Edited Oct. 8, 2013

Suddenly it’s Saturday morning of the hunt…man o man time sure flies fast.  It’s like I said in earlier posts, it takes 365 days to get here but it’s over in what seems like a day.  Well, we will make the most of it.

The three kids and Hot Spark are in for a real good time today.  They have only heard the stories of past hunts and they are all very excited to live it.  The alarm clock in my trailer went off at 5 a.m. and I think I should have set it for 4:30 just to be able to get some things done before they came knocking!  I didn’t anticipate what happened, but it was alright that they came over to Grandpa’s trailer to make sure I was ready to go.

Dry Dog, 3 Guns, Magpie and I had just about finished our first cup of coffee, when a light knock, knock, knock came on the door…I yelled…you don’t have to knock, just come on in…and in they came…all three of them!  Eyes big and bright and ready for the days activities.

I told them as they were coming through the door, “This is a mans trailer and we treat it like a mans trailer, so if the smells don’t suit you, you don’t have to stay.  It should smell like Blackpowder, because that is what we are shooting”!  The only one who made any comment to that was McKenzie and she said “It sure DOES smell like blackpowder in here, and I like it”!!!!

Well, they stayed a short while and because of the way they were all bundled up, decided it was too hot and left to go out by the fire with the other hunters.

The sky had cleared of any clouds and the temperature dropped into the low 20’s during the night, which gave everything a coating of frost about a quarter inch thick.  To say it was cold was an understatement and so I bundled up with all the clothes I had brought to the hunt.  If I was to get cold today, it was my own fault, the only thing left I could do was crack open some of those hand warmer things and I would wait until I just couldn’t stand it any more to do that.

Because of the cold and the fact that the young’uns were not used to it, they were forced into the back seat of the truck until things warmed up.  That put Grandpa in the back of the rack, all by himself.  Everyone else in camp wanted to have seats in warm vehicles for this mornings hunt, and they were smart to be thinking that way.  Grandpa needed to be where the grandkids were and to sacrifice a warm seat is what I had to do.  It wasn’t that bad.

When the light was right to be able to see our sights, we left camp and proceeded to see deer right away.  I think the deer were anxious to come out and play after so many days of wet conditions.

This doe and fawn could care less that we were so close, they continued to feed while we stopped and looked at them.  Others were more skittish and ran off quickly.  We had high hopes of seeing a buck we could shoot and even though we did see bucks during the day, none of them were close enough for a shot.  So for that part of the hunt the kids didn’t get to see how good a shot Dad or Grandpa are, maybe they will get to see that tomorrow.

The trip was to cover ground that Weasel had told them all about for as long as they have been alive.  Places like Crushed Canteen Crossing, Monument Peak, Otter Creek, the old cabin and the trailer.  To do this will take more than just today.

Conner had told me to keep a close eye out for grouse as well as deer while we were driving around and old Grandpas eye was peeled for more than just grouse and deer; he was looking for rabbits too.

As is usual in the Rack, when an animal is spotted, the riders tap on the side or top of the cab in order to signal a reason to stop is in order.  The driver then makes as gentle a stop as the tap indicates the need….in other words, a light tap or two signals a slow down and stop soon…a series of hard and rapid pounds means, go ahead and slam on the brakes, cuz there is a deer really close!

Going down the road a Snowshoe hare ran out from under a bush and around the backside of a pine.  I pounded hard on the side of the truck and the Weasel hit the skids and baled out expecting to see a big old buck standing somewhere close by.  I whispered it was a rabbit and for Conner to get the shotgun and go find it.

It took awhile for the kids to get out of the back of the truck and the shotgun loaded, but it finally did happen and I directed him to where the rabbit ran.  Soon, I saw the young hunter raise the shotgun and take the shot!  A yell of “I GOT HIM”!!!!  echoed through the land!  A prouder hunter could not have been found.

I think Dad, Mom, Sister, Brother and Grandpa were pretty proud as well!  Everyone wanted to get into the act and congratulate him on such a big rabbit!  It will eat well!  Maybe next year he will tag his first buck!?!

