Post by: bearpaw on August 02, 2023, 05:07:31 PM
I know I always enjoy seeing puppy pics!
Post by: bearpaw on August 02, 2023, 05:30:59 PM
Post by: bearpaw on August 02, 2023, 05:33:54 PM
Post by: MADMAX on August 02, 2023, 05:39:04 PM
And thanks again for this forim :tup: :tup:
Post by: bearpaw on August 02, 2023, 05:41:07 PM
Hope you have a great season
And thanks again for this forim :tup: :tup:
Thank you, I very much appreciate your comments! :hello:
Post by: Machias on August 03, 2023, 08:12:50 AM
Post by: huntnfmly on August 03, 2023, 11:48:02 AM
Hope the mom is healing up quick
Post by: bearpaw on August 04, 2023, 10:54:15 PM
I hope you have a fantastic and safe Fall Season!! Bummer about the last two pups.
Thanks Fred, and good luck with your hunts, I'm looking forward to see some of your photos when you fill those special tags!
Post by: bearpaw on August 04, 2023, 10:59:54 PM
Nice looking pups
Hope the mom is healing up quick
Mom is doing well, but she almost lost another pup, not sure if he got separated, got layed on, or what happened? My daughter found the smallest male seemingly lifeless, but she rubbed him, and warmed him up, and gave him some milk replacer, and he made it through the day, if he makes it till morning I think he has a good chance of surviving.
Post by: passman65 on August 05, 2023, 02:38:19 AM
Post by: RB on August 05, 2023, 09:51:41 AM
Post by: 300rum on August 05, 2023, 08:49:49 PM
Post by: bearpaw on August 19, 2023, 04:58:00 PM
Post by: bearpaw on August 19, 2023, 05:05:52 PM
Post by: bearpaw on August 19, 2023, 05:07:51 PM
Post by: bearpaw on August 19, 2023, 06:21:14 PM
Post by: Caseknife on August 19, 2023, 07:21:28 PM
Post by: bearpaw on August 26, 2023, 10:27:21 AM
Post by: bearpaw on August 26, 2023, 10:36:06 AM
The bear was in a deep canyon, they had to skin and piece the bear up to get him out, great job by both hunters and their guides!
Post by: bearpaw on August 26, 2023, 10:36:51 AM
Post by: MADMAX on August 26, 2023, 11:57:55 AM
Nice bears
Post by: bearpaw on September 03, 2023, 01:25:44 PM
Post by: bearpaw on September 03, 2023, 01:35:33 PM
Post by: kellama2001 on September 05, 2023, 02:53:15 PM
Post by: bearpaw on September 06, 2023, 07:25:52 AM
Tagging along, great animals so far! Hope the rest of the puppies grow strong and healthy!
:yeah: Thanks
Post by: bearpaw on September 06, 2023, 07:27:13 AM
Congrats
Nice bears
Thanks, we had a good year on bear, spring and fall were both good for us.
Post by: bearpaw on September 06, 2023, 07:36:00 AM
Group of three elk called in and a 20ish yard miss yesterday, then a bunch of target practicing done mid day so that hopefully the next opportunity results in a kill. One hunter's bow blew up the first day, so he spent most of yesterday trying to find a place to get his bow fixed. We had another hunter within 20-30 yards of a bull, he could see the cows but couldn't get a shot at the bull, just the way it goes so often when bow hunting.
Even though elk aren't talking a lot and a lot of the bulls are still in bachelor groups we've had pretty good luck at getting into elk. We've spotted a couple big bulls too, but they won't play ball yet and we've been unable to stalk in on them. Last night a group of five bulls were spotted just before dark, one of them a 5x5, the others all smaller rags and spikes, they are after those bulls this morning. With cooler weather I keep expecting the rut to heat up but the elk haven't really started talking a lot yet in our hunting areas.
Roger who is hunting with guide Zach put an arrow in the right spot on a 4x4 whitetail, not a big buck, but Roger's best archery buck to date, congrats Roger!
Another hunter hunting with guide Brian drilled a 6’6” bear last night, no photos yet of the bear.
My finger are crossed for some elk success photos!
Post by: bearpaw on September 06, 2023, 08:02:26 AM
Post by: bearhunter99 on September 06, 2023, 08:16:09 AM
Post by: Machias on September 06, 2023, 11:40:19 AM
Post by: Gringo31 on September 06, 2023, 11:51:19 AM
Post by: bearpaw on September 06, 2023, 11:55:36 AM
Awesome so far! Hate it about the wounded bull and the 20 yard miss.
:yeah: Wounded animals really bothers me, I just wished there was a way to completely eliminate wounding.
The misses don't bother me too much except that it doesn't provide success photos to benefit the business.
Post by: bearpaw on September 06, 2023, 11:56:05 AM
Congrats and best of Luck this Year!
Thank you much! :tup:
Post by: bearpaw on September 08, 2023, 11:47:52 AM
The first hunt is nearly over, the Elk are still pretty quiet, not much talking going on, lots of bulls still grouped together. A 6x6 was spotted a couple days ago, they called him, he did come in but came silent and must have caught some scent, he bolted away before presenting a shot opportunity. Two more young bulls were missed, total of 4 elk shot at with 8 arrows released, so at least we've had lots of action and opportunity in spite of the rut not kicking in. Another raghorn was spotted this morning but disappeared before the hunters could get on him. My fingers are crossed for some last evening elk success photos.
