Utah Fishing Reports
With the coming of the Muzz deer hunt comes a whole lot of reminiscing and none brings such great memories than “The Rack”.
So, what is “The Rack”? Well, a whole lot of years ago, Weasel brought up his truck and with the truck came some road hunting. And for anyone who has ever ridden in the back of a pickup up a winding, steep, rut filled mountain road you know exactly how tough it is to hold on to your rifle, your drink and keep your butt inside the truck, let alone try and see a deer or two out in the brush. So, we modified the truck and put up a quakie “rack” on it. Lashed the branches down as best as we could and called it “The Rack”. We rode around all week in that rickity thing and every bump caused it to lean to one side or the other until by the end of the hunt the smarter of us decided it was safer to walk than ride.
Well, the idea stuck and by the time the next season came along I had found an old discarded set of metal poles in the “hole” and salvaged them. It didn’t take long to construct a metal pole “rack” for the back of the truck. Add to it some “hangers” for the guys to hang possibles bags and canteens and suddenly we had a pretty good little “rack” on the truck that was sturdy and relatively safe for the riders. All were happy for awhile. You can stand up in the back of the truck, lean against the rack without fear of falling out, see very well in all directions and it is just a pleasure to ride back there. Except…………there are always exceptions.
Suddenly, the city boys and girls decided it wasn’t very warm riding in the rack. Put more clothing on…we said. But the rack is cold, the metal holds the cold longer than a cooler can hold ice….they said…wear gloves we said…but…but….but…and the list goes on and on. We (Weasel and I) decided that “The Rack” was a good thing and the more comforts we have inside the cab of the truck, the more we should share with the occupants of the rack in the back. Here there are some limits however. We have no way to push hot air back to them and so they will have to continue to wear warm clothing, coats, hats, mittens and such. But we could make them a bit more comfortable by adding some insulation to the pipes that make up the rack itself. We asked our friend Gunner to provide the necessary insulation….but that didn’t happen….so I went out on the limb with my budget and purchased $3.42 worth of pipe insulation…..I know…..my budget is straining, but I can make the sacrifice for my friends…
Not only that, but we knew that our friends in the back also needed a way to secure their rifles so they could hold on in with both hands in cases of extreme cold or steepness of hill, without fear of their weapons falling over or dropping out of the back of the rack. Again, I looked over my budget and decided the bank could make a small loan in this endeavor if needed. Again a trip to the store to purchase necessary supplies to build such a contraption to hold 4 guns securely….another hit of $.43 for bolts. So, my friends, you see, I have invested nearly $4 to provide you with comforts never before had in the rack. I am a nice guy.
But you haven’t seen those comforts yet. Here is a sneak peek:
You can see it appears nobody is holding the rifle on the right side. You can also see the pipe insulation on the rails. But what does it look like with people on board? How’s this:
OH YA! That is comfort in it’s biggest sense, however you will not be allowed to sit on a chair like Weasel is. You will have to stand, or at best, sit on a cooler. And be assured your rifle will be protected from everything except the weather…that is still a problem for you, you might want to invest in a plastic bag or something. We can’t do it all for you, at least not all at once.
Notice also, that not only will your rifle barrel fit snugly in the holder, but in case of very bumpy roads or if you are just plain paranoid about your rifle falling out, you can “buckle up”! We try to think of everything for our guests comfort.
I can hardly wait!
Bears Butt
September 10, 2014
15 days till we head for the hills!
So, what has gone on in the last 5 days? HMMMMMM……well we had a meeting about the hunt and drank some adult beverages. I finished the batch of sweetbreads that I plan on taking to the hunt for all to enjoy. And Weasel and I are working on some modifications to “The Rack”. My list of things to take is growing almost hourly and this year will be a very different one for me, as my hunting trailer is staying home and I have been invited to sleep in “The Dog House”.
When a change like that comes along it really makes you think about what you need to be bringing on the hunt. You see, all my things are loaded in that camping trailer and I have been adding things for this hunt ever since we got back from Conner’s bow hunt. If I forget something for this hunt I will be kicking myself in the rear end the whole time. But then, someone said once (or twice): Gun, powder, ball, cap, license…..everything else is a luxury.
