deerhuntr4885
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We left for Idaho on Oct. 18th. We arrived at the trail head about 3:00 PM on the 19th. I have two horses and we had planned on packing in about four miles and hunt higher from there. We got one horse loaded and was working on the other when I heard what sounded like a freight train coming up behind me.
I turned around and saw a cloud coming up the canyon. It reminded me of the dust storm from the the movie "Hidalgo". It was just a gray wall of a cloud and you could hear the wind roaring. We could then hear trees breaking and falling as the storm got closer. It hit us in about 45 seconds and we could now hear trees falling up the trail.
We stood there looking at eachother and then muttered those defeated words, "I guess we camp here!"
We set up a camp in a blizzard but luckily found a level spot for the tent. I put the horses back in the trailer for the night. It snowed off and on all night but the wind calmed down. When we woke up there was only about six inches of fresh powder snow. From the sounds of the storm all night I had visions of a foot of snow in the morning.
We decided to climb the nearest ridge and get on top. We thought we might be able to catch some deer migrating out of the higher country. We only found a few does and two forkeys.
We spent day two climbing the different ridges around us without seeing much activity. We did see alot of wolf tracks.
On the third day we got up early and saddled the horses for a ride to the top of the mountain. The ride was about six miles. When we reached the summit we were in about 18 inches of snow and the horses were really struggling. I got off at the summit and led my horse for a short time. I was also struggling and was exhausted in five minutes. It was then that we realized that we were not going to make alot of progress on foot and the horses were no good now. We turned around and headed back without even unsheathing a rifle.
We spoke to several other hunters in the canyon we were in. We all came to the same conclusion: The deer had moved out. We hunted for two more days in beautiful sunny weather and did not see a single deer.
We had two days left. I had a suspicion that most of the deer might have migrated over the other side of the mountain because it was a south facing slope. I asked my partner, Chad, if he was up for one more trip to the summit and over the other side. As I expected he said yes. Chad is the most hard core hunter I know, besides myself, and that is why we have teamed up the last five years.
We got up at 3:00 AM, saddled up and headed out by 4:00. We reached the summit at about daylight and rode our horses sidehill around a canyon. There was now about 10 inches of snow on top. We tied them in a stand of trees and headed further south, around the mountain.
We got to our planned rock perch and started glassing. I spotted a deer in some trees abot two miles below us and four canyons away. I was just thinking I needed to get my spotter out to verify that it was a deer when four does ran across a clearing next to the one I spotted. They were followed by a buck with a rack big enough to make out with the binos.
I got the spotter out and found that there were two large four points in the group. I watched them approach eachother and then they locked horns. I thought they were up for a little friendly sparring. Boy was I wrong! They spent the next 25 minutes tearing up a hillside battling for control of this little harem. One of the coolest things I've seen.
The winner had something hanging off of one antler. I was not sure if it was a non-typical point or what. He finally pushed the other off of the hill and the loser crept away into the timber. The winner went back to the does at the top of the ridge and also went into the timber.
Chad had left the perch and headed across two canyons to get set up while I watched where they went. Byt he time he got set up they were in the trees. He kept his eye out of them while I made my move to him.
We sat at our new perch for about an hour. I heard snow crunching below me. I got up and looked into the canyon. I saw nothing and sat back down. A few minutes I heard it again. I looked again and again saw nothing.
We spotted a hunter across the canyon from us. He was between us and where we last saw the deer. He was sitting in the sun eating.
We decided to work around him and got up and dropped into the canyon. As we crossed the canyon I was looking for tracks in the snow. I wanted to see what had made the footsteps I heard. I found a HUGE wolf track going up the far side on the same trail we were on.
We met the hunter on the back side of the mountain. He told us he had not seen anything but his hunting partner just called him on the radio and said he was on a huge buck. He pointed down where we had been watching the fight. I started to panick a little. We told him we had not seen anything. (Sorry if you read this.) We started down the ridge.
I had a nagging feeling that I needed to be out on a small perch I had seen. Half way down the ridge I stopped and told Chad that I felt like I needed to back up a bit and drop over the edge. I left him and he continued down the ridge.
I found a spot that looked directly across the hillside to the clearing I had seen the fight. I tucked in and froze for about four hours. I was in the shade and it was cold! I did see two does moving around so I thought he was still close. It was 258 yards across the hillside and 154 yards to the trees below me.
The sun moved around the hill at about 3:00 and I started to get warm and comfortable. I pulled my hat over my face and closed my eyes. Every once in a while I would look out from under the brim to look for my buck. I did not think I would see any activity until about 4:30. I really doubted that I would have a chance at this buck. I have never had a plan work out like this and I started to doubt myself.
At 3:15 my own snoring woke me up. I looked across the hill...nothing. I rolled my head to the right and looked below me and THERE HE WAS! He was feeding 140 yards away with a single doe. I could see velvet hanging off of his rack and new it was the same buck.
He was facing up hill, right at me but was feeding with his head down. I stood up and waited, using a large ponderosa as a rest. He would not present a broadside shot and I was worried about the swirling winds. I placed the cross hairs between his shoulder blades and squeezed the trigger. He never knew what hit him. He went straight down.
Sorry for the poor pic but I forgot my camera and was using an old disposable.
He was just over 24 inches wide. He has alot of character. He has a little sticker on the right side and alot of little points coming off of both bases. Not the highest scoring buck but I am tickled to death with him.
We spent the rest of the night getting him to trail the horses could get to. We were now 8 miles from camp. We rode into our camp at 1:00 AM! Dropped everything and went to bed. 22 hour day of hard hunting! We slept most of the last hunting day then packed up and headed for home.