Post by: bearpaw on September 10, 2023, 01:09:38 PM
Post by: Boss .300 winmag on September 10, 2023, 01:38:23 PM
Post by: Rainier10 on September 10, 2023, 05:47:27 PM
Great looking bull
Post by: Twispriver on September 10, 2023, 06:15:18 PM
Post by: jstone on September 10, 2023, 06:20:20 PM
Post by: RB on September 10, 2023, 08:56:23 PM
Post by: bearpaw on September 11, 2023, 03:11:47 AM
Post by: bearpaw on September 11, 2023, 03:19:10 AM
That one will go on the brochure :tup::yeah: Yes sir, there are some great bulls in this area, this isn’t the best bull that’s been seen, but how can you pass a bull like that when it’s only 25 yards away.
Post by: HUNTINCOUPLE on September 11, 2023, 05:30:46 AM
Post by: Alchase on September 11, 2023, 06:46:44 AM
Post by: Machias on September 11, 2023, 11:10:04 AM
Post by: bearpaw on September 11, 2023, 01:15:27 PM
Post by: bearpaw on September 11, 2023, 01:21:15 PM
We’ve got one more bull to get in Montana, he’s trying to hold out for one of the bigger bulls, fingers crossed for a chance at one of those bulls.
In Idaho the bulls are still pretty quiet and some are still bachelored up without cows, hoping that changes soon! 4 bulls spotted this morning and only one short bugle then totally quiet, couldn't find them again!
Post by: Rainier10 on September 11, 2023, 01:32:59 PM
Post by: C-Money on September 11, 2023, 01:37:55 PM
Post by: Pathfinder101 on September 11, 2023, 04:25:17 PM
Post by: Boss .300 winmag on September 11, 2023, 05:02:14 PM
Post by: bearpaw on September 16, 2023, 10:20:17 AM
That is a good one too.
Really enjoy seeing those bulls!!
Great season so far :tup: Keep 'em comin'!
Another nice one.👍
Thanks guys! :tup:
Post by: LDennis24 on September 16, 2023, 10:28:16 AM
Post by: bearpaw on September 16, 2023, 10:41:40 PM
Some nice animals on this thread so far! That bull is really cool. Do any of the other bulls have that same characteristic on top?
Thanks, some of the older bulls get that mass and unique points in the top, but don't seem to show it until they get older.
Post by: bearpaw on October 03, 2023, 02:07:29 PM
Post by: bearpaw on October 03, 2023, 02:08:31 PM
He has been back home a couple hours and checking the dogs about every 30 minutes, so far it seems like they are going to be ok.
Post by: Machias on October 03, 2023, 03:17:31 PM
Post by: Rainier10 on October 03, 2023, 06:56:50 PM
Prayers for Brian and the dogs. Please tell him I said hi.
Post by: WapitiTalk1 on October 03, 2023, 06:58:32 PM
Post by: C-Money on October 04, 2023, 06:10:37 AM
Post by: bearpaw on October 11, 2023, 07:16:16 AM
Post by: bearpaw on October 12, 2023, 05:57:29 PM
Post by: bearpaw on October 13, 2023, 09:27:19 AM
Post by: wsmnut on October 13, 2023, 12:02:49 PM
Post by: Machias on October 13, 2023, 01:11:14 PM
Post by: pianoman9701 on October 13, 2023, 01:27:36 PM
Post by: bearpaw on October 13, 2023, 09:46:58 PM
Fred it would be a pleasure to have you for a hunt. Some of the hunts are doable even with bad knees! :tup:
Post by: bearpaw on October 13, 2023, 09:59:00 PM
Post by: bearpaw on October 13, 2023, 10:01:36 PM
Post by: bearpaw on October 13, 2023, 10:06:48 PM
Post by: Twispriver on October 13, 2023, 10:34:03 PM
Post by: bearpaw on October 14, 2023, 07:05:03 AM
Nice Work :tup: Six bucks down is a big day anywhere
Thank you!
The wranglers are pretty busy packing camps in and out and getting deer out.
Post by: kellama2001 on October 15, 2023, 09:35:35 AM
Post by: bearpaw on October 15, 2023, 03:46:45 PM
Excellent animals all, congrats to the hunters and the outfitter! :tup:
Thank you
Post by: bearpaw on October 15, 2023, 03:49:16 PM
Post by: bearpaw on October 15, 2023, 06:37:08 PM
They made it to the lodge in the early AM, and while unloading the son jumped out of the truck and lost his wedding ring, they looked but couldn't find it. They slept a few hours, but missed the first couple hours of hunting. We advised them where to go and they went hunting. My wife went looking for the wedding ring and found it, some how it was about 20 feet from where they thought it was, but she found it and plans to put it on a plate with a piece of strawberry short cake tonight after dinner as a surprise.
I just got a text that the grandson got his first elk, he was watching a 6x6 bull but the cows had the bull surrounded, he couldn't get a clear shot, then a 5x2 (broken horn) walked out so he shot it instead, he said it's his first elk ever, the broken horn didn't matter. His dad and grandpa are each hunting different ridges as I advised them to split up. So Gunnar took care of the elk himself, packed it all out to the truck himself, and came back to the lodge, my wife is helping him hang quarters right now and then he's going back up the mountain to get his dad and grandpa where they were parked.