Well, the day went on and warmed up enough for the three youngsters to come out and join Grandpa in the back of the rack.  They were very excited and the two older ones maintained the bouncing and jostling, but after a couple of hours, young Cody was getting “bobble head” pretty bad and I asked if he would rather ride in the front of the truck where it was more comfy…he jumped at the idea and was soon fast asleep!  Preparing for his long night around the camp fire I’m sure.  I think mom was in that same state of mind.

When one is not a hunter, or maybe when one is just beginning to learn how we hunt, it gets boring rather quickly and the eye lids get REALLY heavy, causing your state of consciousness to drift into dreamland…we all have had it from time to time.  The one that has to exempt from such a thing is the driver!

We traveled up a road and made a stop to glass into the brush.  I immediately saw three deer and one was a very big buck.  Had things not played out exactly as they did we would not have seen it lay down.  Once it did it was impossible to see it.  We made a plan and Conner and I would go up a road parallel to where it was laying and about a mile up the hill.  Weasel will drive the rig up the road and onto the same hill as the buck was laying.  Conner and I would then come across country, skirting the tree line and come into the bucks bed area and hopefully scare it out and up into Weasels waiting gun!

This took us a couple of hours to do, and we chased out over 20 head of deer and one coyote, but no buck.  He must have let us just walk on past in that thick brush.  It was a good refreshing hike and I think Conner learned a thing or two about what “real” hunting is all about.  The sneaking along trying to be as quiet as you can.  The listening as deer bound out and then stop close by without you being able to see them and then suddenly there they are less than 20 feet from you sneaking along to get out of there.  And then the finale when all the deer have made their quiet move away from you and then they are faced with going somewhere fast because they have gone to the edge of the brush line and you are still pushing them from behind!  It was a really fun push that we made but that big buck didn’t get that big by being stupid.

And so, there you have the end of that day’s hunt for the Rack.  No shots fired!

And for supper it was a welcome Steak that treated our pallets!

Tomorrow is Sunday and traditionally we do a drive around in the morning and come back to camp around noon to clean up and caravan out of the mountains and back to our homes.  Maybe Bears Butt should use a different weapon in the morning.  It seems his traditional rifle isn’t bringing him much luck!

Bears Butt

Oct. 6, 2013

I did not get a picture of him and his buck, but Wapiti shot a buck on this day.  No, it wasn’t a big buck, but it was legal and that is all that counts!  Any buck shot with a muzzleloader is a trophy, in my mind and his was a good one!  Congratulations Wapiti!  That will make for some mighty fine eating!

If someone has a picture of Wapiti and his buck please send it to me and I’ll include it here!  Thanks!

Oct. 8, 2013

Suddenly we awake and it’s Friday!  How quickly time flies when you are having fun!

It was cold during the night and we awoke to a trace of snow on the ground.  The clouds were hanging low, but no moisture falling out of them.  The air was calm, but the threat was there for more precipitation.  Well, we will make the best of what we have.

The plan for Bears Butt was to go back into the Crawfords and try to find my powder horn, it won’t be easy.  Softball had to go home last night and so we replaced him with Muskrat for the ride.  Muskrat said he would cap up and probably even shoot if he saw a Crawford 2 point close by.  We will need his rifle as our anticipated sighting of big deer is high!

Driving down the highway toward our turn off I snapped a picture of what the Crawfords looked like that morning…snow!

The weather forecast for the day is “clearing and warming during the day and then the temperature drops significantly during the night”.  Well at least we will have a decent rest of the weekend.

Once inside the bowels of the Crawfords I realized this hunt for my powder horn will not be an easy one.  There is over an inch of snow on the ground and we are very much near the bottom of the mountain.  What will it be like up near the top of Hidden Valley?

Our search took us to exactly every place we stopped and got out of the vehicle yesterday.  Our minds collectively recalling just about every detail of our trip in and back out.  We did not travel on any of the roads where we did not stop to get out, because the likelihood of the powder horn hanging out the bottom of the door was not considered.

Stopping and looking, moving the snow with our feet, we looked and looked.  Once satisfied we had covered each of the stops we went on.