Well for old people that list has to be expanded some. Add to it, insulated underwear, pants, shirt, coat, toilet paper, glasses, hat, radio, phone, cash, beer, food, binoculars, game bag, liver bucket, rope, knife, camera, beaver sharn, kill jug, boobin baby board, measuring tape, marking pen, “Luci” lanterns, gambrel, chain saw, gas, oil, tool box, capot, Kipper snacks, crackers, jerky, hydration pack, extra change of clothes, special surprise gifts, atv, extra gas, tie down straps, shooting cross sticks (what have I forgotten?)…..and then everything else is a luxury.
Whatever happened to the day you just put the rifle over your shoulder and headed out to hunt? Was there ever such a day? Maybe back before guns, when the man of the cave just walked out the opening of the cave with nothing but his bare hands to go and get some food. Suddenly someone invented a spear! And “Luxury” began.
Look how far we have come, from walking out the cave opening with only our bare hands at a cost of nothing, to absolutely needing all the things I have mentioned including about $1,000 for fuel, because I’ll be danged if I’m walking far. And with anticipation of bagging a 65 pound deer. Times have changed alot since Nanook….his anticipation included huge beasts in excess of a ton. Maybe I should set my sights a bit higher.
Bears Butt
September 8, 2014
SO……..
I was at the movies and bought a popcorn that cost $3.50
I remarked that the last time I bought popcorn it was a dime.
The attendant smartly replied, “Boy you are really going to enjoy this,because now we have sound”.
Back in the early 1950’s, the United States got involved with a crisis between North and South Korea. We sent thousands of soldiers there to protect the South Koreans from their nemesis the North Koreans. During that conflict, hundreds of our men were wounded or worse and one of them wounded was 4 Hooves (Roy Torgeson). Roy spent weeks in the hospital recovering from his wounds and then was sent home, a hero in every respect. Usually, when a soldier gets wounded in battle, the records are clear and orders are cut recognizing the fact and a Purple Heart is awarded. Along with the Purple Heart award comes a token amount of monthly compensation.
In Roy’s case, there was no such award nor compensation.
Roy spent years and years sending letters and trying his best to make the Commanders realize this error, but to no avail. And then the warehouse that held all the military records in Kansas City burnt to the ground, taking with it all the records that were stored there….Roy’s was among the ashes. He continued to send letters and make phone calls but nobody would listen.
When our friend Dan “Muskrat” Gyllenskog heard about Roy’s wounds, he began to ask questions and get more people involved through the Veterans of Foreign Wars ranks. Years went by with Muskrat pursuing the award. It looked like it would never come to be as he continued to hit road block after road block. Even the Utah State Commander of the VFW got involved and he too hit road blocks everywhere he turned.
Finally, after years of “this battle”, someone in a high position in the Army, listened. He reviewed the letters and the documentation submitted by doctors and others, clearly seeing the scars of the wounds in X-rays and reading the doctors statements about these scars . That they could only have come from bullets or fragments of bullets. And the age of the scars were from that time frame.
Nearly one year ago, Roy received a letter of recognition and his first compensatory check from the US Army command and has since received a check from them every month. But still no Purple Heart. Yesterday, September 4, 2014, Roy got a call from the Ogden Standard Examiner’s military correspondent who wanted to come and talk to him. Of course Roy allowed the visit and this man (Mitch Shaw) talked to him about writing his story in the paper and coming to his presentation. Yesterday Roy also recieved a letter from the US Army headquarters stating that they recognized their error and that he will be presented with his long over due Purple Heart. The presentation will be conducted by Senator Rob Bishop at 10 a.m., on October 18th, at the George E. Wahlen building 1102 N. 1200 W., Ogden Utah.
Roy called me this morning with the good news! Congratulations Roy! Persistence paid off, finally! I for one will be at the presentation and I hope everyone reading this will be as well.
I am so happy to be writing this and my thoughts turn immediately to our buddy Muskrat. He wanted Roy to receive this award so badly. He and I talked many hours about it and the stumbling blocks he kept encountering in his pursuit. How can something so plain be such a problem for the one in command not to see? Finally with all the evidence they woke up and signed the declaration and cut the final orders for Roy to receive this award.
Congratulations again Roy! And a hearty THANK YOU to Muskrat and everyone else that helped in this cause!
Bears Butt
September 5, 2014
For whatever reason, it seems like just after September begins I get this rush and can’t help but feel the need to go “kill” something. Doves, grouse, whatever. The weather begins to change and the early mornings get crisper and crisper. I can already see a change in how the foliage looks up in the back of the canyon. Fall is upon us and like it or not, winter will be right behind it. But, while Fall is here, I love it.
