Post by: fishngamereaper on October 31, 2017, 08:28:34 AM
On a semi good note I called IDFG and if we can get to a regional office first thing tomorrow they will exchange our tags...But the only thing left is Whitetail only....ugh.....Off to Idaho tomorrow then up to Priest Lake....maybe things will work out for the best.
Post by: Grizman on October 31, 2017, 07:22:01 PM
Post by: fishngamereaper on October 31, 2017, 07:30:08 PM
Post by: WapitiTalk1 on October 31, 2017, 08:23:41 PM
Post by: fishngamereaper on November 04, 2017, 09:25:13 AM
Post by: Kit Carson on November 04, 2017, 01:54:50 PM
Post by: Camo on November 04, 2017, 05:02:39 PM
Lots of snow and really slow....we are camped in a foot of snow. Stretching out now checking new areas...most deer movement right at dark...still plugging away, but not great conditions.
What elevation are you camped at? Will be there Friday.
Post by: fishngamereaper on November 05, 2017, 02:06:01 PM
Lots of snow and really slow....we are camped in a foot of snow. Stretching out now checking new areas...most deer movement right at dark...still plugging away, but not great conditions.
What elevation are you camped at? Will be there Friday.
3200....ish.
Post by: fishngamereaper on November 05, 2017, 02:09:55 PM
Post by: Black Ghost on November 05, 2017, 03:50:20 PM
Post by: DIYARCHERYJUNKIE on November 05, 2017, 04:46:04 PM
Post by: jackelope on November 05, 2017, 05:06:31 PM
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Post by: fishngamereaper on November 05, 2017, 05:27:32 PM
Post by: Igor on November 05, 2017, 05:37:32 PM
Post by: Sitka_Blacktail on November 05, 2017, 05:52:38 PM
Post by: High Climber on November 05, 2017, 06:02:13 PM
Post by: jkthomps on November 05, 2017, 06:14:00 PM
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Post by: jackelope on November 05, 2017, 07:33:07 PM
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Post by: 2MANY on November 06, 2017, 02:26:50 PM
Post by: Rainier10 on November 06, 2017, 02:35:45 PM
Post by: WapitiTalk1 on November 06, 2017, 02:47:30 PM
Post by: Sitka_Blacktail on November 06, 2017, 07:04:36 PM
Post by: DIYARCHERYJUNKIE on November 07, 2017, 06:01:11 AM
Post by: fishngamereaper on November 07, 2017, 07:29:23 AM
I had a table full of backcountry gear all set out as I was weighing and organizing. Well, I threw that aside and loaded the big camp into the truck, wall tent, woodstove(the heaven sent item for this trip) and everything else. Snow was also forecasted for the Northern country but we would be prepared.
Everything loaded we hit the road at 0 dark thirty, IDFG would exchange out permit tags but they wanted us there as early as possible. We rolled into the panhandle office at 0930 and everything went smooth.
Soon we where northbound, as we rolled through the "town" of Nordman the excitement was coming back. Big timber country, thick, steep, and meadows. Shortly before we get to my camp site we have deer crossing the road in front of us. The season is open but heck, we just got to town, why end the trip now. We roll by them as there is nothing big in the group.
Get camp set up and hit the roads in the trucks for some re learning of the area and checking some new areas.
Night rolls around and the temps drop. Woodstove is hot so we sleep well. Wake up the next morning and 10" of snow blankets the ground. :yike:
Day 1 starts.
Post by: jackelope on November 07, 2017, 07:31:26 AM
:tup:
Post by: Rainier10 on November 07, 2017, 07:36:52 AM
Looking forward to the rest of the story.
Post by: fishngamereaper on November 07, 2017, 07:45:17 AM
We worked the meadow hard, even rattling a little with no luck. The snow is falling hard and has added 3" in the 3 hours we had been in the meadow. We decided to head out as I didn't want to chain up the truck this early in the trip. :chuckle: We re connected with the other two and learned they had crossed several buck tracks that where leaving the meadow on their side and heading up hill. We must of missed them by minutes.
Post by: fishngamereaper on November 07, 2017, 07:46:57 AM
Post by: fishngamereaper on November 07, 2017, 07:53:44 AM
We split up the rest of the afternoon. My buddies ventured out in his truck to check some new area. My bro and I head out on foot trying to get into another meadow I know. Unfortunately hiking in snow adds a lot of time to the old "if I remember correctly it took me an hr to get to this meadow last time"...... :chuckle: We got most of the way but the snow was dumping and we where running out of daylight. We would of had meer minutes to hunt the meadow so we accepted defeat and trudged back to the truck and camp.
