I thought I'd share some stories and photos from my 12 year old son's first western bowhunt.
Part 1 - preparation and getting there:
Daniel has been hunting for several years now, and always eagerly welcomed me back from my annual western bowhunts. He couldn't wait for his turn to join me at age 12, and I promised to take him this year if he did well in school, helped me on our small farm, and shot his bow enough to be accurate at 10 yards. He did all three, but the last requirement was the most fun....
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y26/SCJeff/west%2007/P1010198.jpg)
In 2005, instead of hunting in the west, I took my family on a 3 week tour of South Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, Idaho and Colorado. I snuck my bow, camo clothes and boots along and managed to get in a very brief antelope bowhunt in the Pawnee Grasslands of Colorado at the very end of the trip, when my wife and girls were tired and happy to spend a day or two at a motel with a pool. Daniel and I had a great time, and I could tell that soon he would be a great bowhunting partner......
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y26/SCJeff/CO%20Vacation/100_9507.jpg)
We applied this spring in Wyoming together for elk but failed to draw, so we next applied in Montana for the combo elk/deer tag. Colorado was my third choice, and I knew I would be bowhunting sheep and deer there this fall. We wanted to hunt where there were lots of animals, few or no grizzlies, and few other hunters! We were lucky enough to draw the Montana elk and deer tags and the planning began. These tags are nice because one could hunt both the archery and gun seasons - I gave Daniel the choice knowing that a kill was more likely for him with a gun, but was pleased that he chose to bow hunt. The combo tag provides fishing and small game licenses too. We decided to bowhunt elk in the mountains of SW Montana, where I had hunted last year on the advice of 2 friends - Ernie McKenzie (Hornseeker) and Bill Allard (BB), because that area met the 3 wishes. I have always wanted to try the Block Management areas, so we decided to try such areas in SE Montana on the way home for deer.
:campfire:
Good start
:campfire: :coffee: can't wait to hear the rest
This is good stuff. :thumbsup:
I had left my truck loaded with gear in Denver and the end of my first bowhunt, so we flew back to Denver together - Daniel's first flight. We stayed with friend Jeff Davis that night, and left early the next morning for Wyoming and the moose camp of Bill Allard. We had 10 days available and I suppose we should have gone straight to our hunting area in Montana, but my friend was moose hunting in a part of Wyoming that I want to hunt in the next year or two, and I had never spend any time with Bill in the field. By the time we arrived in western Wyoming, Daniel's neck was sore from turning and looking at all the antelope....
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y26/SCJeff/west%2007/P1010201.jpg)
Bill had seen and passed up numerous small bulls, and we hunted another such bull that evening close to camp, but it ended up walking by closer to Daniel and me than Bill. It was fun visiting with my friend, his son and another friend. The next morning we had breakfast with yet another friend, this time in Pinedale. Isn't it amazing all the antlers on display in Wyoming and Montana?
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y26/SCJeff/west%2007/P1010210.jpg)
Then we drove through the Grand Tetons, where we saw some beautiful scenery and animals like these sheep....
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y26/SCJeff/west%2007/P1010216.jpg)
and these deer...
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y26/SCJeff/west%2007/P1010221.jpg)
Next on tap was Yellowstone where this elk posed for us - I was hoping a cow would do this 10 yards from Daniel in Montana....
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y26/SCJeff/west%2007/P1010240.jpg)
These bison had just come out of the river...
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y26/SCJeff/west%2007/P1010248.jpg)
Leaving Yellowstone, the temperature dropped and snow began to fall. We were tired of driving and ready to hunt. In some areas the aspen leaves were falling....
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y26/SCJeff/west%2007/P1010250.jpg)
We finally found the forest service road and struggled up the hill as the rain turned to snow. We arrived at the end of the road and were happy to find no other hunters, on a Saturday no less! Time to hunt.....
Y-O-Y did I leave Wyoming?
That Buffalo pic is cool! :)
Not sure if I should read this or not Jeff. May be be more fun to hear the stories in person over Skyline Chili Saturday night :bigsmyl:
Better close you eyes, Mickey! HH, as beautiful as Wyoming is, even my son commented "how do you make a living here?". Gotta pay the bills and I would have a hard time doing so if I moved there. We probably took an extra 1/2 day going through the national parks, but it was worth it because there weren't many people and Daniel loved seeing the animals.