They sure had a rough start to their hunt, but it’s kinda coming together!
I forgot to mention that Gunnar got scoped when he shot the bull, but that didn’t matter, he’s tickled with his first bull.
Post by: wadu1 on October 15, 2023, 06:41:43 PM
Post by: bearpaw on October 15, 2023, 11:55:14 PM
Hope you get a photo of the shortcake and ring. He has quite a story to tell. :)
I think they were going to look for the ring again so she had to tell them before they ate.
Post by: teanawayslayer on October 16, 2023, 06:31:57 AM
Post by: Machias on October 16, 2023, 08:34:26 AM
Post by: bearpaw on October 16, 2023, 08:55:30 AM
Cool story!!!!
Yeah, I sure hope the other guys get animals too, this trip started out pretty rough for them.
Post by: bearpaw on October 16, 2023, 08:57:14 AM
Sounds like she deserves a big hug!
I guess he just told his wife on the phone he lost the wedding ring and they were going to look for it again, so my wife figured she better give it to him then, he was pretty happy.
Post by: bearpaw on October 16, 2023, 08:58:28 AM
Post by: bearpaw on October 16, 2023, 09:13:16 AM
Post by: bearpaw on October 16, 2023, 09:20:48 AM
Post by: bracer40 on October 16, 2023, 09:22:40 AM
Looks like this year has really picked up since we spoke in September. Glad to see all the happy hunter stories and pics! Hope to see a moose success story from the panhandle soon!
Jim
Post by: bearpaw on October 16, 2023, 09:31:04 AM
Dale,
Looks like this year has really picked up since we spoke in September. Glad to see all the happy hunter stories and pics! Hope to see a moose success story from the panhandle soon!
Jim
Thanks, and me too!
We lost a lot of deer last winter, we are having to hunt hard for our deer, I don't think our elk got hurt, I think we are seeing more elk. Unfortunately we had about 10 misses on bulls in archery season so it was a good hunt, just not as many photos to share from September. So far I have been surprised by our deer success in rifle season, the hunters have been shooting very well this year, we have done about three times better on deer than I expected. Elk is going pretty well too with several bulls down already and guides are looking for another wounded spike right now. Fingers crossed on that!
Post by: bearpaw on October 16, 2023, 09:34:14 AM
Post by: Twispriver on October 16, 2023, 09:49:49 AM
Post by: bearpaw on October 16, 2023, 10:22:58 AM
Heck of a season so far, thanks for the updates :tup:
Thanks
This is the best Idaho buck of the season so far, we definitely lost some of the biggest bucks in southern Idaho last winter but we’re still having pretty good success thankfully.
Post by: Angry Perch on October 16, 2023, 11:32:30 AM
I have three unguided hunters who broke down in Elko Nevada, a grandpa, son, and grandson, they couldn't get a rental car, and the soonest anyone will look at their truck is a week from now. I was on the phone with them numerous times, I offered to send someone to rescue them but they decided to buy a new truck, it cost $70k+, ouch!
They made it to the lodge in the early AM, and while unloading the son jumped out of the truck and lost his wedding ring, they looked but couldn't find it. They slept a few hours, but missed the first couple hours of hunting. We advised them where to go and they went hunting. My wife went looking for the wedding ring and found it, some how it was about 20 feet from where they thought it was, but she found it and plans to put it on a plate with a piece of strawberry short cake tonight after dinner as a surprise.
I just got a text that the grandson got his first elk, he was watching a 6x6 bull but the cows had the bull surrounded, he couldn't get a clear shot, then a 5x2 (broken horn) walked out so he shot it instead, he said it's his first elk ever, the broken horn didn't matter. His dad and grandpa are each hunting different ridges as I advised them to split up. So Gunnar took care of the elk himself, packed it all out to the truck himself, and came back to the lodge, my wife is helping him hang quarters right now and then he's going back up the mountain to get his dad and grandpa where they were parked.
They sure had a rough start to their hunt, but its kinda coming together!
I'll update this post with photos when I get them.
There's a lot more to being an outfitter than just finding something to shoot. Sounds like you take fantastic care of your clients!
Post by: bearpaw on October 17, 2023, 08:42:11 AM
Post by: bearpaw on October 17, 2023, 08:56:58 AM
Post by: bearpaw on October 18, 2023, 08:12:46 AM
Post by: Boss .300 winmag on October 18, 2023, 07:35:17 PM
Post by: bearpaw on October 19, 2023, 08:13:55 AM
Lots of nice animals everyone.👍
Thanks, Considering the tough last winter I’m really happy the hunters are doing as well as they are.
Post by: bearpaw on October 19, 2023, 08:15:06 AM
Post by: Machias on October 19, 2023, 08:48:35 AM
Post by: mburrows on October 19, 2023, 10:39:55 AM
Post by: bearpaw on October 25, 2023, 07:30:43 PM
Post by: bearpaw on October 28, 2023, 02:32:09 PM
Post by: Boss .300 winmag on October 28, 2023, 04:24:18 PM
Post by: bracer40 on October 28, 2023, 04:54:58 PM
Glad to see it.
Post by: bearpaw on October 31, 2023, 03:58:21 PM
Nice ones.👍
Looks like a great season for the hunters and the guides!
Glad to see it.
Thanks guys!