The paper has already had articles from people complaining about the elk bugling out in the South of town in that high fence area elk herd. So that means the wild elk in the mountains are no doubt bugling as well. Maybe it’s time to take Weasel and his cow elk tag out for a one day trip? Listen for the bugling and then move in to take one of that big boys cows home.
There was a post the other day on Facebook from one of my friends. She is bow hunting in the mountains and she was telling her daughter to get her rear end up in the mountains. She said the weather had been cold enough to “frost” the ground! Her daughter has a limited entry bull elk tag and when they are bugling it is easier to know where they are and sneak in for a possible shot. Frost on the ground is a great sign that Fall is on us. And with that comes the elk breeding season. I love the Fall!
And more than Fall, I love the muzzleloader deer hunting season. I have said it a million times…”The muzz deer season begins and ends my year”. I begin counting down from the last day of the season until it begins again the following year. From now until it actually comes will be a long set of days. 20 days, but who is counting? This Saturday at 5 p.m. we will be gathering for our annual muzz deer season planning meeting. In reality, we don’t need to meet to decide who is going to go up on the Tuesday before the opening day, who is staying in who’s camp trailer, who will be pulling the trailers with the atv’s, who will be leaving camp early or coming up later, what meals we will having on what night. We have already decided on all of this for years and years in the past. But it gives us a great excuse to get together, have a few brews and talk about past hunts. It gets all of us focused on one subject….”The Hunt”! Winemaker rolls her eyes every year when I tell her the planning meeting is on “X” day, “Y”‘s house and “Z” time.
So, for the next 20 days, I will be thinking, planning and gathering all my stuff and it will no doubt end up all packed and ready to the point that I will start to doubt myself as to whether I have put it in the camp trailer or not. Up at camp I will find I have packed WAY TOO MUCH STUFF, stuff I really don’t need, but felt I had to have it “just in case”. I think of all the hunts of my past, there has only been one or two times that the “just in case” stuff ever got used. Sometime in the next 20 days I will thaw out the sweetbreads and get them ready to cook. Sweetbreads are always a good snack item on one of the days of the hunt. This year I have something very special to give each of the participants of the sweetbread eating time. If you have any doubt that you won’t make it to camp for that eating extravaganza, well, all I can say is, “you won’t have one” of the special things and for sure you will miss out on some very good eating.
Sometime in the next 20 days I will take my rifle to the range in Perry and see how well it digests and shoots 90 grains of blackpowder behind a patched roundball……Yes….this year I am joining the ranks of the “ball babies”. For the past two years I have tried and tried to get a recipe that my rifle liked shooting the Hornady Great Plains conicals and in those two years I have missed two deer and one very big bull elk. Good by my “conical head” friends.
Sometime in the next 20 days, I will take the old cardboard off the “Boobin Baby Board” and put on a fresh cardboard, clean of any marks….this in preparation for a fun filled hunting event where there will be a lot of shots taken at deer and those deer not being brought back to camp. I love it! BOOM!!!! “If Idda, Yabutt”. Another dollar in the biggest buck contest bag and another name on the board!
(This was from the hunt in 2007)
Another fun hunting season is in store for us all and maybe, just maybe we will bring home some venison….I hope!
Sometime in the next 20 days………………..
Bears Butt
September 3, 2014
It’s hard to believe that we have been gathering now for 31 years and we must be having a good time or we would never had made it this long. Switchback and Natalie did a stupendous job at pulling off this rendezvous! We thank you dearly for everything you did. Of course it doesn’t all fall on a couple of people, Bones did an excellent job with the range masters, targets, packets etc. And of course the range masters who volunteered were excellent at keeping things safe and orderly. Anchor with the hawk throws did an outstanding job as usual and the entire Gyllenskog family needs praising for the kids lympics, bb gun shooting and the adult lympics. Fat Duck pulled off an almost impossible shotgun shoot, with some crazy “in the shooters face” bird throwing. And last but not least were the volunteers who kept the kids occupied with face painting, games, an obstacle course and making sure they were tired by days end.
It’s really hard to say who had the most fun at the event. I know I was dead beat by the time I went to bed every night. And by looking into the eyes of many the next morning it was very obvious they had a very fun evening as well (some evenings longer than others).
Our weather was nearly perfect with just one day being what I call, very hot. I loved the overcast days and the light rain during the sleeping hours was a nice refreshing breath of fresh air.
