Sept 5 - Archery Season in BC 2015

The day started like any other day during hunting season, except I was not hunting with Kyle or the kids. I was heading out to hunt with a friend of mine and his son, while Kyle took the kids hunting. Both of us were looking for elk and decided maybe we could do better split up.
I got to James camp site at 6:30 am. It was perfect timing, they were pretty well ready to go. So we grabbed our bows and started walking. It was raining, and had been raining all night so everything was already saturated. We had to wait a little bit for daylight to come but once it did we were able to  glass the fields down below. It didn't take long to spot a small herd of about 8 elk, 6 cows and 2 calves. Luckily the area was open for cow. They were at the opposite end in the farthest field from us so we started to walk when movement caught my eye below us- 2 elk had come onto the field below us. It was a cow and a spike bull. The guys gave me the go ahead on first elk so once they had gone behind some trees a scooted down the large steep hill and across the field. I had kept an eye on them until i lost sight at the bottom, I noticed the cow had made the tree line on the other end of the field when I reached the bottom. I hoped that the spike was still in the field, lagging behind her like he did before. I got to the edge of the field and could hear him making his way up the big hill in the trees. James and Chris caught up to me and we decided to try for the larger group of elk at the opposite end of the area. We made our way through soaked waist high grass and down to the river. Unfortunately we ended up jumping the cows and they took off so we made our way back to their camp. The rain never let up the whole time, I was really happy with my Onca Gear. Under my softshell jacket I was completely dry, even my phone in my pocket was dry, and my pants and jacket both were dry by the time I made it back to town in with the heat on in my truck. My boots on the other hand felt like they had enough water in them for fish to live in. As I made my way out of the bush I called to see how Kyle was doing with the kids. He was successful! Apparently he got a cow elk right at daybreak and by the time I phoned it was already dropped off at the butcher. So we met up and left one vehicle behind and tried to find me an elk. We found a grizzly and lots of whitetails, little bucks and does with fawns- but no elk. So I finally had enough of my wet feet and we made our way home.

I changed my boots and we headed out again. The rain was still coming down but it was getting the animals moving so we didn't want to waste it. We went to a different area and it didn't take long for us to start seeing game. Right away we started seeing deer and a black bear! Then another black bear and another. We ended up seeing 6 black bears total, 3 young bears and a sow with little itty bitty cubs. I made attempts at stalking several deer but the one wasn't going to stick around for anything and the other I came close to but a truck pulled up and was making a bunch of noise and scared the buck away. After that it was all does and little bucks. We did manage to kill a couple grouse for the freezer afterwards tho, the kids were pretty excited. As we were running out of light we happened upon a couple deer. Kyle takes one look and says Nice Buck, Go! So I got my arrow nocked and started to pull a stalk, I only seen the one buck because he was a red color and he had a nice 4x4 rack that was tinged slightly red. He seen me and he spooked into a large patch of xmas trees, but when he spooked the other one slowly jogged behind him into the tree patch. So I didn't get a good look at him, just noticed movement and a grey body. So I made my way quietly around the xmas trees until i found a slight opening through them. I tucked in a little so I had cover and decided to wait to see if they would come through it. As I was tucking in the red buck spotted me. All i could see was a face and antlers watching me from the trees. So I froze. It took him a minute to decide what he wanted to do but he eventually scooted across the opening without giving me the chance to draw back. So i knelled down hoping the other one was coming. It didn't take long and I seen antlers coming through the trees. Knowing I had a small window of opportunity I pulled back right away and waited at full draw. He didn't even know I was sitting only 20 yards away, he started to walk into the opening and as soon as I had a clear shot i took it. The arrow hit him hard. So I waited for a minute or 2 before running back to get Kyle, just making note of where i was and where he was when i hit him. I knew it was going to be a hard search for him, the xmas tree patch was HUGE and extremely thick. Kyle came in with me and the kids waited quietly in the truck. We found my arrow and started to do a bit of a grid through the trees, it didn't take long and I could here truck doors banging back at the road and the kids making a bunch of noise. So Kyle kept looking and I ran back down to the truck to give them poop for being so noisy. As soon as I opened the door to give them trouble Pheonix cuts me off saying she found my buck. I looked at her dumbfounded. She pointed out the window into the trees a little ways, she says hes right there I watched him and the other buck run over there and then yours fell down and the other one ran. So I put my binos up and sure enough there he was, 30 yards from the damn dirt road! So I bailed the kids out so they could come and see it with me.

I was so excited to see him. I never realized how big he was until I walked up to him and was able to put my hands on him. He is definitely my biggest deer to date.