Post by: bearpaw on October 31, 2023, 04:11:48 PM
Post by: wadu1 on October 31, 2023, 04:24:48 PM
Bridger from Utah tagged this Idaho buck the last week of the season, congrats Bridger! Check out the extra hole!Is that for attaching his tag? :tung:
Post by: bearpaw on October 31, 2023, 04:26:28 PM
:yeah: :chuckle:Bridger from Utah tagged this Idaho buck the last week of the season, congrats Bridger! Check out the extra hole!Is that for attaching his tag? :tung:
Post by: bearpaw on October 31, 2023, 04:27:29 PM
Post by: nwwanderer on October 31, 2023, 04:30:53 PM
Post by: bearpaw on October 31, 2023, 04:36:57 PM
Post by: bearpaw on October 31, 2023, 04:48:47 PM
So, did the antler shot knock him down and the head shot finish the job, nice, thanks
The buck sat like that for almost 6 hours, finally after waiting so long it was decided to shoot rather than risk making him run, the first shot didn’t do anything to him, second shot sealed the deal.
Post by: Boss .300 winmag on October 31, 2023, 06:33:06 PM
So, did the antler shot knock him down and the head shot finish the job, nice, thanks
The buck sat like that for almost 6 hours, finally after waiting so long it was decided to shoot rather than risk making him run, the first shot didn’t do anything to him, second shot sealed the deal.
Bottom left?
Post by: Rob on November 01, 2023, 06:45:04 AM
Post by: Machias on November 01, 2023, 09:10:14 AM
Glad he did not blow that right side antler off!
Post by: wildcat23 on November 01, 2023, 06:49:57 PM
Post by: bearpaw on November 02, 2023, 02:21:18 PM
Post by: bearpaw on November 02, 2023, 02:34:16 PM
Check out the bark on his bases, he was rutting hard!
Post by: bearpaw on November 02, 2023, 02:46:09 PM
Post by: pianoman9701 on November 02, 2023, 02:57:48 PM
Post by: bearpaw on November 02, 2023, 03:04:42 PM
Great pics, Bear paw. Lots of smiles.Thank you, it’s been a better season than I expected, very pleased thus far!
Post by: bearpaw on November 02, 2023, 03:07:40 PM
Post by: bearpaw on November 02, 2023, 03:33:26 PM
Post by: asmith on November 02, 2023, 03:41:44 PM
Washington moose taken by Matt on the first day of his once-in-a-lifetime moose hunt yesterday morning with guide Daniel. I love it when a plan comes together!
Thats awesome!
Post by: bearpaw on November 02, 2023, 03:50:15 PM
Washington moose taken by Matt on the first day of his once-in-a-lifetime moose hunt yesterday morning with guide Daniel. I love it when a plan comes together!
Thats awesome!
We've got places that we know we'll find moose, but scouting several days right before Matt arrived no moose were seen, fresh tracks yes, but no moose in those tracks, so again I was getting worried about the hunt. In today's wolf infested world there are only about 15% to 25% of the moose there used to be, and this unit has it's fair share of moose eating wolves. But again as luck would have it, they saw 3 bulls the first morning of the actual hunt, this was the best one and it would have been very risky passing this bull, he's a solid representative bull. I used to tell my moose hunters we'll average seeing 5 bulls a day and we'll look for the right bull, but now I tell guys they should carefully consider passing bulls if they are very limited in how many days they can hunt. Luck has certainly been with us this year for sure!
Post by: bearpaw on November 02, 2023, 05:10:47 PM
Post by: bearpaw on November 02, 2023, 05:29:47 PM
Post by: Machias on November 03, 2023, 10:53:36 AM
Post by: bearpaw on November 04, 2023, 06:19:56 AM
Awesome critters!!!!! Love the moose and the cat!!
Thanks, sure hope you guys find another good bull.
The next day three more cats were seen, I'm sure that was a female with yearlings (they said no spots but one was a little bigger).
We've seen some good tom tracks through the deer/elk season, so hoping we find a few toms in hound hunting season.
Post by: bearpaw on November 04, 2023, 07:23:47 AM
Post by: bearpaw on November 04, 2023, 07:29:27 AM
Post by: bearpaw on November 04, 2023, 07:44:36 AM
Post by: Rainier10 on November 04, 2023, 12:45:50 PM
Post by: bearpaw on November 04, 2023, 07:11:43 PM
Post by: LDennis24 on November 04, 2023, 07:40:18 PM
Post by: bearpaw on November 08, 2023, 11:56:20 AM
Post by: elkboy on November 08, 2023, 01:07:19 PM
Post by: HntnFsh on November 09, 2023, 06:09:05 AM
Post by: 300rum on November 09, 2023, 06:18:19 AM
Post by: bearpaw on November 10, 2023, 11:09:10 AM
Last night we discussed how to get on a herd of 40ish cows that were spotted yesterday evening. Michael made the killing shot this morning on the second day of his hunt, I love it when a plan comes together.
Post by: bearpaw on November 11, 2023, 07:46:02 AM
Post by: bearpaw on November 12, 2023, 08:13:23 AM
Post by: bearpaw on November 13, 2023, 09:37:07 AM
Josh and John traveled from Utah to hunt deer in Montana, best of all the company they work for sent them on the hunt as a thank you for being such great employees.