In order to have a fun and enjoyable rendezvous there is always a TON of hard work that goes into setting everything up. We all know that shooting our rifles and pistols is a must at our rendezvous. Years ago, that was all we did during the day, but because of the younger people in camp, our activities have spread to other fun things. Setting up the shooting range doesn’t take a lot of work, but it sure takes some time and man/woman power.
The “A” frame and cross member range is made of angle iron and the cardboard is attached using wire ties at the top and then again onto a cable run along the bottom. If we could find another medium to attach out targets to it sure would be a nice improvement, as when the wind blows it doesn’t take a lot of wind to knock the stand down. We make do with what we have. The range was set up on Wednesday afternoon and the cardboard was attached early on Thursday, just in time for the first day of shooting to take place. Some folks have other obligations and must complete their shooting before the Saturday Noon deadline. So basically we have 2 and 1/2 days of shooting. The range must be manned/womanned with range masters covering both ends of the shooting line. For future events, two range master should be employed, one on either end of the shooting line for improved safety. Not that we had any real issues this year, just because we could use the extra safety.
The Firing line is back 20 yards from the target stand and there is plenty of visibility to see incoming and exiting participants in order to shut down the shooting and allowing the travelers to continue through to and away from the camping area.
With the range all set to go, the shooters began showing up to shoot the targets found in their packets.
Seeing Edjukateer sitting at a shooting table does not mean we allow a rest to be used during the competition. All competition shots must be done standing off hand. Here he is making sure his rifle can “digest” the 20 grain limit of powder we have imposed upon ourselves for safety. We are blessed to have a police force that allows us to shoot withing the city limits and don’t want anyone hurt in the event of a “flier” shot that doesn’t hit the backdrop to our range.
How is that for a Perfect center of the target shot? Good shooting Winemaker!!!!
Pistols and rifles are all shot from the 20 yard line.
Of course you can’t have a bunch of different targets to shoot at with out having some “stinking rules”, here Switchback is reading up on what is do be done with each target. Some are only one shot targets, while others may have as many as 5 to be shot. Scoring of each target varies as well, some full ball rules, some half ball rules and others a line break will score big points. Remember the one with the highest score gets first pick of a prize off the donated prize blanket! The one with the lowest score gets whatever is left on the blanket! Everyone wins!
Those aren’t very big targets from 20 yards back are they? Gittem Bones!
Young and old alike, women and men, all compete on an equal basis. We don’t discriminate and when it comes to handing out some heckling and harassment, if you give it out, expect to get some back! If you can’t take it, keep your mouth shut!
When we get together it is always meant to be a fun time and we have yet to fail in that regard. By the time the end of the rendezvous comes around, I usually have a very sore throat from yelling and laughing and of course my trade mark side ache from all the hard laughing that has gone on for 3 or 4 days and nights.
This year brought in a new twist as we allowed bowmen to shoot in the competition as well and their scoring was right with the rifle and pistol shooters. They shot the same targets with the same scoring and with some targets they took their chances on ruining some very expensive arrows.
OUCH! Arrows hitting 1/4 inch thick steel don’t have much of a chance to survive.
HEY! What am I seeing down range? It looks like a candle in a can and it appears to be lit.
YO! What happened to the flame?
WOW! Good shooting! That is a solid 10 point target right there! Shoot at the flame, put a hole in the can and puff out the flame without hitting the wax of the candle! Shooting like this will get you some good prizes for sure! And if you only think something like this can only happen once in a great while, think again. We had more puffed out candles at this rendezvous than not and that is saying something with 49 shooters competing against each other. Check out this husband and wife team!
Great shooting Bullseye and Tommy boy!
Just to clarify some things. Here we have three guys signing up to compete in the shooting. Not only do they sign up, they also sign a waiver of liability and they present to the Range Master their blanket prize. Remember I said “everyone wins”, well every shooter brings to the table a gift, either hand crafted or purchased, that is worth around $20 and it must be in good “mixed company and mixed age” taste. No competitive shooting without the prize. This keeps everything above board and everyone is happy in the end.
As the days of shooting go on, there is more and more happy times being had by all. If you aren’t having any fun, it’s your own fault.
It’s all about having fun!
At any shooting event like this someone is likely to have issues with their weapons. Sometimes (and more often than you would think), you get to “BS’n” and forget to load powder into your rifle and then you push down a patched round ball and have to go through some hoops to get the ball and patch out. Well it can happen with pistols too.