It continued to snow all night but the woodstove kept us warm outside and whiskey took care of the inside.
End day 1.
Post by: fishngamereaper on November 07, 2017, 08:07:03 AM
We had only seen two other hunters on day 1 in a side by side and I was confident the area around camp got little pressure.
We leave camp taking both trucks and start the approximately 1 hour drive(total guess). The snow is falling and keeps getting heavier. An hour later and halfway there the roads suck, visibility is limited, so we pick a new area that was on the way to take a look at. We start heading up into the new area and I loose site of my buddy. Im pushing a foot of snow with my truck blazing a trail but it wasn't enough. His Chevy had succumbed to the pressure of keeping up with my GMC and decided to stop mid hill, sliding dangerously close to a 30' embankment.
Having loaded with shovels, tire chains and (the best thing I brought) salted sand bags, we had it under control.. A little shoveling and sand under the tires and he was on his way. At this point we turned around and continued to the original destination.
Arriving an hour later we parked my buddies truck at the bottom in 12" in of snow and piled in my truck. We continued into the area getting higher and higher and deeper and deeper. Deer tracks dotted the road every few hundred yards. We talked to a moose hunter and watched a very sickly looking calf moose. We crossed paths with a very nice gal that happened to be an IDFG game warden, she gaves us the chin up pep talk with a smile and we parted ways.
We reached the end of the lonely road and found 18" of snow and one of the cleanest pit toilets Ive ever been in. :chuckle: :tup:
Post by: fishngamereaper on November 07, 2017, 08:09:19 AM
Post by: fishngamereaper on November 07, 2017, 08:18:22 AM
Tails between our legs we grab up the other truck and head back to our camp. Funny how many deer you see driving back to camp along the hwy's and through the small towns....damn deer. We also saw some elk and as always tons of turkeys.
End of day 2....More snow, no deer, warm fire and whiskey. :tup:
Post by: fishngamereaper on November 07, 2017, 08:25:55 AM
We head into a new spot, again with both trucks. My buddies head in on a low road and my bro and I take the next road which goes higher and farther in. This country has some more clear cuts in it and showed lots of promise. We cut moose tracks immediately and the deer tracks are abundant.
My bro and I decided to drive the whole road to get a feel for the area. A while later we get a text "Doe Down". One of my buddies had taken a meat doe that was bedded off the road in the timber. :tup: Good job, the stink is off, one down, three to go.
After getting a lay of the land we pile out of my truck and set off on foot. Its amazing how many deer tracks you see when you get just a little ways away from the road.
Post by: jackelope on November 07, 2017, 08:27:06 AM
American made.
Looks familiar.
Post by: fishngamereaper on November 07, 2017, 08:29:37 AM
Post by: fishngamereaper on November 07, 2017, 08:30:06 AM
American made.
Looks familiar.
Should :tup:
Post by: fishngamereaper on November 07, 2017, 08:51:17 AM
My bro continues on, with the plan to hit a timber edge and head down to the road. I double back to get the truck and meet up later.
Hiking back to the truck I see my buddies way in the distance perched on an old landing overlooking a good area in the truck. Damn them, warm truck, good view...
A few minutes later I hear a couple shots.....Damn them.,,,I wait for the deer down text but get...I missed text instead... :'( Oops...my other buddy missed one of two doe's that where feeding out of the timber in front of them. He guessed well short of what the actual range was..oh well it happens.
I get to the truck and make my way to the top of the timber where the doe was at. I check for sign crossing the road and nothing. She is hunkered down in the thick. I start glassing and pick out a doe in the timber heading back down to them. They are on foot double checking for blood so I tell them to stay put. We work the doe for a while and she gets right down in their lap but it wasn't meant to be. Before long she was running 20mph through the timber and may be still running now.
The day is short now so I go grab up my bro who is a little colder than he should be because Im an hour late.. :chuckle:
I bust out the phone and look at google maps. I see a spot that gives me that I need to go there feeling.
We drive back up the road just 5 minutes and we are out of the truck on an old spur road that goes back to a clear cut. Fresh new snow, no signs of human use....we are good.
We set out on foot, two hours of light left. We cut fresh deer tracks, two young bucks and a doe. We follow them to the cuts edge and they mix with other tracks, Its definitely a deer'y' area. I post my bro on the corner of the timber looking into the mixed vegetation cut. I decided to cut uphill following the tracks and get higher in the cut. We plan to meet back up in an hour.
I make my way up through the deep snow, cutting more and more tracks. I find beds with no tracks leading in, but tracks leading out of. It feels right but I just cant find the deer.