The first morning they got on a real good mule deer but the big buck didn’t stand quite long enough, they tried to find him again but he gave them the slip, all they saw the rest of the day were smaller bucks. On the second day they spotted a huge whitetail, but the same story, the buck was a little too quick and all that was seen the rest of the day were smaller bucks.
On the third day they set up in an old fallen in homestead close to where the huge whitetail was seen, they were watching numerous deer when a decent buck came in sight, Derek said it’s not the big buck but Josh said he liked the buck and wanted the buck anyway and dropped it with one shot.
The guys were going to go look at the downed buck and Derek said let’s just sit tight for a few minutes, there are quite a few deer close in this area and he started rattling. In about 30 minutes another decent buck appeared and was working straight toward them, Derek rattled the buck to within 55 yards and John was able to fill his tag too.
They had a great time and even though the two big bucks got away they both tagged out on Montana whitetails only 30 minutes apart with guide Derek, it was a sweet day in Montana!
Post by: TeacherMan on November 13, 2023, 11:37:09 AM
Yesterday William (80 years young) notched his tag and today his son Bill also from Pennsylvania scored on another nice Montana buck with Derek, congrats to both of them.
Man what I’d do to be able to go back and have one last hunt with my dad… Absolutely love this, we all need to keep in mind what is actually important in life and this is on top my list.
Post by: bearpaw on November 13, 2023, 11:43:20 AM
Yesterday William (80 years young) notched his tag and today his son Bill also from Pennsylvania scored on another nice Montana buck with Derek, congrats to both of them.
Man what I’d do to be able to go back and have one last hunt with my dad… Absolutely love this, we all need to keep in mind what is actually important in life and this is on top my list.
:tup: I agree, I wished I could have one more hunt with dad.
Post by: bearpaw on November 13, 2023, 07:37:52 PM
Post by: Machias on November 14, 2023, 09:18:26 AM
Post by: bearpaw on November 14, 2023, 02:37:00 PM
Awesome!!!!
Thanks
Sure hope you and your wife filled that other bull moose tag? :tup:
Post by: bearpaw on November 14, 2023, 02:38:57 PM
Post by: pianoman9701 on November 14, 2023, 02:45:28 PM
Post by: bearpaw on November 15, 2023, 05:25:32 PM
Some beautiful bucks there, BP.
thanks pman :tup:
Post by: bearpaw on November 16, 2023, 05:58:09 AM
We have taken some more young bucks, this is Lawrence’s first deer hunt and he couldn’t be happier, first morning, first kill ever, then a turkey to boot in the afternoon, welcome to the addicted hunters fraternity!
Post by: Sneaky Squirrel on November 16, 2023, 07:54:27 AM
Post by: kramman on November 16, 2023, 10:30:13 AM
Post by: bearpaw on November 16, 2023, 03:40:23 PM
Post by: bearpaw on November 16, 2023, 04:09:27 PM
Post by: Skyvalhunter on November 16, 2023, 04:11:35 PM
Post by: bearpaw on November 18, 2023, 09:00:15 AM
Post by: Rainier10 on November 19, 2023, 06:32:25 AM
Post by: bearpaw on November 19, 2023, 08:48:28 AM
Amazing season so far. You say last deer hunter in Montana, what hunts do you have left before cougar season gets into full swing?Yeah, all our deer tags have been filled in Montana. We still have two guys hunting today in Colville, they both passed yearlings and are looking for branched bucks.
We have some bison hunters coming in Montana, a moose hunt in Idaho later this week but she says she is only going to shoot a really good bull or else she will pass so she can draw again in the future. We'll start cat hunting soon and we also have some cow elk hunts planned.
Hunts Still Available
5 deer tags available for late season archery whitetail in Idaho
17 cow elk hunts available in Utah (these recently became available)
Bison hunts in Montana (numerous dates available this winter)
Cougar hunts available in Idaho
Post by: bearpaw on November 19, 2023, 09:17:29 AM
Post by: Rainier10 on November 19, 2023, 09:29:16 AM
Post by: bearpaw on November 19, 2023, 10:14:29 AM
Are you guys hunting from a blind or spot and stalk for the late whitetail archery hunts?
Could hunt either way or a combination of the two is what I would recommend. Snow conditions could dictate the hunting method, if there is crunchy snow blinds might be the best option.
Post by: bearpaw on November 19, 2023, 10:21:21 AM
Post by: LDennis24 on November 19, 2023, 10:45:19 AM
Just taken by my son during our Northern Idaho muzzleloader deer season, this is an excellent hunt open for mule deer or whitetail that I wish we could get more hunters interested in doing.
Congratulations to your son! This sounds like a dream hunt! Would you say there are as many muzzleloader hunters in Idaho as Washington or less due to better opportunities during modern etc over there?
Post by: bearpaw on November 19, 2023, 10:51:12 AM
Post by: bearpaw on November 19, 2023, 10:53:39 AM
Just taken by my son during our Northern Idaho muzzleloader deer season, this is an excellent hunt open for mule deer or whitetail that I wish we could get more hunters interested in doing.
Congratulations to your son! This sounds like a dream hunt! Would you say there are as many muzzleloader hunters in Idaho as Washington or less due to better opportunities during modern etc over there?
I think there are fewer!
Post by: bearpaw on November 20, 2023, 05:58:52 AM
Post by: kellama2001 on December 04, 2023, 01:10:04 PM
Post by: bearpaw on December 04, 2023, 01:13:00 PM
What an incredible season! So fun to read all of the success stories and see all the smiling faces. Thanks for keeping this thread updated!
