Bearpaw Fall Season 2011

[bearpaw]

Here's a nice Washington moose that Don shot yesterday, it measured 48" wide. Don stayed at our place and we told him areas to hunt on his own unguided. We get quite a few guys who do that, we can also help them get the animals out if they need help. Anthony said he rough scored it and thought it might make the book. 

how much to stay and hunt unguided?  Is it on your prop or public land?  I love hunting colville but the unit i hunt isnt open for late archery.

We offer trips in which you hunt public land or private land. For Whitetail hunting, check out my options on this page: http://www.bearpawoutfitters.com/washington_whitetail_deer_hunting.html

Mention the H-W Special and I will give you $200 to $300 off....

[bearpaw]

It has been a fairly busy week setting camps and getting ready for the Idaho mule deer season that opens today.

Horseback Drop Camp
Here are some pics of setting up one of our horseback drop camps. The horse on the left at the trailer is "Bell", next to her "Patriot", and Bell's colt named "Chile" is on the right. He is only a few years old, this was his first time at packing in a camp (he did pretty well for his first time). As you can tell these are some pretty stout mountain horses, they have he muscle to negotiate marginal trails with a heavy load. I can also put anyone of about any size on these horses and they will get them into the back country.

[bearpaw]

Next we set a drive to drop camp for some hunters who don't like horses. Unfortunately we had a big storm and had to shovel 12+ inches of snow before setting this camp. Fortunately they had all the snow shoveled before I arrived on the scene. 

This is a pretty cozy camp suitable for up to 6 hunters. The wood stove easily heats the tent and the camp box has everything a guy would need, hunters only need to bring their sleepinng bag, preference of food, and personal hunting gear. I let my drop camp hunters stay the whole season if they want, the longer the better the odds of success.

Season opens this morning, hopefully we'll get a few good ones like last year. 

[bearpaw]

Utah High Desert Private Ranch
The first week of October we had three hunters, Ron, Jeff, and Jack, all had hunted with us for numerous different hunts. The guys headed out at sunrise, Nick and Ron hunted off ATV's since half the ranch was unaccessible by auto due to excessive washouts caused by heavy rains this summer. Ron enjoyed the wheelers more anyway... 

In a short time Nick and Ron got on a good buck that was pushing 27 inches. Ron missed about a dozen times so they went back to the ranch house to sight in the rifle at lunch, sure enough, the scope mounts were loose, Brian removed the scope and tightened the bases, then sighted the gun in again. That evening they didn't get a chance at any good bucks but on the second day Nick and Ron got on another couple bucks and Ron said he wanted one of them. This one is not as big as the one Ron missed, but he's very happy with the buck. Ron left early and headed back home, I recieved the following message back from him:

 
Hey Dale,
I wanted to drop you a note to let you know how much I enjoyed the Utah mule deer hunt.  You were right when you recommended that hunt for me.  It was a very relaxing and fun trip.  I wanted to also let you know what a fine job Brian and Nick did on the hunt.  I had some problems with my scope being off (damn airlines!) and your son turned into a gunsmith and worked his ass off trying to get it sighted back in.

Nick was a tremendous guide.  He was personable and skilled  and really went above and beyond to make sure that I had a wonderful time.  We had some minor setbacks with equipment, etc. but Nick took everything in stride and worked his butt off to make sure the hunt was not only successful but enjoyable.  I look forward to hunting with you guys again next year and I would have no problem at all recommending you for any of the hunts I have been on with Bearpaw Outfitters.

Give me a call or email in the off season so we can plan our elk tag strategy for next year.

Thanks again,
Ron

[bearpaw]

Meanwhile Brian was hunting with Jeff and Jack, they used the truck to get to various vistas to glass. On the 3rd day Jeff opted to shoot a buck and that left Jack. Unfortunately Jack (age 87) wasn't feeling too well and was unable to hunt much of the time he was at the ranch so they finally decided to head home. Here are a few pics of their hunt, and of Mike and Taylor packing out Jeff's buck. 

[wayner]

Looks like you guys are having a good year congrats on the sucess, that horseback drop camo looks awesome. good luck on the rest of the year and tell the boys hi

[bearmanric]

  Thanks for sharing Dale. i'm heading to the east side in a couple Day's thinking of Colville or Huckleberry mountains. keep the awsome pictures coming. Rick

[Skyvalhunter]

Very nice outfit!!!

