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April 2023 WT Photo of the Month Contest

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April 2023 WT Photo of the Month Contest

Postby WapitiTalk1 » 04 02, 2023 •  [Post 1]

This month’s theme is “Coming down the mountain, loaded”. Post up some pics of full packs, big grins, and sore legs ;)

1. One photo submission allowed per month, per member (yep, stinky MODs may enter a photo also).
2. Photo must relate to the monthly theme (or risk being disqualified).
3. Do not use photo editing software to enhance your photo. Just post the photo as it was taken with your camera, smart phone, trail cam, etc. You may have to resize some photos so they are accepted by the forum software; remember, photos can only be 800X600 pixels "MAX" for our forum.
4. You may use older photos you have on hand, but, do not submit a photo that has won a previous WT photo contest.
5. Any WT member may enter a photo they have taken or appear in.
6. Judging – WT members will vote on monthly photo submissions.
7. Contest period will normally end the last day of the month.
8. Winner must contact WapitiTalk1 via PM and provide mailing address for prize (your prize may be sent directly from a WT sponsor or from RJ).
9. Prizes will vary from month to month.
10. All monthly winners will be automatically entered into the "photo of the year" contest.

The prize for the April 2023 contest is (to be determined).
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Re: April 2023 WT Photo of the Month Contest

Postby Indian Summer » 04 03, 2023 •  [Post 2]

If there is one thing that doubles the suck of backpacking a bull out it’s doing it with rain gear on in an all day rain with greasy trails. Everything is rain soaked on the outside and sweat soaked on the inside. Miserable. But it sure makes getting to the truck a whole lot sweeter.

You can see the sleeping bag etc. I made a heavy last trip to get some gear out. I tried to grin. It hurt. A lot.

That was 12 years ago I think. Since then the horses have been doing the elk packing but they are getting extremely expensive so not sure what we’re going to do. We’ve already talked about going back to backpacking. Ugh… the struggles of getting old.
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Re: April 2023 WT Photo of the Month Contest

Postby 7mmfan » 04 03, 2023 •  [Post 3]

Well if the contest is judged based on biggest backpack load and obvious suck, I think IS just tied it up.
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Re: April 2023 WT Photo of the Month Contest

Postby Jhg » 04 03, 2023 •  [Post 4]

You will have to take my word for it. This was a heavy load. I did not want to go back for a fifth trip and loaded the head on top a 80lb load of boned out meat. How heavy was it? So heavy I farted when standing up. Now that is heavy.



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Re: April 2023 WT Photo of the Month Contest

Postby 7mmfan » 04 04, 2023 •  [Post 5]

My Dad's first elk. This particular load wasn't heavy, but the 2 before were. Just the two of us on a monsoon day in Central Washington. Killed this bull about 3 miles from the truck. We ferried it about halfway to where we could get the game cart under it and then started out with the cart. We only made it about half a mile and one of the wheels broke, so back to packing we went.
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Re: April 2023 WT Photo of the Month Contest

Postby Indian Summer » 04 04, 2023 •  [Post 6]

One time a buddy who was guiding for me in Montana called needing help with a downed cow. It wasn’t in the mountains, but in the low country. He caught some elk hopping the fence off of private. When we got to the elk, I looked back then I looked down at the elk and said you know, it’s just a slight downhill and not that far, I’m only making one trip. I decided that I could handle a front and a hind quarter even though it was a pretty good size cow.

My partner pleaded with me a few times to make two trips with him, but in such easy country, I saw no reason. Halfway to the truck I was dying! By the time I got to the truck and dropped the tailgate I didn’t have another step left in me. Upon on unlashing the loads from my pack, I realized why. My “friend” had given me both hind quarters! Here I was at the halfway mark thinking I might have to stop and dump that front shoulder. Him on the other hand, came bouncing out of there with a smile on his face. Lol
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Re: April 2023 WT Photo of the Month Contest

Postby Indian Summer » 04 04, 2023 •  [Post 7]

I knew this dude from California who lived in north western Montana in the Bull River valley. His uncle lived just up the river, and I’m pretty sure he was hiding out from the law. Lol He didn’t hunt when I first met him, but decided to give it a try and tag along. This guys favorite hobby was drinking beer. On a few short hikes that we went on, he would pull out a beer, drink it and throw the can on the ground. He was a total city boy and had no clue. My brother and I would pick up the cans and then hide him them in his backpack along with the rest of his garbage when he wasn’t looking.

