Deer drop camp?

[Crazyman]

I'm thinking of doing an early season drop camp also. I did the early season high buck every year but I backpacked in. I traded off every other year between the Olympics and the Cascades. The thought of climbing up those mountains more than once made me very selective about the bucks I took. It's hell getting old!

[PacificNWhunter]

I've got a couple buddies that used Icicle outfitters and have nothing but great things to say.

[MichaelJ]

Most know I worked for Icicle this summer... like everybody said the success rate is not the best (we still had a few NICE bucks taken this year!), but if you go with a guided camp that involves a camp cook, then you're in for a treat....  We maintain the camp and have a hot BIG breakfast everymorning, with lunch supplies provided, and a big dinner at night, coffee on the stove 24/7, and a warm wall tent really makes the trip!  On one trip this summer, we had Spare Ribs, Grilled Salmon, LOTS of bacon and sausage, Eggs, hashbrowns, drinks chillen in the creek, and all sorts of great food...  Seriously one of the better summers I've had and nobody was ever disappointed in the trip.

Michael

[JBR]

Me and two buddies went with Steve and Jess Darwood of Cascasde Wilderness Outfitters for the high buck hunt in the Pasaytan Wilderness for 2007.  We packed in around 23 miles on Andrew Creek trail, past Spanish Camp, within 5 miles of the Canadian border.  It was beautiful.






After seeing all the outfitters at the Sportsman Shows over the past few years, we decided to give it a whirl.  The outfitters were great.  The horses, mules and packers were great and the tent and new stove were luxury. 

Three amigos headed into the high country...



Me and my horse "Boots"...



A friend of mine had hunted with Steve Darwood for several seasons and I had seen some NICE mulies he had taken. 

When we finally arrived after an 8 hr ride, the packer helped us set up the tent and new stove. 



We took this just after the packer left and we were finally all alone in the high country at our base camp.



The first day (Sept 17th) was sunny and warm, as was the following day, our first full day of hunting. 

We hiked up to a good vantage point, anxious to start locating some high mountain mulies with our spotting scopes.



We didn't see any deer except for two does on our way up.

While working up over the top, I located an old 3 x 4 rack and skull in a hillside field of large rocks and packed it back to camp.



On our way back, we bumped into 2 bucks and a doe cutting up a narrow gully. One was a 3 x 2, the other was a 2 x 2.  They were both gone in a flash before anyone could really get a good look.  We figured it was the first day of hunting and we had 6 more days of hunting.

Camp chores such as cutting wood for the stove and organizing gear and cooking meals kept us entertained.



The 3rd day brought about 4" of wet snow overnight and brought in low cloud cover and fog.  Scoping from up high was not an option, so we began to still hunt while looking for fresh tracks.



The country was big and beautiful and looked to be perfect for holding big mountain mulies.  We hunted hard each day putting in several miles with our packs, glassing when the conditions would allow and still hunting the rest of the time.

On the 4th day, one of my hunting buddies jumped a 3 x 3 buck from its bed, but couldn't get his sights on it before it bolted.  Within 30 mins, he came across a black bear strolling along a game trail about 50 yrds ahead, coming his way.  He was able to make  great shot and got his first bear. 



The rest of the day was spent packing the bear out.

We came across a group of does with a 2 x 2 buck before the hunt ended, but that was it.  While the overall trip and experience were terrific, we were disappointed with the lack of deer and with the overall size of the bucks that we did see.  We hunted hard everyday and covered a lot of country (by glass and by foot). 

We had hoped for better results, but that's hunting also.  Having never stepped foot in that country before, we were learning the area while we were hunting, which is never as good as when you can pre-scout an area.   That was part of the problem with going to an area that you have to pack in so far to get to - NO SCOUTING.

We had lots of different weather but fortunately were prepared for all kinds.  After the season, I called and talked to all of the outfitters that hunt the Pasaytan, including Sawtooth Outfitters and Early Winters.  Steve Darwood reported that of the 12 camps they packed in for the high buck hunt (2007) they only took 2 bucks (and my buddy's bear).  That is the worst year they had ever had, saying that before that, the worst they had ever done was 5 bucks.  Early Winters also had a pretty tough year with only a few bucks and a bear and Sawtooth did the best with 5 bucks for 9 hunters, plus a bear.  I believe I have that all right. 

Seems that last year was pretty slow in the Pasaytan for mulies in general, at least during the high buck hunt.  Could just be a fluke, but no one really knew why it was so bad. 

We've decided to pack ourselves in on foot this coming season and try a different area, but haven't decided where exactly yet.  That's my .2 cents worth from our experience.  Overall it was a great time, but I'm hoping to do lots of scouting this summer to help improve our odds this coming season.   

[Cougeyes]

Awsome pictures, at least you got to see some new country and be away from people other than the ones you came with. That's a nice looking bear too.

[popeshawnpaul]

Great information, pictures, and story JBR.  I always look at a map of that huge remote wilderness and have these visions of 180" deer running everywhere.  I appreciate you bringing me back to earth a bit.  Sounds like a great hunt and experience.

Shawn

[JBR]

Yeah, we had the same visions of 170" - 190" bucks up there too.  Of course that's why we were disappointed with a) the lack of deer and b) the small buck size.   Like I mentioned and as you can see from the pictures, the country has "mule deer" written all over it, but we found VERY little fresh sign and surprisingly few deer.