[bearpaw]

Hey Wayner, wish you were here, we are having a great time, one of these years you are going to have to hook up with MG and drive down here.

Ric, my wife Tara and Anthony have been scouting around Colville getting ready for the opener. We definitely don't have as many deer as prior years, but there are a few good bucks running around. I think you will do fine in any of the northeast units, just hunt a little harder than usual.

Thanks Skyvalhunter, I have to be honest, I have it pretty easy. I can remember when I was just getting going good and things did not always run as smoothly. My guides are an awesome group of young guys who have all been with me for several years and they do all the hard work for me anymore. Each of us have our strongest points and we all know how to work together to make up a pretty effective team. 

Idaho Opening Day At the Lodge               roughing it.... 
After I made my posts on H-W early this morning I went and jumped in the jaccuzi for 30 minutes and nearly fell asleep, it was hard to get out but it was time to get everyone up. We all ate some of my mom's cooking and everyone was off good and early, it's only 3 miles from the lodge to the hunting area, but they each headed to a different area. Nick started up his trail well before dark, within 20 minutes after shooting hours began Nick spotted a couple bucks, one buck was definitely not a first day buck but they kept trying to get a better look at the second buck. They had watched him for some time feeding and finally got a good look at him, Greg decided this was the buck. He and his partner had shot at the lodge yesterday and we found out these boys guns were sighted in well and these boys are shooters. We all figured anything out to 400 yards was as good as dead and Greg didn't disappoint us, one shot at the buck quartering away with his 7mm, the buck dropped in his tracks, end of story. "I love it when a plan comes together." (pictures below)

Brian and his hunter Taylor also saw a couple 4x4's but they were not quite good enough. Brian said he thought the one might have been a little wider than Greg's buck, but not as high or as heavy, Taylor opted to pass both bucks. I haven't heard from Ray yet, he went after a giant buck that he was after last year. He has the same hunters with him this year as last year Mike and Kris, (they both killed nice bucks last year but didn't get the monster), except this year only Mike is hunting, Kris is along to just take it easy, watch, and have fun with Mike and Ray. 

[Elkrunner]

Great stories.  I am digging that snow!

[bearpaw]

Great stories.  I am digging that snow!

Well I have to tell you, were were definitely digging in it, 12-13 inches of it.... 

It warmed back up and the deer are moving some, there wasn't much acivity for a few days during the storm. 

[firefighter4607]

Great Pictures and stories kep them coming ......

[bearpaw]

The horseback drop camp hunter (Luke) had a "Spot" (global sattelite communicator).    http://www.findmespot.com/en/index.php

We packed Luke in two days in advance of season and advised him to glass and pick out a buck for opening morning. Each day I recieved a message that read "I'm OK". Then finally I recieved the message I was waiting for that read "buck down" and it gave me the gps co-ordinates to retrieve the deer. Yesterday Brian and Taylor rode in to get the deer and bring out the hunter and camp. The buck is no monster, but Luke said it was his biggest buck ever and he picked it out of a group of 6 bucks. Luke said the buck was sparring with a wider buck, but he liked the height and the cheater point on the buck he shot. He made an awesome one shot 386 yard, cross-canyon kill with his 270. "I love it when a plan comes together".

(pics show Brian headed in with the horses, Luke and his buck, breaking camp, and heading back out)

[Dmanmastertracker]

 Very cool stories.

[bearpaw]

Our other 3 hunters at the lodge have been passing bucks every day until today and looking for the "big one". Two of the guys have passed pretty decent 4x4's, one of them saw a big buck that didn't provide a shot opportunity and one of them missed what would have been our best buck of the season so far, and the third guy has only seen fork horn bucks. Yesterday 5 bucks were passed, two 4x4's, a 3x3, and a couple fork horns. Today is the fourth day of the hunt and it's lunch time, two of the guys are back in for lunch, this morning was a bust, no bucks spotted by either of those two hunters, the one other hunter is staying out all day, hope he is seeing more action today than the others.

It will be very interesting to see who can hold out till the bitter end for a big one tommorrow, who will get a big buck, who will fold their cards and shoots a lesser buck, and who will get nothing.  Tommorrow is the last day of the hunt, I will keep you posted....

Until the story unfolds, "What would you do?"