Utah Fishing Reports
Monticello Weather for today!
Abundant sunshine, light breezes, high in the mid 50’s and lows around freezing.
Boy does this sound like a broken record, but it is what it is and as far as I’m concerned it can stay just like this all through the hunt!
Bears Butt
Oct. 22, 2013
My mind is totally on the upcoming elk hunt. I have been Google Earthing the area until I think I’ve worn all the brush and timber off the mountain. I have all the water holes memorized and even though I have never been on that mountain, I feel like I own it. Videos of elk hunting the area have all been watched at least twice and some of them 10 times. I’ve talked to locals about the place, got my exercise routine down so I can pretty much maintain a 5% slope at 7 mph for up to 3 minutes and finally been studying how to field judge bull elk antlers. Why? Heck if I really know, because I’ve never even shot at a bull elk and so any I get will be a trophy no matter if it only has one horn sticking out of its head.
With all of this “elk this and elk that” and a gang of guys going down to help out, I feel a need to give them all a little something as a memoir. I have looked on line for little elk heads and such and when I was able to find something close, it was about $25 and that is way too expensive, even for my good family who are going down hunting with me. You know that $25 equates to almost 4 12 packs of beer. Sorry guys.
So, I had a dream the other morning and came up with a way to give them a token of my appreciation and something that they can keep forever. Now I’d like to show you how to make them!
We are going to make some wire elk antlers! How about that! No, they aren’t going to be so big as to put them out in the front yard as decorations, but you could if you wanted to I suppose. No these little guys will be dangles for perhaps a beaver sharn, or from your rear view mirror. Let’s get started!
Here are the things you are going to need.
Some 20 guage craft wire, Artificial sinew or nylon string, scissors, Super Glue, Small pliers, Small piece of leather or cloth and in my case a small permanent marker pen. Now to look at all of this and imagine seeing a set of wire elk antlers at the same time, just doesn’t make a lot of sense does it?
I’ll try and make this simple for all you “think inside the box” folks. This idea just came to me suddenly and so here you go!
Pull out some of the wire from the roll and grab onto it with the pliers about 1/2 inch from the end
A 5 to 7 year old bull elk usually has 6 points on each side, give or take and once the animal is mature, each consecutive year they are alive, the antlers just seem to get thicker or bigger around and a little longer. The number of points is usually genetic more so than anything else. So, we are going to make a 6 point bull elk antler set.
For point number one, referred to in “the book” as the G-1 point, bend the wire up toward you, then move the pliers to where you think the point is going to be its longest and bend it back down.
Nice looking G-1 if you ask me!
Take the pliers and move it down to a point straight across from the point of beginning.
bend it up and then back down…G-2! G-1’s and G-2 points are somewhat similar in length on a real animal, but God made things so that every animal is different in one way or another and so should your wire antler. No two will be identical. Let’s get after the G-3 point. It is usually a bit longer than the other two.
Notice I’m not going overboard with length differences with my set of antlers, but you can do whatever you want to do, they are your antlers and you can make them however you want them to look…pretend YOU are GOD! Now for the G-4. On a real animal the G-4 is usually the longest on a side. Some field judges say you can tell a truly remarkable bull, if the G-4 is long enough, that if you could lay it down toward the back end of the antler (to the tip) and it was that long you had best be shooting and counting total points once it’s on the ground. I can’t say one way or the other, but it sounds like a pretty good theory. G-4!
Nice!
Well, our goal here is to have a six point antler and so I must say that in real life, again, the G-5 point is usually the shortest out of the G-1 through G-5…so let’s bend ours to be a short one and then extend our wire out to where we think the tip of the antler should be and bend it back toward our point of beginning.
So here we have our six potential antler points.
At this point I like to take my pliers and squeeze down the ends of the points so they aren’t so wide at the tip.
And then we will wind the wire over the lower curves and continue to wind that wire until we get back to the beginning of this antler.
Continue to wrap this wire until you reach the beginning point.
Ok, that is all the wire we will be needing for this side of the antler and so we will snip it off just long enough that we can wrap it around the beginning straight section a couple of times.
At this point it looks like it could be the dorsal fin of a perch.
Well, we really should know at this point just what a typical elk antler looks like and so here is a picture of a real elk. I borrowed this off a “free download” website. Whoever took the picture did a great job! Thank you!
Notice how the G-1, G-2 and G-3 points curve up. My dream of shooting a bull of this caliber is very high! Further study of this particular elk shows it’s G-3 is actually longer than the G-4, on the one side…God interfered again and that is ok.
Let’s bend our “antler tips” to sort of match this real elks antlers.
So, now we have one half of the antler set. Go ahead and repeat the steps again for the other half. Remember that when you are bending the other side, it should “mirror” this first side. Ideally a real elk will have exactly matching sides. Each of the “G” points will mirror the corresponding “G” point on each antler, be the same length, the same curvature and the same thickness. Antlers like what I have described really add up points in “the book”. You will want to make sure yours are pretty close to the same.