Part 2 - hunting the mountain tops:
We were located on top of a mountain range that wasn't easy to reach, which helped explain the lack of other hunters. There were basically 2 large drainages that met and flowed north into a foothill area, thousands of feet lower. Last year I found elk in the east drainage, pretty close to the end of the road. I planned to bivy camp close to the elk and hunt for 4-5 days if the elk cooperated. I hadn't seen but a few deer last year and wasn't expecting much deer action, but we were pleasantly surprised to see some deer up high. Grizzlies are a problem in western Montana and we weren't too far from Bozeman and Gardner, where several bowhunters were attacked this fall. Every time we stopped for gas or food, we were warned "be careful with the bears". Both of us carried bear spray, but I left my pea-shooter pistol in the truck.
Since we only had several hour remaining, we loaded our packs, shot a few practice arrows and hiked up to a high point on the east ridge. It was snowing lightly and visibility was very limited, but we heard one bull bugling at the bottom of the east drainage. Returning to the truck in the dark, we knew where to head in the morning. Sleep did not com easy for me that night - we were finally bowhunting elk, my favorite animal.
Daniel usually isn't very easy to wake up, but he was up before the alarm. After a hot breakfast of grits and oatmeal, we were back up on the east ridge as dawn broke and the view was nice....
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y26/SCJeff/west%2007/P1010251.jpg)
It didn't take long to spot a cow moose down in the willows, and 2 herds of 20+ elk way off on the far slope, about 3 miles away by foot...
I was hoping for some closer elk but got no responses to my calls. Later we would find out why those elk were pushed so far back.....
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y26/SCJeff/west%2007/P1010256.jpg)
It took several hours to work our way to the elk. It was now September 30 and I didn't see a lot of rutting activity - mostly feeding with one herd bull in each group and several satellite bulls on the perimeter. As we drew near we could hear the bugling, and bumped into 2 smaller satellite bulls in the pines before reaching the open slopes. I saw 2 BIG bulls way up at the head of the drainage, but by now I was doubting that we could pack out one elk only 3 miles from the truck - adding another mile or two to the pack was out of the question, as Daniel was struggling a little in the snow, mud and pack. We searched without luck for the closer group, then headed for the second group which had moved into some thin pines and aspens. I spotted the herd bull sleeping near his cows and decided to stalk in silently for a shot, but swirling winds ruined that plan and they thundered off. Soon we found some cows and calves in the open so Daniel began his first stalk - he got to about 100 yards and ran out of cover, so he set up and began cow calling. This got the attention of a nice 5x5 bull who began bugling and raking a tree. Just when it looked like he was coming to collect this wayward cow, some mulie does spooked from Daniel to the elk and the spell was broken. Daniel was very excited! By now it was only 2 hours from dark and we had a 3 mile uphill hike bvack to the truck, so we headed out. Twice we had small mulie bucks within 30-40 yards but small mistakes spooked thise deer . We arrived at the truck tired, wet and hungry - a fun day!
Come on Jeff, type faster!
The weather is always a factor up high and I listened to the forecast cloesly as we ate chile for dinner (not Skyline but still OK). Tomorrow's forecast was for 60 degrees and sunny. In the morning the sky was clear so we decided to rest the east drainage (since we had spooked almost every animal we saw there) and look for elk in the west drainage, then decide where to set up our bivy camp. I figured we could cover that area in 1/2 day, set up a camp using our game cart to haul in the camping and hunting gear, and still get in an evening hunt. Daniel was a little sore from yesterday's 10 miles, so we took it easy. Soon we found a grouse and Daniel was eager for his first archery kill.....
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y26/SCJeff/west%2007/P1010262.jpg)
Two shots later and the grouse decided to find a better place to hang out. We were careful to line up the arrow with a good backstop before the shot....
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y26/SCJeff/west%2007/P1010259.jpg)
There wasn't any elk activity by noon so we ate a hot lunch....
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y26/SCJeff/west%2007/P1010264.jpg)
The winds had been picking up and soon the snow began, with several intense squalls. We had dressed lightly but luckily I had rain gear in the packs. Still, this fire was much appreciated...