At the “sneak on the deer” spot I just knew we were going to find the horn.  Edjukateer and I readdressed every move “we” “I” took.  Going down to look over the edge of the drainage where the two bucks were spotted.  Backing to the truck, gathering up our gear for the sneak.  The possible paths each of us took while we did our sneak.  Again moving the snow and trying our best to locate the powder horn.  Our first pass from the truck to the shooting spot proved nothing.  We backtracked again, thinking and talking out loud about the possibilities of taking this trail over that trail, constantly looking for any hint of the horn laying in the bush or on the ground…back to the truck…nothing.

Let’s do it again.  And so we did, retracing our possible trails again.  I was on Edjukateers right side during the sneak.  Then I was behind him in a narrowing of the trail, then to his right again.  Then Softball radioed the deer were on the move and Edjukateer and I left caution to the wind as we ran up and over the top to take our shots.  He knelt there, I readied by cross sticks here.

Nothing…no sign of the powder horn.

And so it went, up to the over look of Hidden Valley….down to another pee break by the deep mud puddle…over to another over look and then down toward the main road on the other side of Rocky Dugway.  Nothing.

I said aloud as we left our last stop, “Well Grandpa, at least it’s lost in the Crawfords”.

If someone, someday finds this horn, they will have a chance to get it back to me.  First off I have carved “A. Zundel” on the main body of the horn and secondly, White Trapper had scrimshawed on a piece of malachite my Squiggly and name.  A healthy reward to the finder.

Thanks Wapiti, Edjukateer and Muskrat for taking a day out of your hunt to help me try and find my powder horn.

Now back to the hunt!

When we left the over look at Hidden Valley, Edjukateer spotted a small group of deer down in a hollow.  A quick look with the binoculars showed a very nice buck in the group.  Our problem with that was they were 500 yards away and moving farther away.  There would not be any chance to get on the buck.  Had there been other Willow Creek Free Trapper vehicles in the area we might have been able to radio them and get them into a position to ambush the buck as he crested a far off ridge…oh well.  And that was the only group of deer we saw this day in the Crawfords.

Coming out we decided it was time for a hot dog and so we pulled into one of the many gravel pits and gathered up some of the wet sticks we found there.  We built up the paper quite high under the wet sticks and it was enough to get them dry and lighted.

I have to back up a little right here.  The day we got into camp, Dry Dog was excited to give us each a little present he had picked up somewhere during the year.  Each package contained two wire hot dog cooking ends, designed for you to find a stick and twist it on the end.  Put your hot dog on it and cook away.  Of course the length of your stick would determine how hot or burnt your gloves would get…how about that Edjukateer?

Even though Wapiti is showing a double dog dare you on his grill unit, I do not recommend more than one dog at a time.  We had a bad experience this day and lost a dog to the coyotes.  I would have eaten it anyway, but it fell in some cow pie of days ago.  We also modified our wires by bending the ends out just a bit more than they were when new.

There is just something special about a hot dog cooked over a small fire and eaten with some chips and drowned in a cold beer!  How about it Muskrat, how did you like that?

And after our lunch break we headed back toward the camp across the valley.  Leaving behind us another storm cell moving in to take over the Crawford Range.

It was time for the evening hunt by the time we got back into New Canyon and so we continued on up toward the top.  Deer seemed to be everywhere what with the break in the weather.  I don’t recall how many we saw, but it was over 30 and maybe even 50 before it got too dark to see.  But for sure one of them was a buck and Edjukateer made a super shot on it to bring it back to camp.  Good job Edjukateer!!!  First buck on the meat pole!  He is the camp king!!!!  Long Live the King!!!!

Sure it’s not a big buck, but this size of deer makes for some mighty fine eating!

And as more rigs pulled into camp out of the darkness, one of them was the “Blue Goose”, loaded with a bunch of loaded guys and they had reason for celebration as Dry Dog had finally scored a hit on one of his many attempts this season.  A very nice 3 point buck!  Congratulations Dry Dog and a fine shot I might add…right in the neck!

And so, Edjukateers “Kingdom” falls to the Dry Dog…The new reigning King of the camp!  Long live the new King!   Good job both of you!

Well it’s Friday evening and into camp came Hot Spark and her kids…Conner, McKenzie and Cody!  This is the first deer hunt for each of the four of them and it’s going to be a good one.  They are all very much excited to be there and to experience what goes on.  Of course every one of us has to be careful what we are saying and to whom, but that’s ok…it takes youngsters in camp to replace us old buggers who someday won’t be able to be there.  Welcome to camp!