Thanks, the smiling faces is the best part! :tup:
Post by: Machias on December 11, 2023, 01:42:18 PM
Post by: bearpaw on December 12, 2023, 06:12:27 AM
Claude has lion hunted several times in the past. Last year he hooked up with us to try and find another nice tom. We passed several cats and we finally chased one big tom two days in a row, the cat was covering ground. In the afternoon of the second day the hounds finally treed the cat in a remote area but it got dark before we could get to the tree so we had to pull the hounds and leave the cat, and then Claude was out of time.
Claude hunted again this year, we were finding tracks every day and we had located numerous females and a couple Toms, the second bigger tom had worked an area that also had a female and kittens and tracks were everywhere, they probably crossed the roads in that area 25 to 30 times, I didn’t know which tracks were the freshest and figured we’d end up with kittens treed so we opted to wait until the next morning and hoped to find a new fresh track, unfortunately the cats must have made kills and never crossed a road again. I was disappointed but Zach had found a large tom track so I headed their direction.
I met them just before daylight, we loaded everything onto the snowmobiles and headed out to start the chase. We watched closely as we rode in case the cat had crossed again. We were within a mile of where Zach had found the tracks and suddenly there were fresh lion tracks where the lion had walked on Zach’s snowmobile trail, perfect, the tracks had to be no more than an hour old.
We found the fresh tracks leaving the road, I measured the tracks, 44" between footprints which confirmed this was the best tracks we've seen this year, we got the dogs out and led them to the tracks leaving the road, the dogs immediately exploded, we released them and the chase was on. It was a fast 20 minute chase straight up mountain and the hounds caught the lion near the top of the mountain. We rode the sleds in a different road to get closer, the snow was much deeper up there where we left the road to hike in, we slowly made our way through the groin deep snow towards the chorus of hounds. When we were getting closer to the top the snow wasn't nearly as deep and we started seeing deer, elk, and moose tracks, there were qute a few animals wintering up near the top of the mountain, no wonder the cat was headed into this area, the cats always know where to find the game.
We got to the tree, looked for a shooting lane for a clear shot, I tied the dogs back for their protection and Claude buried an arrow, the cat growled on his way down the tree and disappeared downhill in a flurry of falling snow, we couldn't even see him when he landed and took off down the hill, Zach and Claude followed quickly but only went about 50 yards, the cat was down but looked at them and growled again, then he expired. Zach radiod to me that the cat was dead, I could barely hear him on the radio over the frantically howling hounds. They took photos of the obvious P&Y sized cat and then I let the hounds go one at a time, they ran to where the cat was down and then I followed, I was surprised how close they were, I was expecting the cat to be a couple hundred yards down the mountain. After a little time shaking hands and reminiscing on the hunt I hooked a leash around the neck of the 150 to 160 pound cat and headed down the mountain with the big cat handily sliding behind in my tracks through the snow.
When I got to the snowmobiles I radiod back to Zach to turn the dogs loose one at a time, 15 seconds apart, as they come running to the sleds I boxed them up in the dog sled. Zach was only a few minutes behind the last dog, we got everything loaded and headed back to the trucks, it was truly a fantastic day on the mountain.
Post by: bearpaw on December 12, 2023, 06:13:05 AM
Post by: Machias on December 12, 2023, 08:04:23 AM
Post by: bearpaw on December 12, 2023, 08:56:58 AM
NICE lion!!!!! LOVE the story. Man I miss doing that soooo much!!!!!! Thanks for the write up, sure brought back a lot of memories!!
:tup: thanks Fred, yeah cat season is my favorite season, I bet you do really miss it
Post by: Rainier10 on December 12, 2023, 09:57:46 AM
Great write up, thanks for sharing.
Post by: snit on December 12, 2023, 11:01:49 AM
Yesterday William (80 years young) notched his tag and today his son Bill also from Pennsylvania scored on another nice Montana buck with Derek, congrats to both of them.
Man what I’d do to be able to go back and have one last hunt with my dad… Absolutely love this, we all need to keep in mind what is actually important in life and this is on top my list.
AWESOME photo display; thanks so much for posting! Honestly, it's the 1st time I've seen your "Season Scorecard", now I'll have to search the archives for your prior seasons. You should be very proud of your guides, clients, and landowners too (and obviously you and your wife's commitment) for producing such a fine experience!
I'm assuming most of us were introduced to the outdoors by our dad's, (but it doesn't matter who it was) rather it was someone who cared enough to share their time, along with their hobby/passion while teaching it to someone they cared about. I too would love to be able to share one more sunrise with "the old man", be it hunting or fishing. Luckily, my son will continue with these outdoor hobbies well after I'm gone.
Post by: bearpaw on December 13, 2023, 10:38:15 AM
Yesterday William (80 years young) notched his tag and today his son Bill also from Pennsylvania scored on another nice Montana buck with Derek, congrats to both of them.
Man what I’d do to be able to go back and have one last hunt with my dad… Absolutely love this, we all need to keep in mind what is actually important in life and this is on top my list.
AWESOME photo display; thanks so much for posting! Honestly, it's the 1st time I've seen your "Season Scorecard", now I'll have to search the archives for your prior seasons. You should be very proud of your guides, clients, and landowners too (and obviously you and your wife's commitment) for producing such a fine experience!