Fat Duck was not very happy when I took this picture of him trying to shoot his pistol. The caps are going off just fine, but the powder charge just won’t ignite and send the ball down range. He is cussing something awful as 5 of the 6 cylinders have not fired. He is ready to do with this pistol what he threatened to do on a limited entry buck deer hunt in the Crawfords several years back “IF I HAD A CRICK, I’D CHUCK THIS S.O.B. OF A GUN RIGHT IN IT”! Well , he knows very well there is a crick right behind him at this range and he can make the toss from where he is right now. But, let’s take the gun back to the loading area and check to see what the problem might be.
YEP! Just what I figured…it wasn’t loaded! That is funny right there Fat Duck!
Let’s tally the scores judges!
But you know, it isn’t all about the shooting anymore!
I’ve already told you about signing in for the shooting. Well the Booshway (person in charge) and the Segundo (second in command) have been working very hard to get this rendezvous ready for this year. Among the things needed and to provide everyone with a Memoir, a receipt for you is made and handed to you when you arrive, whether a visitor or a participant.
If you attended this event and didn’t get a receipt for some reason, let me know and I’ll see if I can round you one up. A lot of hard work and expense goes into making receipts and every year they are different! Thanks for all the work on these Pat and the Gyllenskog family! Nice job!
So, let’s think for a minute. Shooting, kids activities, adult activities…let’s see some of those events!
Kids flint and steel starting event. The winner of this will compete with the adult winner on Sunday night for a great prize.
The adults usually have to help the kids get ready and encourage them to do their best. But it is up to the kids to start the fire.
And once Gavin gets a good spark to land on his char, he produces a very nice counsel fire for the nights activities!
During the day and as the shooters are down at the range, a bunch of things are going on back in the camp area. However, I was down at the range and didn’t get to see the kids activities. But I know there was face painting and bingo along with some other activities to keep them entertained, but once the “organized” kids things were done, the kids themselves were quick to find entertainment.
They caught some big crawfish as well, but I wasn’t quick enough to get pictures of them before they were turned loose. One thing is for sure, kids can entertain themselves better than adults can for them.
Well, we did have an organized event for the kids all lined up…the “Young Peoples Lympics”! These kids were broken up into teams of 4 to 5 and each team had to toss a frying pan for accuracy, start a fire and burn a string, drink up some root beer and a few other things. The team with the fasted time to do all these things won a great prize for each team member. Yours truly, Bears Butt, was set up to be the bar tender and dish out the root beer.
Again, it’s all about having fun!
During all of this, we constantly have visitors coming and going from the camp. Some have been here as participants in the past and are now coming to visit with old friends because of other obligations that have kept them from coming to “play”, but they are all welcome.
Wanna Pee and 3 Forks.
Hagaarr and Broken Hawk.
Twister.
Dancing Ramrod (hurt his back while cleaning up for the rendezvous…some things are just not fair).
And as for some of the folks who may not have ever attending an event like this, our friends Bob Cat and Rose! Welcome!
It’s always nice to see new faces and hope those people return in the future to enjoy more of the activities.
Speaking of which, I was involved in the adult “Mountain Man Lympics” and so I did not get any pictures of that event, but as things have a way of happening, Bob Cat was on the winning team and won himself a nice gift certificate of $25! I’m certain his involvement on his team will have him talking about it for years and years to come! Good going!
Sunday morning, bright and early, Fat Duck pulled off his shotgun shoot, one which he coined “Angry Birds”. His event had himself in harms way down range and hiding behind our POS trailer in order not to get splattered with shot. In the meantime, the shooter was standing “in harms way” as well, as the birds were fired to come directly at the shooter. I liked to think that the shot was in direct correlation to “self protection”…..
MISS!!!
Nice shot!
Smoked it!
Now on to the men and womens hawk throw (remember, real mountain men throw knives….they don’t always stick the knife, but they throw it very well).
Look closely, as Bullseye is throwing, Bones (in the background) has her hawk firmely planted in the log!
And when it’s all over, the judges add up the scores! In this event, the women and men’s divisions are separated and for a good reason too, the ladies almost always out do the guys!
Well, we need an adult flint and steel fire starting contest!
Now these guys are serious! And who will compete against Gavin in tomorrow nights contest? As it turns out Wapiti Dung will try his best at beating Gavin. As I was still trying to get a flame from my attempt at this contest, Wapiti had finished, made his celebration and disappeared before I could grab my camera.
