"Shoot one"

[Lefty]

My wife's last text this morning. I ll get to that latter
This weeks journal entry. It isn’t hardcore elk scouting, well maybe it is! Or is it just stupid . My wife sent me so I must have needed to get away from home
I spent a few days were I elk hunt My daughter said the BLM has been putting u new signs, My kind of area


Did you notice it said spare tires, not spare tire

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[Lefty]

My scouting partner, Holly Hunter Hauser (AKA)

holly

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She was a bit disappointed; the coyote disappeared

after coyote

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My new background on my computer. I set the tent up by lantern light. I texted my wife at told her I couldn’t sleep , I was a bit excited .
Im sure I was the only human in a over a ten mile radius,.. I love this place

sunset

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[Lefty]

I woke an hour before sunrise and hit the trail. Glassing from some of my “spotting “ locations I hadn’t seen an elk. Back at camp I loaded up the ATV and made the circuit on the two tracks with the fresh rain tracking was easy. More miles of hiking and glassing, more miles of riding, no elk tracks from that night,

I had never seen a rattle snake until two years ago, Saw two on Wednesday.
Boy they get the blood pumping

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The day got hot. I tried to take a nap,
Noon; 97 degrees and not a speck of a breeze we were downing water at every stop
Hot Hot Hot . Back at camp I tried to take a nap, I was excited as opening day of archery season; Why Im not sure.

Holly was in the shade from the tent. I resupplied the ATV with two frozen 64 oz bottle of water and a frozen pack bladder and 6 more bottled waters. Holly was still panting to heavy. I knew it would get hotter when we hit the rocks.
So to cool my dog down we took the truck back to the area I ve hunted for the past 9 years. Going through the rocky country we hit 117 degrees on the trucks thermometer. I took another reading on my clock, at 4 feet in the shade; 112 degrees, Dang hot.
All the water tanks had elk tracks from the night before. All except one water tank was dry. And it was draining fast. Plenty of elk tracks now that we were closer to ag fields. On the way back to the tent I stopped for a shower. Here in the desert there is a water hydrant I have washed in a number of times. I wonder if I’m the only one that ever uses the hydrant. I opened the hydrant; rusty water came out, then this nasty black water, then it cleared up. I would like to say the water was “cool and refreshing”, It was wet and refreshing.
The NW skys were getting black. The temperature dropped over 20 degrees. Eventually we hit big drops of rain that kicked up little clouds of dust when they hit the ground. Then it poured like a Florida downpour. I had to stop in the middle of the road . Even if the windshield wipers could have kept up the rain was so heavy I couldn’t see the road.
8:00 Got back to camp, the storms seemed to have passed. Ive only had a granola bar and lots of water all day , I open a can of soup and re-hydrate some Asian noodles
Holly and I hiked out to an area to glass. Generally I see something if not an elk. Nothing tonight.
8:55 PM The winds had picked up to about 20 mph. My new $5.00 tent was making all sorts of noise flapping in the wind. I crawled into the tent. Holly was exhausted and took the privilege of plopping in the middle of my bed. I undressed, then sent my wife a goodnight text. 9:00, the winds are stronger, 78 degrees. I collapsed on the side of my bedroll. The side of the tent smacking the top of my head.
11:40 Holly wakes me. Then I feel a leg cramp coming, No wind, the night is dark, the stars slightly masked by the thin layer of clouds, the crescent moon low in the sky doesn’t even look real. The cramping is worse. Im not an NBA player so I had to get out of the tent myself , searching for words to get rid of the cramps. I drag my leg out of the tent. Holly follows.
Holly grabs a water bottle and drops it on her dish. Smart dog, Dumb owner. I dump 1/2 of the bottle in her bowl, she drinks it, I chuckle , . I open a 32 oz Power Aid and start drink the cold drink, ice crystals and all. I dump the remainder of the bottled water into the bowl. Holly finishes the water off, I finish the 32 oz bottle, My leg cramps are leaving
I wake to the tent flapping, and the sun shining bright, I way over slept. I ll just glass from the truck on the way out.

[Lefty]

This morning. Something was wrong with the coyotes lope, and he was big, and too far away and darker As soon as I realized it was not a coyote a second wolf jumped up and loped behind the first . I stepped on the gas somehow I glanced at the speedometer, 67 mph on a “backcountry road with an trailer and ATV. As I cleared a slight rise I jumped the bedded antelope the wolves had been stalking, I think the antelope are still in shock having a truck pass them . The antelope should be thankful I may have saved them from being a wolf snack Can I cry now. I must be wolf country. Two years ago My wife had a black wolf 80 yards away in the same area.
This is right after where I saw the wolves, Real wolf and elk country

wolf location

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With my scouting done I made a road trip into some other elk country all under 6000 elevation

sage

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More of the same only different

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[Lefty]

Winner of the neatest rock pile over 6 feet tall

stacked rock

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Some of you may know this little town!

Number mountain

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Worlds biggest elk Refuge 890 square miles .
A friend of my drew a tag and killed a 340 rifle bull on an adjoining hay field. From what he says every year one hunter gets to kill a nice bull feeding in the farmers field
The black spots in the distance are cows

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[Lefty]

Idaho snow fence,... Yes that is a snow fence

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The highway I was just cruising along at 55 mph in a 65 zone, A number of California, Washington, Oregon , a single car from Utah another from Wyoming car passed me. I passed one vehicle. with Idaho plates, a 90's bright blue Dodge pickup with an high end older slide in camper,...A rodeo sticker on the bumper,..And the best sight on the road, A 40 something Idaho Cowgirl
sorry guys no picture

[Swede]

Excellent story Lefty. I enjoyed it.

[elkaholic]

Great story Lefty! Crazy that you saw wolves out there in the "elk" country.

[Lefty]

Great story Lefty! Crazy that you saw wolves out there in the "elk" country.

A couple years ago I got a picture of a bastard fox (crossfox with a black mane and white feet) with in the mile. The snake picture was just a few hundred yards..
And sometimes Im amazed at what is elk country

[zpd307]

that sure is some open country. and not very green.....

[Elkduds]

Thanks for sharing, reminds me elk were native to plains before being pressured into mountains and canyons. RE leg cramps: My wife insists drinking coconut water relieves leg cramps. I tried some this am, it works!

[easeup]

thanks for the scouting report! I too am amazed as to what is out there in the desert.

[Ghost]

Arco huh

[Lefty]

Arco huh

I could live there. Seems every road trip for me goes through town. Doesnt matter which mountain range Im planning on playing in,Sort of a gateway city to nowhere land eastern Idaho

[Ghost]

I have good friends that live there, the very people that I first elk hunted with, havent seen them in ages, hopefully in the future Ill rectify that.

[jc957b]

Great story! Thanks for sharing