By: Bears Butt

OverBearsShoulderAfter 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!

DogSocksOne 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.

TheRackCrewThe “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.

WeaselInsidePouringRainOutsideWeasel 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.

ABreakInBadWeatherI 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!

HalfCockEDpassesoutkilljugThese 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

 

Written on October 3rd, 2013 , Hunting/Fishing/Trapping Stories
By: Bears Butt

BearsButtDotComBearHandsUp

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.

GoingOverMonte

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!

GattlinUnloadingGattlin 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.

CampChoresAreDoneBefore 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!

Gunner(David)CooksJambalaya

WeaselGunnerAndGattlinMakingSupperWith 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.

SittingAroundTheFire

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.

DryDogReadyForBed

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

Bears Butt

Oct. 2, 2013

Written on October 2nd, 2013 , Hunting/Fishing/Trapping Stories
By: Bears Butt

3positionBear

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

 

Written on October 1st, 2013 , Hunting/Fishing/Trapping Stories
By: Bears Butt

WithOlySignWe had a great time on the muzz hunt this year….time is slow coming, but very fast once it begins.  It seemed like we just got there and it was time to go home.  Bummer on that part.

But the hunt is not over yet, not until Thursday at sundown!  Some of us still have a tag to fill.

Weasel and I are headed out in the morning to try one more time.  Guess where we are going?  Yup!

I will post up the story once the story is finished for this year, but I can tell you we had a really good time and three out of the camp brought home deer.  Several had shots and missed and everyone had a very good time.

One thing I learned about this years hunt is two batches of sweat breads is not enough, I will have to bring three next year!  The feeding frenzy lasted until the last sweet bread was stabbed on the toothpick and that was not long after the first one was stabbed.

Good times, good friends, good fun, good hunting, good food, good weather….well, we had some good weather….and some very wet weather, but over all, a FUN time with lots and lots of laughs.

More to come in the morning!

Bears Butt

Sept. 30, 2013

Written on September 30th, 2013 , Hunting/Fishing/Trapping Stories
By: Bears Butt

BearSittingAtComputer

The day has finally arrived…the day we head for the mountains for the 2013 muzz deer hunt!  Camping will be in a different spot than we usually have as all the other spots have been taken.  We will be in a large meadow with very few trees, one we call “Monkey Dink” camp…that’s another story.

We will make the best of what we have, as usual and everything will work out just fine.  Our main goal is for everyone to arrive safely, have a good and safe hunt and return to our homes in the same condition as we are leaving.

I had a great workout this morning, something I recommend to everyone.  I have lost about 10 pounds since beginning this routine and am feeling really good.  The only aches and pains are the ones the workout inflicts and they go away after about an hour after.  Life is certainly good!

We are 27 minutes from our pre-determined departure time and I’m quite surprised to have not seen Dry Dog by now.  The burritos are warmed up and ready to be put into the hot/cold bag for the trip up and over Monte.

Muskrat is expected soon, as is Weasel and Wapiti, with Soft Ball in tow.  Fat Duck is meeting us up in the parking lot half way up Monte!

Weather is calling for warm today with increasing winds this afternoon…winds in excess of 20 mph.  Maybe it’s a good thing we aren’t camping near trees…?!?

Beginning tonight, the chance of rain increases to 70% and will be with us most of the day and into the night.  High expected tomorrow in the mid 50’s.  Then the bottom falls out of the temperature, with lows dipping into the mid 20’s and highs in the lower 40’s…Thursday and Friday.  A continuing of rain/snow mix both of those days and the snow level dropping to 6300 feet…guess what the elevation of Randolph is….6285!

April and the kids are coming up Friday afternoon late and I hope the snow level on Monte does not hinder her drive.

Muskrat just arrived…it’s 7:38 a.m….time to get things finalized for the road!

Until I get back!  Have a wonderful time at whatever you are doing!

