Post by: yakimanoob on September 24, 2018, 09:09:26 AM
I know some folks are still out hunting hard, but my window has closed on the high buck and I'm still holding my tag. This was my second attempt at this hunt, and while I did explore a new area, I ended up coming back to the main place I was in GPW last year. Weather was a little worse this year; pressure was a lot lower.
I did manage to find a nice buck; spotted from about 2mi away (thanks again to @shallowforks for the deal on the spotter), but when I tried to get to him I found out quickly why he chose that spot as his home--I couldn't find a way to him that didn't involve some sketchy Class 2/3 climbing. I guess I have another 12 months to improve my route-finding skills and figure out how the heck I'd get the meat out if I was able to connect :chuckle:
Main lessons:
- I need to be less of a wuss about the rain. I succumbed every morning to the "just sleep in; hunting in this would be no fun" voice of pattering raindrops on my fly.
- Fog is the literal worst.
- I have GOT to figure out how to keep my feet dry (see other thread). It wasn't even that cold, but man, wet feet sure do zap your gumption to hike a few miles to a better spot.
- I need to carry (and learn how to use) a tarp for glassing in the rain.
- I need more practice hiking at night.
- I need more mountaineering skills.
- Watching from above as two F-15s practice flying through canyons is THE COOLEST SH*%.
- There is, still, absolutely, no such thing as a bad trip to the high country!
Hope you all had a blast this season, and good luck to those still out!
Post by: 7mmfan on September 24, 2018, 09:28:39 AM
Post by: Highhuntin on September 24, 2018, 09:31:44 AM
Same here, I had a great solo trip and considered it a camping hiking scouting trip in a new area from the get go so was not disappointed to not tag out, I learned a few things and some things I need to improve/upgrade for next year.
Post by: farmin4u_98948 on September 24, 2018, 02:39:16 PM
Post by: yakimanoob on September 24, 2018, 02:55:09 PM
Thinking more about the rain and fog: another big lesson I learned this year is that I need to change my pre-season scouting strategy. Thus far, I've been focused on finding glassing points and finding legal animals pre-season. There's obviously a lot of value in that, but I neglected the simple lay-of-the-land scouting. I'm thinking for next year (and for a new elk spot I want to try in a few weeks) my strategy will be more of a three-pronged approach:
1. Find good season-specific habitat with obvious sign (done mostly e-scouting but verified on foot)
2. Find glassing spots that overlook said habitat
3. Find the quickest and easiest way to get to the area, including, and especially, walking all the nearby trails.
That third point seemed less important until this trip. I found my buck Thursday afternoon, then burned most of Friday morning going slow through the fog along an unknown (and unmapped) trail. If I had bothered to walk that trail on any of my 5 previous trips to the area, I would have know where it went and would have confidently walked it through the dark and/or fog, and would have had a lot more time to try and navigate the cliffs. Who knows, maybe I could have found a route through them to get to the buck. But after waiting out the fog close to camp, I ended up with only a couple hours to route-find and by that point it my window was closing too quickly. Next summer I will for sure take a route-finding-specific trip up there just to make sure I know how to get where I want to go.
Post by: Watimberghost on September 24, 2018, 03:19:35 PM
Post by: jstone on September 24, 2018, 03:27:26 PM
Post by: yakimanoob on September 24, 2018, 03:31:47 PM
Post by: teanawayslayer on September 24, 2018, 06:51:45 PM
Post by: Pinetar on September 24, 2018, 07:00:06 PM
The weather wasn’t ideal this year that’s for sure. We spent 32 hours straight in the tent. More sleet and snow than rain. The place I camp is in the side of the mountain. It’s hard to do anything except lay in the tent. No place for a fire. Once you get wet you cant get the dampness out. 32 hours of that crap and out we went. You may call me soft. :chuckle:
You are soft :chuckle: You asked for it Heath
Post by: teanawayslayer on September 24, 2018, 07:23:51 PM
The weather wasn’t ideal this year that’s for sure. We spent 32 hours straight in the tent. More sleet and snow than rain. The place I camp is in the side of the mountain. It’s hard to do anything except lay in the tent. No place for a fire. Once you get wet you cant get the dampness out. 32 hours of that crap and out we went. You may call me soft. :chuckle:That’s ok I left myself wide open. :chuckle:
You are soft :chuckle: You asked for it Heath
Post by: Utah on September 24, 2018, 08:39:38 PM
Post by: yakimanoob on September 24, 2018, 08:52:46 PM
Post by: 7mmfan on September 24, 2018, 08:57:05 PM
Post by: ctwiggs1 on September 24, 2018, 08:59:10 PM
I think the high hunt does a pretty good job of weeding people out on it's own.
Nailed it!
Post by: Highhuntin on September 24, 2018, 09:06:58 PM
Post by: yakimanoob on September 24, 2018, 09:12:40 PM
I learned that cutting the handle off of my toothbrush did not make a noticeable difference lol!:chuckle: :chuckle:
Post by: Bill W on September 24, 2018, 09:13:05 PM
I learned that cutting the handle off of my toothbrush did not make a noticeable difference lol!
I never took one.
Post by: farmin4u_98948 on September 25, 2018, 08:46:39 PM
I think the high hunt does a pretty good job of weeding people out on it's own.