I'm assuming most of us were introduced to the outdoors by our dad's, (but it doesn't matter who it was) rather it was someone who cared enough to share their time, along with their hobby/passion while teaching it to someone they cared about. I too would love to be able to share one more sunrise with "the old man", be it hunting or fishing. Luckily, my son will continue with these outdoor hobbies well after I'm gone.
Yeah most were probably introduced by family members, but its surprsing how many hunters each year get ahold of me to go on their first hunt, its most often millenials or retired persons who never had anyone to teach them about hunting.
Post by: bearpaw on December 13, 2023, 10:39:03 AM
Nice cat!! And with a bow, love it.
Great write up, thanks for sharing.
:tup:
Post by: bearhunter99 on December 13, 2023, 12:59:44 PM
Post by: bearpaw on December 13, 2023, 02:16:02 PM
Some great animals! Thanks for sharing!Thanks, your welcome!
Post by: TeacherMan on December 13, 2023, 06:14:53 PM
More pics
That is a gorgeous tom… 🎃
Post by: Boss .300 winmag on December 13, 2023, 06:47:32 PM
I bought a snow machine a couple years ago this is the year I’m
ready to hit the roads, but the snow just isn’t here yet.🤯
Post by: bearpaw on January 03, 2024, 05:20:04 AM
Great cat , and write up. Congrats to Claude.
I bought a snow machine a couple years ago this is the year I’m
ready to hit the roads, but the snow just isn’t here yet.🤯
That’s a bummer, hopefully more snow this month.
Post by: bearpaw on January 03, 2024, 05:21:21 AM
Let the meat cutting begin!
Post by: Rainier10 on January 03, 2024, 07:58:53 AM
Post by: bearpaw on January 05, 2024, 03:27:56 PM
Please send my congratulations to both of them on the hunt and the marriage.
I'll tell them! :tup:
(Don't forget the little guy Finley, he is a real character, I call him Smiley and he knows that name too!) LOL
Post by: bearpaw on January 05, 2024, 03:28:43 PM
My wife and I went along just to watch, we had a blast. The place is about 1000 acres, so we found the main bison herd pretty quickly. We were after a particular nice sized cow with a red tag in her ear. We were on the herd for a while but it was cold, foggy, and couldn't get a clean shot so decided to go to town and have brunch and warm up a bit. After eating we came back and got on the herd again, this time there were more bison, others had joined up. Courtney was trying to be careful to not shoot the wrong animal or have a pass through and hit a second animal accidentally. Plus being her first hunt it's not like she could pull up and shoot in a split second when there were split second opportunities.
There was a big bull and wherever he went the whole herd followed. A couple times he took off running and we had to take the truck to a different part of the property to get on the herd again. Finally after a several hours she got a clear shot, she was close but missed the drop dead spot by a few inches and we had to play the waiting game again.
The herd took off again to the upper end of the property, this time we got close and then followed the herd on foot, Courtney finally was able to get the same cow down and we were able to get photos just as it was getting dark. We were after that cow for 7 hours trying to get fairly close and get a clear shot.
Sometimes you go out and the one you want is easy to get a shot at and it only takes a couple hours total and you are done, then other times it's tough to get a shot at the one you want. The guide for our bison hunts is one of the most patient guides and a heck of a nice guy, even though it was brutal for Courtney out in the winter weather for that long she had a fantastic time as did we all.
Courtney is getting a shoulder mount and they are going to make a rug out of the rear half of the hide. We split the carcass, the Evans family took half and the Denney family took half. We got about 200 pounds of meat from each half, it was a pretty good sized cow.
I went to my son's place which is only a couple hours from the bison ranch to cut up our half. I butchered, my son ran the grinder, my wife packaged all the steaks and burger and then we had some of our northern Idaho friends over and we all had bison burgers, bison t-bones, and some beef ribeyes, along with some berry fruit salad, homemade salmon chowder, and baked potatoes. We all ate way to much, LOL. But it was a grand time!
Post by: Twispriver on January 12, 2024, 01:50:46 PM
Post by: bearpaw on January 12, 2024, 04:51:00 PM
If you got any of the recent snow it should be getting good for chasing cats
Yes, snow was good to get, but wind has been a problem. Killed a cat Monday, was on tracks Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday morning that were going well until the cats went over the top of the ridge and the wind completely drifted in the tracks, then Thursday afternoon we treed another cat but it was too small, it was a different cat than the one we started chasing. Winds and snow were so extreme we took today off. Planning on hunting tomorrow if the storm lets off a little, but its going to be a cold day on the snowmobiles!
Will post another lion story from Monday when I get time, I've got another couple lion photos and stories to post too from before xmas, when I get time.
This is a bobcat my son got for himself a week or so ago.
Post by: bearpaw on February 26, 2024, 06:42:45 AM
Post by: bearpaw on February 26, 2024, 07:15:37 AM
On this particular morning I found where the cat came off a ridge it had been hunting and walked the road for a couple miles, then it left the road heading up onto another higher ridge, it had obviously made the tracks early right after dark most likely, the tracks were drifting pretty badly. The way the cat was moving I figured I would find it on the other side of the mountain so I headed around in hopes of finding fresher tracks.
I covered ground as fast as I could, I knew I had to get the dogs going on this track as soon as possible before it was completely drifted out. I found the tracks again crossing right at a pass going onto another ridge, the wind had the tracks almost completely filled in spots.
