By: Bears Butt

NewspaperRockguyBeingTossedByBuff

Today is the day to cut up Weasels elk and hopefully end the years dealing with elk all together.

It has been a wonderful ride, but now it is time to do something different….maybe go fishing!

When we went to Hardware Ranch last Saturday, we made it a point to travel past Hyrum Dam and sure enough there were fishermen standing on the ice!  Whether they were catching anything or not, we do not know, but the ice was thick enough that there were several of them out on it.  Mantua also held a substantial number of fishermen on it.

More to come later in the day!  As for now it’s time to head on over to the butcher shop and begin the cutting!

Bears Butt

December 16, 2013

Written on December 16th, 2013 , Uncategorized
By: Bears Butt

typical6pointelk

The annual Elk Festival at the Hardware Ranch in Northern Utah was held yesterday, December 14th!  A beautiful day to be up in the mountains!  The ranch has about 200 elk in the meadow right now and it’s a really great outing for a family.  Take a ride out in and among the elk and you get almost close enough to touch them!  Please keep your hands inside the rails of the wagon at all times…these are wild animals capable of great injury to you!

ElkAtRanch

But yesterday it wasn’t ALL about elk.  There were several things going on to entertain young and old alike!  Kids could learn about animal tracks!  Stamp out a fish outline on paper and paint it up!  Make a bird feeder using peanut butter and bird seed!  Find out about the Bear River Bird Refuge!  And more!

MakingFishImprints

AnimalTracks

You also have the opportunity to purchase a ticket to go out among the elk on the sleigh being pulled by the draft horses and listen to the guide tell you about the elk!

TheFrontDesk

And you can learn about what bugs are found in the Blacksmith Fork river!

TheWaterBugLadies

Of course an Elk Festival would not be the same without the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation’s representation!  Right?

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Oh, and don’t forget!  You can even make yourself a Christmas ornament out of deer and elk br0wes material and for the brave at heart you can even add in a sampling of elk dung just to show your friends that “You Were There”!!!

HyrumCityYouthCouncil

To have a successful event like this one it takes a lot of coordination and hard work by those behind the scenes!  Marni Lee takes charge for this event and of course her husband helps as well.  This is truly a team effort and I wish I knew everyone’s name to tell you who is who, but for sure I know Marni and her husband Andy!

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Hold on here!  That picture is of some Mountain Men with Marni!  Where is Andy?

Andy is busy working!

Andy

Now what was that with the Mountain Men?  Well, there was a small group of the Willow Creek Free Trappers at this event as well!  And why would they be there?  To break up the action and make things a bit more interesting for the folks who braved the cold and snow to come up to the ranch.  I think these Mountain Men have been coming to this event since its inception, some 10 or more years ago!  What do they bring to the event?

Guns, Mountain Man attire, Furs, Traps and information!  We have a really good selection of various tanned furs for people to study and to feel.  Most people have never actually touched the fur of several of the animals and this gives them a great chance to do just that!

MountainManTable

The men and women at the table offer all the explanations needed for you to walk away with a good base knowledge about blackpowder rifles, pistols and shotguns, as well as flint and steel fire starting and of course the mountain man era and the fur bearing animals as well.

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WeaselExplains

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Not only do you get a fully rounded out lesson on the Mountain Man era in America, but you also have the chance to get to put on some Mountain Man attire and get your picture taken!

Here Sara and Bones are preparing for the day’s activities for the picture taking:

SaraAndBones

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When it was all set up and ready to go, this is what the Willow Creek Free Trappers corner looked like!

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Space hogs huh?  But we needed it!  Everything had to be “just right” in order for folks to come in, learn something about the Mountain Men of days past and then to prepare to get their pictures taken!

You have to pick out just the right Capote, hat and gun:

PickingAHat

And then you have to make sure the pose is perfect:

PosingJustRight

Some of you will take this sort of thing really serious, but we just want to make sure you are enjoying yourself!  So, using your own camera, Bones, or one of us, will take your picture!

BonesTakingPictures

And you can be yourself!

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Or not!  We don’t care!  It’s your picture!

WhoIsHavingTheMostFun

Here is a picture of part of the Mountain Man crew!  The horny one is Edjukateer!

EdjukateerWithHorns

The background is a painting by a volunteer (Kevin Pence, I think) who loves to come to the ranch and make his mark!  A beautiful job for sure!

ThePictureBackground

Well, I promised everyone that I would post pictures on this web site and I sure hope I didn’t leave anyone out!  I tried to be at each of the picture settings and if I missed you I’m very sorry about that!  But here is my collection of pictures and I tried to pick the best 0f the few I took of each group.  If you would like me to send you all of the pictures I took of your group, please email me at “bearsbuttzundel@gmail.com” and let me know which picture is yours, there is a number to the left side, below your picture, let me know that number!