Bears Butt

Sept. 24, 2013

Written on September 24th, 2013 , Hunting/Fishing/Trapping Stories
By: Bears Butt

BearsButtDotComBearHandsUpWith tomorrow being the day we head for the hills, I thought I had best take a few minutes and drop a bit of advise to the ladies who are staying back at home and taking care of all the stuff the “old man” has neglected for the past several weeks.

This is mostly for the “new ladies” out there who may or may not be accustomed to the actions of late from their significant other.  Muzz deer season, and I’m sure ALL hunting and fishing seasons, have traditionally been accomplished by the man of the house for centuries.  Ever since the cave man was poking around in the bushes.  He would find a creature that was good to eat and smash its head in and bring it home for the wife and kids to cook and eat.  Nothing has changed forever in that regard.

And so it is today, but not limited to just the man of the house.  The lady of the house is also a big player if she chooses to be and all the ladies that are in our camp, whether hunters or just their because, are treated with respect and hopefully don’t hear a lot of what men do when their aren’t any ladies around.  But, that all depends on the guys and their attitudes.  Our camp is a pretty civil one even though it is the largest on the entire mountain and the largest in the 30 unit setup in this great state of Utah!

As for the expense of this ordeal.  Ladies, I’m sorry, but it takes quite a bit of stuff to put a good old venison steak on the plate in front of you and that stuff is not cheap.  There really isn’t much better tasting than a good venison steak, hash browns and a couple of over medium eggs to wake you up on any given morning, and just like going to your favorite big time restaurant, it costs a bit of money for it!  It’s all a part of hunting.

Sure, when you tally up the costs of the license, gas, beer, booze, camping food, extra stuff needed for the daily hunts and extend that over the 9 days of the hunting season, there is a LOT of money being spread around the area.  It’s good for the local economy to spread this money around.  Why just let the bank hang onto it?  Give it out!  Let others enjoy their hunt too.  You have to believe that that lady behind the counter at the convenience store/gas station has an old man out hunting somewhere!  She is there doing her best to make sure the bills get paid while her main squeeze is trying his best to bring home some venison.

As for what you can do while your old man is away.  Some ladies take to the bars and casinos and really whoop it up while he is gone and some of them get into some trouble…while I think it’s a very good idea for the ladies to get together and party it up…it’s a dangerous world out there and things can get out of hand so to speak.  I’d caution you on doing this.

BUT, you deserve a break as well and rightfully so.  Maybe a night with the bridge club ladies or some other kind of card party.  Maybe a movie with some of your besties!  Just some thoughts.

After he gets back and hopefully he is one of the 23% that actually gets to use his tag on an animal, he will ask you to help him cut and wrap it, you know, to save money!  After all, to take it to a butcher shop is sort of a hassle and you never know if you are getting “your” deer meat back or if you even are getting “all” of your deer meat back.  Ever go into a wild game butcher shop and buy some deer jerky?  Where did that deer jerky come from?  Road kill?  Besides they charge like $65 to cut one up…you can do it yourself and save all that money!!!!!

Well, you won’t save ALL that money, because you will need to buy some freezer paper and freezer tape and so there will go about $15, you are still saving $40!  That is almost 6, 12 packs of Olympia where I come from and that is a lot!  You have to save where you can and this is an important thing to do to save money!  And just think there are the other 77% of the other hunters who wish they had your problem.  Help the old man out!  It will be good for the both of you.  You can listen to all the stories he has from the hunt and get that nasty job of cutting up the deer done at the same time. (insert smiley face here)

You know, it wasn’t too long ago, when the man went out hunting and brought the animal back strapped over the back of his horse, it was then left to the lady to skin it, cut and dry the meat and make some clothing out of the hide.  Since then men have come a LONG WAY in making sure the little lady doesn’t have to do all of that.  The least you could do is step in and help with the cutting and wrapping.  Nuff said.

