John is off chasing elk in Wyoming.  But in the meantime, read about his buddy Kirk Edgerton who is an accomplished bowhunter.  He seems to make the best of a bad situation and is a successful hunter because of his tenacity and good conditioning.

Kirk is a fellow California bowhunter, P&Y and CBH Measurer.  He had a hard week in a Northern California wilderness on opening weekend.  Smoke, heat, and a full moon all compounded to foil his plans for a heavy pack out.  So when the last weekend in August came, Kirk made a quick hunt in the Sierra foothills. 

So here’s the scene; it’s 15 minutes till shooting time is over, there’s two bucks feeding under the oaks 150 yards away, no cover to stalk, and a doe staring at me from 70 yards. Bump her and the bucks are gone, move right and I’m out of cover to get around the doe and to the bucks, they’d see me for sure. So I head far left, careful not to spook the doe, checking the wind, which is now perfect, and as soon as I loose sight of the bucks under a small rise, I run to give myself enough legal shooting time to get an opportunity.

Nearing where the bucks where feeding and a slight rise hiding my approach, I came to full draw and crept forward. Antlers quickly appeared and the larger of the two bucks was already aware of my presence. I let down and quickly ranged the buck, 45 yards, I need two more steps to see his vitals.

It only took one step for the buck to know I wasn’t another deer coming in for a snack, so he bolted taking the other buck with’em. They ran to 95, stopped and just watched me from the fading shadows of a few large oaks. I knew I had one more chance, bump’em again, they’ll be too far to approach and I’ll be out of shooting light. So I kinda threw all conventional hunting wisdom out the window and got way aggressive on these bucks. I walked out into the open, so they’d see me, did my best not to look at them, and simply walked paralleling their position (I really think they thought i was just walking on and didn’t notice them). As I got farther away from’em (quartering away), I turned their direction, now quartering towards them. I pulled up my range finder, putting it in scan mode and ranged as I walked. At 64 yards, I slowed down and crept forward. The larger buck was in position for a shot, I anchored, relaxed, and touched the trigger.

He kicked high with his back legs and ran low to the ground out of sight to my left. I searched for my arrow and couldn’t find it or any blood……it was now getting dark and I headed to the truck to think about my next move. Not 100% sure of my shot, I figured waiting till morning would be best. After finding a bit of blood near a fence crossing, I eased foward, he didn’t make it too far once he hit the trees, bedded down, then was done.

He’s a solid forkie and has a small kicker on his left base, kinda tough to see in the photo, but it’s about an inch+ long. My first pacific hybrid buck, but I’m still suprised my ‘non conventional’ hunting tactic worked, sometimes ya gotta throw up a “Hail Mary” and make it happen.

After having a tough month of deer hunting, I’m sure Kirk really appreciated connecting on a nice freezer buck.  There is something to the saying that “Success breeds success”.  Once we know we can accomplish something, we approach all new challenges with confidence in our abilities.  Now when Kirk is on his next great bowhunting adventure (and he has a lot of them lined up), He can visualize that 64 yard shot and know he is capable of bowhunting accuracy.  In addition to being accurate, Kirk showed that he could improvise when he ran out of cover. 

John is Hunting elk in Wyoming.  But in the meantime, here is some bear news from the western part of Wyoming from the Wyoming Game and Fish. 

Bear conflicts rise along with temperatures

Associated Press

Published July 11, 2007 at midnight

JACKSON, Wyo. — Bear conflicts in northwest Wyoming’s Jackson Hole region have increased sharply this year, in part due to hot, dry weather that has forced the bruins to look for food at lower elevations, state Game and Fish biologists say.

Grand Teton National Park also reports an increase in bear incidents, including one in which the bear had to be killed after he broke into a kitchen at Jenny Lake.

While Jackson Hole saw 34 bear incidents during 2006, this year the region is poised to pass that threshold by mid-July, Wyoming Game and Fish bear biologist Leon Chartrand said.

Read the rest of this story from the Rocky Mountain News…

 

May 16, 2008
Bear activity is increasing in the valleys of northwest Wyoming and the potential for conflicts is “really high,” officials say.

On May 9, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department relocated a 400-pound male grizzly after it killed a cow calf on a ranch near Dubois. Game and Fish bear management officer Brian DeBolt said officials moved the bear to an area on the Shoshone River west of Cody.

Still, DeBolt said the season is off to a slow start in terms of actual conflicts despite the heavy snowpack and increasing bear activity in northwest Wyoming, including Jackson Hole.

Read more in the article in the Jackson Hole Wyoming news

john is off chasing elk in Wyoming.  Hopefully he can connect on a bull like Marc from Colorado did with a quick trip to New Mexico.

Despite stirking out after a moonth of Sheep hunting, Marc hit the Mountains of New Mexico with a landowner tag in a unit not known for an abundance of Elk.  Apparently his conditioning from chasing sheep around has made him into an Elk-Slaying machine.   Marc’s story was almost as quick as his hunt!