Once we tie these two sets together in the middle, we can straighten up the points and get down to the artistic side of making them match as closely as we can.
Put them together and get to wrapping them tightly.
You know, these don’t look too bad do they?
So, in real life, if you had a nice set of elk antlers like this you would want to display it on the barn wall, or in your home or somewhere. The part you just wound together would actually be the crown portion of the elk’s skull and you could (in reality) leave it bleached white or you could cover it with something to cover it up. Since these are wire, we will want to cover them with something to hide the twists. I like to use scraps of deer leather, but cloth would work just as well.
Cut the leather just slightly larger than the wrapped wire portion and super glue it in place, making sure the connecting point is going to be hidden “behind” the antler.
Now wrap the leather and trim it off.
Look’in Good!
Well, you are so close to being done it’s amazing. Aren’t you proud of yourself ? You should be! You did a very good job and it almost looks like real elk antlers…well, wire ones at least. It’s time to tie on the sinew or nylon string. In my experience, I found that tying the string through the openings on the G-5 points make the antlers hang more normal. Make sure you get the “square knot” good and secure so it doesn’t fall off.
There you go! All done and ready to hang.
I also did some experimenting with some old wood and tacked some on it. They turned out pretty cool too.
And so there you have it. Easy to make, fun to do and will be the envy of all your friends! They will be asking you to make them one. Just turn them onto this web site and have them make their own! Bears Butt Dot Com.
Hey! That’s me!
Bears Butt
Oct. 21, 2013
I don’t have a lot of time right now, so I’ll just post up the Monticello weather for today:
Plenty of sunshine, high 54 degrees, light breezes throughout the day, low expected to be 31.
It actually sounds like a very nice fall day!
Bears Butt
Oct. 21, 2013
Aren’t these little silver elk antlers cool??????
Bears Butt
Oct. 20, 2013
Monticello weather for today:
Morning sunshine, turning to partly cloudy throughout the day. Highs in the mid 50’s, lows tonight right at freezing! Light breezes.
We had our meeting yesterday to decide on all the stuff for the elk hunt. A big decision was made NOT to take the atv’s (toys). I sure hope we don’t regret that decision. They would have given us more flexibility and maneuverability in some of the tighter spots but on the other hand it would have caused us to split up and we don’t want that.
So, it looks like two rigs will haul two trailers down and 3 guys will sleep in each of the trailers. That will make it nice and not crowd us up.
Another great decision is to take Trackers dining fly down for comfort from any foul weather and it will add the bit of ambiance that is always nice in a camp. We are meeting up on Wednesday to make an addition to it which will also be a nice thing.
On past dream hunts we have used EZ-Up canopies to cover the cooking area. This modification will put a large tarp over the cooking area without detracting from the ambiance. Nothing like a good elk hunt to get the brain thinking about how to make things better in camp!
This hunt is adding another dimension to my thinking and I guess I should just relax a bit and not over think the whole thing. But it’s in my nature to worry some and make sure we have all the bases covered. The biggest thing with me is how long to plan to be down there. The hunt goes from Saturday through the following week and ends on Sunday. It should not take that many days to find a shooter size elk and from the information I’ve been given by the experts in that area, a bull elk can be killed any given day…will the one that shows itself be big enough? I guess we will see when that happens.
The days between our leaving and now are going to be dragging along and just like the hunt we just finished, it will be over before we know it. That’s how they all go.
So, the six of us are going to be on the hunt from Thursday through Sunday and then half the crew have to leave to come home. Monday morning will see Wapiti, Soft Ball and Edjukateer heading North on Highway 191 while Tracker, Weasel and I stay to keep trying to fill that tag. Unless of course the tag gets filled on Saturday or Sunday…then all of us will be cruising North.
The three of us have made plans out to and including Wednesday. If the tag is still unfilled by then, we will make a command decision at that time to stay or go home. Time will tell and no matter what, it will be a very fun hunt with good company and in country filled with ancient ruins, hieroglyphics and beautiful landscape. Red rock country contrasted with pine covered alpine ridges, canyons filled with aspens, trailing down to low country oak and eventually into the desert that the Moab area is known for. I can hardly wait.
18 days!
Bears Butt
Oct. 20, 2013
Lots of computer problems all of a sudden! I had to go back and restore my system way back to Oct. 5….Virus? Old system? Tree fell on wires? Sometimes I think smoke signals would work better.
This morning Weasel and I hit up the Lee Kay Center in SLC, where he quickly qualified for the cow elk hunt coming up on Dec. 3 of this year! Fun times again! We were very surprised at the number of people at the shooting range shooting. We expected to be about the only ones there and to our surprise we had to wait for a lane to come open.
Today started the general season deer hunt in Utah…lots of folks up and down the mountain trying to fill their tags and all the while the deer are hiding deep in the brush. Good luck to all of you out there trying!
Monticello weather: Sunny, high 53, light breezes like yesterday.