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Welcome to Onca Gear! 

Some of you may remember the camo I was wearing last season from Spain, well I am bringing it to North America! Its been a slow process but we finally have a website up www.oncagear.com, make sure you check it out! We have a new Twitter and Instagram accounts as well. Search for OncaGear on both.
We will be at Wild Tvs Outdoor Expo in Stony Plains August 14-16, 2015. If you will be there come by the booth and check out our gear. We will have some there available for purchase and you will get to see some prototypes of new gear that is coming. We will be in the North Pavilion #3 at booth N120.

Saskatchewan Bear Hunt 2015

Our 2nd annual trip to Saskatchewan to hunt with Kerwin and Warren, this time with the kids. We left at midnight on the 30th of May planning to drive through the night in hopes the kids would sleep the entire way. Easton did...Pheonix not so much. We made it to Edmonton 2 hours  before Cabelas opened, so we went for breakfast and waited. We managed to find a youth harness that fit Pheonix and myself so she could go up in the stand too. She was excited, mom not so much, but I didn't hold her back.

We got to Lloydminster that afternoon and had a chance to relax a bit and get a good nights sleep before heading to Saskatchewan with Kerwin in the morning. We got our tags bought in the morning and were off to Warrens families ranch. Warren wasn't due home until later that evening so we hunted the families property for the evening. Kerwin and I only had one little bear come in, Kyle had 3. He had one little one and a sow with a decent boar. I would have taken him if he came to my stand. Kerwin and my hunt unfortunately was interrupted by a couple wolves. The neighbors had their cattle out in the pasture next to us and you could hear them mooing all evening, but close to dark 2 wolves lit up howling. They were in among the cows, and after there was some silence and then a single cow started calling again-but it sounded in distress. We thought maybe a calve was taken, so that night we told Warrens dad about it and he was pretty worried, he was taking his cattle out there the next day.
The stayed the night at the ranch and the next morning we got everything packed up and ready to head north. It was another couple hour drive to get to where we wanted. Once there we set up camp and got ready to hit the stands. I hunted with Kerwin again and Kyle on his own. Warren wanted to do a fish fry for dinner so he offered to take the kids fishing with him, of course they were ecstatic. Later I received a picture of them and Pheonix had caught her first pike all on her own. They had a lot of fun. Kyle had one bear come in that night and Kerwin and I had 5- including big red. It was a pretty cool night and I had all my layers on minus my thick Oncatherm extreme shirt on, and I was wishing I had it on too. We had little bear after little bear come in. Then we seen this big red colored bear come in hopping on 3 legs, at first we thought he was a sow because you could hear him popping his jaws the whole we in, he stopped just in the trees before one of the black boars put a run on him. Then just before dark he came hobbling back to the bait but really on edge. I was standing ready for him to come in as soon as we heard him popping. I had one really good shot opportunity but I couldn't draw my bow, after sitting 6 hours in the cold and getting stiff- I just couldn't get my bow past the wall. And once he heard me draw, he was gone like a shot. I was really mad. I could not believe I just missed out on that big boar because I couldn't get my bow back.

Next day Kerwin and I hunted the same stand, hoping big red would come back in. He had come back in at 3am that night, but I wasn't very optimistic about him showing up in daylight again. Again we had 5 bears come in. 3 were the same little ones from the other night and 2 new ones. The one new one was a bigger boar, not as big as red but decent. He had a nice head on him and that was about it. He was skin and bones and his hair was patchy and rubbed right off. He came in very cautious and he came straight to the stand to check it. When he walked under me he stopped and looked up, I had a wave of Deja vu hit me, like I had seen him before- those eyes and his face...but I couldn't quite place it. He didn't stay long, he put the run on one of the 3 little ones (a little 3 year old boar with big attitude) then never came back. Just before dark the little boar got spooked and ran to our tree, he huffed and made a ruckus and then we had a big black come in, he was about 4 inches above the barrel and the little boar came right up the tree under our feet. I was watching the little boar and Kerwin trying to shoo it down with his hat. He didn't know who he should take his chances with, us or the bear. When I drew back I couldn't see him in my pins, we had ran out of light. So we waited a minute and he just wandered through. We also had the little boar with attitude watching us from another tree and a sow watching from about 60 yards out. When we started down out of the tree the little boar took off, the sow just stayed put. She was only 10 yards from us sitting at the baits, she did not care we were right there. So we made our way out and sat at the truck. As we came out we noticed a bear standing about 30 yards from the truck making its way to the baits. Kerwin had a trailer on the back which smelled of meat so we went to check if the bear had destroyed anything. Nothing was ruined but he was definitely in the trailer checking everything out, you could smell him like he was standing beside you.