Sorry it was so long. Thanks for reading.
Mike Henne
I turned around and saw a cloud coming up the canyon. It reminded me of the dust storm from the the movie "Hidalgo". It was just a gray wall of a cloud and you could hear the wind roaring. We could then hear trees breaking and falling as the storm got closer. It hit us in about 45 seconds and we could now hear trees falling up the trail.
We stood there looking at eachother and then muttered those defeated words, "I guess we camp here!"
We set up a camp in a blizzard but luckily found a level spot for the tent. I put the horses back in the trailer for the night. It snowed off and on all night but the wind calmed down. When we woke up there was only about six inches of fresh powder snow. From the sounds of the storm all night I had visions of a foot of snow in the morning.
We decided to climb the nearest ridge and get on top. We thought we might be able to catch some deer migrating out of the higher country. We only found a few does and two forkeys.
We spent day two climbing the different ridges around us without seeing much activity. We did see alot of wolf tracks.
On the third day we got up early and saddled the horses for a ride to the top of the mountain. The ride was about six miles. When we reached the summit we were in about 18 inches of snow and the horses were really struggling. I got off at the summit and led my horse for a short time. I was also struggling and was exhausted in five minutes. It was then that we realized that we were not going to make alot of progress on foot and the horses were no good now. We turned around and headed back without even unsheathing a rifle.
We spoke to several other hunters in the canyon we were in. We all came to the same conclusion: The deer had moved out. We hunted for two more days in beautiful sunny weather and did not see a single deer.
We had two days left. I had a suspicion that most of the deer might have migrated over the other side of the mountain because it was a south facing slope. I asked my partner, Chad, if he was up for one more trip to the summit and over the other side. As I expected he said yes. Chad is the most hard core hunter I know, besides myself, and that is why we have teamed up the last five years.
We got up at 3:00 AM, saddled up and headed out by 4:00. We reached the summit at about daylight and rode our horses sidehill around a canyon. There was now about 10 inches of snow on top. We tied them in a stand of trees and headed further south, around the mountain.
We got to our planned rock perch and started glassing. I spotted a deer in some trees abot two miles below us and four canyons away. I was just thinking I needed to get my spotter out to verify that it was a deer when four does ran across a clearing next to the one I spotted. They were followed by a buck with a rack big enough to make out with the binos.
I got the spotter out and found that there were two large four points in the group. I watched them approach eachother and then they locked horns. I thought they were up for a little friendly sparring. Boy was I wrong! They spent the next 25 minutes tearing up a hillside battling for control of this little harem. One of the coolest things I've seen.
The winner had something hanging off of one antler. I was not sure if it was a non-typical point or what. He finally pushed the other off of the hill and the loser crept away into the timber. The winner went back to the does at the top of the ridge and also went into the timber.
Chad had left the perch and headed across two canyons to get set up while I watched where they went. Byt he time he got set up they were in the trees. He kept his eye out of them while I made my move to him.
We sat at our new perch for about an hour. I heard snow crunching below me. I got up and looked into the canyon. I saw nothing and sat back down. A few minutes I heard it again. I looked again and again saw nothing.
We spotted a hunter across the canyon from us. He was between us and where we last saw the deer. He was sitting in the sun eating.
We decided to work around him and got up and dropped into the canyon. As we crossed the canyon I was looking for tracks in the snow. I wanted to see what had made the footsteps I heard. I found a HUGE wolf track going up the far side on the same trail we were on.
We met the hunter on the back side of the mountain. He told us he had not seen anything but his hunting partner just called him on the radio and said he was on a huge buck. He pointed down where we had been watching the fight. I started to panick a little. We told him we had not seen anything. (Sorry if you read this.) We started down the ridge.
I had a nagging feeling that I needed to be out on a small perch I had seen. Half way down the ridge I stopped and told Chad that I felt like I needed to back up a bit and drop over the edge. I left him and he continued down the ridge.
I found a spot that looked directly across the hillside to the clearing I had seen the fight. I tucked in and froze for about four hours. I was in the shade and it was cold! I did see two does moving around so I thought he was still close. It was 258 yards across the hillside and 154 yards to the trees below me.
The sun moved around the hill at about 3:00 and I started to get warm and comfortable. I pulled my hat over my face and closed my eyes. Every once in a while I would look out from under the brim to look for my buck. I did not think I would see any activity until about 4:30. I really doubted that I would have a chance at this buck. I have never had a plan work out like this and I started to doubt myself.
At 3:15 my own snoring woke me up. I looked across the hill...nothing. I rolled my head to the right and looked below me and THERE HE WAS! He was feeding 140 yards away with a single doe. I could see velvet hanging off of his rack and new it was the same buck.
He was facing up hill, right at me but was feeding with his head down. I stood up and waited, using a large ponderosa as a rest. He would not present a broadside shot and I was worried about the swirling winds. I placed the cross hairs between his shoulder blades and squeezed the trigger. He never knew what hit him. He went straight down.
Sorry for the poor pic but I forgot my camera and was using an old disposable.
He was just over 24 inches wide. He has alot of character. He has a little sticker on the right side and alot of little points coming off of both bases. Not the highest scoring buck but I am tickled to death with him.
We spent the rest of the night getting him to trail the horses could get to. We were now 8 miles from camp. We rode into our camp at 1:00 AM! Dropped everything and went to bed. 22 hour day of hard hunting! We slept most of the last hunting day then packed up and headed for home.
Sorry it was so long. Thanks for reading.
Mike Henne
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