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Scouting report

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Scouting report

Postby Lefty » 07 15, 2021 •  [Post 1]

:lol: :lol: :lol:



Ok I will share some info.
Well there were sheep in 4 pastures, Not sure what that means. Always only seen them in one pasture at a time and likely 1000 or more. The grass was good in each of them. My hope is the numbers will be kept low30-500 sheep per pasture if they stay until season.

Two small drainages barely had water trickling down them. And if cows are placed in there I fear that area will be worthless hunting.

Maybe one nice possibility: Where we had camp last fall . The cows have been in there a while. and hopefully they will be on another pasture by September. Then no worries about cows in camp, crapping and stomping on things. But lack of cow patties is concerning too.
Praying for rain
This drought stuff could get bad for hunting. Ive been locked out of areas over the years. Few spring flowers, no big field blooms, , thin grass, more weeds,, bad stuff guts. Some irrigation in Idaho is being shut off. That's s Ok if it is winter wheat.

https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/CurrentMap/StateDroughtMonitor.aspx
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Re: Scouting report

Postby Indian Summer » 07 16, 2021 •  [Post 2]

Doesn’t sound good. Antler growth won’t be the greatest that’s for sure. It seems like every year we learn a new piece of the puzzle. Last year’s lessons are definitely going to help. Think about it for a minute…. Where does the water disappear from first? Up high. The worse the drought the lower the water. If they have to they’ll drop all the way to the rivers to drink. We find elk tracks between the tent and the truck sometimes.

There are exceptions of course. I have hunted places where water was available relatively high even in dry years. But where I hunt now that’s not the case. I know they’ll go low if they have to but I’ve never seen them as far down as last season. It made think of some past seasons when it was dry and I was up higher scratching my heading wondering where the heck they were. I hate to see drought but I do have a pretty good idea where I can kill a bull this year because of it so I won’t complain.
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Re: Scouting report

Postby Swede » 07 16, 2021 •  [Post 3]

Indian Summer wrote:Where does the water disappear from first? Up high.


That is an interesting observation. I do not know the areas Joe hunts, but that is just the opposite of what I have observed. If I drop down into the desert, the water has dried up. The temperatures are hotter and the landscape is brown except where it is irrigated. Even the streams and subterranean water in wells used for irrigation originated up high.
If I stay high there are springs and small streams that go for a ways then they dry up. Up high the grass and forbs stay green much longer.
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Re: Scouting report

Postby Swede » 07 17, 2021 •  [Post 4]

I see the Umatilla National Forest has been shut off to the public. I wonder how long that will last and if it will spread farther to the surrounding forests. The Umatilla covers two districts in SE Washington and two in NE Oregon. This little problem may ultimately reach beyond Region 6 (Oregon and Washington) and go into Idaho. The burning conditions look the same all over the inland northwest.
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Re: Scouting report

Postby Lefty » 07 17, 2021 •  [Post 5]

Swede wrote:,,,,,, will spread farther to the surrounding forests. ,
burning conditions look the same all over the inland northwest.

Someday the "wacko antihunting l hate people groups" will use anything to shut down public lands Oh wait there are 13 pages of to the closure order of the Sawtooth National recreation Area Sun Valleys public lands made exclusive for them.
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