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y26/SCJeff/west%2007/P1010266.jpg)
Turns out there was one elk in the area. As in the day prior, we would set up and call when we reached a good looking area. After 10 minutes, we relaxed and started the fire. An hour later, the tracks in the snow told the story - a bukll had come in silently until he winded us and spooked. We should have been more careful - elk really do remind me of turkeys!
It was another long walk back to the truck, at least 10 miles total that day, and we again bumped into some feeding deer that were close but not close enough! That night it blowed and snowed pretty hard - glad we weren't in a tent....
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y26/SCJeff/west%2007/P1010267.jpg)
sounds awesome so far :campfire:
That night spagetti was on the menu and we tried another radio station for the forecast - a big storm was moving in and up to a foot was possible in the high country. Now I began to worry about getting snowed in. In the morning, 2 things happened that made us decide to head lower.
I was up before daylight, listening to a bull bugle in the distance and thinking over our options. I was thinking we'd go after that bull at daylight, since he was close to the truck, until it got light and I saw these tracks close to the truck....
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y26/SCJeff/west%2007/P1010273.jpg)
Wolves! I'd much rather see them than grizzly tracks, I guess. We had seen wolf tracks the previous day in the west drainage and I assumed they were the reason the elk were not there. We also saw a lion track in the mud - no doubt there were other elk hunters besides us there! Several experienced elk hunters had advised me - if you hear or see wolves in your area, move out and find another area.
Soon we heard a truck coming up the road and saw 2 cowboys looking for lost cattle. Turns out we had seen those cattle on the first day so we traded info with these 2 guys. They were not surprised at all about the wolves, telling several interesting stories about them as well as mountain lions and bears. I asked if they would pack out an elk for us if we got lucky - they agreed but made it clear the 20 cattle were their priority and there would be no elk packing until the cattle were back on the ranch, especially with the big storm approaching. They told me of a way to get into the east drainage from the foothills in the north, so the decision was made - pull out of the mountain tops and come back in from the foothills. Off we went, slipping and sliding down the mountain trail. On the way, we saw more cowbows moving their cattle from the high country ranges into the lower pastures...
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y26/SCJeff/west%2007/P1010277.jpg)
It was good to see some real cowboys for a change. Lots of fake/city cowboys where I live, kinda funny to see. Anyway, this old boy seemed to enjoy the snow...
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y26/SCJeff/west%2007/P1010287.jpg)
The last 2 photos have nothing to do with hunting, but we were enjoying the whole experience. Daniel had not complained one bit and was a real trooper - we enjoyed each other's company the entire trip. We somehow got a Denver radio station several nights and enjoyed some playoff baseball (I even like the Rockies now!) and had some good father-son talks.
More to follow tomorrow.....
awesome story and great pics :0)
very cool pics Jeff. Beautiful places. RC
Great story and pictures too.... :thumbsup:
Great story and pictures, thanks for sharing
Well told and looking forward to more.
Wow! Great story and pics! What a great opportunity for both of you to be able to share a trip like this. I don't care how much money a guy might have - he couldn't buy a trip as good as yours. I'm sure you both will carry the memories made out there with you for the rest of your lives.
Now, carry on with the story please! :pray:
Wow...awesome Jeff. I cant wait till my daughters are old enough to go on a trip like that!
I also cant wait till I actually get to meet you up on that hill!
Congrats on a fine trip!
Ernie
Good pics and story Jeff. I looking forward to the day my little guy goes to the woods with me.
Wow.Cool pics and story.Hope you both get an animal..My sons are old enough to hunt, I am not. :knothead: :knothead: :knothead: Just a little more time and we're gonna be stateside and be able to enjoy the great outdoors you guys have over there. :thumbsup:
Gil
Great story and pics! Awesome to be able to hunt with your son.
Sounds so far like a great adventure, and one that may go on and on for the both of you. Here's hoping you will have as much fun as I've been lucky enough to have with my two boys. Great pics too!
That looks a LOT more fun than sheep hunting ;) .
I have a feeling your son knows how lucky he is...
I hope to do something very similar in a few years.
Looking forward to watching the rest of the story unfold.
Your boy might as well pack everything up for the rest of his life. He will never top that adventure. He's done it all. He's ruined in a very healthy way.