Enjoy these pictures!  I had a blast cropping them!

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Do you know this guy, are you friends?  Nope, but we are now!

Bears Butt

December 15, 2013

Written on December 15th, 2013 , Uncategorized
By: Bears Butt

YellowFlowerGarden

I thought a nice flower type picture was appropriate on such a cold day as it is today!

As you know, Weasel and I spent the day out playing in the mountains again yesterday.  What a great day it was too, nice and cool, sunny and just plain great!

We had decided that since the guides wanted us to check in at the Woodruff side ranch by 6:30 a.m. that we would spend the night in Evanston and so Weasel arranged for a room.  It wasn’t the type of room you might expect from a Howard Johnson, but it was what it was.  Long and narrow, but what do you need when all you need is a bathroom and a bed?

OurEvanstonRoom

OurEvanstonRoom2

We did have a microwave, coffee maker, fridge and ironing board, but we could have done without all of that EXCEPT the coffee maker.  All that stuff just took up room in the already small place, but it was just fine for the two of us.  I have to say the bed was one of the most comfy I have ever stayed in for a motel.

The alarm(s) went off promptly at 4:30 a.m. and up we jumped, knowing we had a full day of hunting ahead of us.  So we went about making about 10 pots of coffee to fill our immediate needs and the cups for the road drive over to that ranch.

The roads were pretty slick all through Evanston and out to the ranch and so the drive was slow, but we made it and were the first ones there.

Speaking of roads in Evanston, I don’t think they have a budget for snow removal in that town.  I missed two turns in a row because I slid through the intersections…You guys need to work on that.

At the ranch, the first person to show up was an elderly guide named Amos.  Amos said he has been guiding at the ranch for over 40 years.  He doesn’t have a lot to say, but he means every word of it!  Welcome Amos, to Bears Butt Dot Com!  Hello Amos!

Amos

A hunter and trapper his entire life.  Lives somewhere around Woodruff.

Amos2

So, next came another hunter and her escort.  Amos was quick to call the head guide and tell him there were too many people at the ranch.  He had room in his truck for the two hunters, but that left me and Pam’s escort and neighbor, Scott on our own.  We decided rather than to sit at the ranch and wait for a couple of hours for the other guide to come and pick us up that we would drive Pam’s truck and follow them, which we did.

The going was pretty slow and difficult for us.  Not that the truck couldn’t go in it, but it’s one of those beefed up high powered diesels with all the weight in the front and nothing in the back.

AToughGo

Amos was making the best trail he could for us to follow, but the wind had drifted the snow some and made it slow going.

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The snow had a frozen crust on it as well and then under the crust was light powdery snow.  Some of the toughest snow to try and drive around in.

Besides the snow issues, we did start to see elk right off the bat, but couldn’t get on them.  Amos did give us a radio to communicate any sightings we might see, but we mostly just listened to what was going on.

Well, at the corner of Squaw and Trail, we met up with two other guides and one other set of hunters.

MetUpWithOthers

The other hunters were “guests of the ranch” as they did not hire a guide, but they had driven from the Tooele area to the meeting point at Lost Creek and had virtually ran themselves out of fuel.  So, we left their truck and Pam’s at this spot and climbed in with the guides.

AtTheCornerOfSquawAndTrail

For the time being, Scott and I were in guide Bryce’s truck, while Weasel and Pam were still with Amos.  Off we all went up the hill and in search of the mighty elk.  It didn’t take long before we were in an area where it looked like hundreds of elk had been feeding.  And then it happened.  The radio started to bark out elk being seen and elk being killed.  Two down here and one more over there.

Bryce turned his truck around and off we went to find Amos as both of his hunters had shot.  We arrived at Amos’ truck to find Weasel, Pam and Amos all out glassing the area.  They had shot at a couple of cows out on a knob around 400 yards down the hill.  Amos didn’t want to just go down there and look for blood until he had a spotter up high to see if any possible wounded ones were moving off.  So, that is why we found them where we did.  Besides, I wanted to be with Weasel when he kills his elk, as Scott did with Pam and so this put us back with them.

We went down to see if there was any blood and Weasel and I went off following a trail left by his elk.  Nothing.  But in our hike we went far enough looking that we had a heck of a hike back out.  Weasel was too layered up and had a bit of a heat stroke issue going on and was very light headed as we made the climb back to the truck.

WeaselWindedFromCLimb

You can see how steep the mountain is in this picture.

