Spring bear & turkey hunt

[6mm Remington]

So I took a little drive yesterday afternoon about 20 miles from home and went up a drainage east of here. Of course there is a lot of snow up high and you all know how the snow is in the spring. Deep, heavy, crusted, and with about 3 inches of solid ice underneath it. I had been poking along and came around a corner and there was snow. It didn't look too bad so I tried to go through it a bit. Saw that was not going to work after getting into it for some distance. As I was backing up it pulled me into the cut next to the road bank on the uphill side. Stuck, 18 miles from the first house, and by myself. Spotty cell phone coverage also!

Got out the shovel and started to work. A little, or in this case a lot, of shovel work sure pays big dividends. After three hours of shoveling and using a come-along and tow straps I was out. Why is it every year that I have to relearn this over again. Snow in the spring is the worst. Once you hit snow, that usually means that if you are climbing in elevation, that there is more likely to be more snow duh! It can only get worse from there. :roll:

I thought I was going to have to call one of you guys to come pull a Ford F150 out of the ditch! Oh man I can see it now, a big old Dodge Hemi showing up to pull a Ford out! Oh the shame. :lol: I have jokingly refered to myself and others on this post as "being like a blister and showing up when the works all done", well guess what showed up when the work was all done! Yes I had a camera to record this for posterity, but no I did not take any pictures so don't ask.
David

 

[Songdog]

Hey..... at least you got out. I got stuck way up the Taylor Canyon outside Gunnison, CO one spring while attending school down there.... the DOW finally pulled me out.... 4-days later. My parents were scare to death.... and about 60 people were apparently searching for me. Unfortunately, they had no idea which direction I had gone.... or where I might be.

Learned a couple valuable lessons from that whole debauchery.

 

[Guy Miner]

Been there... Stuck that is.

My old full-size Chevy Blazer was excellent at getting un-stuck. Had 33" mud tires on it, a very aggressive Auburn limited slip out back, and an 8,000 pound Warn winch on a sturdy winch bumper up front. I miss that thing from time to time even though it wallowed and wandered a lot on pavement.

Current Dodge, only for the past 11 years or so, has a worn-out factory "Trac-Loc" rear limited slip that pretty much slips freely, no winch, and good size all-terrain tires... It's not even close to as good as the old Blazer was in the bad stuff. I do keep a Hi-Lift jack, shovel & tow strap in there. A little bottle jack and a chunk of plywood to set it on has also been useful when I've gotten the Dodge stuck.

A few years ago my oldest son got his Jeep stuck in the snow and called for help. Ended up chaining up the front and rear of the Dodge and tugged him out with the tow strap.

With the Blazer, I was at the point where I considered my vehicle well-equipped, but have been suffering along with a marginally equipped vehicle for too long now. I think an after market rear diff, mud tires and a winch would make all the difference...

Guy

 

[DrMike]

We've all done it, imagining that we can make it when common sense says "Don't!" I take it you saw no game in those higher elevations?

 

[6mm Remington]

Mike I did not see any game. I was hoping I could make it over the top of the ridge because once there it was clear sailing all the way home coming in from the back-side. That is what I was hoping to do at least! Right below the snow level it was really greening up though and I did expect to see something, even that high right up at the fringe.

Guy I would love to have a winch on my truck, but I think what might even be handier although not as powerful, would be to have one of the winches you can use a remote line to power from your vehicle and you can slip it into the reciever hitch or secure it to a stout tree or something so you can pull from the front, back, or sides, and do it very quickly and easily. Most of the time at least I have not needed huge pulls to get out. I need a highlift for sure. They do come in handy. I have the bottle jack and board so I can get a wheel up in the air and get chains on right where she sits. I was just about at that point when I managed to get it out without having to do that or call a friend to come save me.