One day we decided to go on a serious hike, all the way up to the top of one of the main ridges on the north side of the river. It was a long tough hike, and by the time we got to the top, all three of us were completely wore out. City boy Steve was a pretty good hiker, but said that the hike in really kick his butt. He said his pack felt like 1000 pounds. He was sitting on the ground leaning back against a tree all sweaty huffing and puffing, and I said hey Steve couldn’t you go for a nice cold beer right about now? He smiled from ear to ear, and said yeah, right in my dreams. I got up walked over to HIS pack and opened it and pulled out the eight beers that I had jammed in the bottom of it that morning when he wasn’t looking. Thanks Steve I think I’ll have one too. :lol: :lol: :lol: Actually, he wasn’t mad at all. He hugged me ha ha.
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Re: April 2023 WT Photo of the Month Contest

Postby Indian Summer » 04 04, 2023 •  [Post 8]

I knew this guy in the Bitterroot Valley named Charlie. He went by the nickname red bird, which was his given name while he was in Vietnam. He was kind of a wild dude. When we were hiking trails he was always in the back. He would stay back and hide off to the side of the trail, making sure nobody was trailing us. He was a pretty grumpy antisocial guy, and if you didn’t know him, he hated you.

One day we were hiking along a bottom trail that parallel to creek. Eventually, we turned up another trail that followed a smaller creek. That was just about 6 feet wide. The trail had a couple creek crossings in the forest service had built walking bridges. They were nothing but logs that had posts lagged into the one side with a hand rail. The creek came flowing pretty quick out of the small canyon and lots of it was just white water tumbling over rocks.

This was in gun season, and it was pretty cold and snowy that day. The creek had ice along both sides. We had crossed about three of those little bridges without a problem. But on the fourth one, I just heard a big splash in a yell, I turned around look and couldn’t believe what I saw. Charlie had slipped off the log and fallen on the opposite side of the handrail. His pack was huge, as big as the one I’m wearing in the picture here, with everything he needed for camping and hunting. He was laying flat on his back with white water roaring around both sides of him. His eyes were huge! Lol .

We dropped our packs, ran down the hill and yanked him out pretty quick since the creek wasn’t that big. He was freezing, so we hurried up the rest of the way got to camp and got a fire going. That night Charlie was fiddling around with his gun getting ready to hunt the next day when all of the sudden. BOOM he shot a hole through the roof of my tent. Yeah…… Charlie was an interesting guy to have around.
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Re: April 2023 WT Photo of the Month Contest

Postby Billy Goat » 04 06, 2023 •  [Post 9]

sons first elk, after 3 years of trying. he's got a ham in the pack.

he was walking tall that day. :)
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Re: April 2023 WT Photo of the Month Contest

Postby Elkhunttoo » 04 17, 2023 •  [Post 10]

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Re: April 2023 WT Photo of the Month Contest

Postby Lefty » 04 18, 2023 •  [Post 11]

The story is actually better. My wife and daughter's phone dinged.
Andrew had sent a pic of the little buck he had arrowed. His first-year archery hunting. He dropped the guts and evidently, some of our stories sent him out of the areas and back to camp leaving the deer.
The grizzlies stories had him concerned him.

I was back at camp at sunrise to go pack the deer out.


This pic won't qualify, because the pack out was up the mountain :lol:


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Re: April 2023 WT Photo of the Month Contest

Postby Lefty » 04 18, 2023 •  [Post 12]

Indian Summer wrote:If there is one thing that doubles the suck of backpacking a bull out it’s doing it with rain gear on in an all day rain with greasy trails. Everything is rain soaked on the outside and sweat soaked on the inside. Miserable. But it sure makes getting to the truck a whole lot sweeter.


Packing uphill in 1o inches of snow is a bit tricky.

Another pack out we killed 3 sets of batteries on headlamps cutting up and then packing out in the dark , not real bad but could have been more fun :D
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Re: April 2023 WT Photo of the Month Contest

Postby Indian Summer » 04 19, 2023 •  [Post 13]

Lefty wrote:
Indian Summer wrote:If there is one thing that doubles the suck of backpacking a bull out it’s doing it with rain gear on in an all day rain with greasy trails. Everything is rain soaked on the outside and sweat soaked on the inside. Miserable. But it sure makes getting to the truck a whole lot sweeter.


Packing uphill in 1o inches of snow is a bit tricky.

Another pack out we killed 3 sets of batteries on headlamps cutting up and then packing out in the dark , not real bad but could have been more fun :D


I killed a bull on Thanksgiving week in knee deep snow. It was late and I barely got it quartered before I was exhausted. I brought backup the next day but by then the snow which came down hard all night was all the way to my crotch! Insane packout. That was officially THE last day anyone could possibly pack an elk of the mountain.
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Re: April 2023 WT Photo of the Month Contest

Postby 7mmfan » 04 27, 2023 •  [Post 14]

Some great photos in here this month, I'm happy to see the participation!

Hey when are we getting an "Other game" month? I have a sure fire winner waiting in the bullpen.
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Re: April 2023 WT Photo of the Month Contest

Postby WapitiTalk1 » 04 27, 2023 •  [Post 15]

7mmfan wrote:Some great photos in here this month, I'm happy to see the participation!

Hey when are we getting an "Other game" month? I have a sure fire winner waiting in the bullpen.


Coming soon to a theatre near you ;)
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Re: April 2023 WT Photo of the Month Contest

Postby Tigger » 04 27, 2023 •  [Post 16]

packout resized.jpg
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The look on the faces. This is type 2 fun boys! Blizzard, heavy grizzly presence. Love it!
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