Counter Attack in Idaho!

[WapitiTalk1]

As Joe and I arrived at our Idaho hunting destination on 22 September, we soon realized that we wouldn't be hiking down into the draw/basin as originally planned. The smoke from the panhandle fires and more so from the Wenatchee fires way on the west side of Washington had settled heavily into our target area in the lower portion of the panhandle. We decided we'd do a quasi base camp with my quad/equipment trailer and Joe's 4 stroke bike, keeping our camp a bit above the nasty smoke that was choking the deep basins. We’d hunt these areas but would not camp in them. It worked out pretty dang well as we were able to hunt numerous areas and actually got into a bunch, I mean a bunch of bugling bulls. Hunting pressure was even lighter than expected (obviously other hunters are smarter than Joe and I and had decided to hunt areas that weren't so thick with alder/huckleberry choked side hills). There were only two other small bow camps we knew of in the huge area we hunted (12 miles of impassible roads....accessed only by ORVs). On to the story. As we both were passed out in our tents after a tough day of alder hole diving, I heard something screwing with my quad trailer around 3 in the morning. Damn it.....There was a bear in our gear/food! I could hear the tarp rustling and the little Yutrax trailer actually squeaking as it moved around. I realized my .44 was in the trunk of my quad (small compartment in the back of the Polaris). I carry it there so it'd be available (without driving way back to camp) with the intention of packing it into a kill site after we brought out our first pack of meat. Never know what may be on the kill in that country. Soo, I said "Joe, is that you out there"? This took a few times to wake him from his peaceful slumber. Finally, Joe responded with "no, I'm in my tent". I replied with a "do you have your pistol; there's a damn bear in our gear". After a bit of shuffling about in Joe's tent... We both heard crashing off through the dry woods by our camp. Joe said, "he's gone now" and we both went back to sleep. Upon performing an early morning investigation of the crime scene, the perpetrator was not a bear. It seems that two elk had decided to get a bit of revenge on us for hunting them endlessly for the past week and had planned and executed a sort of middle of the morning counter attack operation. The nocturnal assailants actually seemed to be nosing the tarp over our gear around and must have bumped the trailer, causing the squeaking noise which prompted me to believe Yogi was after our stuff. They are not so dumb, these Idaho elk. Maybe I should hunt closer to camp RJ

[ceetoo]

I'm thinkn' you just might need to hang a tree stand over that trailer.... ; )
-c2

[bnsafe]

thats my kind of packin out

[dreamhunter]

lol,you never know whats going to happen at elk camp

[WapitiTalk1]

The real funny thing about it is that we were both so waxed from deep alder hole diving (some of you know what I mean I'm sure) that we went right back asleep after the critters crunched off and left. Not sure if I would have responded differently if Joe would have looked out and said "it was a huge grizz chomping on our freeze dried food".. It was rack time and we were not gonna be denied by anything. RJ

[slim9300]

Good stuff!

[Swede]

Every bit as much as kiling a good bull, it is stories like that which makes hunting such a great adventure.