2024 Hunting Season

Nathan,
Congratulations to your son on his bull elk.
He did a great job. Honorable mention to the guide. 😎

JD338
One shot one kill too. We were watching 3 other bulls, 3 points to 5 points, at around 530yds. The 5 point went behind a tree before we could get a shot and my son just happen to spot this bull and another one walk over the hill 200yds from us. I think he shot the smaller of the 2 but it was getting dark fast and I told him to shoot the first one that turned broadside. It's too bad his brother didn't have the same tag. The second bull ran up to the top of the hill at the shot and stood there for several minutes.
 
Its the breaks of the Salmon River, doesnt get much rougher. The hike in isnt terrible but the hike out with a 100lb pack (a boned out front and rear quarter plus a backstrap) is rough on his 54yo dad. My body is still sore. I just did the same thing alone 5 days earlier with my bull. He didnt like his front quarter pack out either. It was on the bone so it was probably 30-35lbs.
 
Nathan, that is hard work. Those days of packing out meat are well and truly in the rearview mirror for me. I treasure the time I had in the mountains and on the prairies, as you no doubt treasure the opportunities. It is especially gratifying to see your lad sharing the time with you. He is the next generation that will keep the tradition alive.
 
Nathan, that is hard work. Those days of packing out meat are well and truly in the rearview mirror for me. I treasure the time I had in the mountains and on the prairies, as you no doubt treasure the opportunities. It is especially gratifying to see your lad sharing the time with you. He is the next generation that will keep the tradition alive.
Spoken like a true poet

JD338
 
Nathan, that is hard work. Those days of packing out meat are well and truly in the rearview mirror for me. I treasure the time I had in the mountains and on the prairies, as you no doubt treasure the opportunities. It is especially gratifying to see your lad sharing the time with you. He is the next generation that will keep the tradition alive.
I truly hope they keep the tradition going for many generation to come like my dad and his dad did for us. It might be hard work but the memories made in the woods are priceless to me.
 
I’ll be 69 this hunting season. That I relish going into the canyon just west of Nathan is enough for me. I can’t and won’t carry more than a front and a back strap or one rear quarter anymore. Gone to are the days we timed ourselves getting out. What I use to do in 45 minutes now takes at least twice that. When I can’t pack out of there. I’ll probably quit as I can’t stomach the thought of being on top, hunting low yeild ground and not being able to go in and help the kids out. Just seems like yesterday I would back both rears just to bug the kids. When my great Grandfather was 12 he spent the summer pushing cattle around in what is now the Hells Canyon wilderness, all summer, by himself with occasional supply visits from the parents or others going into the area. That area of the country, Salmon River over to the Snake, Imnaha and Grande Ronde is truly magnificent.
 

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Nathan, that is hard work. Those days of packing out meat are well and truly in the rearview mirror for me. I treasure the time I had in the mountains and on the prairies, as you no doubt treasure the opportunities. It is especially gratifying to see your lad sharing the time with you. He is the next generation that will keep the tradition alive.
Doc, I know exactly where you are coming from. I loved being in the mountains of Colorado and packing an Elk out. My hunting buddy for close to 40 years was a constant companion and always willing to help. But hitting the age of 80 and my buddy 83 does slow you down through no fault of your own. Sitting in a Deer blind is about the max done nowadays. A few medical issues had the doctor telling me to stay away from Altitude so I'll just enjoy a bit easier access.
 
I'm with you Don. My dad is 77 and has pretty much given up big game hunting. His knees are shot from high school football and he doesnt want to have surgery. I still get him out to chase pheasants a bit but even that is getting hard on him. He really needs to hit the gym but he has never been that type of person. Back in my 20's and 30's I use to do triathalons and could literally run up most mountains. Now days working out is to stay in shape for hunting.

Having kids late in life will limit how long I can pack my punks in the ground but I still have a few years before they'll pass me. 100lb packs are getting tougher for sure. It takes a few recovery days after packing that much weight by myself but the kids aren't even close to packing that kind of weight yet. I'm betting within 5 years they will pass me but for now I can make fun of them and my dad body, as they call it. This dad body still has it for a few more years. 😂
 
After not seeing anything for the last 4 trips, I wasn’t about to pass on this little 6 for archery season. He came in on a mission, I hit the grunt call and he stared at me for a couple minutes then circled trying to get downwind. He disappeared for a minute then popped out of a laurel patch at 15 yards, he knew something was off and spun to escape, I hit the grunt again and he stopped for a second very sightly quartering. The only shot was to place it behind the ribs. It exited in front of his offside front leg. The bolt passed all the way through and he went 30 yards and crashed. Big bodied deer. Only deer saw today between the 3 of us. Don’t know if it’s the hot weather, or what, but they have disappeared. We were getting several daily on cams.
 

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Well the daughter punched her tag today. We went up to my buddy's place in central montana, we usually go later to catch the rut but he has the last 3 weeks leased out, and i didn't know it until this week so this was the last weekend. She works tomorrow so it was a quick one day trip to try and get it done. Morning was slow saw a few does and fawns, a small buck and one shooter that i saw ducking into the brush a mile away. Went back after a lunch break at daughter saw this one from the road. Got parked where we were that morning, get across the road and fence. Dont see anything, made our way a hundred yards or so to a high spot to get a better view. Sit for a minute and finally see some movement she says there are 2 bucks. I was still just trying to see a head thru the timber. She adjusting and getting setup when i see him walk thru a opening, i was able to get him to stop for a second but then kept going and i lost him. She was about 10ft from me and whispered "can I shoot" me "i cant see him" her again "can i shoot" me " if you have a clear.. BANG! She yells "he's down!" Loud enough for mom to hear at the truck. I still had no clue where he was and if he was actually down.
We walk over to where i saw him last and she's looking and spots him about 20yds up laying there dead. Walk up and as you see from the pic, she shot him right in the neck. She said that his body was covered by a tree and was turned looking at her, guessing it was a 80 to 100yd shot, she was using her 25-06. I am so proud of her and she is very happy.
 

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I shot this 10 pt earlier this week at 33 yards with my Ravin R29X xbow. I'm impressed with the Sevr 1.5" hybrid broadhead, the amazing blood trail was only 30 yards.
Got him loaded up in the new meat wagon which worked out nicely.

JD338
 

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This was a decent morning. He was the 3rd buck I saw that morning counting the one that crossed in front of me going to the woods. I saw some movement about 80 yards from me and saw him and his buddy feeding on acorns. I think I shot the smaller of the 2 but the other had moved through the opening and I just took advantage of him pausing for a second. Since that morning, I shot 2 does but no pictures of those. He was taken with a 35 Remington using 200 grain Core Lokts and the 2 does both fell to my old 308 with some 150 grain Accubonds. This was the first deer I took with that particular bullet but I don't think they will be the last. Almost perfect performance.
 

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