Of course the kids need to get their sleep and mom (Hot Spark) hustles them off to bed about 8:30 or so.  They don’t mind because they know 5 a.m. will be coming soon!

And the rest of the camp enjoys one last laugh before retiring as well.

It has been a great day!  With more expected tomorrow!  Our “last” full day of hunting for this muzz season!  At least the last full day while we are all still camping…there are more days to the hunt and we all know that.

Good night everyone, this old fart needs his beauty sleep!

Boy, I’ll say!!!!

Bears Butt

Oct. 5, 2013

Day two of this years muzz deer hunt found us waking to some snow on the ground.  Not an unwelcome sight, but colder than some expected and for sure wetter than some would have liked.  One thing it did do was force some of us (me) into a warmer rig than yesterdays.  I just could not see an empty seat in a warm outfit going out of camp empty.  Gattlin had a chance at it, as well as the others in The Rack, but all declined.  A decision I’m sure some of them had wished they could “re-do”.

So, here I am in the company of Wapiti (driving), Edjukateer (shotgun) and Softball.

Wapiti was driving his Yukon and he didn’t want to scratch it up any more than possible and so we pretty much stayed on the main traveled roads.  The sighting of deer from these roads was not what it was the day before.  Perhaps the weather had them held up in their beds, or maybe just back into the trees farther than we could see.

Our morning ride didn’t produce much more than good conversation and a lot of laughs.  We decided we should go across the valley and see what the Crawford range had to offer.  I have always been convinced there are deer in that area all year long, especially in an area we call “Hidden Valley”!  The valley where Bo shot his big buck several years ago during his dream hunt.  So, this was our goal, get over to Hidden Valley and scope things out.

I didn’t take a lot of pictures on this outing as we were pretty concerned about the roads being slippery and rocky in a few places, but we covered the area around the face pretty good.  And of course there was a trace of snow.

Going up Rocky Dugway, which is always a treat, especially for the driver, we decided it was time for a short break.  We all piled out and suddenly spotted some deer a ways away.  The binoculars suddenly showed that at least 4 of the 5 deer were bucks and so, back into the truck with zippers still down and off we go in pursuit!

Needless to say, those bucks are still up there somewhere, but our zippers are zipped! (insert smiley face)

We continued up and around and over and down when suddenly two more deer appeared in the valley below.  Binoculars again showed that both of them were bucks!  They were as skittish as the 5 we had seen earlier and so off they went across the valley and up and over the next ridge.  At least they were heading toward our goal of Hidden Valley.  Perhaps we will see them again.

As we went down into this draw, all the water from the rain and melting snow had created quite a large puddle of deep water which made for an interesting “go through” to get on the other side…a bit slippery I might add.  But Wapiti maintained and kept the foot print of the rig pretty much in the existing roadway.  Good job Wapiti!  I’m sure he thought about the return trip all the while we were on this side of the puddle.

As we climbed up the ridge, which is one ridge North of our goal, we stopped to glass a deep draw filled with cedar trees.  Edjukateer spotted the two bucks that had headed in that direction!  They were nearly 300 yards up the draw and would require a very good plan to get close enough for a shot.  We made a plan for Softball and Wapiti to stay where they could keep tabs on the two bucks and to keep Edjukateer and I informed through radio contact on the bucks activities, while we hiked around the hill and make an approach above and closer to the two bucks.

We traveled as fast and quietly as we could and as we approached a lone cedar (our goal) Softball radioed the bucks were moving away and up the draw.  I guess we weren’t as quiet as we should have been.  We put the hustle on and crested the hill and could see the bucks standing down near the bottom about 150 yards out.  Edjukateer took the time to range them and then sat down for a shot.  I placed my cross sticks out in front of me and prepared for my shot.  It’s way out of my range, but with the type of conical bullets we were shooting, still a very do-able shot and a solid hit would put the buck down for the count.  Edjukateers shot went high, a clean miss and the two bucks broke into a fast exit.  No chance for a shot from me.  They continued to travel until they crested the ridge some 500 yards away from us.  Dang!  Another dollar in the big buck bag and a name on the Boobin Baby Board for Edjukateer.

