By: Bears Butt

3positionBear

Weasel and I have to go to the Lee Kaye Center in Salt Lake City tomorrow to qualify for the Deseret Land and Livestock Cow Elk tag that we have.  They require you hit 3 out of 4 shots into a 8 1/2 X 11 sheet of paper at 100 yards.

As easy as that sounds, I’m still nervous about this qualifying deal.

Sure my rifle is sighted in, but can I keep my heart from pumping too hard long enough to put 3 shots into that paper?  I’m not sure.  If it was a muzzy rifle I would not be nervous a bit.

Anyway, wish us luck!

Bears Butt

August 20, 2013

Written on August 20th, 2013 , Hunting/Fishing/Trapping Stories
By: Bears Butt

Written on August 20th, 2013 , Jokes I like!
By: Bears Butt

BearsButtDotComBearHandsUp

Boy this rendezvous stuff is a big load!  Bones and I met this morning to discuss some final issues and to go over all that has to be done once the rendezvous gets going and there were still some things left undone, but we think we have everything straight now.

I really thought everything was pretty much done over a week ago, but the devil in the details is starting to come out of the woodwork now.  That’s OK, it’s going to be a blast and we are ready for a good time!

For those of you who are planning on coming down and playing or just to watch the antics that goes on at our rendezvous, you are in for a real treat this year.  Lots and lots of extra work has gone into a bunch of it and you will just have to be there to see it!

Bones has selected some really great prizes to be given away to the “winners” of each of the events and for the raffle!  A very special blanket has been made by Hot Sparks cousin and it’s BEAUTIFUL!!!

30yrBlanket7

The center patch is this years logo that will be on everyone’s shirt that they ordered and if you procrastinated and didn’t order one, you will be a sad baby because they are really cool!  The rest of the quilt was made out of past rendezvous shirts logos!  Remember, this our 30th year for pulling off this rendezvous and Hot Spark had a GREAT idea to have this quilt made up!  I thank her cousin deeply for making it and donating her time and efforts!

This picture does not do the blanket justice, but you get the drift of what this thing looks like and I want to win it very badly!  What JoAnn did where there wasn’t a rendezvous shirt for that year, she wrote on a blank shirt who was the Booshway and what year, so all 30 years is accounted for!  The blanket is the size of a King Size bed and she also made two matching pillow cases for it!  They match the pattern that surrounds the 30 years center patch.  The back of the blanket is made of this same pattern.

So, don’t forget to buy some raffle tickets!  This blanket is planned to be the first raffle item given away on Sunday night!  So, get your tickets and get a bunch because everyone who buys a ticket, even one, will be in the drawing and it’s not going to be an easy win!

The other raffle prizes are great as well and we are expecting others to donate more to the effort once we get to the rendezvous site!  It’s going to be a rendezvous to remember and I sure hope you are planning on attending!

The evening activities that are planned are going to be marked down in history as well!  Some very fun things are going to happen and you sure don’t want to miss any of it!  So, my advise to you is to come down no later than Friday and plan on staying through Monday morning.  Bring your travel trailer, camper, coach, tent or just a plain old tarp.  Load up your coolers full of food and drinks, hit the bank for a couple of notes and come on down!  There is no charge for camping, only for buying raffle tickets if you want them.  The rest is all free and for a good time!  If you do plan on shooting at the range, remember it’s a blackpowder only shoot and you are limited to a maximum of 20 grains of powder, no more.  Your entry fee for that is a gift worth at least $20 to be put on the blanket and the top shooter (the one with the highest score) will get first pick off the blanket, the second highest score will get second pick etc. and everyone wins!  So make sure the prize you put down is something that you would like to be picking up when your turn comes, because you just might come in last place!  (insert grinny face here)

smiley

Remember too, that even though this is a mountain man rendezvous, not everyone wears leathers or loin clothes, only those who want to show off.  If you are a loin cloth type of person, be sure and sunscreen the sides of your rear end!

RENDEZVOUS!!!!!

Bears Butt

August 19, 2013

Written on August 19th, 2013 , Uncategorized
By: Bears Butt

3positionBear

With the morning air temperatures beginning to lower and the smell of Fall  in the air, mixed with talk about rendezvous and hunting seasons and all the outdoor forums discussing hunting here and spotting there, my blood is getting all pumped up!