Good times, stories, lots of heckling and of course some old pictures are generally brought out and shared around the camp:
That looks like a “pick on the Dry Dog” picture.
Well, as you can quickly see, there are a lot of fun things happening at the rendezvous, but along with that, it does not come free. There has to be some fund raising going on as well. Raffle tickets are sold and the prizes are great. Prizes for kids are separated from adult type prizes and when their names are called they generally get to pick from the lot of prizes. This goes on until they are all gone.
(Opps…I don’t have any pictures of the prizes! Dang it!)
These prizes on the blanket are the gifts the shooters put down. There are some prizes there that I KNOW cost more than $20 and to be the first one to choose it is not an easy thing to decide what to pick up. Everything there is good. I had my eye on a prize and lucky for me, when it was time for me to go up and pick up my prize, it was still there! That is not always the case.
Most rendezvous going folks have a name they have earned in some way or other, to name a few in our group are No Grimace, Wapiti Dung, Tracker, Bones, Edjukateer, Weasel, Fat Duck, Flying Feathers, Winemaker, Explorer, Hunter, Dew Drop and the list goes on and on. And as things came to be during this years rendezvous there was a new name given to one of the young members. Cody Zundel, please come forward!
“AND FROM NOW ON, WHERE EVER MOUNTAIN MEN SHALL MEET, YOU SHALL BE KNOWN AS ‘SQUIRREL'”!!!!
Well, the rendezvous comes and goes very quickly. Maybe not so quickly for the Booshway and Segundo, but certainly for the rest of us. This time last week I was busily getting ready for it, and now it’s over and my mind is quickly turning to the Muzzleloader deer hunt.
Our American Flag stands tall, our list of Willow Creek Free Trappers who have gone on ahead of us, waves proudly in the breeze. Our Beaver Sharn stand protects the camp from evil doings and bids us good luck on all the events of the camp.
But it does come to an end and for Switchback and Natalie, you two did a wonderful job! Thank you very much!
Next year will be the charge of “Slicker and The Misses”! We are here to help you guys in any way we can!
Bears Butt
September 2, 2014
Guess what time it is? RENDEZVOUS TIME!!!!!! Let’s hear it….RRRROOONNNNNNDDDEEEEEEEEVVVVOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Let’s let Doc Beard hear it! RRRRRRRROOOOONNNNNNNNNDDDDDDEEEEEEEVVVVVVVVOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Let’s let the town hear it! And the folks at Willard Bay! RRRRRRRRRRRRROOOOOOOOOONNNNNNNNNNNNNDDDDDEEEEEEEEEEEVVVVVVVVVVVOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
Now that’s what I call a good yell!
Our 31st annual rendezvous and it’s going to be a great one and a great time! Switchback and Natalie are the Booshway and Segundo’s for this event and they have promised us a good time! Of course it takes more than two to make a great time, and that is where the rest of us come into play! I’ll be there to play, you can bet on that!
Winemaker and I were trying to figure out our menu’s for the days and it’s really hard to figure out some of the days, especially the evening meals. With folks coming and going almost constantly and me wanting to be in everyone’s business, it makes it difficult (especially for her) to plan a meal. “Now where in the heck is Bears Butt”?!!!!?
You wouldn’t think it would be that difficult to keep track of one Bears Butt in such a small area we camp in. Heck the whole area, including the range is only about 2 acres. I hope she doesn’t get any wild ideas about putting a shock collar on me to get me to “come home” when she pushes the button. She might catch me right in the middle of a drink of my favorite beverage.
So, I hope everyone reading this is planning on coming down to the event! The rain lately has all the dust settled and now we need some dry out time in order for us not to get our rigs stuck. But where better to be stuck if it does happen?
This is always such a fun event…kids activities mostly happen on Saturday and it’s really fun to watch them “getting into it”….Kids Limpics…BB gun shoots….knife and hawk throwing…and just plain running around and having fun with friends and family. For sure by the time bedtime comes around they are more than ready! Even us older folks don’t stay up too late these days. But, toss in a Twister with his singing around the camp fire and I’ll extend my “awake time” for several hours. I usually pay for it in the morning, but it’s worth it. And especially when the “black flag” comes out with an eye opener of a bloody mary! Oh ya!
Out my window my my Bears Den, I just saw one Fat Duck drive by with a trailer filled with shotgun shooting stuff! That is on Sundays agenda…9 til noon…I’ve talked to him about it and we are all in for one BIG surprise. It will NOT be like past shotgun shoots! I’m looking very much forward to it! Maybe I will even hit one of those tricky little pigeons this year! Duck has gone way out of his way for this years event! Fun!