I had to check the next road to the south to make sure the cat had not crossed again, I made my way over there and no he hadn’t crossed so I buried the throttle on my skidoo heading back to the truck to get the dogs and Jason. I made good time, as soon as I got there I told Jason to get ready to ride, we have a track that we have to get back to as soon as possible.
I unloaded another sled for Jason and loaded dogs in the dog sled, by then Jason was ready and we were headed back to the freshest tracks. Upon arriving I was disappointed to see that some tracks were entirely filled with snow and completely gone. I was hiked leading the dogs a ways and found unfilled tracks under the trees, I turned Rip, Rio, and Carlos loose. In spots they were doing well and opening good, there’s nothing better than listening to hounds on a track!
Unfortunately the cat came back around to the open side of the mountain and the dogs made a huge lose, just as I was about to go try and help them they found tracks again and were opening on the track again. They lost it a few more times but after 15 minutes or so they would find tracks again and make more headway, but it was really touch and go on this chase.
After a few hours they made it all the way around that mountain side and headed toward the bottom of the canyon and moving faster now. I told Josh we need to get down there, I expected the cat was bedded in a patch of trees in the canyon. I had already been down that road earlier and the cat had not crossed. So we headed down there on the sleds.
Got a phone call will continue the story ASAP.
Post by: bearpaw on February 26, 2024, 07:48:48 AM
I hurried down the canyon to an intersection and then went up the other canyon, yep, sure enough there were fresh cat tracks crossing over the top of my earlier snowmobile tracks. I hurried back to Jason, upon arriving two of the dogs had figured it out and gone over the ridge toward where the fresh tracks crossed. It sounded like the third dog was headed that way too. I told Jason the cat had probably been laying under a tree and the dogs thought they had him in that tree, but he probably made a loop around them to confuse them and then headed out, we needed to get back to where he crossed the other road and make sure the dogs are all on it.
We headed back to the fresh tracks I had just found and the dogs had already crossed the road, we could hear them echoing loudly off the mountainside, they were in hot pursuit of smoking hot tracks now and making good time! They made it halfway up the mountain and it sounded like they stopped and were treeing again. We got rid of the heavy clothing and headed up the steep mountainside. We were closing the distance and finally got close enough to see and sure enough we had a nice lion up a big fir tree. The cat was hard to see well but we finally found a spot and the cat leaned forward and Jason had a good chest shot, he sent a perfectly placed bullet through the cat and it hit the ground dead, we got some nice photos, praised the dogs, and headed off the mountain, it was a great day to be a lion hunter from Pennsylvania!
Post by: Machias on February 26, 2024, 07:52:19 AM
Post by: teanawayslayer on February 26, 2024, 09:15:07 AM
Post by: Boss .300 winmag on February 26, 2024, 09:24:28 AM
Post by: RB on February 26, 2024, 01:20:43 PM
Post by: bearpaw on March 12, 2024, 09:26:15 AM
We are hoping that in the future we will be able to offer a combo wolf hunting/trapping adventure, by combining as many methods as possible we think we will be able to offer a reasonable opportunity at a wolf. Brian is trying to hone his wolf trapping skills, in anticipation of a hunting/trapping predator adventure in the hopefully near future.
Brian has gotten tips from some pretty successful wolf trappers. A couple weeks ago Brian put out a bait site and traps in an area he knows the wolves pass through. Basically wolf trapping is a waiting game, your sets just sit there with no chance of catching a wolf until they pass through again, sometimes that’s the next day, sometimes its a month or two before your trapping skills are even put to test. Obviously the more sets you have the higher your odds. In this case Brian opted to only put out one bait due to being so busy, you have to check traps every 72 hours so only having one site would keep it quick and easy.
Yesterday was trap check day, on the way into the sets he wasn’t seeing any fresh tracks, but when he got close the tracks of a large lone wolf came in from the left, the wolf missed his first two trap sets but as he approached the third set he saw that it held a large male wolf. There’s a pack that comes through that area too, so he reset everything in hopes that the pack comes through soon before he has to quit trapping for the season.
Post by: LDennis24 on March 12, 2024, 09:47:46 AM
Post by: bearpaw on March 12, 2024, 10:18:33 AM
Awesome! Nice job! My buddy out of Craigmont has done fairly well in his 2 primary locations but he said he still sees more and more tracks. Almost like he can't keep up with the population growth rate!
:yeah: It won't be long and more pups will be hitting the ground!
Post by: Machias on March 12, 2024, 10:34:55 AM
You guys are probably already aware but the F4WM is going to put on another 3 day Wolf Hunting/Trapping Rhondy this summer. WELL worth going!
Post by: bearpaw on March 12, 2024, 10:58:20 AM
WOHOOOOO!! Nice!
You guys are probably already aware but the F4WM is going to put on another 3 day Wolf Hunting/Trapping Rhondy this summer. WELL worth going!
Yeah, Brian knows a lot of the wolf trappers and we have a table at the Sandpoint banquet every year, we both wanted to go to the rondy last summer but we were too busy trying to get his new log home dried in for winter. We didn't get metal on the roof but tarps kept it dry and kept the snow sliding off. This year we have to try and get it liveable, he would like to move in asap, so not sure we will make it this year to the rondy, but we sure plan to start going one of these years as soon as we can.