I have promised Mobile (Mo-Bile) to take the 10 pounds of ground venison he gave me some time back and make up some jerky for this years hunting season.  Well, it’s now marinading in the fridge!  What does that tell you about my excitement?

He is planning a scouting party this coming weekend in the area he drew for his Muzzy deer hunt and so I promised him I’d get some jerky so they can munch on it while they are out scouting.  Guess where his muzzy deer hunt is?  The San Juan Unit!  What a coincidence!

Add that to the excitement I am already experiencing!  So he promised he will look for elk as much as he does for deer.  I told him that even though he spotted some elk, they won’t be where he sees them come my hunt, but for him to see some and maybe bring home some pictures would once again add more to my excitement!  As if I need more.

Hurry up Muzzy hunting season!

Bears Butt

August 18, 2013

Written on August 18th, 2013 , Hunting/Fishing/Trapping Stories
By: Bears Butt

BearSittingAtComputer

What a lot of work got done today for rendezvous!  We had a great crew and everyone put in a full 6 hour shift!

The biggest problem we encountered was a huge tree that was holding up a bunch of  “widow makers” (old fallen branches waiting to come down at any time) cracked at the base when we were trying to pull down a widow maker.  That made us have to take down that tree entirely.  What a big job!

So while a crew worked on that, another crew worked on the small section of fence that needed to come out, while a third crew worked on installing a fence that had a tree laying on top of it and still another small crew worked on sprucing up what the Fat Duck had harrowed up.

Duck worked over the horse crap in the fields and while doing that the cut grass from Wapitis bush hogging last week rolled up into little bundles.  It didn’t look too good at that point.  So No Grimace and I went up and hooked up the hay rake and I raked it all into one big wind row.

After the fencing was done, the crew began picking up the windrows, loading them onto trailers and hauling it off.  Probably 30 bales worth of hay went into the hole!

A look at the scene once it was all completed sure made me feel good about the whole place.  Lots more room for trailers, tents and parking and it really looks good.  I made a comment that it looks more like a park than a field!

A great days work!  Thank you to everyone who made it and put in all the effort!

Bears Butt

August 17, 2013

Written on August 17th, 2013 , Uncategorized
By: Bears Butt

BearsButtDotComBearHandsUp

It’s almost time for rendezvous and today is “clean up the area” day!  We should have a pretty good sized crew to help trim the low hanging branches and cut up some of the dead fall that has occurred since last year.  Then the horse turds need to be knocked around and a small fence taken out.

The work is not all that hard, just necessary in order to accommodate all the folks coming to camp or just visit for the day.  It’s a great spot for the event and I’m really surprised it took us all these years to finally figure it out as a great place for the event.

Whodaguessed?  Camping next to the Willow Creek and when we call ourselves the “Willow Creek Free Trappers”?  I guess it is too close to a “work” place and we all felt we needed to get away for the weekend (week).  But since we have been camping down there in the field it sure is a nice place, just like we have been looking for to buy…grassy, lots of trees, water running down through it…we were just blinded.

So, I hope to see you down there today!

Bears Butt

August 17, 2013

Written on August 17th, 2013 , Uncategorized
By: Bears Butt

BearSittingAtComputer

I have to tell you, I mentioned the fact that I have got to get myself into some sort of shape for this bull elk hunt that’s coming.  I have plenty of time, but I need to get after it.

Both yesterday and this morning I did a 30 minute workout on the wifes tread mill.  Hers has an option where you can dial in a “mountain hike” and off you go.  It starts out at a speed of 2.5 and an incline of 1 and before it’s over you are jogging up a 6 incline at speed 4 and maintaining that for over 5 minutes.  The cool down time takes the last 5 minutes and by the time I’m done, I’m sweating like a fool, my legs are burning and I’m dizzy as all heck.

Am I out of shape or what?  I’m very glad I started when I did.  My game plan is to get used to this type of work out for a week or so and then start to put on more bulky clothing, like I’ll be hunting in.  Heavy boots, jacket, back pack with stuff loaded into it.

I changed things up a bit this morning after the tread mill deal, I know I need to stretch after the workout and so this morning I stretched by laying on my stomach and getting into push up mode, pushing my hands away from the head of my body so as to stretch the calf muscles out.  While in that position I went ahead and did 10 push ups and then held my body up until my arms turned to mush.  Game over for that workout.

