Off the Grid for a Few Days.......

[WapitiTalk1]

Heading to the Gem State tomorrow morning early with Mrs. Phantom to scout my new area. She's got her new hiking boots (about the size a mouse would wear), day pack, and is ready to go scouting and camping The snack count for three days is enormous.. don't know who she thinks will eat it.... Yogi bear?. She said if we get lost, we'll need those snacks. Evenings will most likely consist of grilled weenies over the fire, and, smores... Yep, she's not much of an outdoor chick and will require the necessities At any rate, I'll be out of cell service in God's country for the duration of the 4th of July weekend. Wishing all of you a safe and happy Independence Day and hopefully, will have some pics to share when I return. Oh, more than excited to try out the new Vortex spotting scope I picked up from Elknut1 last week. Should be a great adventure. RJ

[zpd307]

good luck, I will be alone with the misses next week also......

[WapitiTalk1]

Thanks Gary. Good luck on your adventure also. I know I'm quite a bit north of where you're going so will try to chase some down your way. Hope you would return the favor RJ

[Elkonthebrain]

Have fun. Wish I was going but family takes priority. Hope it looks promising.

[WapitiTalk1]

Have fun. Wish I was going but family takes priority. Hope it looks promising.

Yah Ed, will let you know what I see/don't see. Send me a text if there are any other spots you want me to fly by while I'm over there. Will keep you and your family in my thoughts throughout the weekend. I'm sure it'll work out great for your little one. RJ

[Swede]

I hope Mrs. Phantom really enjoys camping. It is always better when you wife is enjoying herself as much as you are. Good luck to both of you.

[WapitiTalk1]

I hope Mrs. Phantom really enjoys camping. It is always better when you wife is enjoying herself as much as you are. Good luck to both of you.

Thanks Swede. Yah, she's from the same area in MT I grew up in but has grown accustomed to the big city life in a way and doesn't go out much with me on scouting trips. Make no mistake, she'll probably outhike me as I dive into some of the spots I've been eyeballing on GE (she's in great shape and is kind of a gym workout rat). I tease her a lot about being "citi-ized" but yesterday she asked me "are we gonna be camping in a campground"? I said, um, no... we'll be high on a ridge away from any campers or campgrounds. She responded with "good, you can't scout down in the valley with the weekend campers"... Out of the mouths of babes

[Fridaythe13th]

are we gonna be camping in a campground

A friend of mine is going to the boundary water in Minnesota canoeing and his daughter (16) ask him "how they mark the bathrooms"

Have a ton of fun, send some bulls way down too the southern part of the state.

[ElkNut1]

Rory, good luck! Hope you & the miss run into a bunch of elk! Check out those natural mineral lick areas they should be active about now or show some sign of use! Let us know! Enjoy!

ElkNut1

[zpd307]

we are playing cowboys on a ranch just outside of buffalo in the big horns. first time taking a vacation alone without the boys..... happy 10 year anniversary! my scouting trip is a month out yet....

[WapitiTalk1]

Couldn't get to the spots I wanted to; snow foiled those plans. The trip started off with me not sleeping the night before we left... not because I was anxious, because I was developing full blown summer cold symptoms! Yack, I was sick the entire time and Mrs. Phantom was right behind me as she caught my bug. We pushed on and eventually, hit the area I had targeted for this year's ID hunt. On the way we saw the usual suspects low (calving/winter grounds) and one fleeting elk across the road after dark closer to where I was headed. Saw lots of sign right up to the receding snow line (tracks) which tells me the bachelor groups are moving up with the receding snow (good sign). We stayed at a great camp spot and only saw a few 4th of July quad riders during our stay; otherwise, we had the mountain to ourselves. The area looks very promising for this fall's elk assault with Ed (elkonthebrain) and we just got off the phone a bit ago finalizing our plans. I bumped into a local (rifle hunter) who shared a bit of intel with me. Minimal hunting pressure there during bow season (so, so remote) and yes, the wolves have taken their toll (tell me something new). All in all, a good trip aside from us spreading our coughing/hacking germs to the indiginous animal population. My new Vortex Razor HD performed well beyond expectations.... this thing is way past awesome (thank you Elknut1)! Here's a few pics of our stay (and yes, I told my significant other it was probably illegal to pick "those"... lol). Hope you enjoy the pics.

[WapitiTalk1]

A few more pics... sorry, no elk pics but hopefully, will have some hero shots this fall .. We really did have a great trip to the Idaho back woods.

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[Gselkhunter]

Nice looking area. I like the reflection pic.
So the MRS likes flowers! Better come to CO Rory and bring her, we have lots of flowers.

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[ElkNut1]

Nice photos! Sorry to hear you two ended up a bit under the weather, bummer! The area appears to have potential, you should have a great hunt there! Thanks!

ElkNut1