The way Switch Back and Nat have got the schedule set up, it looks like the adult events will be held on Sunday, beginning with the shotgun shoot and extending until days end with a “flint off” between the kid and adult winners of the flint and steel fire starting contests that will have been held on Friday and Saturday nights. Oh and don’t forget, we will somehow be sitting atop the rocking horse called “Black Arrow”at some point….I’m not entirely sure how or where that feller will fit in, but I’ll be loading it up in the trailer and hauling it down for our fun and enjoyment….look out kids, it’s about to buck!
From the little tid bits I’ve told you about in this short write up…don’t you just WANT TO BE HERE? Of course you do! And I hope we see you there! Bring yer bedroll cuz you ain’t gonna wanna leave! Bring a few dollars as well so you can win some of the raffle prizes being offered up!
RRRRRRRRRRRROOOOOOOOOOONNNNNNDDDDDDDEEEEEEEEVVVVVVVVVOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
Bears Butt
August 26, 2014
Remember a while back when I posted about a recall to my cars airbag deployment system? Well, I just got my 3rd notice on this.
You see, back when the first notice came out, I quickly contacted Crock and had the thing fixed. All was well. Then came another notice and Crock once again took the car by the airbag so to speak. Now, after almost 2 years of recalling these cars for the same defects they are wanting to replace all the airbag deployment units! DUH!
In the meantime I hope Winemaker or I don’t hit a bump in the road that causes it to go off and deploy the airbags without warning.
Also, if you are following behind a Pontiac Vibe, be aware that they may suddenly hit their brakes for no apparent reason to you….it will because the airbag just decided to blow into their faces and the natural thing to do was to hit the brake hard. You know they will not be able to see where they are going and that will be the natural tendency. In today’s world of driving, following a Pontiac Vibe is like having an animal or worse suddenly come into the front of your vehicle out of nowhere.
This is what they look like from the side view….remember…they can be any color!
And this is what you can expect to see when you are following them….again….any color! BEWARE! And good luck!
The automobile safety board recommends that under normal driving conditions, allow one car length for each 10 mph speed your are going, except when following a Pontiac Vibe, please allow three times that much distance and in case you are going down a freeway at 70 to 80 mph, please also expect that when you have given yourself 8 to 10 car lengths of distance to the Pontiac Vibe ahead of you, there will be someone pull in between your vehicle and the Vibe. That will not help you to avoid the crash that just may happen at any moment, but if you are a diligent driver, you can opt to take the next available exit.
Bears Butt
August 24, 2014
Monday, August 18….Decided this morning I do not need a trailer battery…Get 4 solar power lights called “Luci” for inside the trailer. Save $100 and probs with big battery issues.
The deer seemed to be off their normal patterns. Other hunters have said the same thing. There was a couple driving a white Ford truck that had evidence of a kill in the back of the truck, so we know of at least one buck being taken. Our evening road hunt didn’t produce many deer but Cody did spot a very big bull elk about 300 yards above the road.
Tuesday…The weather cleared and it actually got rather warm yesterday. B&C saw several small bucks on their morning hunt…100 yards and no closer. When you think about it, we have seen a lot of bucks. They were hoping to see the wounded buck and even went into the area…kicked up some deer but the brush is way to thick in there to see them. Cody and I had a nice late morning ride on the toy…saw a doe and a fawn. Back at camp we contested with BB guns and knife/hock throwing. At a leftover breakfast of elk, scrambled spuds, ham, cheesy mac and a broken up burrito and 2 each eggs over medium. Very good lunch. Supper was rabbit chicken and then the evening hunt. Left camp at 5.
Went down toward Crushed Canteen and saw a 2 point just 10 yards off the road. Conner almost got a shot…a small quakie blocked the shot. Close but o banana. We did not see many deer…maybe 10. Before we headed out we had a husband and wife (Kyle and Sandal) pull into camp on a 4 wheeler. Both with deer and elk tags. She has the LE tag. She was excited to hear of the big bull we saw last night. He has trail cameras and a stand up the canyon behind camp…they went up there for their evening hunt. After dark they came to our camp to tell us about their hunt. From her tree stand she saw a herd of cow elk down the canyon. No shooter bucks or bulls. He hiked to the top and checked his trail cams. No good animals. Their camp is below Bug Lake. Nice couple. She is pretty sure she knows Jess Richards from high school.