A man’s sanity is carved in the hunting season.  He was born with the instinct to provide his family with “free meat”!  It has always been this way and it won’t be changing anytime soon.  I really like a good piece of venison, some jerky and since I’ve tried venison bacon, I like that too.  And there is only one way to get it…well…there are a few ways to get it, but to go hunting is a must and if I’m not one of the 23%, I’ll explorer one of the other ways after the hunt is over.

Now ladies, I have not mentioned the fact that YOUR MAN is sacrificing waking up with your sweet breath whispering into his ear in order to provide your house with some of this free meat.  He is out there braving the cold and bitter environment!  Every day risking his life against the wild beasts of the forest.  Getting soaking wet in the rain and freezing his butt off in the bush waiting for that deer to come sauntering past!  What a guy he is!!!  Remember to give him a big kiss when he gets home in a week or two.  Offer up your help to clean up the camp trailer and wash his smelly clothes and give him time to take a long hot bath to loosen up his sore muscles and give him some time to just think.  After all he has been thinking like a deer for the past many days and he has to get his head wrapped around being home and having to tend to his job(s) and not think about next years deer hunt, which by the way is about 365 days away.  He will be a total wreck by the time next season comes around.  Give him some “down time”.  That’s good advise coming from me.

So, there you have it.  Never mind that the cost of this hunt could have been put into buying an already cut and wrapped 1300 pound beef animal.  That is NOT what this is all about….it’s about getting a freezer full (or partially full) of FREE MEAT!!!!  AND maybe even a dead head hanging on the wall!!!  Oh Yes!  Only about 3% of the 23% get animals with antlers big enough to consider doing that!  Pray daily while he is hunting that he comes home one of the 3%!  Dead heads are pretty cool hanging around the walls of the home, and don’t listen to your lady friends when they say a big old tough buck with giant horns is not worth eating…that is absolutely NOT true!  Don’t you have to find that out for yourself?  I never trust someone who knows nothing about such as that, and neither should you.  Pray daily for your hunter man to bag the biggest and baddest buck on the whole mountain!  He will have a better mental state while away, knowing that you are doing that for him at home.  Trust me!  Besides he will know you are at home and not at the casino with those other women!

Bears Butt

Sept. 23, 2013

 

 

 

Written on September 23rd, 2013 , Hunting/Fishing/Trapping Stories
By: Bears Butt

WithOlySign

The Weasel said it in a post on Facebook…This is the eve of our muzz hunt outing!  Even with the actual season not starting until Wednesday, we leave to set up camp on Tuesday and that makes today the eve of that.  I have last minute stuff to go buy, the stuff I mentioned in a post before, the kind of things that just have to wait until the last minute.  Once this is posted I’m gone!

I thought I would conger up a poem about it, but it would have to include things like guns and beer and binocs and fuel and maybe the entire mix just wouldn’t sound like a good family entertaining thing….but then who cares?  It’s my blog!

Twaz the night before the muzz hunt and all through the trailer, things were stacked in total diss-array, from the weeks of packing and unpacking just to find stuff I may have missed……not much of a rhyme.

On Zeke, On Goose, On Rack do they go! Up over Monte and on with the show!…a little better.

The beer is stacked high, but not nearly as me!  When we first get to camp you know I’ll have to pee!….not family friendly.

Binocs are all packed, as well as the scope!  And no buck will go unseen, not from this old dope….now we are getting somewhere!

Water jugs filled and gas cans as well!  This hunt will be a fine one, anyone can tell!….oh ya!

Alarm clock is set to wake me at 4!  I gotta do my workout before heading out the door!….damn I’m good!

For those in the travel, who caravans in the pack, a special greeting awaits from the front of the Rack!…oh baby!

With a camp big as Randolph, we will rumble and shake, all the deer, elk and bear will run for Bear Lake!….YES!

And round the next bend, we will find our Bambi, the hammer will fall and we will hold up a dandy!…I’m getting good at this!