Good for him.
WOW Jeff....That photo with Daniel at "The Midway Mall" is bout 30 min. from the house :wavey:
Next time yer that close give a BELLAR :thumbsup:
Man to cool, makes me wish i was 12 again and you were my dad
Epic adventure no doubt! Through the eyes of a 12 year old young man there will never be a bigger adventure. It will never be forgotten. Good stuff! CK
Thanks everybody and sorry for the typos.
Vance, I wish I had known that I passed by so close. I had breakfast in Pinedale with my friend Dave Klein, who introducted me to highcountry backpack hunting up in the Bridger Wilderness. I'll always owe him for that.
As a kid I couldn't wait until age 12 so I could hunt rabbits in PA. My dad wasn't much of a hunter, more of a workaholic. Daniel is luckier than many kids his age, I guess, to be able to go on such hunts with me. Life is too short - I believe in experiencing "once in a lifetime bowhunting adventures" every year! I hope to provide as many such opportunities to him (and his sisters if they wish) before they grow up and leave the nest, which isn't that far away......
Part 3 - hunting the foothills:
Eventually we were on the north side of the mountain range that contained the east drainage and the elk, but actually getting back in was more of a challenge that expected....
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y26/SCJeff/west%2007/P1010313.jpg)
The topo map showed an old road following the creek upstream to our destination, but a posted ranch block the easy access, and going around would be pretty difficult. This lower part is wilderness so we couldn't use our game cart. I like hunting difficult access areas because there are usually more animals and less hunters, but this would be a little too much for us this time. We drove around some and talked with another trad bowhunter, who gave some tips on where he had seen some elk and deer nearby.
We hunted the aspens in the foothills, and saw some mulie does that afternoon, but couldn't get closer than 30 yards....
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y26/SCJeff/west%2007/P1010297.jpg)
My son got to witness one of my classic misses before dark. We came upon a sleeping red fox and I acted too quickly, drawing and shooting my arrow before I had time to think about letting Daniel have the shot. The arrow flashed over the 7 yards and lodged into the ground, under the fox's chest. His reaction? He woke, yawned, sniffed the fletching of my arrow, and stood up to stretch. I completed my meltdown by sending a second arrow into a nearby tree. I turned around and Daniel said "How in the world did you miss that 5 yard shot?" I explained that I was using my 5 yard pin and the additional distance, plus the brisk wind, had caused the miss! He proceded to kick me in the pants, a tradition started by PA-Bones who has witnessed even more spectacular misses....
The next day were were back in the same area.
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y26/SCJeff/west%2007/P1010298.jpg)
I noticed that the pine beetles were taking their toll on these old pines...
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y26/SCJeff/west%2007/P1010301.jpg)
We spotted 2 small mulie bucks and closed the distance to about 50 yards and it was Daniel's turn for a shot, but we lost them. Later we did see these antelope and Daniel enjoyed watching the small buck keep his does in check....
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y26/SCJeff/west%2007/P1010305.jpg)
The only elk we saw was this one, which had died of unknown causes....
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y26/SCJeff/west%2007/P1010302.jpg)
We reported the exact location to the area biologist, hoping she would examine the carcass and possible sample for CWD. She said that there were no CWD cases in the area so hopefully it died of other causes. We heard some strange noises nearby, which seemed like a bull and cow moose in love, but we didn't want any encounters with bears so we scooted out of those woods rather quickly.....
By now we had only several days left and decided to head for SE Montana, with a little flyfishing on the way. We did see this owl out in the day, an unusual sight for us....
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y26/SCJeff/west%2007/P1010310.jpg)
We also watched a small bull moose chase a cow moose around a willow bottom, but couldn't get any photos. Unfortunately our elk hunting was now over, with only 1 good day of action, but we hoped the deer would cooperate a little more before we had to make that LONG drive home.
Part 4 to come later........
To be a world class Dad and hunting mentor and then a world class hunter in that order....reminds me of a line from an old Haggard song
"I live the kind of life that most men only dream of"
Good on you, keep it coming!
Jeff, that was a great gray owl, the largest owl in north america. Birders will travel hundreds, even thousands of miles for the chance to see a great gray. It's the "bighorn sheep tag" of birding.
