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What I Observed This Season

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What I Observed This Season

Postby Swede » 09 18, 2022 •  [Post 1]

I saw a Mountain Goat Billy come out of the forest and walk a log across a creek as well as any cat could.
I watched a cow elk wallow in a shallow muddy pool. She did not wallow like a bull, but she did lay down and roll over a couple of times.
The 5X5 I killed was with a herd of 14 cows and calves. He would grunt and call frequently, but the cows never responded. They did not even look his direction. He would not get really close to them but followed them around. There was no other bull in the area. Finally, he followed them down to the pool of water where they had been and where I sat. That is where he quit following the herd. Usually, a mortally wounded elk will try to follow the herd, but this guy went in the opposite direction. Why?
One evening I could see a huge forest fire blazing over the horizon.
What have you seen that was unusual?
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Re: What I Observed This Season

Postby Indian Summer » 09 18, 2022 •  [Post 2]

A 5x5…. Congratulations Swede!
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Re: What I Observed This Season

Postby Swede » 09 18, 2022 •  [Post 3]

Thanks I. S. and all who have commented on my elk. I hope you get the one you really want. It would be great to see the annual meat pole stressed to the max.
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Re: What I Observed This Season

Postby Lefty » 09 19, 2022 •  [Post 4]

The best Oddball thing I saw was two small bulls facing my daughter and Andrew at 30 yards while he was screaming challenging bugles.
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Re: What I Observed This Season

Postby Lefty » 09 19, 2022 •  [Post 5]

How many days till your fine Feller showed up ?
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Re: What I Observed This Season

Postby 7mmfan » 09 19, 2022 •  [Post 6]

I just spent a weekend high in the mountains of WA. I observed beautiful alpine basins on fire with fall colors that should have had bear and deer in them, but were void of life. I also observed a lot of terrible driving getting to and from the mountains.
I hunt therefore I am. I fish therefore I lie.
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Re: What I Observed This Season

Postby Swede » 09 19, 2022 •  [Post 7]

I killed the bull at the end of day 16. I had heard him several times while I was observing the cows, but he would not come in. He was the class creep. He followed them around and called but would not come close. He came to water 5-10 minutes after the cows and calves left on September 12th when I shot him.
I had three other shots in the season. I completely missed all three. I determined my drop away rest was malfunctioning on me. After the third miss I knew something was terribly wrong. I had a bull at 35 yards in the complete open stopped and looking away. He should have been meat, but I did not touch a hair on him, and I knew I was not losing it as a shooter. When I check my bow in camp, I missed the whole target at 40 yards for two shots. After messing with the rest awhile I got it to work "ok", but my shot pattern was never as good as it was right before the season.
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Re: What I Observed This Season

Postby Armed_Hiker » 09 19, 2022 •  [Post 8]

I observed the most intense thunderstorm in my life this weekend. Saturday morning I started out by climbing up through an old burn to glass and listen for bugles. The morning was partially cloudy but mostly sunny. At 2 PM it started to get dark and a huger thunderhead started blowing over. The thunder started out far off but in a matter of 30 minutes was right over the top of me. I wasn't worried and was just going to let the storm blow through. Once I started to feel the thunder reverberating in my chest I was convinced I was going to get hit and scampered down the mountain as fast as I could. The sound was so impressive and awesome!

That night I at some bad stew (think along the lines of Patrick McManus's "Whatchagot Stew") and was observing the inside of the forest service bathroom at 2:20 AM, 4:30 AM and again at 6 AM. Significantly less awesome.
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Re: What I Observed This Season

Postby Billy Goat » 09 22, 2022 •  [Post 9]

Armed_Hiker wrote:
That night I at some bad stew (think along the lines of Patrick McManus's "Whatchagot Stew") and was observing the inside of the forest service bathroom at 2:20 AM, 4:30 AM and again at 6 AM. Significantly less awesome.


on my summer hike, I got giardia. took a week and a half to "clear". I counted one day, and was on the toilet 20x in a single 24 hour period. even setup a TV tray in the bathroom so I could work from the turlet. :( - less awesome.
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and by the time they reach their teens, no dope peddler under the sun will ever teach them anything".

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