That's the gamble with a drop camp.  You have to wait to 'til you get there (during the hunt) to begin scouting the area for animals and what happened there last year or the year before that, doesn't necessarily mean it'll be the same when you're there.  That is the main reason for deciding this year to invest in a Kifaru 8-man tipi and packable wood burning stove and SCOUT, SCOUT, SCOUT, then hike in on our own.  I will have a lot more confidence in an area that I have been too and explored and found animals in.   
I can't say I'll miss the painful knees and sore ass from an 8 hr ride in (and back out) either

[WAcoyotehunter]

This year i'm hoping to hunt the high country in the selkirks for mulies.  We have horses and are close enough to scout acouple times in the summer, hopefully we'll find a nice buck.  My wife probably won't hunt, but she'll be along for the horse care/riding.  Anyone have any tips on where to start up there?

[Idabooner]

JBR, first thanks for sharing your trip, That really jerked my heart strings.  I packed for that outfit a few years, have make many trips with old Boots and Dan (the buckskin), I helped start Dan in my corrals, Boneaddict should remember old Boots, he shot a bear off him over on Wolf Creek. The appy is new to me but I worked her mother.   I haven't been in there since it burned but I recognize where you were in every picture.  A cow and calf moose spent a couple summers real close to where you camped. I have pictures of a nice bull on upper Bob Creek. You camped in as good a spot as any, you just have to remember when you see all those deer in the low country in the winter it looks like a lot of deer, well those same deer are spread over a big - big country in the high hunt.  The big bucks you see down in the winter are back there in the fall but they are spread over a very big area, there for hard to find. So it's the trip and adventure you go for and if your lucky and get a nice buck it makes him a real trophy.

[JBR]

Idabooner - its funny you mention the moose cow and calf near camp.  The day my buddy shot the bear, we were dressing it out, when we heard the distinctive sound of a VERY large hooved animal come to an abrupt stop just over a knoll from where we were.  We couldn't see the animal, but clearly it had smelled us and stopped within 20 yrds of us.  It bolted off and by the time I got over the little rise and walked down a bit, all that was left were several HUGE tracks that went nearly 6" deep in the mud.  Definately made by a VERY heavy animal...probably the moose you referred to. 

I think it would take 2-3 years of hunting out of the same area up there to really get to learn it and find all the nooks and crannies.  Did you usually have better luck during the general opener than during the high buck season when you packed for Steve?  Great guys all of them.  Hopefully the '08 season is more productive for everyone up in that area.

[Idabooner]

I think it would take 2-3 years of hunting out of the same area up there to really get to learn it and find all the nooks and crannies.  Did you usually have better luck during the general opener than during the high buck season when you packed for Steve?  Great guys all of them.  Hopefully the '08 season is more productive for everyone up in that area.

That's one of the beauties of the mountains, there is always something new, even going up and down the same trail every day for years every trip there is something new or interesting, so yes it takes awhile to learn the little pockets, and which way the game will sneak out that you never know they are there or lay still and you walk by 20 feet away.

The general season is hunted in a little lower country later in the year so the deer have started coming down so are thicker per square mile. To answer your question, yes we always packed more deer in the general and more bear also.  You were very lucky to get a bear back there, unless the fire a couple years ago brought them in, there wasn't many there.

[boneaddict]

AWESOME pictures JBR...Thanks for sharing your trip.  I love seeing familiar country, hearing about familiar folks, and seeing familiar stock.  Yep, Boots must be about as old as dirt. I recognized her immediately.  Shared several adventures with her.  I think she carried my ex wife around in the hills for about 10 days as well. I also watched Jess grow up from being just a little snapper newborn. 
 Just so you know folks, its a HUGE advantage having a dad with packing knowledge and horsemanship under his belt.  I don't know how many holes he has pulled me out of.  AGAIN...Great pictures!   For those interested in the high hunt, go in with the expectations of having a nice camping trip, and a possible crack at a nice buck.  Never go in with the determination I am going to bag a big one for sure.  What Idabooner said is textbook wilderness high hunt. Take a pair of warm gloves and a change of clothes with you, as the weather can and usually does turn from 80 to snow, and enjoy the beauty of Gods country.  There is a reason why they aren't back in that far during the general.  It gets real serious back there REAL quick.

[Alchase]

That is some awesone stuff there gentilemen thank you.

Idabooner should have his own experiences blog with "Daily" entries of his exploits for us not as fortunate enough to be Boneaddict who knows them all already, LOL.

I bet it would be great campfire stuff.

[Skyvalhunter]

So Bone have you got to the stage where you can start telling Ida's stories as well as he can? I had this older friend that use to tell me hunting stories and I got to where I was telling him things before he finished his story but it was all good to hear again

[boneaddict]

Why do you think I keep inviting him on long roadtrips with me.  Funny thing is, is most of the time they are new ones.  Hell, I even catch him telling stuff on here I didn't know about.  The man has 70+ years of experience to hear about, and its all good stuff.  Even the monotonous chores and so forth.  Its a way of life we all dream about or think about, simplier times I guess.  Living it, I'm sure wasn't much fun.  So, yes I know a couple, but I know there is alot more that I want to hear.  Guess I'll have to haul him to Utah this year for a moose hunt.    Its just recently that I finally got him to start talking, he was always on the go working a ranch and a business.  No time for that talking.  Luckily, we have had one grand adventure after another the past 5 years.