Soon we found ourselves up on the ridge looking over the Hidden Valley, but no deer could be found through our spotting efforts.  Let’s get out of here and see if we can find more bucks!

Again we had the slippery roads and rocky dugway to traverse in order to get down and out of the Crawford Range and at the last stop before leaving I realized I had lost my Great Grandfathers powder horn.  I was sick!

The crew wanted to reverse our course and backtrack to try and find it, but since it was as late as it was in the day, I decided that perhaps we could come back in the morning and look for it.  They agreed.

We talked about where I could have lost it and decided the best and most likely place would be where Edjukateer and I made our sneak to get closer to those two bucks.  That night I dreamed about finding it in that area.

Meanwhile, back at camp, the others had made their road trips here and there and some had seen bucks…some even got shots at bucks…ALL missed, and so, names were placed on the Boobin Baby Board and more dollars were put into the pot for the biggest buck.

I’m not sure why it works this way, but Dry Dog seems to always get several shots each year.  And I think he needs to work on finding a bullet that will fly where he wants it to fly instead of flying where “it” wants to fly.  I’m calling his choice of bullets “Missing bullets”.

Dry Dog is putting his name on the board as the first one of us to miss his shot this year.

And so ends the second day of the 2013 muzz deer season in our camp!  Good night everyone, I have to get up early and head over to the Crawfords and find my lost powder horn.

Bears Butt

Oct. 4, 2013

After a pretty rough nights sleep (anticipation and all) we were gently awaken to the sound of BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP from the little bear alarm clock.  Feet hit the floor quickly as we were all ready to get the day started…it was 5:15 in my trailer.  Two full hours until it would be light enough to see our sights.  Still, we were all very anxious.  The coffee was put to the heat and things got rolling!

One thing about my trailer and the guys in it, we have a laugh a minute and this morning was no different.  Maybe a little of the anxiousness was pulling some of our strings, but we laughed a lot!

Dry Dog was excited to show off his new socks….more like leggins!

One thing for sure is his legs should stay warm.  Next year he might even have short attached to the top of his socks!  Wouldn’t that be funny!  Only Dry Dog!

When the coffee was all consumed and the horseplay for the morning completed, assignments were called out and who was going with who was all decided, all we had to do then was get our gear ready and load up!  About 7 a.m. rigs started to roll out of camp.  Some going up, some going down and some going as far out as town.  It was going to be a cold and wet day according to “Weather Butt”…the dawn would show us the cloud cover and by noon things would get a bit wet.

The “Rack Crew” for opening day would be Weasel (driver), Gattlin (shotgun), Gunner, Raif, Butt Shot and Bears Butt riding in the back.  A great crew for opening morning.

We decided we would go down the road from camp and across the flat to the old cabin and then up and around Flat Top…No real reason for doing this other than it’s usually a good plan, well, it’s a plan.

The number of deer we saw were few and I believe it had everything to do with the impending storm.  We worked our way up and around and over and down and were at our pushing pockets around noon time.  We pushed a few pockets and met back at the truck…just as the rain began to fall….By the time we made if off the top and down through Monkey Dink draw, the crew in the back of the rack were soaked!  It really began to put down the rain and sleet by that time and so everyone scattered for the inside of their trailers to wait it out.

Weasel and I talked about the storm and how the deer would be reacting to it and decided that the best thing about this storm was the settling of the dust!  What more can you do?  You have to stay positive about the prospects of filling your tag.

The storm stayed with us until the middle of the afternoon and then a break in the clouds and storm came.  We were all like flies waiting for a break so we could come out and resume our hunting.

I for one was soaked to the skin from the storm as we came off the mountain.  All the clothes I had brought were on my body and very wet.  I would not get warm until I jumped into the sack that night.

Before retiring to the trailer, Half Cocked (Half Cock Ed) and Dry Dog had a surprise for us…mini bottles for kill jugs!  Thanks Guys!

These little bottles will go on our Beaver Sharns and will either be full after the hunt or empty….only empty ones show that the owner of the Beaver Sharn filled their tag.  Thanks again!  That was a really nice thing for you guys to do!

No deer were shot this day, but there were plenty of sightings.  A few small bucks got through the day without being put on the meat pole!  Lucky for them.