Got the call for a landowner tag last week. One day up and back, shot this bull opening morning at 7:00 home and back to hunting here in CO by dark. Fast hunt. Saw the bull on a ridge above me one soft cow call and he was at 50 yards in seconds. He took a step at my shot. I hit Liver. Had to leave him for a couple hours, but got him none the less. MMMM Good!
This area does not have many elk so I was just glad to get my meat. I drew a pretty good elk tag here in CO, so it will be more trophy minded. But really to me hunting has always been and will continue to be about the FREEZER!

John is in Wyoming chasing Elk.  But he thought that his readers might enjoy this new gear from Badlands.

Salt Lake City, Utah –The new Badlands Bino system is in a class of its own. The patent pending ZipNo™ technology uses a system of magnets sewn completely around all openings on the case, eliminating the need for zippers (and we know that zippers can be a hunter’s worse nightmare). Only the ZipNo™ closure, allows you to open and close the case with one hand and protect your glass from the unpredictable elements of the outdoors and the rugged activities of a hunter. The practically water tight seal allows your binos to be fully functional and protected, all without the use of zippers or buckles. Here are some of the other features the new Bino system has to offer.

-Built in 35 oz Hydration System on the harness
-Side straps allowing you to attach Range Finder, GPS, or Two Way Radio.
-Work station with pocks for all your game calls, maps or snacks
-Can be mounted to pack using the sternum strap
-Bow Hook, allowing you to use both hands for your glass and not having to set your bow on the ground
-OUR UNCONDITIONAL LIFETIME WARRANTY

Available from Badlands pack dealers including Sage Creek Outfitters. 

Those who’ve never heard an elk bugle often get confused and call authorities. A woman who lives in Mesa Del, a subdivision just northeast of Payson, called the Gila County Sheriff’s Office early Monday morning to report a fight, saying she heard a lot of screaming.

Read the News Story from Associated Press HERE

Well, we pull out for Wyoming for the 2008 Elk Season in the morning on the 22nd.  On the travel itinerary includes stops at:

•  Cabelas in Reno
• The Star hotel/restaurant in Elko NV.
• Sportsmans Warehouse in Twin Falls, Idaho

If all goes according to plan, we will buy our additional stamps and permits on the afternoon of the 23rd, and I’ll have a couple of days to archery hunt before the general season opens on the 26th.  We will be back there until we all tag out, or Oct 2nd.  Then it’s a race back to California for a cousin’s wedding. 

During that time I’ll have a few columns lined up to run, but for the most part, I’ll be out of touch.  With any luck, I’ll have some photos to share. 

A Cody bowhunter in search of an elk found a grizzly bear instead in a Sept. 12 mauling incident on the South Fork.

And Ron J. Leming, 37, attributes his father’s lifetime of bowhunting for saving his life.

“There are not many people who could stand their ground like that, especially with a bow and arrow,” Leming said Wednesday.

“I would have been mauled way worse, if not killed, if Dad hadn’t had the nerve to stand his ground and shoot that bear with his bow. There’s not many people who could have done that.”

Leming said his father’s shot with a compound bow severed a major artery in the bear and hit his heart. The bear then moved about 80 yards down hill after being shot before falling dead over a log.

Read the whole News Story in the Cody Enterprise

Ok, I’m really trying not to laugh…..But over the years I have enjoyed watching my friend Marc Smith, of Wild Country Outdoors, have success after success with archery equipment across the West. When he left with a bighorn sheep tag in his pocket I just KNEW he was gonna have another trophy. 

I didn’t expect him to tell us THIS story…

Mon Aug 25, 2008

Well,

I’ve been sheep hunting since Aug 2nd. Season ends tomorrow I’ll be up for one last outing. I have lost 22 pounds so far in the month of August. Bighorn sheep are the toughest animals I have ever hunted. It looks doubtful… but I am going to give it one more try.

Dude, I went through a [Wilderness Athlete]10 day extreme pack and halfway through my 5 day pack. I literally lived on WA on the sheep hunt. My clothes don’t even fit anymore. But I feel good… strong. Deer and elk here in CO are gonna suffer from the Hell the sheep have put me through.

“Hard Like Hanes” that’s my motto!  I ain’t gonna run no freakin Ultra but I will jog up a trail to cut off a big bull or Muley

Oh yea, I got tree’d by a big Cow Moose! Scariest thing I’ve ever encountered. I did not know she was in the willows. I was trying to snap pics of her calf and BAM! …She came flying out of the willows and ran me up a Spruce tree. Mean %^&*!!!! If I would have had my bear spray I would have hosed her down good! She stomped my bow and pack into the mud, I tore the crap out of my clothes and legs getting up that tree.

But Marc did not let that wildlife encounter deter him from his hunting this fall.  He took a break from the sheep hunt to pursue a Utah muley. 

