The summer began with a few hiking/scouting trips into the alpine and high country lakes in the area. I was usually with family or quite a large group so glassing for animals wasn't really in the cards but lots of sign and game trails were noted and everything was looking good. We didn't have the extreme dry conditions like the last few years so everything was lush and pretty much stayed that way until the frost got it. A really good year for forage for the ungulates and a stellar berry crop for bears. I had a really good feeling about this season already.
Opening weekend, first weekend after September 10th was kind of a bust, the weather was terrible, one of those more or less non-stop rains on Saturday, and Sunday I only had time for a short morning hunt. No animals were harmed and only a couple were spotted. I got out for a longer day hunt into my favourite road closure the following weekend and I had a very large old 3x3 come out to within 80m of where I was sitting. Unfortunately to be legal here a mule deer must have 4 points on one side excluding eye guards. All I could do was watch. He was an extremely heavy three point, he would have been a great deer to cut my tag on.
For my 50th birthday my wife, daughters, and my wife's family went together and got me a new ultralight tent, new -9C down bag, and I finally replaced my old worn out gaiters. What better way to break it all in but to head out into the mountains for a long weekend pack trip for mule deer or elk. I knew it was calling for snow that weekend but I was so focused on going I kind of ignored the details and just went. How much could it really snow that early in September? Turns out quite a lot. I didn't manage to get away until 1:00pm so camp wasn't set up until shortly after 4:00pm. It had been trying to rain at the beginning of the trail in but had stopped until I was at camp when it started to snow heavily. It didn't last so off I went for what I hoped would be at least a couple of hours hunting and glassing some of the surrounding slopes. I picked my glassing spot and began to slowly pick apart the landscape, it should have been perfect. Late afternoon sun lit up the cut beautifully and with a storm front moving in I had thought the deer would be out for a last feed. An hour in I haven't seen a deer, this in a spot where I almost always see at least a few does/fawns, this time nothing. Then I spot the reason for no deer. Out of the corner of my binoculars I catch a bit of movement, but it's kind of dark for a deer or elk, too light for a moose, that's a grizzly feeding his last few mouthfuls of huckleberries. The following snowstorm caused all the berries to drop. I watch the bear feeding 250m or so away trying to figure out where he was heading. Then in rolls the fog and it starts to really snow now. Camp is a 10 minute walk for me from where I'm sitting so that's what 5 minutes for a bear at a casual big boar grizzly stroll. I was somewhat concerned. He did look fat and happy though so I decided not to move camp, short of going home everywhere I hike, camp, hunt, fish, etc is grizzly country. I gave an extra splash of scotch in my tea that night.
What a night, it stormed like mad, howling winds, snow nonstop all night it was crazy. The morning brought a completely new landscape from the night before.
The next morning.
You can just make out my tent in the center of the photo, that little splash of green.
I got up had a good breakfast and contemplated what to do. I decided to hunt until 12:00pm and see what the weather was going to do. I told myself if there was a break in the storm I'd stay another night, if it continued to snow I'd likely have to go. I had no idea how far down the snow went and how the logging road would be for driving out. I was a bit concerned. Anyhow I hunted all morning, big timber still hunting trying to catch a buck bedded or cut some fresh tracks. Nothing was out in the open, the wind was just ripping, trees were coming down so even hunting the timber was not relaxing.
Right around noon I was back in camp, cooked up some soup and a tea and gave the weather another hour to break.
It didn't so that was it for me, packed up a very snowy damp camp threw it all sort of on my cart and headed home. By the time I was down to my truck there was only snow on the metal work none on the ground. I could have stayed but with a further 24 hours of snow forecast I was concerned getting out would become problematic. It was still a great adventure, the new gear worked perfectly, I had the warmest sleep I've ever had in cold conditions, it got down to below -10C so the sleeping bag did it's job. The tent didn't collapse so it did it's job. I was happy about that.
To be continued later.
Opening weekend, first weekend after September 10th was kind of a bust, the weather was terrible, one of those more or less non-stop rains on Saturday, and Sunday I only had time for a short morning hunt. No animals were harmed and only a couple were spotted. I got out for a longer day hunt into my favourite road closure the following weekend and I had a very large old 3x3 come out to within 80m of where I was sitting. Unfortunately to be legal here a mule deer must have 4 points on one side excluding eye guards. All I could do was watch. He was an extremely heavy three point, he would have been a great deer to cut my tag on.
For my 50th birthday my wife, daughters, and my wife's family went together and got me a new ultralight tent, new -9C down bag, and I finally replaced my old worn out gaiters. What better way to break it all in but to head out into the mountains for a long weekend pack trip for mule deer or elk. I knew it was calling for snow that weekend but I was so focused on going I kind of ignored the details and just went. How much could it really snow that early in September? Turns out quite a lot. I didn't manage to get away until 1:00pm so camp wasn't set up until shortly after 4:00pm. It had been trying to rain at the beginning of the trail in but had stopped until I was at camp when it started to snow heavily. It didn't last so off I went for what I hoped would be at least a couple of hours hunting and glassing some of the surrounding slopes. I picked my glassing spot and began to slowly pick apart the landscape, it should have been perfect. Late afternoon sun lit up the cut beautifully and with a storm front moving in I had thought the deer would be out for a last feed. An hour in I haven't seen a deer, this in a spot where I almost always see at least a few does/fawns, this time nothing. Then I spot the reason for no deer. Out of the corner of my binoculars I catch a bit of movement, but it's kind of dark for a deer or elk, too light for a moose, that's a grizzly feeding his last few mouthfuls of huckleberries. The following snowstorm caused all the berries to drop. I watch the bear feeding 250m or so away trying to figure out where he was heading. Then in rolls the fog and it starts to really snow now. Camp is a 10 minute walk for me from where I'm sitting so that's what 5 minutes for a bear at a casual big boar grizzly stroll. I was somewhat concerned. He did look fat and happy though so I decided not to move camp, short of going home everywhere I hike, camp, hunt, fish, etc is grizzly country. I gave an extra splash of scotch in my tea that night.
What a night, it stormed like mad, howling winds, snow nonstop all night it was crazy. The morning brought a completely new landscape from the night before.
The next morning.
You can just make out my tent in the center of the photo, that little splash of green.
I got up had a good breakfast and contemplated what to do. I decided to hunt until 12:00pm and see what the weather was going to do. I told myself if there was a break in the storm I'd stay another night, if it continued to snow I'd likely have to go. I had no idea how far down the snow went and how the logging road would be for driving out. I was a bit concerned. Anyhow I hunted all morning, big timber still hunting trying to catch a buck bedded or cut some fresh tracks. Nothing was out in the open, the wind was just ripping, trees were coming down so even hunting the timber was not relaxing.
Right around noon I was back in camp, cooked up some soup and a tea and gave the weather another hour to break.
It didn't so that was it for me, packed up a very snowy damp camp threw it all sort of on my cart and headed home. By the time I was down to my truck there was only snow on the metal work none on the ground. I could have stayed but with a further 24 hours of snow forecast I was concerned getting out would become problematic. It was still a great adventure, the new gear worked perfectly, I had the warmest sleep I've ever had in cold conditions, it got down to below -10C so the sleeping bag did it's job. The tent didn't collapse so it did it's job. I was happy about that.
To be continued later.
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