Well Amos, Pam and Scott didn’t want to wait for us to make the climb back up, so they headed off in search of more elk.  Meanwhile, Bryce waited the hour or so for us to make that climb up.

So, now we are together in Bryce’s truck and Scott and Pam are with Amos, this would be the pairing for the rest of the day.  By the way, Bryce doesn’t like to walk much and will drive to everywhere he wants to be.  Take that for what you think it means.  He is also always thinking ahead and wants to make the roads are as wide and clear of snow as he can for the next trip in…again, take that for what you might think I mean.

As the day progressed we saw hundreds of elk.  Bulls of all sizes and plenty of cows.  It is rumored that they want as many as 260 cows taken off the ranch this year and as of yesterday, they still had over 150 to go.  Good luck to all the hunters who have the tags!

Around 3 p.m. all the guides and hunters were down near the “black tank”.  Amos had found a band of cows mixed in with several bulls and couldn’t get his hunter a shot without some help from the rest.  So, with a similar ring as our last trip, the radio was blasting out who needed to be where and who was cutting them off and who was to turn them what direction.  The rodeo had begun!  Bryce came to a spot next to a fence, looking into a shallow draw and here came the elk, one behind the other and about 200, maybe 250 yards slightly down hill from us.  Weasel was out with the rifle resting solidly on the open door when one of the many, and I mean many, elk filing through, finally stopped and gave him enough time to drop it with a single shot!  Boom!! Elk down!  Good job Weasel!

WeaselAndBryceWithCowElk

A fat 2 and a half year old that will make for some mighty fine eating!  Thanks a million Bryce!  Great job of putting the Weasel on this one!

At the end of the day, 5 of 6 hunters had taken their cows and Pam was the only one that still had a tag, she will be coming back another day to try again.  She did have a couple chances to fill her tag, it just wasn’t meant to happen on this day!

Again, I have to say, this outfitting group (Wild Country Outfitters) of guides really work hard to get their hunters onto an elk!  They spend hundreds of hours out there and know exactly what to do and when.  If ever I get another chance to hunt on Deseret Land and Livestock property, I will absolutely go with the guided hunt option!  For the money, it sure beats trying to follow these guys around in your own truck, plus to be able to listen to the radio talk adds a lot more excitement to the whole experience!

Thanks again Bryce and all your crew for a most enjoyable couple of days this old man could have ever had in the outdoors!  You guys are the greatest!

Bears Butt

December 13, 2013

 

Written on December 13th, 2013 , Hunting/Fishing/Trapping Stories
By: Bears Butt

On our muzz hunts there are several vehicles to carry us about the mountain and one of those vehicles is owned and operated by our own Magpie…the vehicle is commonly known as the “Magpie Express”, and with him behind the wheel, it goes to places most other rigs would not dare to go.

I was sent this link and I believe not by accident. It is supposed to be a 1920’s film and if one was able to research the driver, I would make a beer bet that Magpie would be a direct decedent of him:

Written on December 11th, 2013 , Hunting/Fishing/Trapping Stories
By: Bears Butt

SwampmansTaxidermy

So, you now have your trophy of a lifetime on the ground or in your hand!  You will want to preserve it for time and eternity!  Be it fish, fowl or beast, Swampman’s Taxidermy is where you need to take it!  This guy is truly an artist in every sense of the word!  Not only does he get right into the feeling of your hunt or fishing trip, but he feels just what the animal was like before you pulled the trigger or put it in the net!  His finished work makes the animal appear to still be alive!  Awesome jobs!

AND he is very fair with his prices!

He doesn’t do this on a full time basis, so you might have to wait until he can work you into his busy schedule.

I was out there taking him my bull elk head so he could mount it up for me and he showed me his work load…lots of elk and deer heads to put on plaques and make head mounts out of.  He also showed me some fish he was working on!  Man, is this guy good!

He even showed me a master piece of his inside the house.  A tree limb frame, with a water scape background inside it, painted with schools of Cisco fish and a mounted Lake Trout and Cisco in the foreground!  Incredible work of art!

I have several beautiful pieces of his work in my home right now and like I said, another on the way!

Give him a call:  435-225-6330

SwampmansTaxidermy

I can see right now I need to do a story on his art work…lots of pictures!

Bears Butt

December 11, 2013

Written on December 11th, 2013 , Uncategorized
By: Bears Butt

FrontSideWithCapote

Warm today, 2 degrees  right now with a high expected of 18, that will feel nice!  But, that is for here at home, what is the expected for Randolph?  You do realize that tonight Weasel and I are spending the night in Evanston Wyoming and then heading over to the Deseret Land and Livestock ranch for his cow elk hunt in the morning…You did know that didn’t you?