Nailed it!
:yeah:
Post by: optic2 on September 25, 2018, 11:20:22 PM
Post by: yakimanoob on September 26, 2018, 01:52:23 PM
Post by: Utah on September 26, 2018, 08:40:31 PM
I think the high hunt does a pretty good job of weeding people out on it's own.
Nailed it!
:yeah:
How long you been doing the high hunt? I got 14 yrs into it and your dead wrong that the internet hasn't had an effect.. Do all of us and you a favor and shut the heck up. You wanta talk gear? experiences? do it. but don't include wa high hunt in the conversation. Only a jackwagon would thump his chest on line about something so valuable.
Post by: 7mmfan on September 26, 2018, 08:49:11 PM
Backcountry hunting is a trendy thing to do right now. Tons of guys that want to make a YouTube video or get their next Instagram heroshot. Give it a couple years and most of those guys will give up because they can't hack it. The internet definitely has an effect, but things have a way of balancing themselves out. Wilderness, especially cold wet miserable Washington wilderness does an exceptional job of weeding out the weak. This isn't fight club pal, there are no rules about talking about it.
Post by: Utah on September 26, 2018, 08:59:45 PM
Post by: builtfordtough on September 26, 2018, 09:05:04 PM
Post by: Utah on September 26, 2018, 09:10:14 PM
Post by: Utah on September 26, 2018, 09:11:13 PM
Post by: 7mmfan on September 26, 2018, 09:12:37 PM
Call me pal again and i'll hunt you down and dr's will wire your jaw shut! Enjoy that steak through a straw! LOl just kidding! :) Just trying to help a great thing. But apparently your more experienced on the subject. go ahead carry on.......
Hey I get it, I really do. You won't catch me posting online where I was, or even giving vague info that might lead people to believe they know where I was. But if people want to chat about their experience and what they learned, I fully support it. It will educate some of us, and will even dissuade some people who were considering it after reading about all the trials and tribulations they went through.
Also, I like my steak pureed. I don't have to floss afterwards :chuckle: :P
Post by: Utah on September 26, 2018, 09:19:29 PM
Post by: farmin4u_98948 on September 27, 2018, 07:24:24 AM
I think the high hunt does a pretty good job of weeding people out on it's own.
Nailed it!
:yeah:
How long you been doing the high hunt? I got 14 yrs into it and your dead wrong that the internet hasn't had an effect.. Do all of us and you a favor and shut the heck up. You wanta talk gear? experiences? do it. but don't include wa high hunt in the conversation. Only a jackwagon would thump his chest on line about something so valuable.
Public forest. You are not the first person to go on a high hunt or will you be the last. I encourage people to get out any time of year. Live in the woods. Love the woods.
Post by: Ridgerunner on September 27, 2018, 07:36:56 AM
Post by: fishngamereaper on September 27, 2018, 07:44:25 AM
I would love to do it again with the new gear I have , cut my pack weight in half from back then, but all this talk on HW Im sure its going to be a complete zoo up there now. :chuckle:
Post by: Bushcraft on September 27, 2018, 08:51:13 AM
Guys the high hunt has been trendy since Cameron Hanes started penning his stories. I've hunted it off and on since the early 90's its going to weed out some people, but then there will always be a new crop coming right in behind them to try it out, I don't see the demand or pressure on this hunt going down in the future, especially as newer and lighter gear makes it easier to get into the backcountry, its the guys who were hunting it in the 60' and 70's who probably had it good up there although their gear sucked I'm sure compared to todays standards. I don't believe that we will ever see the high hunt become less popular in this state unless they limit the tag numbers which will never happen.
Faced with a dramatically growing human population and finite deer populations and habitat, I can see WDFW eventually limiting hunters for the High Buck season. As much as it would pain me to not win the special permit lottery and be prohibited from hunting it any year I wanted to, in some respects I could see going along with putting a lid on the number of hunters.
It is not particularly hard to kill a buck if one puts the work in. With some sweat equity and today's longer range rifles, hanging your tag on a legal buck is pretty much a foregone conclusion. High Buck has turned into a damn foot-race zoo with idiots that can't hunt for themselves and are dependent on others unethically using radios to walk them in on animals. So much so that I simply opted to go to Idaho this year...and saw zero people in the backcountry...and was glad for it.
Post by: boneaddict on September 27, 2018, 09:02:13 AM
Guys the high hunt has been trendy since Cameron Hanes started penning his stories. I've hunted it off and on since the early 90's its going to weed out some people, but then there will always be a new crop coming right in behind them to try it out, I don't see the demand or pressure on this hunt going down in the future, especially as newer and lighter gear makes it easier to get into the backcountry, its the guys who were hunting it in the 60' and 70's who probably had it good up there although their gear sucked I'm sure compared to todays standards. I don't believe that we will ever see the high hunt become less popular in this state unless they limit the tag numbers which will never happen.Spot on, adding that especially with sites like this and the internet contributing greatly to it.
Post by: Highhuntin on September 27, 2018, 09:24:53 AM
Post by: Alpine Mojo on September 27, 2018, 03:05:03 PM
I saw more people then deer on the high hunt
That says a lot more about where you went then who all was out there.