Post by: whuppinstick on June 17, 2020, 08:52:54 PM
I planned for twelve days in the wilderness and was camped very far in. On the second day I stumbled upon the whitetail buck and couldn't turn him down. A few days later I saw a six-point bull very far away and spent the whole day trying to close the distance. It took me 5-6 hours, which included some running, but I just missed him going back into the timber. The next day I sat all day watching the meadow he'd been in but nothing came out. The following day I tried a different plan and circled around above him, which took 6.5 hours through pounding snow. But it worked as he and four other bulls were bedded right on the spine of the ridge. I took a couple hours to close from 600 yards to 100, but they had fed out of my sight so I had to creep over the edge. I think they might have smelled me because they were acting nervous, but when a six-point came through my only window I shot him at 100 yards. He turned out to be the biggest bull of the bunch. I got him at 4pm, then took 2.5 hours to get him all taken care of (it got dark at 5), then another 2.5 hour hike back to camp. From there it took me six days to get all the meat out. Some horse packers took my elk rear quarters 8 miles, but otherwise I did it all alone from dawn till dusk every day.
Quick rundown on gear: Nemo Kunai tent (for the late season, I also hunt in there in Sept and either take a lighter Big Agnes or a cuben fiber tent), Nemo pad, Western Mountaineering Antelope bag, Stone Glacier solo pack, alcohol stove, Kimber Montana 84L .270, Crispi boots. If you have questions about anything else let me know.
(https://i.imgur.com/CktRIpWl.jpg)
The temperatures were in the teens every night it would take an hour in the morning to get my boots thawed out enough to lace them properly.
(https://i.imgur.com/eTr0VIsl.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/I8NguUPl.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/DTHlZOml.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/a7gEmy9l.jpg)
This happened just as I was taking out the second tenderloin and shed a lot of blood. This picture is from five days later. I don't have health insurance so never did go to the doctor even though it felt funny all through the winter. It's fine now a couple years later, just a new line through the middle of my fingerprint.
(https://i.imgur.com/qZck8G3l.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/wGDYtH5l.jpg)
Post by: 92xj on June 17, 2020, 08:58:45 PM
Post by: carpsniperg2 on June 17, 2020, 09:10:04 PM
Post by: fishngamereaper on June 17, 2020, 09:10:22 PM
Post by: sagerat on June 17, 2020, 09:11:37 PM
Post by: whuppinstick on June 17, 2020, 09:12:57 PM
Hardcore man...I would of just camped for a month and eaten the meat so I didn't have to pack it out.
Ha. A one-month camp back there in November pretty quickly turns into five.
Post by: Buckhunter24 on June 17, 2020, 09:16:21 PM
Post by: MtnMuley on June 17, 2020, 09:19:31 PM
Post by: BUTTER on June 17, 2020, 09:20:55 PM
Post by: fishngamereaper on June 17, 2020, 09:33:18 PM
Hardcore man...I would of just camped for a month and eaten the meat so I didn't have to pack it out.
Ha. A one-month camp back there in November pretty quickly turns into five.
:tup: I've almost been stuck in there in September.
Post by: RB on June 17, 2020, 09:50:36 PM
Post by: ganghis on June 17, 2020, 09:51:22 PM
Post by: tritt007 on June 17, 2020, 10:13:36 PM
Post by: Jonathan_S on June 17, 2020, 10:20:44 PM
14 miles is a lot but not to a through hiker.
Post by: Magnum_Willys on June 18, 2020, 05:32:56 AM
Post by: whuppinstick on June 18, 2020, 06:18:21 AM
Howd you get the tenderloin out? I little trick pack a light bone say after all quartered straps neck meat etc balance the animal on its belly and saw straight down the 4th vertebrae than use your knife to kinda skin around and under that vertebrae and it will open right up and there is your perfect tenderloins
I use the gutless method and don't carry a saw. I was actually super careful not to cut myself because I use the surgical blade knives and I knew how dangerous it could get, but it happened when I was holding the knife in my right hand well away from the animal and pulling the tenderloin out with my left. Once the loin "gave" my hand shot across my body and hit my right hand, slicing open my finger.
Post by: whuppinstick on June 18, 2020, 06:21:32 AM
One question , .270 win or wsm ? And what load you shoot ? Congratulations been wanting to hunt Idaho for a long time ! Thanks for sharing !
.270 win. I was using factory Remington 150's but I have a friend who is really into guns and has moved me to Hornady now, he's also trying to talk me into going to the .280 AI, or really any caliber other than the .270, haha. My rifle is actually stuck in NZ due to Covid (long story, maybe I'll post that one, too) so I am probably going to get another rifle for this season.
Post by: Magnum_Willys on June 18, 2020, 06:23:03 AM
Post by: whuppinstick on June 18, 2020, 06:25:19 AM
Great Hunt! Next time try your boots in a sack in bottom of your bag, cut antlers off the skull, ( you did bone it all out ?)
Is there room for your feet down there along with the boots? That's a good idea.
I don't take a saw, but I also do a European mount on all my skulls so probably wouldn't want to cut into it.
Post by: whuppinstick on June 18, 2020, 06:27:04 AM
Those havalons really make it easier - but yikes its so easy to cut yourself.. Starting to use em less and less and disuade young/new hunters from using them
I use the Gerber because that at least minimizes the chances of a cut while changing the blade, but yeah, I got to the point where I was cutting myself at least once on every animal. I was so mad when it happened on this one, haha.
Post by: mburrows on June 18, 2020, 06:51:05 AM
Post by: Karl Blanchard on June 18, 2020, 06:59:11 AM
Post by: Bob33 on June 18, 2020, 07:04:08 AM
Nice orange vest you're wearing, by the way. ;)
Post by: 7mmfan on June 18, 2020, 08:12:56 AM
Don't let your buddy talk you out of that .270. 280 AI is a great rifle, don't get me wrong. I'm a huge fan of the .284 caliber. But the .270 WIN is one of the best all around rifles a guy can shoot.
Post by: jstone on June 18, 2020, 08:25:09 AM
Great job
Post by: vandeman17 on June 18, 2020, 08:28:46 AM
Post by: TriggerMike on June 18, 2020, 09:30:22 AM
Post by: archerykraze on June 20, 2020, 01:25:31 PM
Post by: nwwanderer on June 20, 2020, 04:19:11 PM
Post by: harveymarv on June 20, 2020, 06:18:00 PM
Those severed nerves in your finger grow back but as you found it is glacial, thanks
i pack a kevlar glove with my havalon for my off hand for this very reason. they’re super light and you can still stab through it but it stops the slashes. only reason i still have 10 fingers. great for filleting salmon too.
Post by: RockChuck on June 20, 2020, 08:39:29 PM
Post by: greenhead_killer on June 20, 2020, 09:28:10 PM
Post by: ShaneTyTrey on June 20, 2020, 10:35:28 PM
Post by: Bushcraft on June 21, 2020, 06:37:38 PM
My hat's off to your sir. Good job.
Post by: sjhgraysage on June 26, 2020, 09:45:16 AM
Man I want a whitetail like that somethin fierce! Killer hunt man!
DITTO!!! :) :tup:
Post by: link on June 27, 2020, 08:25:49 AM
Post by: muleyslayer on June 27, 2020, 09:01:11 AM
Post by: bearpaw on June 27, 2020, 09:16:08 AM
Post by: teanawayslayer on June 27, 2020, 10:30:31 AM