This is a wonderful thread. It's like an illustrated instruction manual for how to raise a great kid. Keep going, please! :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Those 3 pictures of your son glassing and you bugling says more then any words could as to what type of Father you are and the "Family" you have.
Congrats.
Wonderful adventure. Your son will remember it for the rest of his life. I'm 53 now and still vividly remember my first rabbit hunt with my hunting uncle at age 11! I'm in NW Montana. Next time you draw, stop by. I might be able to show you a location or 2 with some elk.
Jon
Very cool story Jeff!!! Keep the story and pics coming!!!
Just got caught up on this thread Jeff, what a wonderful experience this must have been for both of you.......for those that don't know Jeff, I can tell you from experience that Daniel had to have been a happy but tired young man at the end of each day, Jeff doesn't know many boundaries when it comes to finding animals, he's not kidding when he says he likes to get back into wilderness areas where not many other hunters go.
I'm looking forward to the rest of your adventure Jeff......
David
:thumbsup:
Knife river, we decided to begin carrying a field guide to birds from now on, so we can identify these creatures.
Dave is right, I am always wondering what is over that next hill and willing to find out. I had to constantly check myself and hold back a little. After 2 consecutive 10-mile days up in the mountains, Daniel had a blister and was tired, so moving to easier country made sense. Someday soon, it will be me lagging behind and him waiting for me to catch up. After a while, my answer to the question "Dad, how much further?" became our little joke, when I'd say "just over that hill".....
Part 4 - Yellowstone river country:
On the way to our first motel room of the trip in Bozeman, we stopped briefly and fished the Gallatin river....
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y26/SCJeff/west%2007/P1010324.jpg)
We are both new to flyfishing and didn't practice much before this trip, so it wasn't surprising that we caught nothing. It was raining and snowing, so we were thinking more about a hot shower and soft bed, than trout.
Waking up refreshed and having a nice big breakfast, we knew that we were down to our last 2 days of adventure. A new friend Larry, who lives in Alaska but owns some land near Great Falls, gave us permission to hunt there. In hindsight I wish we would have gone there (200 acres of private land with some cottonwoods and a house to sleep in - what was I thinking???), but I wanted to check the quality of the block management land in region 7 for both deer and antelope, mostly for a future hunt. We hit the interstate until the Yellowstone river came into view and decided to try flyfishing the section from Livingston to Billings. Not long ago there was a "traditional destinations" article in TBM (by Mark Baker, I think) that highlighted the excellent fishing and hunting in this area. We weren't successful in hooking any of the rising trout we saw.....
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y26/SCJeff/west%2007/P1010331.jpg)
but seeing deer and antelope was quite easy....
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y26/SCJeff/west%2007/P1010327.jpg)
There were countless deer and antelope in the alfalfa fields in the river bottom. Most bucks were small....
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y26/SCJeff/west%2007/P1010335.jpg)
The bigger bucks were probably up in hills like these...
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y26/SCJeff/west%2007/P1010334.jpg)
These deer were "eye candy" because we couldn't hunt them, but they made the drive very interesting. We couldn't wait to get to the Powder River area!
A definite thread for the highlights!
Great stuff, for sure. Not enjoying it quite as much as you and your Son probably - but I bet it's a lot easier on me than it was on him - :D
This one leaves me almost speechless Jeff..... :notworthy: :clapper:
Your son is very lucky to have you as his dad.
Gil
Oh, that is one of the best father/child stories I have read! That photo of your son glassing and the snow all around is absolutely awesome.
I cannot wait until my daughter is old enough to do something like that.
Mike
Part 5 - plains deer hunting:
It was interesting seeing the differences in various parts of Montana, and driving through several indian reservations and towns sparked some discussions on american history. That reminds me - somehow Daniel had "forgotten" his homework that the school provided for this trip. Luckily for him he has resourceful parents and mom mailed the package to a place near Bozeman, where we picked it up and Daniel completed it by the time we arrived at home. I told him "nice try".
The plains of SE Montana are pretty dry....
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y26/SCJeff/west%2007/P1010339.jpg)
We didn't see a lot of animals near the indian reservations, and the first type 1 block management area didn't look good - no animals seen and evidence of lots of use by locals. The type 1 areas require only that the hunter sign in each day...
