Dobber's 2011 HAC

Dobber

Active Member
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162
I really enjoyed following all the Hunt Adventure Challenge entrees from last year. Thought I would give it a try and share this year. One of the things I like the best are the pictures and videos. I have not owned a camcorder in 15 years, but plan on purchasing one here in the next few weeks to take along on my scouting trips. So for now I just wanted to introduce myself, hope you all enjoy my small contribution.

I live in Northern Utah, I mainly hunt Utah, Wyoming, Colorado, and Idaho for deer, elk and antelope. Last year I traveled to Texas for my first Whitetail hunt with my son.

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This year started off with a Utah Turkey hunt. I managed to find a little time. Called in two birds before I took this one. Sorry for the bad picture, I was by myself three legit gps miles from the truck and wanted to get going before dark. Hell it is only a turkey, once they start growing horns I will take the time to set up a tripod.
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Draw results are all out for me and the kids. Utah, my son, daughter and I have general deer tags Northern region. Son and I both have Wyoming deer tags and he has an antelope tag. Colorado I have an elk tag for muzzle loader. We will also be getting general season deer tags for Idaho, maybe an elk tag, we will see how the August and September hunts go.
 
My preparations for the Colorado hunt started here many years ago. Recently a few member have been very helpful in sharing information, which I greatly appreciate. Got the maps I need. Penciled in the hunt dates and scouting trips on the calendar. Plan is to head over on July 28th to have a look at the area. Spending way too much time on Google earth.

This weekend I need a trip to keep the horses in shape, thinking somewhere close. These picture are from a quick trip to Idaho last weekend. Trying to find a couple of new spots. Only saw 6 bucks, these three were only 20 inchers, guessing three year old deer. Nothing yet to get too excited about. It was just nice to get out, climb to a high peak and watch the sun come up.

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My son and I took the horses for a ride into the Uintas Naturalist Basin this past weekend, trail head is close to Mirror Lake, head west on the high line trail. Fishing was not very good at Jordan, looks like there was some winter kill with several dead fish along the shore. Lots of snow for this time of year and things at Shaler Lake are just starting to green up. I have never hunted this part of the Uintas, there are goats in the area and I did see a few elk tracks.

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Shaler Lake
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Jordan Lake
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This trip was more to make sure the horses stay in shape, Last year they got a little fat on me. I bought my first horse about five years ago and have three now. I am still learning a lot and realizing what everyone told me that they are a lot of work is very true. However all the work has been worth it for me so far.

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This was the first deer I packed out with my first horse Spice. Yea, the guys at elk camp still give me a bad time about the name, but I choose to keep it.
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I purchased a new camcorder and wanted to test it out, I am still learning. Just figured how to transfer the clips to the computer, next I need to learn some editing. I am headed to Colorado on Thursday to scout for elk, check the roads out and find a good central location to camp.
 
Went to Colorado to scout the unit I drew the muzzle loader tag. I am still figuring the video thing, lots of shaky, out of focus pictures. I ended up getting the Canon Vixia HFM40. I noticed it helps to have two tripods, the problem I have is one of my tripods is very heavy and decided to leave it behind in order to lose a little weight. Anyway, still have a lot to learn about using the camcorder, but I hope you enjoy even if it is shaky and out of focus. Soon as I get the editing thing figured hope to post some clips soon.

Colorado was beautiful, lots of elk, have a better feel for the area.

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Went to Colorado to scout the unit I drew the muzzle loader tag. I am still figuring the video thing, lots of shaky out of focus pictures. I ended up getting the Canon Vixia HFM40. I notice it helps to have two tripods, the problem I have is one of my tripods is very heavy and decided to leave it behind in order to loose I little weight. Someone told me about a sleeve that slides on the end of the scope that you can attach the camera to...need to look into that.

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Day One
http://www.monsterhuntclips.com/video/1538/Colorado-scout-trip-day-one

Day Two
http://www.monsterhuntclips.com/video/1539/Colorado-scout-trip-day-two

Day Three
http://www.monsterhuntclips.com/video/1540/colorado-scout-trip-day-three


Anyway, still have a lot to learn about using the camcorder, but I hope you enjoy even if it is shaky and out of focus. Colorado was beautiful, lots of elk, have a better feel for the area.
 
