By: Bears Butt

Forecast for Randolph, Utah

7-DAY FORECAST

  • This Afternoon Partly sunny, with a high near 46. Southwest wind around 11 mph.
  • Tonight Partly cloudy, with a low around 24. South southwest wind around 7 mph.
  • Tuesday Mostly sunny, with a high near 51. South southwest wind 5 to 13 mph.
  • Tuesday Night Mostly cloudy, with a low around 25. South wind around 7 mph.
  • Wednesday A 20 percent chance of showers after 11am. Mostly sunny, with a high near 50. Southwest wind 7 to 16 mph.
  • Wednesday Night A chance of rain showers before 11pm, then a chance of rain and snow showers. Snow level 7400 feet lowering to 6500 feet after midnight . Mostly cloudy, with a low around 23. Chance of precipitation is 50%. Little or no snow accumulation expected.
  • Thanksgiving Day Partly sunny, with a high near 41.
  • Thursday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 20.
  • Friday Partly sunny, with a high near 46.
  • Friday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 23.
  • Saturday Partly sunny, with a high near 50.
  • Saturday Night Mostly cloudy, with a low around 24.
  • Sunday A chance of rain and snow. Snow level rising to 6700 feet. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 45.

So, it looks like there could be some drying, before Wednesday, but then it depends on how much moisture falls on Wednesday as to whether we will be dealing with mucky muck mud come Friday.

Bones says a major change in the weather is expected next week, and by this forecast that might start on Sunday.

Bears Butt

Nov. 19, 2012

Written on November 19th, 2012 , DREAM HUNTS
By: Bears Butt

Thinking about going back into the muddy situation we left yesterday in the Crawfords, I went in search of a better way to travel in the mud.  This is something I found.

http://www.j-wheelz.com/intro_video.html

Sorry, they don’t make them for 4X4 SUV’s….Yet!

Bears Butt

Nov. 19, 2012

Written on November 19th, 2012 , Uncategorized
By: Bears Butt

The first weekend of the Dream Hunt was “almost” perfect.  We got to the camp site earlier than expected on Friday morning and just barely beat another hunter and his crew to the camp site we like most.  They had stopped in Evanston to pick up some high point beverages and that is how we got ahead of them.  They had passed us coming up the canyon on the freeway.

The camp set up went quickly, as most of us knew the ropes of putting up the dining fly.  So we were eating lunch right at noon and drinking cool beverages with lunch.  A better start could not have been had.

No Grimace Waving

Since this was mostly a reconnoiter weekend, we loaded up some gear and went for a little drive to see what kind of critters we could find in the mountains.  Now, just because I’m letting you know some of the weekend events I am also not at liberty to tell you EVERYTHING about what we found, but I will let you know this…we saw some beautiful animals and were quite excited to get the hunt underway the next day.  Dreams of filling tags were definitely in the wind.

My camera does not take the best of pictures, especially out at 10 power and me trying to hold it steady, but this shows you one of the bucks we saw on Friday.  We also saw where the other guys put their camp, which was WAYYY UP near the top of the mountain.  And when we went past, there just happened to be a visitor above their camp.

Can you see the buck to the left, just above their camp?

The buck was looking down into their camp when we stopped on the road and by the time I got the camera ready it had moved to the left.  I took this picture to show you just how close it was to their camp and it was a pretty decent buck.

Not a buck we would take in the morning, but still a nice buck.

Before the sun set we found a pretty nice little buck and we analyzed it with great vigor.  Each one of us pulling on the sides of the anters we liked best and stretching it out wider and wider with each different position it posed itself in.  When it was all settled, the boys with the tags were pretty much filled with delight, not to say they hadn’t had their fill of bubbly as well.

What is your best guess as to its width, height and number of points?

And so with the coming of the evening the thrill of being in the Crawford Mountains one more time, we cheered and cheered and then settled in for the night.

Believe it or not, we ate supper and were in bed before 8 p.m.!

The morning brought the usual thrill of an opener in the Crawfords.  A quick check of the low of the night only showed about 35 degrees.  Not cold at all and it will only get warmer as the day progresses.  Let’s hope it doesn’t rain.   Tracker questioned whether we should chain up before leaving camp and we decided not to and off we went.

As usual, we began seeing bucks just out of camp but nothing big enough to shoot.

Seeing as how I was the driver, I could only shoot at bucks with my camera when the situation allowed and a ton of bucks went passed that I did not get to take pictures of.  The ones I did were usually fleeting and moving.  Bear with me with these pictures as most are blurry.

If you ever hunt the Crawfords much, you will see a lot of high antlered 3X3 bucks and we saw plenty of them this weekend.

Some are small 4X4’s as well like this guy.

To some hunters this guy would be in the truck already, but not for the two guys with the tags on this weekend.  Hold out for something bigger guys.  There are still two full weeks ahead.

