RE: Postscript
LAST EDITED ON Sep-14-08 AT 01:23AM (MST)[p]First of all, thank you very much for all the kind comments and words of support. It was, and is, highly apprecaited.
When I started this thread, I never had any idea or intention that it would become what it has turned into. I had just as much fun with it as many of you seem to have, and Nick was about the best camp partner anyone could ask for. He took care of a lot of extra camp chores so that I could write while he cooked, cleaned up and was patient as heck with me. I don't know that very many of us truly have more than a few true hunting 'partners' that they can enjoy experiences with, and I'm proud to have Nick Sikich as one of my closest friends and a great hunting partner. Not a lot of people would take two weeks off from work to go on someone else's elk hunt; but when I told him I'd drawn this tag, all he wanted to know was "When do we leave, and for how long?" I did the same with him when he drew an Arizona archery elk tag a few years ago, and when he arrowed a bull on that hunt, I was hiding under a juniper bush about 75 yards away - it was jst as exhilerating for me as him. It seems that as hard as quality tags are to draw these days, the easiest way to go on more quality hunts is to go when anyone gets drawn. I have one or two other friends like Nick, but only one or two with whom I get to share these hunts.
I'd also like to thank a few people who made our hunt better. Rick Farnsworth - Antlerrick, and Jason Rappleye - Fishlakeelk hunter both came by camp and spent time visiting. We really enjoyed that a lot. Of course, I owe Rick big time for the pizza delivery and use of his charger, as well as the advice that both Rick and Jason provided before and during the hunt. While I didn't get to meet her, Lisa Pascadlo - Predator, and I exchanged messages, seeing how each other were doing on our hunts and comparing notes about our parallel hunting experiences. I still don't know how her hunt concluded, but I have to believe that her hunt over on the Fishlake unit was at least as successful as mine. I don't think she'd measure her success by whether she killed an elk or not, as much as whether the elderly gentleman whom she pointed to her own honeyhole so that he could kill a 6 pt. bull, was successful in doing so. I'd love to hear how each of them did. I thought what Lisa did for that gentleman was a great example of true sportsmanship. There were certainly others who contributed to our experience, and I apologize for not remembering everyone's names, but I just got home from a 13+ hour and 680 mile drive. It is good to be home, and my Black Lab agrees! I guess my wife is happy also, but she's at Lake Tahoe with girlfriends, so I'll have to wait until tomorrow to see her. A couple of other people who made our elk hunt a better experience are Craig Rasmussen and Ralph Smith of the U.S. Forest Service. Both offered assistance and advice that made our trip better, and I'm disappointed that I didn't get a chance to thank them in person before leaving. There were many others who offered tips on places to hunt, showers at their family cabin, offers to come help pack out a bull if I ever got around to shooting one, etc. I can't list everyone, but "THANK YOU" to each and every one of you!
Our trip was a great success, but then it's rare when any hunting or fishing trip I go on isn't. I've long since gotten past measuring the success of a trip by the fish or game animals that I might bring home, or their size, even though that is still a very important aspect of any trip for me. While I don't know the exact number of times I've hunted elk either on my own tag or with buddies who had the tag, it's something over 30 elk hunts. When I was younger, the cheif reason I came home without an elk was poor shooting, hunting poor areas or not understanding how to hunt them. For the last 10-15 years, the chief reason I come home without an elk is passing up bulls that I could or should shoot. This trip was a classic in that regard. During the first week, I was sitting on some wallows at Fitzgerald Park, and the night that FLEH came by to visit, I had one 6 pt. bull feeding within range for the better part of 15 minutes, and he was around much longer than that. A bit later that evening, I had a 320+ bull broadside, right in front of me at 30 yards. I never picked up my bow either time, let alone drew an arrow back. When I have experiences like those, there is no way I can consider a hunt anything less than successful. There were more encounters with bulls than I listed, and each of them contributed to making this hunt a good one.
Some other things that made this hunt so great were things like watching that spike bull at five or six yards. I could see his nose dripping, litteraly! How many of you have ever been that close to an elk that didn't spook, and bedded down at 12 yards after staring at you for an eternity? Those are some of the reasons that made this hunt so great, and keep me going back year after year. It doesn't hurt that I have a very understanding wife and kids who tolerate my indulgences. Of course, my son is just as bad, or worse and I think that is a good thing in this day and age. There are so many other things they can do that are not as wholesome as hunting and fishing.
While I came home without a bull, there will be more opportunities for big bulls on many quality elk hunts in my future, God willing. I've got a bunch of bonus or preference points for all species in Arizona, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Wyoming, Montana, California and Colorado. My son also has many points for most species in these states, so over the next ten to fifteen years we're going to enjoy some fantastic elk (and mule deer, antelope, sheep, etc.) hunts across the west. I started accumulating bonus/preference points for my son in just about every western state that offers them as soon as he was old enough to start applying, and he'll be 21 in November. Some folks focus on soccer or other things like that, and I have focused on putting my son into position to enjoy a ton of great hunts over his lifetime. Laying that groundwork means that we're both going to enjoy some great hunts together going forward. I might even come to my senses next time and shoot a really nice bull when I get the chance.
I'll try post a few pictures over the next few days. We didn't take that many photos, but I'll try to share those that we captured.
I hope the rest of you have as wonderful and successful a hunting season as I've had. Enjoy!
Dan