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y26/SCJeff/west%2007/P1010340.jpg)
While the type 2 areas require actual reservations with the land owners and other restrictions - we learned that thise were better areas but couldn't reach any of the local landowners on short notice. We ended up hunting 2 type 1 ranches that had very limited creek bottoms, which is where the few animals were located. However, there were dozens upon dozens of deer visible in the alfalfa fields along the Powder River, both whitetails and mulies...
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y26/SCJeff/west%2007/P1010352.jpg)
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y26/SCJeff/west%2007/P1010348.jpg)
Notice anything unusual about the mulie bucks? Elsewhere in Montana and Wyoming the mulie bucks had the classical forked G-2 tines, little or no brow tines, tall racks, etc. Here we were seeing mulie bodies and whitetail racks! There seems to be a whitetail somewhere in that bigger mulie's family tree....
Anyway, the next ranch had some deer visible but we were running out of time so we drove through it and to the final ranch for a quick driveby right before dark. The later ranch was larger and seemed better, so we found some nearby BLM land for our final night of sleeping in the truck. The wind was ripping so putting out the tent wasn't a good idea. By now, sleeping in the truck was quite familiar. I did manage to cook a pretty good meal before dark....
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y26/SCJeff/west%2007/P1010346.jpg)
So, this was it. Tomorrow was our last day of hunting. Looking at the map, I regretted not making reservations down on the better ranches with the cottomwood bottoms and alfalfa fields.
Great stuff Jeff. Man what an experience for Daniel. You sure he's gonna be happy hunting Noblis's farm after this?
Knife River beat me to it on the Great Gray. Very large, very rare, northern owl. You are lucky to have seen one. Dianne and I have only seen one and that was in Saskatchewan a number of years ago.
its great you and your son can do things like this together. maybe when my son gets old enough he'll want to take up hunting.
What can I say, just an awesome story :clapper: Thanks for sharing it with us.
Bill
Jeff,
You are doing good!! Also, you go fishing on the Gallatin River ten miles from my house (ya, I know right where you were fishing), then drive by within two hundred yards of the house and didn't stop in for coffee and hot chocolate. Next time you are on the Gallatin stop in and I will show you and Daniel some of the good local fishing holes. I think Daniel will remember this trip more then any other for the rest of is life. Some of the best times I had with my dad were the fly-fishing trips he took me/us on when I/we was growing up. He rarely hunted but had a passion for fly-fishing like I have for traditional bowhunting.
Mick,
Guess I am blessed and didn't know it; I have had a great gray land next to one of my whitetail stands (10-15 feet) three time this year. I heard it hooting last night but didn't see it while on a nearby stand. I never realized they were a rare sighting but would guess I have seen about 8-10 others over the previous dozen years.
Yep Mickey, the Nobis farm is still special to Daniel because that is where he learned to hunt, and we know that it will soon be a golf course with $500,000 houses. Plus there are still some great whitetails there and we have a good chance of filling some tags.
OK, the grand finale. The red sunrise seemed to match the forecast - rain by the end of the day...
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y26/SCJeff/west%2007/P1010341.jpg)
This ranch was about 30,000 acres and we headed to the most remote pertion on the dirt road, where the map indicated some ponds and creeks were located. On the way we encountered several large sage grouse and I thought for sure one would end up in the pot for dinner....
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y26/SCJeff/west%2007/P1010342.jpg)
but they ran or flushed wildly before we could get any shots. It was 7 miles to the back of the ranch, but only antelope were seen. I am thankful that ranchers like these trust strangers like us on their property and around their livestock - each of these cattle are worth more than $1000....
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y26/SCJeff/west%2007/P1010344.jpg)
We found another part of the ranch with some mulie does bedded in a creek bottom but my stalk ended with swirling winds. Driving out, we saw a small buck and doe bedded close to the ranch in a very stalkable position, but agreed that we shouldn't chance having a wounded deer running through the yard. We saw some more does on some BLM land on the way to the other large ranch, but Daniel's stalk was blown by some cattle that busted right past the deer, taking them out of that area. We spent several more fruitless hours at the other ranch, but couldn't find any deer. Dry and dusty away from the creeks and rivers...