I get to a point where the view is good and the steepness hinders my trudging ability so I side hill. I go about 10 minutes and get to a spot that overlooks a good area. I wait, watch and listen. The snow is falling steady and the wind is in may face. Perfect set up. I wait longer, knowing I need to turn around to meet my bro. The clear cut is silent, the only kind of silent you can get with a heavy snow storm.
Im getting ready to double back but something tells me go forward. At this point I was more or less getting an overview of the cut for the am hunt. I need to double back I tell myself, but my gut says go forward 50 ft to that little tree.....
I decide to follow my gut, its worked before.
Post by: fishngamereaper on November 07, 2017, 08:55:04 AM
Be back later..
Post by: 7mmfan on November 07, 2017, 09:32:11 AM
Post by: Rainier10 on November 07, 2017, 09:36:49 AM
Post by: WapitiTalk1 on November 07, 2017, 09:41:46 AM
Post by: Rainier10 on November 07, 2017, 10:00:00 AM
Post by: 7mmfan on November 07, 2017, 10:20:12 AM
It is a great story and he did at least give us the pic right out the gates. We know that it ends with a big buck. I'm gonna have to give him a pass and just patiently wait for the rest of the story.
Pushover...
Post by: steeleywhopper on November 07, 2017, 10:37:54 AM
It is a great story and he did at least give us the pic right out the gates. We know that it ends with a big buck. I'm gonna have to give him a pass and just patiently wait for the rest of the story.
Probably a road kill buck that he posed with. :chuckle:
Post by: jackelope on November 07, 2017, 11:41:47 AM
It is a great story and he did at least give us the pic right out the gates. We know that it ends with a big buck. I'm gonna have to give him a pass and just patiently wait for the rest of the story.
I can tell you that he at least put some effort in getting that truck to where it was in the snow picture, and I can verify the beauty of that pit toilet. His buck is well deserved, even if it is a road kill deer.
:dunno:
Post by: Rainier10 on November 07, 2017, 12:05:29 PM
Uh, name calling is against forum rules. I'm gonna have to give you time out. :chuckle:It is a great story and he did at least give us the pic right out the gates. We know that it ends with a big buck. I'm gonna have to give him a pass and just patiently wait for the rest of the story.
Pushover...
Post by: Gringo31 on November 07, 2017, 02:52:45 PM
Congrats on the buck :tup:
Post by: jackelope on November 07, 2017, 03:04:37 PM
It is a great story and he did at least give us the pic right out the gates. We know that it ends with a big buck. I'm gonna have to give him a pass and just patiently wait for the rest of the story.
He totally ruined it by posting the buck pic.
Post by: 7mmfan on November 07, 2017, 03:05:09 PM
Uh, name calling is against forum rules. I'm gonna have to give you time out. :chuckle:It is a great story and he did at least give us the pic right out the gates. We know that it ends with a big buck. I'm gonna have to give him a pass and just patiently wait for the rest of the story.
Pushover...
Dangit, mom always told me to not call people names.
Post by: Rainier10 on November 07, 2017, 03:27:50 PM
It's the new thing, post the pic and then the story. I actually like it way better this way. I'll admit this is one heck of a run to the store for pork. Tick tock.It is a great story and he did at least give us the pic right out the gates. We know that it ends with a big buck. I'm gonna have to give him a pass and just patiently wait for the rest of the story.
He totally ruined it by posting the buck pic.
Post by: fishngamereaper on November 07, 2017, 03:42:28 PM
Post by: X-Force on November 07, 2017, 03:48:32 PM
Post by: pope on November 07, 2017, 03:58:49 PM
Im getting ready to double back but something tells me go forward. At this point I was more or less getting an overview of the cut for the am hunt. I need to double back I tell myself but my gut says go forward 50 ft to that little tree.....
I decide to follow my gut, its worked before.
This is where we cut to an add for light beer, auto insurance, little blue pills (for when the time is right), something....
Post by: jackelope on November 07, 2017, 04:12:14 PM
Wow...Tough crowd.... banned talk, road kill ....yikes...I'm elbows deep in ground meat, give me a few.. :chuckle: and now I apparently need to take a after trip pic of my front bumper... :P
If you don't have ground venison stuck to the screen of your phone, you're not putting forth enough effort to get this story told!
Post by: Machias on November 07, 2017, 04:15:43 PM
Post by: fishngamereaper on November 07, 2017, 07:09:32 PM
So....
I slowly make progress towards the tree. One foot at a time. I'm intent on looking forward into the area that gets more open with every move forward. I'm almost to the tree and I glance to my right into the middle of the cut my bro is posted on.
