Lessons from the high hunt the good the bad and the ugly

[savagehunter]

Choosing a place to put your tent seems simple. Flat soft ground is in short supply in the mountains. A lot of personal preference goes into the decision. Back under cover is good because if there is precipitation the cover afforded will minimize you and your gear getting wet. That's what we went with the first seven years , but the last two we have moved to a more open spot with a vantage so if weather or fatigue keeps us from venturing forth we still have a vantage to glass and see animals. Close proximity to a water supply is very convenient. The dry year we ended up over a mile from a seep that we dug out. Getting water used up hunting time and energy.
Look out for camp hazards especially snags or widowmakers and having almost been killed by a rockslide it is a real hazard.
We run a golite 5 teepee with a bug nest that i picked up on Craigslist for 50 bucks. I like the bathtub style floor in the teepee .  Shelter is really a personal preference. Floor less tarps if set up correctly are as light as it gets . Bivys under a tarp appear to be perfect cover. A hammock with pad and tarp look like they would give a wonderfull nights sleep. I have not used any of these other types of shelters but have seen them in action alongong with wall tents dome tents old school pup tents etc. I prefer to be able to have all our gear enclosed in an area that me and my son occupy at night and crack each other up with jokes or reminisce about the days events. I will say you must trust your partners digestive system as you will share in any gas that is found to abide in your cohabitated space.  Last year my son chased us both into a pouring rainstorm gagging and reaching; TWICE. He claimed the tuna was old i think he was eating roadkill.

[savagehunter]

beauty and the beast. The young kid is darrick my son the old one is me.

[Alchase]

Enjoying this read, thank you

[savagehunter]

Very cool thank you 30 years ago my brother was stationed at tinker AFB. I had the pleasure of driving him from Oregon to Oklahoma but thats another story lol. My middle son is a student at Oklahoma city university so he's kind of your neighbor. He's there on a rowing scholarship.

[Alchase]

Very cool thank you 30 years ago my brother was stationed at tinker AFB. I had the pleasure of driving him from Oregon to Oklahoma but thats another story lol. My middle son is a student at Oklahoma city university so he's kind of your neighbor. He's there on a rowing scholarship.

 

The wife and I want to make the drive from OKC to Washington one of these days and make it a sightseeing vacation. There are a ton of cool places to visit, once you get out of Oklahoma, 

[savagehunter]

We were two days early and the weather was grand so setting up camp was a leisurely experiance this year. Tent set up on a ground cloth to protect our shelter investment. We set about having a nice hot meal . Food on a backcountry hunt can be as simple as a nice hot mountain house for dinner or as boring as energy bars Neverending. Variety is the spice of life and eating well will help you keep a positive mindset and your eye on the prize. We have brought in eggs in a waterbottle pregrilled ribeye steaks and other weighty tidbits that put a smile on our bellies. The last three years we have focused it down a bit to one hot meal a day at dinner.
We are not super ounce counters so also have a summer sausage a chunk of cheese numerous meat sticks dried fruit nuts and a variety of bars. We also bring some powdered coffee this year the Starbucks but really any hot drink even cocoa is a real treat to get you out into the early morning darkness which can be a real challenge. Calorie counting and protein tracking is pretty popular in this endeavor. The most important thing I have found is to have enough but not too much.

[de0827]

This is a great read!  This was the first year for my son and I - definitely a learning experience!

[savagehunter]

As an aside am not covering some very important elements at this time. Things such as finding a place to hunt how to hunt choosing your high country equipment etc. I will be  writing sections involving all of that, but for now I want to get out the story of this year's hunt. Being the most harrowing and by far the most exciting I believe it is important to start where we ended. Thanks for following and please we are in no way experts. If you have advice, comments or stories of your own feel welcome to add them at any time.

[Brushcrawler]

Just got back from the mountains myself and enjoying your story!

[greenhead_killer]

enjoying this! keep it coming!

[Buckhunter24]

Tag for later

[savagehunter]

Monday morning came not to early as Tuesday was opening day. We rolled out of the tent at 830 am . I always get my gear on pretty quick and am the first out of the tent. I'm old and so is my bladder is how that really reads. Speaking of morning business there is a lack of clothing available to change your unmentionables out every day. This is why toilet paper is referred to as mountain money. If t.p. is mountain money then  diaper wipes are high country diamonds. They will keep you fresh and clean and keep you from walking funny from the dreaded mud bottom.
Coffee water was on first thing and I felt like a million bucks. Before it boiled I already had my spotting scope set up binoculars strapped on and glassing the closer meadows. My son handed me a hot cup as  I spotted a couple of does feeding the edge of the buck brush about 800 yards out.
The smoke was thick and made the details of the first mule deer I had seen since last year very important. They seemed darker and more brown than last year. Each animal you see makes the seeing job easier. The way they move ,the small details of ears tails and light butts. I sipped my coffee and took a deep breath of smoke filled air. I turned my attention to my spotting scope and those pockets and edges that have yielded in the past a welcome sight of my chosen prey.
Immediately my eyes are greeted by something i had never seen unless a gunshot was involved ; two does running pel mel across the meadow. I remarked to my son " I wonder what would make those deer run like that ?"  I looked back into the eyepiece just in time to see a tall 3x2 bust from the brush also at full speed across the hillside. I scanned in the direction they had come from searching for the cause of their distress. 400 yards back the obvious cause was revealed and i exclaimed " there he is !". My sons inquiry of " a big buck ?"  Led to my excited response of " NO A BEAR. A REALLY BIG BEAR"

[mburrows]

Tagging along. Awesome thread so far

[idaho guy]

  Good read so far!

[Bushcraft]

Tease...keep it up Savagehunter.