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y26/SCJeff/west%2007/P1010353.jpg)
With only a few hours left, I pulled out the map one more time and finally located a section of state land in the Powder River bottom that I could access through some BLM land - often these 1 mile square sections are landlocked with no legal access, but here was our last chance. We shot a few final practice arrows...
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y26/SCJeff/west%2007/P1010354.jpg)
and headed in. The wind was unsteady ahead of the gathering storm and I decided that a push through this cottonwood bottom to Daniel would be best, positioning him on the river's edge and circling upwind. The herd of cattle spooking ahead of me didn't help much, as I saw some mulies running out the wrong way, but eventually I jumped some deer and sent them Daniel's way. I hoped that they would provide a close, standing shot......instead the whitetail buck and several does busted past Daniel and launched into the river. Daniel used good judgement and simply watched the show - good boy! As for me, I spotted the tips of a deer's ears in the thicker brush as it watched me walk past at 20 yards and prepared to shoot. I came to an opening, aimed and released - this mulie doe was quite alert because it ducked my arrow easily and bounded away. Except for that fox and grouse, we never really had any good, close shots at relaxed animals on this trip.
It was almost dark when we finally got back to the truck, but a local ranch kid was there on his motorcycle to talk with us and see what we were doing. He was very friendly and even invited us to hunt this dad's ranch right next to the public land - if only we had more time or had met him the previous days! Oh well, they say timing is everything and it was time to head home! We spend that night in a motel in town due to the heavy thunderstorms, and spent the next 2 full days driving home to NC. We did stop in Iowa for a layover with friend Jim McInteer, but our backsides were numb when we finally pulled into our driveway.
I hope you enjoyed the story and photos; maybe they gave you some ideas for a similar adventure. It has been several days now since getting home - Daniel and I are tired of work and school so it is time to pack up the truck again and head for Ohio and those big whitetails. Good hunting!
Jeff: What a great trip, story and adventure with
your son! Ya done good, congratulations.
It reminded me of my son and all the hunts we did
together when he was young and still at home.
We have wonderful memories too that will last
forever, and so will you. Keep it up dad.
Olebow
Hey Jeff,
Great adventure! Thanks for sharing. Hal
Well told. I look forward to those times with my kids. Hopefully one or more of them will have the passion to hunt that I do. Thanks for sharing.
:campfire: :archer:
Doesn't get any better!
Thanks Jeff...see you and Daniel Saturday night
Jeff,
Great job on the story/pictures. Daniel will probably get a sore foot from booting you in the butt over the coming years. Thanks for sharing your hunt.
Bill
Keep it coming Jeff!
Pretty cool Jeff, now we'll be looking forward to those Ohio pics and stories...... :bigsmyl:
David
Simply outstanding, Sounds like you have quite the hunting partner to make memories with. Thanks for taking us along.
What a blessing to read and see the pictures you posted. Thank you very much. I hope the Buckeye State is good for your son ( and me, too) this year.
Jeff, thanks for sharing your hunt with us. I'm glad you & Daniel had a good time.Daniel should remember this hunt for a long time. Frank
Great story!
Hunting with kids has got to be the best hunting out there.
Awesome Story and Great Pics...Skyler wants to go on the next trip!!!!!! We enjoyed it all. Don and Skyler
I nominate this for best trip and story of the year! Well told, and beautiful pictures - but best of all is that you captured imaginations, and I think motivated more than one person to try to do the same with their own kids. A great example for all to follow!
Many thanks for sharing your adventures! :notworthy: :notworthy:
I wish most folks would follow your example with their youngsters. Great story and pics BTW. All of my boys were hunting in the west with me from tha ages of 11 or 12, the experience was such that they're taking their dad with them now. That early experience instills in them a passion that will be wiht them their whole lives. A priceless gift from ol' dad you've given them.
QuoteOriginally posted by Whip:
I nominate this for best trip and story of the year! Well told, and beautiful pictures - but best of all is that you captured imaginations, and I think motivated more than one person to try to do the same with their own kids. A great example for all to follow!
Many thanks for sharing your adventures! :notworthy: :notworthy:
Guilty of being inspired. I keep coming back to this thread, week after week since I first read it.
THATS INCREADABLE.