No mulie this season

[Guy Miner]

Good day in the hills yesterday. Did a lot of walking, climbed a couple thousand feet. Did a lot of glassing. No buck yet.

Woke up at 0300 with a splitting headache this morning, took aspirin, went back to bed, slept again until 0800. Guess I'm not hunting today. That's okay. Good day in the mountains yesterday. I'll be back at it after resting up today. Coffee's on, and smells good.

Ate lunch here and did some glassing. Found elk & mule deer:


The new .30-06 carries well, as I knew it would. I think this rifle and I are going to enjoy a lot of hunts together:


Feeling considerably better now. But I think I'll stay out of the mountains today.

Guy

 

[DrMike]

Stay well, Guy. The '06 does look good; I have no doubt that it will serve you well. Looking at the ridge reminds me of the numerous times I found mulies lying along just such ridges watching against something sneaking up on them. Man, I love hunting the mountains.

 

[SCRUBS]

Man, what bad timing for not feeling well. It`s usually the kind of luck I have.

Which scope are you running on that Guy?

Love when the Larch turns yellow this time of year. The one time I hunted the dry side (around Loup Loup) some of the valleys were almost glowing.

 

[joelkdouglas]

Both that ridge and that rifle are superb!

 

[Guy Miner]

Scrubs - that's an old 2-7x Redfield "Gold Star" from way back... I rescued it from a used rifle that didn't work out for me a few years back. The rifle went, the scope stayed. I've picked up a couple of good scopes that way.

Was planning to replace the 2-7x Redfield with a 2.5-8x Leupold... But I don't know, it's working out very well. I took a look through it at last legal hunting light last night, and could still see the crosshairs and my "target" clearly. It was on my .375 H&H Ruger while bear hunting in 2010. At this point I'm in no hurry to replace it.

Yeah, feeling better. I don't know what caught up to me, giving me the headache, but am feeling better already. And I get to spend the day with my wife, which is pretty cool. After 32 years of marriage, we surely do enjoy spending time together.

So, I'll be back in the hills bright and early tomorrow morning. Have a favorite stump to check... :grin:

Best of luck to all the hunters! Guy

 

[truck driver]

Probably the high altitude and thin air messing with your sinuses.
Good luck with your hunt.

 

[Guy Miner]

Thanks for the well-wishes guys.

Pretty easy to tell which side of the ridge faces south isn't it? :grin:

We've got a lot of ridges like that, sparse vegetation on the south side, and tremendous timber on the north side. Sometimes I'll see nothing but elk sign on the shady, cooler, north side, and nothing but mulie sign on the sun-baked south side.

Guy

 

[FOTIS]

She is a beauty of a rifle Guy.

Got my CDL 25-06 yesterday!

 

[SCRUBS]

Nice, from what I understand those old Redfields are tough as nails. "if it ain`t broke, don`t fix it".

 

[sask boy]

Hi Guy, sorry to hear you were a little under the weather. I am glad that headache is gone now you will be back up on one of those beautiful ridges. Have fun, shoot straight & most of all be safe my friend!
Looking forward to more photos & stories!!

Blessings,
Dan

 

[SJB358]

Great pictures as usual Guy. That rifle seems as photogenic as your 25-06 as well. Hope your feeling better soon.

 

[Guy Miner]

Feeling GREAT! Whatever it was, is gone. I tell you, on my hike out from my hunting area tonight, by moonlight, I set a new personal record of 40 minutes. That's real good. Usually takes me about 50 minutes to an hour to get back to the trailhead. Day or night. I guess all that bicycling did pay off!

Late in the day introduced the New Rifle to the Old Stump. I'm afraid my favorite stump in the woods isn't going to last much longer. Pity. I shot one fine mule deer buck from it, and missed another that was probably better. Not the stumps fault, I rushed the shot.


Hunted high in the morning, got up into the snow. Very little deer sign up there, some, but not a lot. Ate lunch, headed lower, into one of my favorite mule deer areas, and the trail was literally torn up with deer prints! Cool. I know where I'm hunting tomorrow...



That's a pretty doggone big cedar tree by the side of the road...


Hollow log, about 8' diameter:


After deer season, I really ought to take a walk with my shotgun, or the .22 rimfire.


Lower country, where I found much more deer sign, including tracks of one that appears to be a Big Buck...


Back at it tomorrow! Guy

 

[truck driver]

Great pics and it sounds like you have worked up a good plan. I used to love Grouse hunting when I could find them. Used my .45 caliber squirrel rifle.

 

[DrMike]

You're definitely taking the game to the game, Guy. Oh, yeah, I do love the grouse. I'm really torn some days as to whether to carry my .22 or a centre fire for larger game.

 

[SJB358]

Nice! Looks like a great stump Guy!

Way to get after them deer buddy. Should only be a matter of time now.

 

[Guy Miner]

Hunt is on hold while the prosecutor decides if he needs my testimony in a case going today. As of 1730 yesterday, he couldn't tell me.

Cell phones in the field, to stay in touch with an attorney. Good grief!

No shooter buck yet. Starting to wonder if this is one of those years I'll not tag a buck. Hmmmm. Am thoroughly enjoying the hunt though. I look forward to this week every year, all year. At work they know I'm usually just GONE this entire week. Somehow this case managed to get scheduled during my vacation anyway. Phooey. Good thing I wasn't in Wyoming I guess! Wouldn't come back 1,000 miles for that!

Guy

 

[Guy Miner]

You're definitely taking the game to the game, Guy. Oh, yeah, I do love the grouse. I'm really torn some days as to whether to carry my .22 or a centre fire for larger game.

A couple of years ago I remember being torn about going out during late elk season, for grouse... Wasn't sure if I ought to be carrying the shotgun for grouse and the .44 revolver on the off-chance of bumping into an elk, or carrying a hunting rifle, and a .22 pistol for grouse...

Seems to me that I settled on the scoped .22 rifle for grouse, with a .44 on my belt, and of course didn't run into an elk.

I sure am finding a LOT of elk sign this deer season. Doggone prints & elk poo all over the place! No elk mind you, just indications that they've been here in force.

Guy

 

[DrMike]

Guy,

Elk up here are plentiful. However, that doesn't mean you will see them. This year they appear to be nocturnal, leaving an incredible amount of sign and not being exceptionally vocal. Ditto for moose. Strange year.

 

[sask boy]

Yes, our hunt was very similar as we didn't see a Elk in the first 5 days and then got 5 in 4 days. I never did seen a Bull and just heard one twice on the same evening. The guys are in the bush right now as regular early Moose season started yesterday. I am not there as we have the draw down at my sister's place.

Blessings,
Dan

 

[Guy Miner]

ARGH! This is KILLING ME! :grin: Not really, but it is irritating...

Uniform is cleaned and pressed, waiting for me to don it and go to court. Heck, I even shaved.

Hunting gear is in the muddy Jeep, rifle is ready to be tossed in the Jeep.

Which will I do today? Hunt, or go to court? It's 0845 and the prosecutor STILL can't tell me! ARGH!

General mule deer season only rolls around one week every year. I thought I had the prosecutor trained better than this. Bah. Maybe I'll make a hunter out of this one and then he'll understand! :twisted: He's young. He could be taught...

Guy