Back in camp for a quick lunch we had some little feathered visitors.  Birds that I have yet to find the name of and for sure I have never seen the likes of them before.  They flitted about for quite some time.  Very interesting little birds for sure.

(A bit of research makes me think these are “Grey Crowned Rosey Finches”.  If you know otherwise, please make a comment below…Thanks!)

As the day progressed we found the mud to be a real problem getting around and we ended up chaining the front end up, but not before some nasty mud found itself on top of the hood.  Sorry Bones, would you rather it be a buck head?

As the rest of the day went on it became apparent that the need to have chains on all four tires was imperative if we wanted to go where we wanted to go.  It also became apparent that everyone was going to be wearing a lot of mud and the truck and trailers were going to be carrying the extra stuff as well.  I hate mud!

It rained some more during the night and again the temperature did not reach the freezing mark.  We had made plans to be in a certain place at a certain time on the second day and we prepared early for the trip to “Hidden Valley”.

As we progressed in the darkness, Baby Boy was able to pick up on the weather forecast for the day and he found that we were under a winter weather watch with rain/snow etc. possible for the next 24 hours.  You could not tell it from the sunrise.

Nor were the animals acting any different than the day before.

We made our way slowly through the muck and finally arrived at our destination “Hidden Valley”.  It was the first time I had been there since the year of Fat Duck and Gatlin, and on Bo’s dream Hunt we were very close but not quite there when he filled his tag.  It was nice to see it again and we saw a ton of deer all settled in.  I’m not sure how many bucks we saw mixed in with the all the does, but it was close to 10.  While there we decided a break to have some Kippers, Smoked Oysters, Vienna Sausages and Pork Hocks was in order.

Since it was the day we were going to be heading home, no beer was on the menu.  Next week however……

And so as we came to the close of the reconnoiter weekend, we leave the muddy Crawfords and Randolph until next Friday.

May the bucks continue to rut in their ways and pass on the genes of their ancestors in order to fulfill the big buck dreams of future hunters.

As we were packing to come home, making sure we were leaving things that we would need next week, and taking home what we had to take home to either clean up, preserve or whatever, Tracker looked upon the ridge above camp and this was the scene.

Camp trailer in the foreground.

On a side note.  We are always on the lookout for other peoples trash and so this trip was no different.  We had lots of trash in the bag in the back of the rig, but this might be the ultimate trash pickup of them all.  Tracker trying to get a balloon out of a cedar.

And for reasons only the Willow Creekers would know, you will see this again.

Happy Guys!

We will be back!

Bears Butt

Nov. 19, 2012

 

Written on November 19th, 2012 , DREAM HUNTS
By: Bears Butt

With the Dream Hunt beginning in the morning, we are taking the camp up and setting things up today.

Tracker, No Grimace, Baby Boy and myself with two trailers and a bunch of the gear.

Leaving town at 8 a.m., about an hour from now for all intents and purposes.  Our travel plans will take us through Evanston and then into the Crawford Mountains from there.  We hope to land the same camp location we have had the past two years and unless there are others camped there already that is the plan.

For the next two days we will reconnoiter the area looking for the largest bucks on the mountains.  The ones that meet the hunters demands and dreams.

Until my return, this will be the last posting, but don’t give up.  When I return you will see many pictures of the landscape and what we saw while up on the mountain.  Stay Tuned!

Bears Butt

Nov. 16, 2012

Written on November 16th, 2012 , DREAM HUNTS
By: Bears Butt
  • Today

    Nov 16

    Clouds and sun 46°Lo 27°
  • Sat

    Nov 17

    Mostly cloudy 47°Lo 28°

    more

  • Sun

    Nov 18

    Mostly cloudy with showers 45°Lo 29°

    more

  • Mon

    Nov 19

    Mostly cloudy 44°Lo 27
  • This is the forecast for the Randolph area.  On other forecast sites such as Weather Bug the cloudy/chance of precip is in the form of rain/snow.  Mostly 30% and climbing to 60% on Sunday.
  • This does not look typical for this time of year in the Crawfords, but we will make do with what we have.
  • Bears Butt
  • Nov. 16, 2012
Written on November 16th, 2012 , DREAM HUNTS
By: Bears Butt

 

ON THE WALL IT IS ETCHED A MAN WITH A SPEAR

AND A BIG RUNNING BEAST WITH HORNS AND ONE EAR

 

I THINK THAT IT MEANS HE BROUGHT HOME THE BEAST

TO HIS FAMILY AND FRIENDS SO THAT THEY COULD ALL FEAST

 

AND SO IT IS TRUE FOR ME ON THIS DAY

MY HUNT OF A LIFETIME, IT SEEMS, I MUST SAY

 

IT TOOK ME SO LONG TO GAIN OF THIS LUCK

I THINK I WILL HOLD OUT FOR A VERY BIG BUCK

 