Took a quick trip to Wyoming with my daughter this weekend, mainly to check on the horses and trail camera. Only does and a bunch of raccoons on the trail cam. Didn?t have a lot of time for scouting, but did find a few on the way. Spent Saturday shooting. I have been shooting a white super 91 in a .45 cal. for the past 15 years. With a Colorado muzzle loader tag, I purchased a TC Pro Hunter in a .50 cal. I have put about fifty round through it so far a feeling good out to 100 yards.

http://www.monsterhuntclips.com/video/1543/August-Velvet
 
This weekend my son Jake and I rode into Ryder Lake on the North Slope of the Uintas with our hunting and horse riding partners the Evans. This trip was more about make sure the horses stay in shape, they got a good work out. Trail head at Christmas meadows is about 9,000 feet you clime to 10,700 feet over the seven and half mile ride. High county has finally greened up, fishing was fair for small brooks. Saw four bull moose on the ride in and two billy goats at the lake. I believe I got shaky video coverage thing figured out, ordered an attachment deal from #####. We also spent some time shooting our bows for the Utah opener next weekend.

http://youtu.be/mp73UAqurRo
 
With two weeks and counting for my Colorado trip I have been getting things together. Printed up my check list, made some jerky, got new shoes on the horses, I am ready to head out today. Spent the evening reloading with my Daughter Jessica. After we took a drive to check out the resident city mascot. I had caught him once the other day but didn't get him on film. Not sure what the local guys are calling him, but I told Jessica they should call him Jail Bait. He is going to be a temptation for someone to not trespass or discharge a weapon within City limits. I am sure someone will poke a hole in him. I was thrilled to get him on film.

http://www.monsterhuntclips.com/video/1580/Resident-Buck
 
Had a great time in Colorado hunting elk. First off I have to thank two local guys, one I met here Brett H. and Bill G., their information really help me get pointed in the right direction as well as what type of bull to hold out for. I also had two of my hunting buddies Bruce and Jason who came with me, helped so much with camp, horses, and packing. We arrived a day early allowing us to find a nice place to camp and ride the horses into the area I wanted to hunt. I was concerned about the trail and the time it would take, turned out to be a pretty good trail, steep, but well traveled.

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Camp

http://youtu.be/iMCmO3_yOag
Video of first day and opening morning.

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Sitting high on a ridge.

Opening morning we were at timber line at first light with 200 elk in the open to look over, three shooter bulls in the open with about 10 smaller bulls. One bull pushed his cows over the top, and we hoofed it after them, hoping they would stay high. It took us a bit more time than it took the elk, they make it look easy, but eventually we made it. The elk were still high and in the open country, I took a long shot with a steep angle and missed.

http://youtu.be/DBemOdAgLbU
Video of opening evening

We went back down to the horses, made a fire, got something to eat and rested up a bit.? Couple of hours, we got back on the horses and rode a couple miles, stopped on an open ridge and glassed up some elk in a rocky area.? I left Jason, Bruce and the horses behind and tried to get in range, worked great, had a nice bull at 60 yards for a few seconds, but he had too many cow around him and I never got an open shot until he was out to 170 I took a quartering away shot and missed again.? Jason and Bruce watched him run out his group of 30 cows.? Now it is about 7 pm we are on the ridge we started on and hear a bull in the bottom had this bull I got bugeling every 2 to 3 minutes or so Jason and Bruce take the horses down the other side and I work my way down following the sound of the bull.? I eased up over the ridge, had him at 60 or 70 yards, didn't have time to range him or judge him, he had me pegged, so I just pulled up and shot, hit him facing me in the chest.

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We went back the next day to pack him out. The elk would come up out of the timber in the evening, and I. I eased up over the edge, he was at 60 or 70 yards, I didn't have time to range him, pulled back the hammer and hit him right in the chest. Second shot was not as good, he ended up laying down in the willows, we could tell he was hurting bad, but did not want to push and lose him. We didn't want to pack him out in the dark so we went back for him the next day. Great times with good friends in some of the most amazing county elk live in, it was truly a life time experience.

http://youtu.be/h7mvqNpNYK8
Video of the pack out.
 
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This weekend took us to Wyoming for Jake?s Antelope hunt. Had a little time Friday to look at a few bucks, however we did not find the one. Saturday morning was raining hard, we decided to sleep in and fix a good breakfast. Clouds started to clear out about 11am we packed up the truck and headed out. We were looking over two smaller bucks when we noticed the does with a larger buck and made a stock on him. Stock took about 40 minutes, buck ended up running toward us, giving Jake had 250 yard shot, made one shot missed the second, but lucky the buck went over a small draw and stopped. Soon as we crested the top he took off and Jake was able to hit him in the spine.

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Nice goat for Wyoming measured 14 inches plus each side. Sorry about the shaky footage and the fact I jump like a rabbit at the gun shot, maybe I will bring the tripod next time. All in all it was a fun day, even my wife had a good time, she does not come with us too often so it was fun to have her along this time.

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http://www.monsterhuntclips.com/video/1596/Wyoming-Antelope
 
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So far nothing to show for the Utah Muzzle loader deer hunt. Took Jake out of school for the opener, rode into a new area and saw six small bucks. Problem seems to be the weather, very warm for this time of year and the bucks are beding early. Hopefully with some cool weather coming in things will change a bit, although I am running out of time. This small bull moose was on one of my trail cameras, so decided to tried to call him in, make for an easy bow shot.