It was a pretty full day and I was cold and ready for bed.  I think I remember the clock reading 8:30 p.m. when I finally turned out the light!

Bears Butt

Oct. 3, 2013

The yearly thrill of preparing for the muzzleloader deer hunt is always a very big deal to me.  It seems to take forever to get here and then when the hunt starts it seems again to be over in just a few days.  This year was just like that.  A blur of activity that came and went so quickly.  But the memory will live on for as long as we all can remember.  Some firsts, some “the sames” and always a lot of laughter.

The hunt start date is set to begin on a Wednesday for some reason, and that is alright with all of us.  Some guys like that and others don’t really care.  Some like to hunt the first part of the hunt, while others want to hunt the last part.  Of course there are always those who like to hunt everyday of the season.  I’m not one of those kind, and I suppose that is one of the reasons I could never be a guide…I can only hunt/fish/whatever for so long a time and then I have to do something different.

Our hunting group likes to travel as a group if we can, as you never know when trouble will happen and we each bring a little expertise to the “problem” should it happen.  This year no problems occurred going to camp, but we did have a minor issue coming home.  Not everyone who comes to the camp can get the time off of work, or travels the same route to get to the camp, but those that can travel together often do.

With such a beautiful day ahead of us, this is the group that caravaned up and over Monte Cristo the day preceding the opening day of the hunt.

From left to right:  Muskrat, Magpie, Dry Dog, Fat Duck, Wapiti Dung, Hot Spark, Weasel, Soft Ball, Bears Butt and little MaPa’s.  Winemaker was behind the camera!

Once into camp it is a flurry of activities until all is ready and then we can sit back and take it all in, in Grand Fashion!

Gattlin seems to be enjoying his “work”!

We adjust and position trailers, campers, tents and the like.  Get them all adjusted for a comfortable nights sleep and to get out of the weather should that become an issue.  Fire wood is gathered and stacked for the upcoming several nights stay and once it’s all done, we kick back and begin the real enjoyable part of the hunt.

Before this camp is done, and long before the ending of our stay, this half circle of chairs will become a full circle around the fire with some double rows of chairs added by those who come in later in the week.  I think I counted 33 people one evening!

We don’t consider our camp any different than any of the other camps around the country.  But I think it would be hard pressed to have a camp that enjoys this time more than ours.  We laugh until our faces hurt some nights.  And  when it comes to eating, it really doesn’t get much better than home made jambalaya!

With full bellies from such a wonderful meal, the stories of past hunts and the expected success of this years hunt are explained in full by those who think they can remember the past or think they can foresee the future.  It’s all fun no matter and we all enjoy the night time fire.

As the night time hours slip by, we all know that we have an early alarm clock rise to awake to and we best call it a night or we might just sleep in and miss the rising sun in the morning.

Day one will happen in just a few hours….Good night all!

Bears Butt

Oct. 2, 2013

October 1…It’s too late to get it done in September, sorry about that!

A day trip is planned for today, one more attempt at killing a buck and filling the tag.  Weasel, Tracker, Bones and I are headed for the hills and hopefully will come back with two bucks tied to the roof and blood running down the windshield.  Why only 2 bucks?  Tracker and Bones don’t have licenses, that’s why.

Our plan is to head back toward where we had our camp and road hunt back toward home.  That’s what old hunters do, road hunt.  The weather is supposed to be really good today with a big change coming tomorrow.  It should have the deer out feeding in anticipation of the new front coming and from being cooped up from the last storm that just passed through.  At any rate, it should be a good day afield.

MaPa’s is out and about and anticipates the “loss” of his daddy again and won’t come back in from the garage.  He is such a loyal little guy.  But he can’t go with me and so he will be staying home with his mom (Winemaker).  Hopefully I’ll come home with some smelly old buck for his entertainment later on.

Day trips are always hard for me to make sure I have all the stuff I might need, but they say, “License, gun and bullet is all you need, everything else is luxury”.  I suppose that holds true, and I have those three things already packed.  Plus, lunch, drinks, shovel, come along, handyman jack, rope, extra oil, first aid kit, coat, gloves, water, cell phone, tow chain…..we should survive should we have to stay the night.

Well, wish us luck and we are out of here.  A report will follow on this same posting!

Bears Butt

October 1, 2013