I see a dark deer form through the heavy snow. Up until this time I had seen no fewer than 10 dark deer forms and a couple of bear stumps. I throw the swaro's up and glass up a big dark colored deer. I see its feeding on a small tree. It raises its head and the tree moves up with the head. I realize its a stud buck with a heavy rack and forward sweeping antlers. I think crap, I'm a long ways away. I throw the Ruger 6.5 up to the shoulder and put the cross hairs for the Vortex scope on his back. At this point I don't feel steady as I'm on a side hill in knee deep snow. I calm my nerves and talk myself out of the shot. The buck is feeding slightly quartered toward me but he doesn't see me. I kneel briefly but am concerned about the line of sight and relation to some low brush in front of me. I looked around real quick and see a burnt stump to my left. I move to it and lean against it. Feeling good about my new spot I put the cross hairs on the buck again and squeeze off a round, sending the 6.5 down range. ( don't tell my kid I took his new gun hunting :chuckle:)....
Post by: fishngamereaper on November 07, 2017, 07:18:57 PM
I catch a glimpse of another deer after the shot and it bolts the same direction.
The buck disappeared after a couple of steps so a follow up shot was not an option.
I stand and wait and about 2 seconds later I hear a shot from my brothers direction.... :o Did he shot at the same buck, different deer????? Oh the mind wanders.
I pile off the hillside towards the location the deer was to check for blood. I get near the spot and see my brother coming at me from his location. I yelled did you see a big buck. He said ya, it ran away but was acting funny. Im like, did you shoot. He said ya, mines down right there. As he points to a two point he bang flopped in a snow berm. The next thought I had was crap, did I miss. I work through the snow and find the tracks for my buck but no blood..... :'(
Post by: fishngamereaper on November 07, 2017, 07:33:37 PM
I keep moving forward looking at the tracks but not seeing blood. Just then my brother says there he is. I look up and cant see him. My bro says under that tree. I look and see the buck laying under a small snow covered tree. He's on his last breath. His head comes up one more time then goes down and that was it.
Fist bumps and high fives, we just doubled up on bucks within 5 seconds. Apparently when I shot my buck the two point ran, did a half circle and stopped to feed again, 150 yds from my brother.
Both deer had been feeding in front of my brother the whole time, just concealed by a small patch of trees and a snow berm...go figure.
Post by: fishngamereaper on November 07, 2017, 07:35:39 PM
Post by: fishngamereaper on November 07, 2017, 07:37:40 PM
Post by: fishngamereaper on November 07, 2017, 07:40:03 PM
Post by: fishngamereaper on November 07, 2017, 07:42:59 PM
Post by: fishngamereaper on November 07, 2017, 07:45:35 PM
Post by: fishngamereaper on November 07, 2017, 07:51:16 PM
We get a bunch of pics and get the deer gutted. Just in time for the snowy drag out my buddies show up. We get the deer to the truck just before dark, get my buddies truck unstuck again :chuckle:( he needs new tires)..and head back to camp for a hot dinner and whiskey.
Post by: NRA4LIFE on November 07, 2017, 07:57:49 PM
Post by: fishngamereaper on November 07, 2017, 08:00:08 PM
We tried that afternoon and the next morning to get another deer but to no avail. My buddy was content with his week and the opportunities he had.
We finally got a break in the weather to break camp down. It's beautiful, peaceful country especially when its loaded with snow.
Post by: WapitiTalk1 on November 07, 2017, 08:01:03 PM
Post by: fishngamereaper on November 07, 2017, 08:03:16 PM
Post by: Brushbuster on November 07, 2017, 08:06:07 PM
Post by: fishngamereaper on November 07, 2017, 08:09:30 PM
In the end we went 3 for 4 on tags with 100% opportunity. Everyone had a great time and we will be back again....
Post by: fishngamereaper on November 07, 2017, 08:13:37 PM
Post by: X-Force on November 07, 2017, 08:17:57 PM
As he lay.
Love this photo.
Congrats on a memorable season.
Post by: Twispriver on November 07, 2017, 08:22:47 PM
Post by: blackveltbowhunter on November 07, 2017, 08:31:31 PM
Post by: fishngamereaper on November 07, 2017, 08:35:23 PM
I'm feeling blessed right now. Till the next adventure.. :tup:
Post by: bowhunterforever on November 07, 2017, 09:40:12 PM
Post by: ShaneTyTrey on November 07, 2017, 10:09:19 PM
Post by: jackelope on November 07, 2017, 11:07:48 PM
Post by: Buckmark on November 08, 2017, 09:27:25 AM
Post by: skeeter 20i on November 08, 2017, 09:49:08 AM
Jason
Post by: bulldogs40 on November 08, 2017, 05:52:23 PM
Post by: Machias on November 08, 2017, 10:19:56 PM