I feel great and I can feel my hips are the worst.  I can’t imagine packing out 75 to 100 pounds of meat without it breaking down your body big time if you aren’t in some sort of shape (besides round) and have endurance and some stamina built in.

I’m not keeping track of weight as that is not my goal, my goal is to be able to hike a mile up the mountain without stopping at perhaps a 3 mph pace.  I think if I get to that point I’ll be in good enough shape to pack out a bull elk.

Bears Butt

August 16, 2013

Written on August 16th, 2013 , DREAM HUNTS
By: Bears Butt

WithOlySign

Some of you might be interested in the type of scope I have on my rifle.  It’s a Redfield that I bought way back in the mid 1970’s and at the time it was considered a pretty good scope, I suppose today it is still a pretty good scope and for me it’s the only scope I have on this rifle, so it better be pretty good.

I don’t know scopes but back then I did do some looking and asking around about the different ones that were available and in a store called “Wolfes” in downtown Ogden they convinced me that this Redfield was THE scope with the most bells and whistles for the least amount of money there was to be had.  We didn’t have the internet back then and so it took a lot of traveling around and asking or reading magazines like Outdoor Life and Field and Stream to get the skinny on equipment.  I think the scope cost me about $200 back then, which was a BUNCH of money for me at the time.

So what is with this super duper scope?  It’s called the “Redfield Accu-track Widefield”  and it looks cool on the outside and it’s cool too on the inside.  The outside has this big lens you look through on the shooters eye side, not some dinky little hole to look through and on the other end it has a roundish oval kind of lens and I suppose that is the one that lets you see a whole lot of area out in front of the gun.  I don’t know the field of view, but it’s pretty big.  I’m sure you would be able to see all the “Ladies of the ward” at one time through it.

On the inside, there is the standard cross hairs, and above the cross hairs are two additional horizontal lines the run parallel to to each other and are spaced what I’d say are 1/16th of an inch apart.  These are called “Stadia lines”.  They precisely placed these lines inside so that you can “bracket” a deer between them from any distance up to 600 yards by zooming in/out until the deers back and brisket are placed between the lines.  The deer has to cooperate or you won’t be able to do this and it’s best if it is standing broadside to you (another part of his cooperation).

So, once you have the deer bracketed, you can look down in the lower right of the view and read a number on a scale.  The number closest to going out of the view is how far the deer is away from you, say 300 yards.  It is graduated in 100 yard increments and so for something between even number you will have to best guess if it’s closer to the next biggest or not.  So let’s say it reads 325 in this case.

Now, you put the gun down and go to the adjustment knob on top of the scope and turn it until the pointer is pointing at 325 (in this case).  Now remount the rifle to your shoulder and put the cross hairs right where you want to hit the animal.  Pull the trigger and go get your prize.

All the bracketing and adjusting takes time and normally a hunter is not going to have all the time it takes, but “sometimes”, just “sometimes” you might and that is when this little jewel really pays off.  Believe me or not, I was hunting with Tracker one time shortly after getting this scope put on the rifle.  I had a doe tag and Sherry and I really needed the meat.  Bar tending college kids don’t have a lot of money or time.  We were hunting above Mantua, Utah on the last day of the hunt and it was beginning to get late in the day.  I was running out of options.  Way up on the hillside I could see a doe feeding on a bush.  I went through all the gyrations of setting up for the shot and if memory serves correctly she was about 500 yards up the hill.  I used a cedar tree as a rest and took the most careful shot I think I have ever taken.  The gun roared to life and it took a very long time for her to drop, but she did, almost right in her tracks.  She had no clue I was anywhere in the county.  I thanked God for the meat after I hiked the hour and a half down off the hill I was on and back up the opposite hill to where she laid.

So this accu-track stuff really does work.

I don’t know if Redfield still makes this model, but they do have one that does the same thing and they call it the “Revenge”.  They have mixed up the stadia lines and the numbers showing the range, but basically the scope does the same thing as my old scope.  And in an ad where I saw the Revenge being touted, the price is the same as what I paid for my super duper guy back in my day.

Bears Butt

August 16, 2013

Written on August 16th, 2013 , Hunting/Fishing/Trapping Stories
By: Bears Butt

BearsButtDotComBearHandsUp

Yesterday was a very hot day, right at the 100 degree mark, but that didn’t discourage Sherry and I from making the trip up to the Logan Gun Range to try out my newly bore sighted Ruger.