Kyle was hunting with Pheonix, and Easton went fishing with Warren. Kyle had apparently shot a bear. It wasn't the biggest bear but it was a good experience for Pheonix. Apparently she also got to see this years cubs during her sit with daddy, and got a good nap in ha ha. Kyle had to keep her from jumping up and down in the tree every time a bear came in. He shot it well before dark so had retrieved it and loaded it up with Warrens help. When they pulled up about 20 mins after we left the stand we told each other our stories.

The next 3 days were very quiet. We only had 2-3 little ones come in, but we did see some rut action. A real young shaggy boar was charming the 2 sows that were hanging around. We had a chocolate sow come in and try to get our attention in a frisky way. She laid back under our ladder watching us, rubbing a stick on her...same thing Warren and I had last year, except this little sow wanted to share her stick and wanted to come up the tree with it. We watched the boar chase the sows and wrestle with them...but we never had any good bears come back in. During the slow days the ugly boar kept come back to me in my head, the same picture over and over of him looking up at me....and it clicked. I think he was the beautiful black I shot at and missed the year before. It was a different stand this year but same location, and this one didn't have the high arm rests like the year before.  Warren also took a night to go back to his families ranch to hunt, there was a big bear there he was after. He didn't see the big boar that night but he did have quite the entertaining night. He had a cinnamon sow come in with 2 new babies, both cinnamon. They came into the bait and the cubs made a B line straight for Warrens tree. They shot up the tree and momma came to investigate what they were doing. He videoed them coming in and when mom decided to come over, you can hear him say Oh f*** when she makes her way to the tree, ha ha. Lucky she was a laid back sow and she just made a couple grunts and they scooted down and she went back to the bait to eat. As soon as she was eating though, one of the little ones went back up the tree to investigate Warren again. He managed to get almost up on his platform with him. Mom didn't even look at him again. The other little cub went to join his mom for a snack and apparently she pancaked him with her paw...flattened him right to the ground and the little guy just howled. Warren said it was the funniest thing he had ever seen.

We ended up staying a day later then we had planned, hoping that maybe some thing big would come back through. We woke up Sunday morning and was able to get packed up and leaving by 9:30-10 am. We had to stop at Jeanettes on the other side of Edmonton for a visit...mainly a business one that turned into a socialization...for 8 hours. We were able to meet Todd Brick, one of the hosts for No Limits TV, so it was a nice visit...but made for a real long drive home. We had to stop twice so Kyle could sleep and ended up home at 9:30 am Monday. It was another good year, had its ups and downs, but we had fun and so did the kids. Their last night they did some more fishing with Warren and his girlfriend, Natasha, and they caught 27 pike but kept 7 for dinner. So overall another awesome trip, and we look forward to next year.

*** 2 weeks after we left***
I get a text message from Warren sending me pictures of a massive red bear that showed up at the stand Kyle had shot his bear from, a week after we left. It was Red, and the left foot gave it away. He was still alive and hopefully he makes it to next season.