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http://www.monsterhuntclips.com/video/1615/Rutty-Moose
Moose clip
 
I spent the month of September chasing deer with my bow in Wyoming, had one close encounter with a nice buck, nothing huge, but I would have been more than happy with him had a few more things worked in my favor. As it turned out I never drew back on a deer. I use the archery season to get a good idea of what type of deer are in the area. This year was not like past years, lots of small buck. I only saw about a dozen deer over three years old, it was a bit discouraging in comparison to years past. But by the time rifle season was here I had a pretty good idea of what to expect.

Rifle opening weekend was short sleeve weather. Four of us had tags in our pockets, me, my son, my hunting partner Bruce and his son. We left the cabin at 5:30 in the morning and were in the saddle by 6:30 for a short ride into where we wanted to set up. Since we did not have a particular big buck located, opening morning we decided to sit and wait while the other hunters pushed deer around. Jake and I had a great spot that over looked two small ridge sides. We had about 12 small bucks come within range before Jake decided he had passed up enough and connected with his three point, one shot, the deer ran about 60 feet and tipped over. We decided to pack the deer back to the truck, have some lunch and do some riding to push the quaking aspen patches for the evening.

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Normally when I ride, before I come up over a ridge I will get off my horse get my gun. It can get a bit tiresome, but about the time you get lazy and leave your gun with the horse you see deer. We know a few spots where the deer like to bed and were moving from spot to spot. We were coming to a spot where we had seen some deer use in past years and spotted a little four point feeding at the edge of some chokecherries. One more well placed shot and both boys had their tags filled.

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Second weekend we were hunting in six inches of snow. I was hoping a change in weather would bring a change in seeing something bigger. All in all it was a great hunt for us in Wyoming this year. We hunted five days saw about 50 small bucks. Next year is looking like a point only option for me and I will be keeping my fingers crossed some of these small bucks survive the next two years. Next hunt...Idaho.
 
Monday, Jessica got off work and we drove to Idaho for the deer opener. Opening morning we went back to a spot where I killed a big bull 12 years ago. We did not see too many deer, had close encounter with a doe, but it was fun to go back see the area and recount my elk hunt.

Friday Jessica Jake and I headed out for another area that is open to general season elk. Once we got camp set up we had time for a quick ride hoping to see a nice buck or some elk that would help us decide where to go opening morning. There was a large group that showed up this year and it was fun to catch up with everyone around the camp fire.

Opening morning we were up at four, in the saddle by five for a five or six mile ride in the moon light to the area we wanted to hunt. Passed a few hunters on the trail, but compared to years passed it did not seem like there were as many people out. We made it to the ridge well before it was light enough to see. We usually see elk at this spot and were not going to be too picky, other than no spikes. I walked down the ridge and saw a six point working his way below the spot I left Jessica and Jake. I walk back up to them and we tried to relocate the bull below us on the ridge. About that time we notice a few cows and calves, spike, and a small branched antler bull. I stopped him with a call, ranged him at 450, and Jake was able to connect a couple of times before he went down. Jake is shooting a 25 wssm, that he loads with a 120 grain AccuBond.

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I like to split the elk between the third and forth rib. With the back half, I will cut the tenderloins out, then split the spine with a small hatchet and four pound sledge. If I do not have two pair of bags I will throw the back half on one horse, cutting a hole in the hide to slip over the horn. Sometimes I will spilt the front half and bag it. If I have time, I will skin it before I bag it. The pack out was difficult and took us most of the day to butcher we made it back to camp about 4:30. Sunday we slept in, cooked a good breakfast before we packed up and came home. Short weekend trip, too hard for the kids to miss too much school.

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The Utah general season deer hunt turned out to be a fun horse ride. Jessica and Jake had rifle tags. We were hunting a new area, Northern Region and ended up seeing four bucks, the largest was a small four point. School, work, and the flue got in the way of us hunting more days than the opener. We are done with our big game hunts for this year. I am already starting to plan for next year, what I will be doing different with the region changes and new areas I have been thinking of trying.

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School was out for Halloween so we booked a morning at one of the local commercial pheasant clubs here in Northern Utah. It is a good tuneup for the dog, he does not know the difference other than we always find birds. I have been out a few times on the general pheasant hunt with a little success, hunting is hard and the birds are few and far between. Ducks and geese are just starting to show up in numbers and I hope to get after them once the pheasant hunt is over.

http://youtu.be/xzVRRb6OI3k

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Here is one of my favorite pictures from a hunt a few years ago, kids grow up fast, I think Jake is a foot taller and has out grown his vest.
 
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