I was feeling very confident on having the barrel floating and the scope bore sighted with the Bushnell bore sighter.   Remember that I had used the lazer sighter first, got the scope in on top of that little red dot out at 25 yards and then put the Bushnell guy in the barrel and adjusted the scope over to zero using the grid system that is built into the Bushnell.  Also, remember that I started moving over to zero from 6 squares right and 3 1/2 squares up (it’s important that you remember this).

I took plenty of time putting the cross hairs on that bulls eye out there at 100 yards and slowly moved the trigger until the gun went off.  I just knew that when I put my eye to the spotting scope there would be a hole very near the center.

My eye pressed closely to the eye piece of the spotting scope and the paper was just as clean of holes as when I stapled it on the back board.  My eye scanned the large cardboard backing for holes…none….I looked at the wooden frame around it….no holes!  Where in the heck did that bullet go?

I sat back down at the rifle and out of frustration picked it up and sighted down range through the scope.  My mind was racing…now what?  I could throw another round down range, but it would go where the last one did and I still wouldn’t know where the barrel was pointing.  And then I remembered reading about the old fashioned way of bore sighting, that’s right, looking down the center of the barrel.

I positioned the rifle so it would be easy to look down the open breech at the target and then slowly raise my head and see where the cross hairs of the scope were looking.  To my surprise the scope cross hairs were pointing very much low and to the left of the target, like OFF THE PAPER entirely!  I employed Sherry to do the adjustments as I held the rifle in place.  She slowly moved the left/right adjustment until the vertical “hair” was under the vertical line of the target.  I kept checking “through the bore” and then the scope.  This took a few minutes.  And then the same for the horizontal “hair”…pretty soon the two worlds came together.  Time for another shot.

The shot was made with the same precision as the first one and when the eyeball was put up against the spotting scope there was a hole, high on the target and directly above the bulls eye!  I was becoming a happy guy.

I lowered the reticle (see I’m getting better at the scope stuff) and fired another round.  The bullet hit 1.8 inches above the bull!  Now we are getting places!  I pulled the next shot and it hit about 5 inches high and to the right.  My next shot hit just to the right of the one above the bull about 2 inches.  I was pretty happy about all of this.  Sherry convinced me to let the barrel cool and take one last shot.  I waited about 10 minutes and fired one more, it printed right under the last one!

My thoughts now went to the holes on the paper.  All of them are either right above the bull or to the right.  I need to move the vertical reticle to the left a bit…I move it ever so little and then fired shot number eight!  2 inches high and 1 inch left of the bull.  That could have been me moving as even on 9 power it’s hard to hold that scope on the target exactly.  I’m sighted in!

The ride home was pleasant with lots of good thoughts running through my pea brain….I remembered what I was going to do once I got home…put that Bushnell bad boy bore sighter back into the rifle and check the position of the cross hairs against its grid.

Looking through the scope, the cross hairs were on the Bushnell grid at position 5 squares right and 4 1/2 squares up!  That’s one square left of where it was after lazer bore sighting and one square up.  I could have saved myself a whole lot of pain and bullets had I just left the scope set at the lazer sight in position!

So, for all you Bushnell bore sighter believers and followers of good equipment…I’d chuck the Bushnell type and get myself a good old lazer bore sighter and save yourself head ache and frustration and bullets.  Especially when bullets are $1.50 each!

Bears Butt

August 16, 2013

Written on August 16th, 2013 , DREAM HUNTS
By: Bears Butt

WithOlySign

Today is Thursday and Sherry wants to go with me to sight in the old Ruger.  Remember I sanded down the stock and bore sighted it.  It will be very interesting to see if it will print holes one on top of the other like it should.

Ever since I bought the rifle it has been rather erratic and for a quality rifle it hasn’t been spot on like I expected it to be.

It has brought down two deer and an elk, but I’m not so sure those weren’t just accidents.

I need it to be consistent and bring home two more elk this year.  Not much time left to play around with it.  Next Wednesday will be our qualifying day for the antlerless elk tag we have up at Deseret Land and Livestock property and I have to have the rifle I’m going to use to qualify with.  If something happens and I’m unable to get it to print consistently, I’ll have to resort to my muzzleloader, which wouldn’t be a bad deal anyway.

Bears Butt

August 15, 2013

Written on August 15th, 2013 , DREAM HUNTS

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