Took a break from Sheep last week and headed over to Utah. I saw a ton of bucks, I passed up 41 4×4 bucks inside 40 yards the biggest was about 155 inches. I could not find anything big. I was feeling the pressure to get back to sheep hunting so I whacked a 23 inch wide 3×3.
I saw this buck and four other bed up at 10:30. I crawled out into the sage and got as close as I could before an unseen forky busted me. He jumped up and startled the other deer. “My” buck stood up and began to trott off. I whistled and he stopped to look back, 62 yard shot and he stumbled about 20 yards and piled up.

 Beautiful Shot Marc.  It just goes to show that perhaps the greatest thing we take away from a hunt where we don’t punch a tag is greater strength, both mental and physical.  Archery hunting for sheep is not an easy task by any means.  Your 22 pound drop in weight attests to the effort you put forth.  You certainly have my respect and admiration.

I have used Low impedance electric fences at home on the ranch along with high tensile wire to keep my stock contained since the 1980’s.  now that technology is being put to use in backcountry wilderness camps to keep marauding grizzlies out of outfitter camps. 

i first saw this at work near the Gros Ventre River in 2005 on my mule deer hunt.  As we set up camp, We put a 3 strand poly-wire fence around the camp and feed tent, to comply withthe Forest Service rules for operating in grizzley habitat.  In the last 3 years, we have had no bears test the fence.

Below is an excerpt from the Jackson Hole News in an article from September 10th, 2008

To fend off these roving omnivores, the guides lock human food and feed in 55-gallon steel drums with special locks, clean dinner dishes with bleach, and burn their trash.

Despite these precautions, the bear raids continue.

Soon Millward will have a little surprise for this ursine usurper: a flimsy, white mesh fence that encircles the campsite and is attached to a small solar panel. When the snout of an inquisitive bear pokes through the mesh, completing the circuit, he’ll get 7,000 volts across his nerve endings.

The electric barrier is part of a new Wyoming Game and Fish program to explore how well these fences perform under the rigors of an outfitter camp. Millward is one of four outfitters, two on the Bridger-Teton and two on the Shoshone, participating in the program.

Click on the link to read the Full News Story

Chad Robvold of Field Dress sent me this story about his cousin’s elk hunt.  I’m sure you will get a kick out of it as I did.

Every year my father, uncle, brother and I get together for a week of non-stop bowhunting in either Colorado, for elk, or North Dakota, for whitetail. This year is like no other, as everyone had a tough year financially and we decided we’ll have to wait until next year to get together. My uncle’s son, however, finally decided he would like to take up bowhunting and drew both elk and mule deer tags. In previous years, he would always join us in the woods, but he never had the passion for the actual “hunt”. He has been calling me every evening to not only rub it in, but mostly to get advice and tell me about the happenings. The story he told me the other night was one we’ll be telling around the campfire for years to come.

 

He scouted pretty well and had been seeing quite a few cows and a couple monster mule deer on a consistent basis. In the morning hunt, he glassed the area they’ve been in and the valley was alive with activity. The mule deer bucks, herd of cows, and a couple rag horned elk were out. A friend came up the night before and the two devised the route to take. They had radios, a perfect wind, and my cousin set out on his first true stalk.

He decided to go after the rag-horned elk, as they were preoccupied with each other in a morning scrap. It didn’t take him long to get within sixty yards. He feels extremely confident shooting within forty yards and as he stopped to figure out the plan, he heard the familiar “crack” to his left.

Now, the rest might be hard for some to believe, but let me tell you, the boy doesn’t have it in him to lie. He looked down the ridge and there was the grand-daddy bull elk standing forty-yards away through the pines. He set up just in front of a pine and some brush preparing for the shot. He couldn’t tell how big, but could see a mass of horns walking directly to him. As the bull came through the pines into clear view, he counted eight points on one side and as he described it, “horns going every direction” on the other. He also noticed the bull had a limp and realized one of his back legs had been shot off just above the knee. An eight by (?), three-legged monster bull elk on his first elk hunt.

The wind was perfect, blowing directly in his face and the adrenaline was kicking in as the bull kept walking to within twenty yards. Never offering a shot, the bull kept coming to ten yards. At fifteen-feet, the bull stopped to relieve himself and my cousin swore he felt the spray on his face. He absolutely had no idea what to do with a bull that close and continuing to get closer and closer. My cousin was slightly above him, as the bull had been walking up the ridge and fifteen-feet quickly became five-feet and then TWO-FEET.

My cousin closed his eyes to try and calm down and when he opened them all he saw were horns surrounding his body. The bull had put his head down to feed and had he turned his head would’ve hit my cousin for sure. Being an agile young man, he slowly contorted to draw his bow, never realizing if he actually would extend his arm he would hit the bull directly in the forehead with the end of his arrow. As the monster grand-daddy lifted his head, they met eyes and I’m sure they both “shat” themselves. I can’t imagine the feeling of looking into the eyes of such a majestic animal at that distance.

In a moment the three-legged eight-point grand-daddy monster bull was gone and my cousin was left standing to wonder what he could’ve done. To me, it doesn’t really matter. He might not ever get the biggest bull in our camp, but he’ll always be able to keep us captivated with the best elk hunt story ever told.