Better late than never I have been busy with work, When you sell specialty foods Thanksgiving is busy not to mention a week in Idaho and when I'm on Vacation no one that fills in for me.
Well to the Hunt, it was ok even though we didn't get the snow we needed for a migration as this is one of only a couple of places in the world that Whitetails migrate like muley's and snow in the high country is a must.


Most of us in camp weren't seeing as many bucks as we had in previous years. It seemed we were hunting mostly local deer that had been pressured for two months now and they would bolt when a mouse farted! The scenery in this part of Idaho is amazing and one reason I return each year.

After a 2 1/2 mile hike this made a cool lunch time stop and I listened to the sounds of wolves all day long in this drainage!


The first day I saw a big black bear with a unique cinnamin diamond on his chest ... I really wanted him and a week earlier I could have used my deer tag on him but he was safe for now and looking tired I think I stummbled on him trying to dig a den. On day two still no bucks but I did see a cow moose pretty cool to see though.
I was able to find these sheds from a 6pt elk and a small buck so at least I would have horn soup!


In all I saw only 4 bucks for the week and my expectations were high having a Bull in the freezer I was going to be picky. One that I would have shot I gave the shot up to Tmike's nephew Jake, too bad he couldnt find the buck in his scope before it was gone! he made up for it the next day though grunting in and killing his first whitetail, nice job Jake!



Our camp was able to go 5 out of 8 even in a bad year and they are getting the snow that we needed now ...I wishI had more time. Looks like a good ole days photo huh? Wait these are my good ole days!

Just for fun here is the benchmark I was trying to beat my 2005 buck from the same area.


Gillpopper, Tmike and myself could return right now and use our any weapon tags for a archery hunt starting Dec. 5th you gotta love Idaho! Cmon Washington please start taking some notes!
It was a blast once again and I'm allready looking forward to my 2008 return!

SWEET

Nice report. Sounds like a great time.

sounds like a fun trip

thats what im talkin bout. its so nice to take a trip like that and get a better then 50% kill rate for the group. it just sucks when you arent the one that got a kill lol ...but always where the group meat split comes into play so everyone gets some backstraps

Slayer,

That would normally be the case but Tmike killed a cow elk and I got a big bull this year
http://www.piscatorialpursuits.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Number/379028#Post379028
so meat is not an issue. and we normally have more meat than we know what to do with anyways but the success was still there no doubt about that ... we did good and one of the whiteys was a shy bit under 20" to boot!

It looks like another great yr for you and your family/friends...nothing like filling the freezer! nice pics and report.

The not cool thing about that trip was that I only saw 3 deer. The first one I saw on the 3rd day was a real good buck that I missed! Ouch! One of the cool things was that Jake and I hunted our butts off in Washington coming real close for him on deer and on opening day of elk season had 25 elk milling around at 200 yds. He was all set up and had several opportunities at one of the 2 spikes. Every time a spike presented a shot I wouldn't let him shoot because of a wall of cows and calves that were behind them. They finally faded off into the timber. He was bummed but I told him Karma would pay him back. It did in Idaho. After hunting with us "experts" for several days he finally says. I want to hike a mile or 2 in somewhere and sit all day. I say ok, we did, he calls, his buck appears and he dumps it. Now that was cool. Then he packs it out by himself, and comes down to sit with me all day. Finally around 3 I tell him to go enjoy his buck and warm up. When he gets to his deer he interrupts a bear trying to drag it off. That would of been uncool. Great memories.

We hunt in Pierce, Idaho every year. Almost sounds like an exact replica of my trip: saw wolves, found elk shed and grunted in a nice buck. I swear that you hunt harder in Idaho for them chocolate horned bucks than anyother place in the U.S when it comes to hunting white tails. Were you guys anywhere near Pierce or Headquarters?

-Jake

Is that in unit 15? That's where we were.

Freezers full

Not sure where Pierce is ?????

Tmike, where's my credit, I told you to go into to that hole. It was still a great hunt and Jake did an awesome job. Dragged that buck out by himself uphill the hole way. About a mile and a half. That freed up Tmike to hunt the rest of the day. Good kid. Oh they also forgot to mention when they were getting back to the truck later in the afternoon they luckily managed to interfere with a bear trying to pull it away for his supper. Didn't see it but heard it crashing away. Took a nice chunk out of one of the hind quarters. Wolves, Bears, Yotes- you gotta love the great outdoors. Like Tmike I only saw 3 animals all week as well, I'm sure a few more than that saw me.
Queets Guy Pierce is about an hour North of where we are. Same country though- steep and thick.

Its in more central Idaho by Orofino.

Oh Ok We are about an 1 1/2 S -SE of where you hunt. The cool thing for you where you are at is after you get your buck you are closer to the steelhead than us! Nice planning.

Those are some sweet white tails. After chasing muleys for 6 years with the bow, it's hard to impress me with white tail. However yours are pretty thick. Good job.

I tell ya the area just outside Boise, Idaho has one of the greatest mule deer archery hunts in the whole western US for trophy deer. I can glass 5 x 5 mule deer following an estrus trail, and move the binoc's a few degrees and see the BSU stadium from the same ridgeline.

I'm dying to go back, and think I'll be in shape for it next year. Pics like yours are just added incentive.

Vhawk,
That's cool, Now that I know you hunt too all the sudden I like you again! I was begining to wonder about you when I got blasted on the Gamma line post and then you had to make that signature line !!!!!!

Just playing with ya I am interested in your findings but sorry I'm a geezer I'll stay with my Maxima even when it doesn't take your top honors!

M,


Don't take the blasting personally. I went back to see what I wrote on the gamma posting. I should have been more diplomatic. You were the 100th guy to tell me about a huge fish they caught on a certain brand of line as evidence to how good their line was. With each person, my response's became more and more terse. You just happened to be the last guy in line.

I was serious about anglers not giving themselves enough credit for understanding the limits of their gear, and pushing the envelope to land trophies. Those were nice fish, but the only real evidence they provide is proof you know how to fish.

Here's the deal, using something different adds a bit of anticipation to a fishing trip. Whether it's side drifting with a new rod, slipping a pink worm on the 510 hook as an experiment, or trialing out a new line. It's part of the fun, at least for me.

Same with hunting, it's a bit more fun if I'm glassing the ridge line with a new pair of Steiner's, or far off trail out in the Sawtooth wilderness with an expensive new pair of Meindl boots . It's partially an aesthetics thing, it's also about appreciating all the work some poor bastard had to do; about the countless hours of engineering that went into the gold ring Leupold scope on my rifle.

And congrats again on some very nice deer.