Today is also the day we meet to discuss the details of the Elk Hunt (Dream Elk Hunt)…It will be a good time for sure. Just a small group with lots to discuss!
So, you see old Bears Butt has a lot of things going on in his little life.
19 days and counting!
Bears Butt
Oct. 19, 2013
Another chilly day on the Wasatch Front! And what about down South?
Monticello weather for today calls for: Partly cloudy this morning and then clearing with a high of about 50, light NW breezes and a low about 30 tonight.
That sounds like a very nice day!
Yesterday I poured over a map I printed off and needed a magnifying glass to even read it. But I did find out some interesting things about the area of the hunt. It’s actually not too far from where I think we will be camping over to a staging area I was told about and if the weather continues to be nice like it is, the elk just might be hanging on that mesa. So the plan is in place to maybe go over there one day during the hunt and check things out.
Of course if Dennis is right, the elk will be down and in the cooler before we even have time to pop a beer.
Speaking of beer, did I tell you he saw a Black Bear during his muzz deer hunt? Again, if the weather remains mild, we just might get to see one of them critters ourselves! That is something on my bucket list and this area is just the place to make that happen. The conservation officer down there told me that they would all be hibernating by the time my hunt comes around…we will see, maybe a big old bore will still be out hunting up berries.
21 days and counting!
Bears Butt
Oct. 17, 2013
Very cool morning! Frost on the pumpkin for sure! And that is for Willard! How about Monticello?
Sunny today, High expected to be 47 with winds WNW (that’s West North West), 5 to 10 mph…pretty nice day ahead!
I added 10 more situps to the routine this morning. The first 10 were pretty easy and so I decided what the heck! And did 10 more. Ya, they were a bit shaky toward the end, but I got em dun!
More map study yesterday of the elk area. I found a couple small ponds too..of course right now they might not have any water in them, but at least I know where they are and if I don’t have my elk down before then, I’ll make it over to have a look at them.
Both are near one another and both at the heads of draws with very tall trees around them. They look like perfect elk sanctuaries quite a ways away from the nearest road or atv trails and tucked away where most people would not care to look. I’ll mark them on my gps today.
Who’s thinking about elk anyway?
22 days and counting!
Bears Butt
Oct. 16, 2013
It’s getting colder outside and the old Bears Butt is getting all bundled up in his new capote!
The workout this morning was just over 30 minutes. 12 minutes at 5 to 10% incline with a minute on each one going up the scale and one more coming down the scale, all at 3.5 mph…not to bad, but the sweat was pouring off me by the time I got back down to 5% !
Then it was decrease the slope to 1% and increase the speed. Again one minute at 5, 6 and then two full minutes at 7 mph. I’m not much of a runner and so right now 7 mph is just about my max. I’m a little afraid to go to 8 mph for fear of falling on the treadmill and killing myself. I think I’ll stick with 7.
As for weight…well I have never considered it to be a problem, but I have been 9 pounds lighter than when I started for the past 4 days. I guess that means I’ve lost 9 pounds!?!
The 10 situps I incorporated are still a bit tough to accomplish but part of that is do to the fact that my feet come up off the floor. This morning I put them near the edge of the couch and was able to get my toes to push hard enough against the couch to assist me. Is that cheating? I think not.
23 days until we head for the San Juan Mountains of Utah!
I’m watching the weather down that way and noting the conditions. I think I will start to show you that on here beginning tomorrow.
Bears Butt
Oct. 15, 2013
Today I broke away from the pre-programmed workout on the treadmill and made up my own routine. 30 minutes is pretty standard and should be plenty to get me into shape for the hills and with the incline part available on the treadmill, I decided I need to concentrate on my legs a little more.
So, with that, I set out to work up to the 10% incline for a pretty sustained period of time during the workout. Well, that was my goal anyway.
What ended up to happen was I warmed up for the first 10 minutes, walking slowly and building up to a speed of 4 with no incline. Then I settled in at 3.5 mph and jumped the incline to 7% right at the 10 minute mark. Following the lights on the “laps” I went 1/2 lap and then increased the % to the next half. At 10% I went one full lap around the track and then started back down in one half % decreases back down to 7%. By this time I had done 15 minutes of incline workout, or half my total time. My legs really feel it and so I must have made a good choice.
I think I will continue to do something on this order for the rest of the time until the hunt begins and I’ll try and increase the time spent at the 10% level. The pre-programmed settings like a speed of 4 mph, but my short legs have a tough time at that speed when the incline is over 5%. I have to jog to keep up. But 3.5 is a good speed that allows me to keep up and still do the steeper incline.
It’s all part of what Todd Black told me to do…Get my wind and get my legs under me….This hunt is not going to be that easy according to him both mentally and physically, but if I don’t have to worry about the physical part so much, I should be able to handle the mental part. Now I just have to start thinking like a big old bull elk.
I wonder if Winemaker would go along with what I think a big old bull elk thinks about?
Bears Butt
Oct. 14, 2013