to reduce variables. We try to shoot weapons before a hunt begins, if there is time. In my experience roughly half the weapons being carried by hunters are not properly sighted in, we see some that won't even hit paper at 50 yards. Sometimes this is due to buying an already scoped rifle and assuming the scope is sighted in, sometimes guns get bumped or dropped, and sometimes the mounts are not tight, sometimes it's a change in ammo. My advice is to shoot whatever weapon and ammo you are going to hunt with before you go hunting every year. It never hurts to make sure your gun is well sighted.

Shooting technique is another important aspect in hunting. A good portion of hunters do not possess good shooting technique and that multiplies the likelihood of missing when hunting. I try to help by advising techniques to improve shooting skills when I see the need. I think most hunters could improve their success rate greatly by learning better shooting techniques.

[bearpaw]

Right now one guide has the father and son set up watching an elk herd and deer, they made it in to the tough spot, they saw a 4x4 buck but didn't get a shot, they saw a 2 point bull but he didn't offer a good shot then got in the brush, there's also a 6x6 bull in the brush, they are waiting for a shot right now at any of those animals all within shooting range if one will move in the open again. 

As the day progressed the bull began bugling again, eventually the guide and hunter decided to carefully move in, they got to about 200 yards and saw the bull, two shots were taken but both were misses and the bull and cows ran off.

Yesterday was a fair day we got two more mule bucks in Idaho, one of them was a pretty good one, and they killed another whitetail buck in Washington.

[bearpaw]

Another day more stories...

In Washington we sacked up another whitetail buck completing the hunt for a group of four hunters. Another group of two has one buck and has missed a big buck so they are still hunting for their other deer in the morning, and a new group of 4 hunters begins hunting in the morning. We are still running 100% on our whitetail hunts in Washington this year!

In Utah I finally sold two of the cancelled hunts, those hunts will take place soon, I've still got three tags available which are good until Nov 10.

In Idaho two bull elk were missed, one bull called in to 150 yards but couldn't get a clear shot, two more bulls stalked to within close range in the brush but no good shot opportunity, two more bulls spotted that we are going after in the morning, one wolf seen but no shot opportunity, and a lady hunter showed up the guys in camp by dropping a nice mule buck the first morning of her hunt. Way to go Kris! 

[Wacenturion]

Always enjoy this thread.......

[bearpaw]

Washington
The new group, a family of 4 hunters already has two bucks for the adults and one doe this morning for one of the kids, just need another doe and they are tagged out. Another young hunter in camp is color blind and can't hardly see deer. Her dad has taken his buck and dad has seen two more bucks with the daughter but she has trouble seeing them due to color blindness. They are such nice people I really really hope she gets her deer. FINGERS Crossed!

Idaho
We have hunters in the area again where the wolf was seen yesterday. Some ranchers told us they got a couple wolves, I sure hope someone gets this other wolf, so far we don't have any known wolf packs in that game management unit and I'd like to see it stay that way. I texted a couple of my guides, there have been a few small bucks passed this morning and does seen, but no word yet on any bucks or bulls taken.

[pygmy1985]

Every year we find animals that have been shot before. Sometimes we even get animals later in the season that our hunters have shot earlier in the season and they are usually mostly healed already. I am constantly amazed how well wounded animals heal. Yesterday I found a broadhead in the shoulder blade of a mule buck when boning him out, it was completely healed over and gristle had formed around the broadhead.

It's actually pretty amazing that it could heal.  I'd expect with the constant walking motion, the razor edge would continue to cut the skin, and not allow healing. Or, that there would be a big nasty infection set in. Wow!

[bearpaw]

Every year we find animals that have been shot before. Sometimes we even get animals later in the season that our hunters have shot earlier in the season and they are usually mostly healed already. I am constantly amazed how well wounded animals heal. Yesterday I found a broadhead in the shoulder blade of a mule buck when boning him out, it was completely healed over and gristle had formed around the broadhead.

It's actually pretty amazing that it could heal.  I'd expect with the constant walking motion, the razor edge would continue to cut the skin, and not allow healing. Or, that there would be a big nasty infection set in. Wow!

That's exactly what I used to think, but we've found quite a few broadheads in animals, lots of times in the shoulder blade, usually gristle is formed around them and the animal acts fine, usually we don't know the animal has been wounded until we are skinning and boning. This year we had a bow hunter who hit a 6x6 bull high on the shoulder blade, we looked that night and the next day but the bull didn't even bleed much, I told the hunter I expected the animal to heal up, it will be interesting to see if we get that bull in the future.

[bearpaw]

We've had some good shooters lately, they are stacking up the deer in Washington and we are doing better at killing the deer we shoot at in Idaho. One of the hunters almost had another bull this morning but couldn't get quite close enough for the shot. Just a few minutes ago Kris' husband Mike dropped this nice mule buck, congrats Mike!