A BUCK OF MY DREAMS TO HANG ON MY WALL

WITH ANTLERS IN WIDE INCHES, MANY POINTS AND REAL TALL

 

IT MAY ONLY TAKE MINUTES BUT IT MIGHT TAKE ME DAYS

BUT WHATEVER IT BE, I’LL TREASURE THE BEST AND HOPE THAT IT PAYS

 

AND IF IT DON’T HAPPEN AND I TAKE MY TAG HOME

AT LEAST I WAS OUT HERE AND ABLE TO ROAM

 

THE LURE OF THE MOUNTAINS AND ALL THE FRESH AIR

CAMPING AND HUNTING WITH ALL MY FRIENDS THERE

 

I KNOW I WILL SEE LOTS OF DEER, RABBITS AND BIRDS

AND MANY OTHER WILD BEASTS TRAVELING ALONE OR IN HERDS

 

FOR ME IT’S AN OUTING OF GREATEST OPPORTUNE

TO PURSUE A BIG MULY I HOPE TO SEE SOON

 

WHEN IT IS THE RIGHT ONE, THE ONE OF MY DREAM

MY DECISION WILL BE SWIFT AND MY SIGHTS WILL BE SEEN

 

THE ROAR OF MY CAP LOCK FIRING DOWN

SENDING MY BIG BUCK STRAIGHT TO THE GROUND

 

AND WHEN IT’S ALL OVER AND ALL THE CAMP PACKED

I’LL LOOK OVER THE MOUNTAINS AND SWEAR I’LL BE BACK

 

AND BACK AT MY HOME THE ANTLERS WILL HANG AND BE SEEN

FOR ALL MY CAVE FRIENDS TO WONDER WHAT IT ALL MEANS.

Bears Butt

November 15, 2012

Written on November 15th, 2012 , Poems (or sumthin)
By: Bears Butt

Today is the last preparation day before we head off toward the Crawford Mountains!  Tons of stuff to get done and only today to giterdun.

The talk is already turning to “when do we come home on Sunday”?  That is a question always asked toward the last minute of preparation in leaving to go up.  The answer is passed on to loved ones at home so they know when or about when to expect us to arrive back home.

Of course that could all change depending on what is happening up on the mountain.  We all know that.  We could be planning on a return around 2 p.m. on Sunday, and at 1:30 the biggest buck on the mountain stands up and gives the shooter a good shot, only to take a round and bound off, which then requires a tracking job until dark.  We have been there before.

So we take everything in stride and go with the flow.  The bucks that these two hunters are after will not be easy to find, but when they do you can guarantee they will do everything they can to bring the bad boy home.  That could happen this weekend which is coined “reconnoiter” weekend.  Supposedly a weekend to look the herd over and see if there are any bucks big enough to fill the tag.

Keep in mind, it took these guys 13 years to draw this tag.  Do they want just any buck?  Do they want the biggest on the mountain?  Do they want to eat “tag soup”?

Just like a candy store, you don’t just walk up and buy the first gummy bear you see.  They might have a new flavor or a new shaped one.  Gotta check em all out and hope the one that intrigues you the most is still there the next time you pass through the area you last saw him in.  BUT, two years ago, one of the biggest of the big bucks we saw was on the first day of our reconnoiter weekend.  Are we ready for that fellas?

Bears Butt

Nov. 15, 2012

Written on November 15th, 2012 , DREAM HUNTS
By: Bears Butt

OK.  I know you have time for this.  Go to this web site and do what is asked.  You will be told just what kind of person you are when you are done.  Have fun!

http://drawapig.desktopcreatures.com/drawApig.asp

 

Bears Butt

Nov 14, 2012

Written on November 14th, 2012 , Uncategorized
By: Bears Butt

WOOHOOO!  Google Earth accepted and posted Crocodile Monument and the “unknown” fenced in structures I posted up!

Bears Butt

Nov. 14, 2012

Written on November 14th, 2012 , Uncategorized
By: Bears Butt

We all only have one week left before Thanksgiving and because most of us like to cook up a good old turkey we best be figuring out a way to get one.  We picked one up the other day from the local grocer, it is frozen and a good thing too, because getting older I would have had quite a time chasing it down.

Those turkeys we all seem to be finding had to come from somewhere and this video is a good one to let you know that Turkeys don’t come easy.  And if you plan on being a turkey farmer you have to be good at whatever it takes to gather up a good growing flock of the big birds.

Here are a few folks that are still in the business of beginning their business.

http://www.youtube.com/user/SafewayInc?v=rZd3Xzr5tgI

I sure hate to have you waste your time copying and pasting these links, but for sure you will understand this one once you do that.

Bears Butt

Nov. 14, 2012

Written on November 14th, 2012 , Uncategorized

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Just some of my old stories, new stories, and in general what is going on in my life.