Weasel and I headed out to shoot our rifles again today.  We went to the Three Mile Creek range West of Perry…they were open, but had no range master.  I called the Box Elder County Sheriffs office and asked them if it would be ok to shoot without the range master present.  They said no.

So there we stood for 45 minutes waiting for no-one.  Meanwhile another shooting enthusiast came and we left him after he had been there over a half hour.  We decided to head over to the Logan range.

These sight in mean a lot at this time of year.  For one, my 7mm was not sighted in the last time because I had forgotten to take a tool to open up the vertical adjustment locator.  After shooting that time, I came home opened up the adjustment port and cranked it down 20 clicks.  I figured at 1/4 inche p/click it would put it down the 5 inches it was too high.

So, back at the range I expected to hit right about an inch high above the 100 yard bull…BLAM….7 inches LOW!  I mean below the paper low!  My mouth dropped open.  I cranked it up 10 clicks, shot 2 shots, and hit about half way toward the bull.  I cranked it up 5 more clicks, shot 2 shots and it was still hitting low, but a bit closer.  I cranked it up 5 more clicks, shot 2 shots and it was just over top of the bull about 2 inches but all the shots I had taken today were to the left about 3 inches.  So I moved the sight to the right about 5 clicks.  Let the barrel rest and cool down a bit and then shot 4 more shots, all of which hit between 2 and 3 1/2 inches high and right over top of the bull.  I don’t think I can do any better than that the way I shoot.  I consider it sighted in.

So, my biggest question:  Why did it not shoot exactly where it ended up shooting last time out?  It was shooting 7 or 8 inches high last week and I lowered the adjustment down those 20 clicks, which should have been 5 inches of adjustment downward.  I shoot and it’s wayyyy low, I end up cranking it up those same 20 clicks and it’s right where I want it…I don’t get it!

The mounts have been checked and they are all tight…Too tight?  Is there such a thing?

I was not resting the barrel on the wooden block, I was holding the stock in my left hand and the hand was resting on the block, so barrel float is still ok (or should be).

Do they make scope adjustments that are in bigger increments going in a downward direction than when adjusting upwards?  I would think not.

I don’t get it!

Anyway, we also had my 17 hmr to put to the test and it too was way out of adjustment, now it is almost a tack driver at 100 yards.

Then over to the 22 range and 50 yards to sight in the Ruger 10-22’s that both Weasel and I have.  Mine required just a bit of adjustment to bring it home at the 50 yard line.  Weasels adjusted in quickly from its newly mounted scope and bore sighting.

So, all the rifles are ready for action.

Bears Butt

August 3, 2013

So you just finished reading “Where to Shoot an Elk”, I’ll tell you the answer…”Right next to the road”!  That’s where you shoot an elk!

So all day long and I suspect from now until the hunt begins I’ll be thinking about this hunt..I’m pumped…All the advise I’ve been given so far is just incredible and I’m sure glad I didn’t listen to some of the Nea-sayers because the “pump me up” people are so adamantly in favor of it, I guess I just can’t think of any reason not to be enjoying this ride.

Not only is the fact there that I could potentially shoot a magnificent animal, but I’ll be in some of the prettiest county in the USA to do it.  So, even if I dont’ fill my tag, so what?  I’ve already been in contact with people that have helped to pump me up and that alone is worth the price of the tag.

Speaking of which, I received it today…Tracker…do you want me to “show you the tag”??

There you go!

Bears Butt

August 1, 2013

Still more information being received about the San Juan Late Elk Hunt and more and more it looks like I made a correct decision on  accepting the tag.  I can’t let you know everything about this hunt and the information I have gotten, but I can tell you my attitude about this hunt is growing more and more positive all the time.  There are some very knowledgeable people out there who know this area very well.

As for me right now, I have a tough decision to make regarding shooting the first bull I see when on this hunt.  Maybe I need to consider my muzzleloader a little more as well.

Yesterday some discussion was had on where to shoot a big bull elk once it’s within range (say under 200 yards).  The key to shooting a big bull, according to my source, is to anchor it right where it stands.  His experience has been perfectly placed shots to the lungs and heart area which resulted in him having to track it for miles before he found it piled up.  This, according to him, happened more than once with one traveling 5 miles before he was able to get a second shot in it to put it down.  Upon cleaning the animals, the first one had both lungs collapsed but no hit to the heart.  The second on had one collapsed lung and no heart hit.  When you think about how big an elk is and the size of the chest cavity, you would have to know exactly where the heart sits in relation to the rest of the vital organs to make that shot especially if you were in a hurry to take the shot.