Right now in Randolph it is minus 5, but a warming trend is coming and they are expecting a high today of 20!  WOHOOOO!  Tomorrows high is expected to be 24!!!!  My goodness that will feel very warm!

Our expected high tomorrow is for Weasel to kill his cow elk!  That’s what I’m talking about!

Since the good folks of the DLL ranch are allowing me to tag along, I will be taking a lot of pictures, which is something I totally did not do on the last adventure at the ranch.  We have been told that I will be the 4th passenger in the guides truck with two hunters, Weasel and another person.  It will be a crowded truck.

So, the plan is just like the last one, leave home around 3ish today and head to Evanston to spend the night and then up around 4:30 in the morning and head over to the ranch by 6:30 to check in, load up into our guides vehicle and head out to shoot elk.  I’m hoping the herds are all right there in the pasture waiting to go home with us and that every hunter in the group kills early and we can get home before dark!

Wish us luck!

Bears Butt

December 11, 2013

Written on December 11th, 2013 , Hunting/Fishing/Trapping Stories
By: Bears Butt

RearSideWithCapote

It’s very cold outside and here I sit between shopping trips looking at Facebook and the forum (that I like) and seeing pictures of some very nice bucks being taken from one of my favorite spots….The Crawfords…

For those of you as friends of mine on Facebook you have the opportunity to see exactly what I’m talking about.  Some very nice bucks have been taken off that mountain.  And for me, the most refreshing thing about those bucks is the big old smiles on the hunters faces and the fact that “they are NOT the biggest and baddest bucks out there”.  But for those hunters they are bucks of their dreams and that is what hunting for horns is all about.

Does it meet what you consider “big”!  And if the answer is Yes, then so be it, drop the hammer!

So many hunters in today’s hunting world get so very much wrapped up with the biggest and the baddest that they will end up eating what is called “tag soup” rather than take a lesser animal.  It’s sort of sad in my opinion.  And it’s a mind set that I think needs to be sent in another direction.

I talked to my friend Bo, from Missouri tonight…he wanted to hear some of the story about my bull elk hunt and of course, you know me, I was more than willing to tell him all about the highlights.  Our conversation just solidified the fact that Big is in the eye of the beholder and for both he and I, we know what we accomplished and just how much of a “hunt” we were on.  The fact that we camped with people and got to know them better than we could have possibly got to know them had we not.  The wildness of the area, the different personalities of people we met.

It’s all part of the package and it means SOOOO much more than the kill itself.  I’m loving my hunting life right now and still have one more big hunt on the table to get done!

Bears Butt

December 10, 2013

Written on December 10th, 2013 , Hunting/Fishing/Trapping Stories
By: Bears Butt

Black Arrow’s wife Karen “Shy Mouse” was just here at my house visiting and asked that I post up a letter of Thanks that she wrote.  She did not know who donated, nor how much was donated, but she was taken back by all of the generosity that was poured out in Jim’s honor.  Even if you could not afford to give during this un-timely death deep down inside she knows everyone of you are her friends and she knows as well that Jim is watching over every one of his friends.

ThankYouFromKaren

Bears Butt

December 9, 2013

Written on December 9th, 2013 , WILLOW CREEK FREE TRAPPERS GONE ON AHEAD
By: Bears Butt

RearSideWithCapote

My HELL it’s COLD OUTSIDE!!!!!

The thermometer says it’s 4, but I think it’s 10 below!  I went out and shoveled the little bit of snow we had last night and thought my fingers were going to freeze off and then I went out and talked to the guy driving the garbage truck about his and my elk hunts and by the time I got back into the house my toes, fingers, nose, ears…and butt….were all frozen!  It took several minutes for my glasses to un-fog!

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So, I went in search of “cold” pictures and found a few I thought I’d share with you.

DontDarePeeI suppose this is a smart dog.

ColdThermometer

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One thing about the cold, it’s making ice for ice fishing!

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If this happened to you, are you prepared with straws?

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Wouldn’t this be a nightmare?  And even if you could get the door open and the thing started, you wouldn’t be able to drive anywhere…so you might as well go back inside and have another drink!

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I have a new appreciation for Softball’s statement:

“Well, at least it’s warmer than if we had nothing on but a wet sheet”!

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Bears Butt

December 9, 2013

Written on December 9th, 2013 , Uncategorized
By: Bears Butt

Yesterday I told you I don’t like to plow snow….well, this morning I went to get the plow out….battery is dead…..(place frowny face here)

Written on December 8th, 2013 , Uncategorized

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BearsButt.com | Stories, Ramblings & Random Stuff From an Old Mountain Man

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