Then back to the camp to hang up the beast and collect up a diet coke from Magpie to say the least!

And round the fire at night, with embers a glow, out will come the kill jug to celebrate Bambi’s blow!….another good one!

When it’s all said and done and the hunt is no more, we will look back at the memories and start the countdown toward next year, and that’s for sure (shore)….nuff said!

Bears Butt

Sept. 23, 2013

Written on September 23rd, 2013 , Hunting/Fishing/Trapping Stories
By: Bears Butt

BearSittingAtComputer

Just so all of you reading this blog spot know, we are having a fund raiser for Black Arrows widow and are selling reproduction pictures of the painting of him for $20…contact either me or Muskrat if you would like one.

For those of you going on the muzz hunt, Muskrat has some of the pictures with him and they will be in camp.

They don’t exactly look like this picture as the “In Memory of..” statement is actually placed in the space in front of his face and not above and below like this picture shows.

InMemoryOfBlackArrow

Thanks to everyone.  This fund raiser is to try and offset some of the expenses the family has had to endure to get his body to the grave side.

Bears Butt

Sept. 23, 2013

Written on September 23rd, 2013 , Uncategorized
By: Bears Butt

3positionBearGetting ready for the hunt always brings on interesting things.  Lately it’s been getting the driving rigs ready for the mountain roads.  The Blue Goose appears to be ready since Magpie put almost $700 into fixes that it needed.  A full tank of gas will cost another $100 or so and it will be ready to go!  On the other end of the line, The Rack had right at $400 put into it with new tires and some steering bars and alignment…it’s ready to go!

I have not heard anything about Zeke, but I’m sure Fat Duck has it ready as well.  At least my atv is ready and this year it is carrying The Cocoon!  What with the weather changing drastically in a downward trend this week, the heat from the engine just might be the ticket to staying warm and comfy!

Our little hunting camp trys to come up with something new and fun each year and it will be interesting to see what happens this year.  One thing for sure is the price of gas will have us doing more walking, glassing etc. and not so much driving around, even though a certain amount of driving around is always done.

I’ve been looking at satellite imagery of the area lately and have some hikes in mind.  I have discovered patches of pines and quakies that have been so obviously in my face this whole time I was surprised when I noticed them in the imagery.  I’ll be hiking into one of them and probably will do that on the second day of the hunt.  That hike will be both a hunt and a workout so I don’t lose the conditioning I have built up so far in my workouts.

Another thing I’ve been thinking about is the coyotes!  $50 bounty on each one and that sure would help with some of the expenses of this hunt.  If you shoot one, you have to have the gps coordinates to record on the paperwork, so make sure you have a pretty good idea as to where you are.  You can get those off Google Earth back home if need be, but you will have to place the cursor over the spot where you killed the coyote.  And for those of you who may not know, only the skull cap and lower jaw are needed to collect the bounty.  So, you don’t have to take the whole animal off the mountain.  Just start at one ear and skin it across the top of the animals head to the other ear and cut it off.  Then pry open the mouth and remove the lower jaw.  Of course the jaw bone has to be cleaned up really well before the DWR will accept it for the bounty.  You can do that in your spare time.  Lots of coyotes live in our deer country, let’s collectively take a bunch of them off the mountain this year!  Kill a coyote, save some deer.

Back to the fixing of the rigs, I found this little site that sells some interesting devises to mount on your 4X4 driving rig…Why buy tires when you can buy these?

http://www.alpinesurvival.com/4x4_tracked-jeeps_tracked-trucks.html

Three more days until the hunt begins!  Happy dreams!

Bears Butt

Sept. 22, 2013

Written on September 22nd, 2013 , Hunting/Fishing/Trapping Stories
By: Bears Butt

3positionBear

Here we go again!  I found this quite by accident just now and I can see a ton of uses for it.  Check it out for yourself!  And if you are a flashlight freak like I am, you might just want to pick one up!

 

Written on September 21st, 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.