So, his advise is to shoot higher on the shoulder and hope to break the shoulder bones and possibly the backbone.  I’ll be dreaming about that shot for the next few months.

Bears Butt

August 1, 2013

A little addition to the Elk hunt coming up.  Last night while talking to my neighbor about the luck of getting this tag, he said he has a brother in law who hunts this area A LOT!  He gave me his name and where he works and I’ll be calling him today.

Hopefully he can steer me in some direction that just might kick out a nice bull elk.  More to come after the discussion with him.

Bears Butt

July 31, 2013

Today was a travel day until about 3 p.m. and since then it’s been back on this black box looking up more information about this big old hunting unit called the San Juan!

I decided to go back to the DWR website and look up the CWMU’s for this area and sure enough I found another one…only this time it is on the West side of Monticello.  If all the boundaries are correct from the DWR office this CWMU covers even the property where Dennis kills his buck every year on the muzz hunt…not a good thing.  So, is the boundary incorrect as posted by the DWR or has Dennis been getting away with something?

Further investigation shows that the CWMU does not go as far West as Dennis thought it did.  This is a good thing providing the DWR boundary is correct.  At any rate, further to the West along a road that is open all year round, is a off shoot road that pretty much follows the forest service boundary.  This boundary is absolutely an area we can hunt and travel on.

So, feeling somewhat relaxed about that, I went in search of the local averages for temperature, rainfall and/or snow depth and this is what I found.

During the month of November and at the elevation of 9100 feet, they average a high of 37, low of 12 and precipitation in the form of snow 11.5 inches (2 inches of moisture)…it looks like our travel plans for 9,000 feet and above will be stopped unless things are below average this year.  Down on the valley floor (Blanding) at 6,000 feet above sea level, the average temps are 47 and 23 respectively, with 1.23 inches of moisture and 6.4 inches of snow.

If we do some interpolating, we should be able to hunt from 7,500 ft and lower, and expect an average snow depth of 9 inches.  Providing it doesn’t drift, we should be ok as long as we chain up and go slow.

My hopes are for a dryer than normal year, at least until this hunt is over and the weather allows us to look this country over really good.  Again, the pictures I’m seeing on the internet really show off this place really well!

Bears Butt

July 30, 2013

About 6:30 or so last night I got a call from one of my cousins who is very familiar with the San Juan country side.  He came over and we looked extensively at Google Earth on Sherry’s laptop.  He explained where “his rock” is (George Rock, and some time ago mentioned that he is in the process of carving it out to make a motel out of it), then on up the highway to a turn off that lead to a small water hole.  This would be a pretty good “out of the way” base camp if we wanted to use it.  From there we would have access to the North side of the Blue Mountains.

Then we followed another “main road”, across to the Monticello side of things and looked at the images there.  Talk about beautiful country!  People have posted pictures of the countryside that they have taken and placed them on Google Earth…magnificent country.

He pointed out another fine camping place next to a sizable lake pretty high up on the mountain, but warned about the possibility of heavy snow.  Something to definitely be concerned about.  Back down the road much closer to Monticello, he talked about an uncle of his that owns quite a bit of property and the likelihood of him letting us camp and hunt were very good.  He will get in contact with him and let me know pretty soon.

Looking at the pictures others have taken and posted on Google Earth really makes you realize this is perfect elk country.  A mix of cedar/pine/quakies and oak brush.  Some places very thick and others rather scattered.  I can hardly wait to get into there and see it for myself.

Earlier in the day Tracker called and said he would like to join me and Weasel on this hunt, even though it isn’t a muzzleloader only type hunt, he still wants to go and take pictures of that area of the state.  So with the three of us committed for sure we will have one camp trailer and at least 2 four wheelers to go down for the hunt.  Cousin Dennis said he would join us at our camp and go out with us as sort of the guide!  Keep in mind, more is better sometimes!

Bears Butt

July 29, 2013

I’m classifying these posts under “dream hunts” as I consider this San Juan Late Elk hunt just that…a “Dream Hunt”.  Hopefully not a night marish one either.

I posted on the Utah Wildlife Network forum my dilemma and received both pro and con advise about the hunt.  Now that that is behind me, I’ve pretty much made my mind up to accept the hunt as it is, buy the tag and get on with some serious computer leg work.