This morning it’s over cast and warm..50 outside..wind still, smells like rain. Pretty sunrise.
Side note: I have always thought it foolish for bow hunters to road hunt but after having 3 different opportunities I can see why they do it. I could get into this hunt. Bow hunters all must have a lot of fo-fer-a as they have most of the day to sit around in camp. They day before I braided a nylon rope and made a strap for Cody’s binocs. Yesterday I carved a hawk handle (it broke by days end) ..pine. Today we have to go to town for gas, ice, beer. Will it rain??
Last day: Wednesday, we leave when B&C get back from morning hunt, yesterday B&C saw one buck in am, no chance for a shot. The deer were off normal habits..clouds…dropping barometer…something had them off. The high only got to 64…a slight rain early pm…on way to town we came across stranded guys…broken truck…we took them to their camp when we came back from town. They have a LE elk tag and deer tags…they shared secrets and told us of water hole with small bucks coming each night. We went and saw the ground blind they had built. In appreciation for helping them they gave us elk sausage which we cooked some with our breakfast supper…YUMMY…1/2 elk, 1/2 ground pork and season pack from Ridleys in Hyrum.
Another camp filled with LE elk hunters told us about bucks coming to JB Pond. We took our evening drive, seen 10 or so deer and made it to JB just before dark…2 small bucks were on the hill above the pond. B&C hid and waited..Cody and I went down the road and parked…the bucks got close to the pond but not close enough for a shot…it got dark.
This morning B&C are going to drive back and forth through area where most of the bucks have been seen. I’ll get camp ready for the trip home. Today is our 7th day without a shower…I’m sure we smell bad! It’s been a wonderful trip. Seen loads of wildlife…deer, elk, squirrels, chipmunks, porcupine, birds (no grouse), heard lots of coyotes. The guys we helped said they have bear on their trail cameras. This place is wilder than you might think. The two boys have had a great time…no bickering…just fun. Cody is a hoot with all his grown up thoughts and young ideas about how the hunting would work. He doesn’t miss anything in a conversation and is quick to repeat it later.
B kept track of his truck gas consumption and gets just under 7 mpg and goes 7 mph…at $4/gal. it costs about $40/day to drive it around. Keep that in mind if you plan to ride in “The Rack” during the muzz hunt, it ain’t cheap.
At all my camping or traveling excursions, I keep a running list of things that need fixing or modifying or investigating. Things that didn’t quite work out or whatever. This trip’s list looks like this: Problem with camp grill right side shutoff valve. Need a pad of paper in the trailer (this note is written on back of our planning notes), put a magic marker in trailer, replace trailer main battery with 4 or more “Luci” lights, fix pilot light under stove lid, put stick pins in trailer, add paper towel dispenser just inside entry door, need an extra battery for my camera, investigate storage over fridge, bring 3 rolls of paper towels on camp outs, clamp hose on trailer gas tank.
I brought pickled eggs that I made back in June and even though they taste really good, my body couldn’t handle them. It was queedup time within an hour of eating one. I suppose if you had a constipation problem, they could be a remedy, but I think it best to leave them home on future hunts.
I didn’t mention it earlier, but B forgot his sleeping bag and has been sleeping under a single blanket this whole hunt. We are fortunate that it has been relatively warm.
On this our last day of the hunt, the morning hunt wasn’t great. Only a few does spotted. B & C stayed out until about 10..no bucks, meanwhile I saw a buck and a doe from camp.
We got things cleaned up and spent about 30 minutes talking with the guys we helped out yesterday. They hiked up behind our camp and nearly to the top…no elk sign and only one deer. When they left, we finihsed loading things up and got ready to go. We made a sandwich and ate it before pulling out of camp…1130…we slowly went down the road hoping to see a buck. Just across from the spring on the hill, B spotted a doe laying under a pine and then way down by Hamburger Hill we saw six more deer, one being a good little buck…not sure on the number of points. It was out in the alfalfa and no way to shoot. In that same place two camps were coming out of Old Canyon, the second rig was pulling a 2 horse trailer…he blew a tire and we ended up taking him to meet his buddy waiting at the main road in Randolph…Home by 3.
So, there you have it in a nut shell. For the muzz hunt it looks like there will be plenty of action for the shooters and make sure you bring lots of dollars for the Boobin Baby Board!
Bears Butt
August 21, 2014
Edited August 25, 2014