One of the responders “Nambaster” called me and we talked for a bit about the hunt, the weather in the area and assorted other things.  What I got from the conversation was that there is no need to go down there and try to pattern the elk, as they will be pretty much on their winter range by the dates for my hunt.  The next most important item was safety and getting around in that part of the country.  He mentioned snowmobiles….I’ve never driven one, but my mind quickly raced to our Crawfords Dream Hunt and seeing all the guys with snowmobiles coming back with drag wagons full of huge bucks!  Only they could get to where the bucks were without killing themselves (like we did).  With that still in my head, the gamble is still a pretty good one as we may just not get the deep snows and drifts that come with them during these hunt dates.  I question: How much does God love me?

I have also decided I need to begin getting into shape for this hunt.  If you are planning to come and help me, I suggest you do the same.  I’ll need a lot of help getting the meat out of the deepest, rockiest and steepest canyon down there.   I watched some Youtube videos and mostly paid attention to the terrain rather than the animals and the hunters bagging them.  It’s a beautiful place with just about every imaginable terrain possible.  The country holds every imaginable wild animal as well and I’d love to see a bear in the wild while down there.  That is one of the reasons I’ve been putting in for this tag.

With the help from Nambaster and others forthcoming, I think this hunt will be a memorable one even if the tag goes unfilled.  I have a lot of work ahead of me and my mind is made up!

Bears Butt

July 28, 2013

(39 years with my sweetheart!  I love you Sherry!!!)

Today has been a rather hectic one for me mentally.  I’ve looked over the map of the San Juan bull elk so much I think I have it about memorized.  I’ve been on several websites looking at different things about this hunting area and have tried to find as much information as I can about the elk herd.  But, I’m still lacking information that I think I need to make an informed decision as to purchasing the tag or not.  Remember, I only have until noon on Monday to decide.

What little bit I have found out is that the herd migrates from this area, so am I buying a tag in a huge area that has no elk on it?  Which way to the elk migrate?  Do they all go about the same place for the winter?

There are a couple of CWMU’s in the area and both of them are on the NE end and side of the place.  Do these CWMU’s  house all the elk when they migrate off the main mountain?

I asked on the Utah Wildlife Network forum for information about this area and one guy responded with something like “My cousins live in Blanding and they don’t even apply for the late elk hunt, that should tell you something”.  And the very next posting was from a guy who said “I would spend all my bonus points to get that tag”!

I have an email off to one of my cousins down that way who says he knows a land owner and will be getting back to me soon.

You know this just might be my last chance at bagging a nice bull elk and I would love to have a chance at something about 300 points in size.  But do I gamble the $300 for the tag?  I still have some thinking to do.

Bears Butt

July 27, 2013

Weasel and I went to the Logan gun range today for sighting in Fat Ducks and My 7mm Rem Mag rifles for the upcoming cow elk hunt.  We had just gotten there when our good friend Dancing Ramrod called.  He was sitting in front of my house and had a really nice gift of some Chorizo’s for me!  As we talked I told him that Winemaker was in the house and to ring the door bell.  He said he had already done that and no answer, yet the garage door was wide open and only one car was inside.

He told me he had the Chorizos and wanted to leave them here, so I told him to put them in the freezer, which he did.  We talked a short time and then he said good by.

No sooner had he hung up when my phone rang and it was Sherry calling.  I told her that Dancing Ramrod was outside and she said she saw him pulling away.  She did not hear the door bell as she was downstairs on her computer.  I’ll have to fix the down stairs door bell ringer, it probably has worn out batteries.

Anyway, she said she had just gotten off the phone with the Utah Division of Wildlife Management, a lady named Karen had called and said that I was chosen as an alternate in the big game drawing for the Late San Juan, any weapon bull elk hunt and that they had a tag turned back in and it was my choice to accept it or not!  ACCEPT IT OR NOT!!!!!

Sherry gave me the ladies phone number and I called right away!  I am not in a dream land, this is for real!  I told her I would have to wait until Monday to give her my credit card info, but I WANT THAT TAG!  She was cute about the whole conversation!  How about that?  With only 3 points going into the drawing I get chosen as an alternate and someone turns in their tag!  I’m going to the San Juan’s!!!!  It’s a late hunt that starts the first part of November and runs until around mid month.  Dates will be posted later!  I need someone to pinch me!

Bears Butt, THE Chosen One once again!

July 26, 2013