Nikita

May Long Bear Hunt

Kyle and I had the opportunity to have a weekend to ourselves, his parents had been south for the winter and were wanting the kids for a sleepover. So we took advantage, we dropped them off with them Thursday evening and got a movie and ice cream and enjoyed a quiet evening. The next morning we got ready to hit the bush. We had accidently slept in and were about an hour behind what we originally wanted to be. We got out and found lots of bear sign, the area had greened up nicely compared to the last time we had been out. Soon we were getting on into the afternoon and although we found lots of fresh sign, it had appeared that we had just missed the bears- so we decided to slowly head back to town ( I had a meeting with someone). So as we putted through a quad trail we came to another dirt road and headed down it. We came around a corner and off to the right there was a green meadow just through the trees, and there was a black bear. So we kept driving hoping we didn't spook him away. We parked a fair ways away and hiked back up to the meadow. He was still there feeding away. I slowly crept up where I had the cover of trees to the opening that we had seen him through from the road. It took me a little bit to sneak through because of all the sticks and dried pinecones that littered the ground, but I somehow managed to sneak to within 36 yards without him noticing me. When I knelt down he heard me, and his head snapped up and was staring right at me. I froze, hoping I didn't scare him. He slowly turned and walked a little to the right still staring at me. The stare down felt like 5 minutes but it was really only a few seconds. When he started walking straight at me and huffed, I decided to draw my bow just incase he decided to bluff me, I really didn't want to shoot him chest on but if he got too close I wasn't taking a chance. Eventually I think he decided I was nothing and he started to feed again, with me at full draw, he started making his way back left into the meadow only 30 yards from me and as soon as I had a clear broadside shot I let my arrow fly. It was a pass through and just my fletching was caught on the other side of him. He did a quick circle around and stopped by a tree. He looked up the tree like he was thinking of going up it and instead went behind it and laid down. When he lay down though he laid on my arrow and it scared him, so he got up and went about 30 yards into the bush before laying down again.
There wasn't much of a blood trail so I went on instinct and the direction I heard him go. Kyle seen him first just because of how much taller he was than me, when he pointed him out I stood on a log and was able to see his fur. I was very happy when I got to him. He had a beautiful hide on him, very thick and soft. I packed him out whole on my back and when I got to the jeep we started to field dress him. He had no fat on him at all. He was long and skinny, probably weighing at 130-140 pounds, but his thick fur made him look like a chunk! I didn't mind, it was nicer skinning him without the greasy fat on my hands and his fur had no rub marks or imperfections at all. He did have a small white mark on his chest, between his front legs.
I am very proud of myself for being able to accomplish this! My first archery bear. I started out so scared of bears and just started hunting them 4 years ago after pushing myself. Even then I didn't think id be brave enough to go after one with my bow. So this is a big accomplishment for me.

The next day we tried to find Kyle a bear. We went to 2 different areas but only seen one black bear in the evening. He was a homely looking bear with his head completely bald. We thought the evening was going to be a good chance, we seen a lot of animals and they were obviously moving. But the ugly little bear was the only bear. But we did see 12 mountain goats, tons of elk, whitetail and mule deer, a badger, a coyote and a bull moose. Even though Kyle didn't get a chance at a bear it was a beautiful day and I got some beautiful photos to capture the day.

One of my favourite quotes

"The very remoteness kindles the imagination of the adventurous hunter. From the top of any mountain the challenge extends far and wide, until the mountains meet the sky."

- Fred Bear  

Girls Guns & Rods

I would like to introduce everyone to the new womens outdoor magazine called Girls Guns & Rods, a magazine made for women by women! In this magazine you will find real outdoors women sharing their stories, tips, product reviews and more. Available in print and digital copies, this is a full color magazine.

Although the magazine is new, the Chief Editor Laurie Hauke is not new to the magazine world. She is co-owner of Airboating Magazine, a nationally distributed full-color publication in print and digital. Airboating Magazine started in 2007, and has been the leading magazine promoting and uniting airboat enthusiasts from all over the world.

We want to bring women from all over the world together and give the outdoors woman something for them! And what better way to do it then a magazine dedicated to them.

If you are interested in carrying GGR in your store or placing an AD in future issues please contact me by email nkdalke@hotmail.com

United... or are we?

The more I get involved in the world of hunting, the more strain I see...the more cracks that turn our sport into a fragile state of surviving. There has always been the issues of anti hunters and their actions and reactions of emotion over fact. Lots of us have learned how to handle an attack of this sort, but what happens when hunter attacks hunter- men and women. I've found more hostility amongst hunters then the usual hunter versus anti, and this will destroy our sport before any anti hunter or anti hunting group will.

First topic I'll cover is the real lady hunter vs. The fake lady hunter. There have been a few blog topics covering this exact topic, both for the comparison for it and against it. First thought is who cares? Women that hunt hard and work to be in the industry with the guys and truly love this sport, find it offensive and are scared of being labeled as "fake" before someone even knows them.  But what really makes a "fake" lady hunter? This is where it gets bad. You can find women attacking other women, calling them fake hunters because they wear make-up hunting, are pretty, have done their hair to go hunting or they like pink camo. And the list can go on and on. It's saddening to say the least. We have worked so hard to get where we are in the industry and women are starting to flourish in it, so why are we so focused on picking each other apart instead of building each other up? Who cares if a women is wearing make-up hunting and why are you so inclined to point it out? Why must we point out and comment on something that you personally wouldn't do and try to make someone feel belittled? It's not our place to tell another lady hunter that the way she is hunting is the wrong way because of her appearance or clothing choice, if that's how she likes to hunt so be it. It's not going to make her a bad hunter. But above all this, imagine what the younger generation of girls coming up into the hunting world must think when reading the comments and posts and memes. We are going to give them a complex! Oh, you can't wear pink camo because that's not real camo....you may have just crushed that little girl, I know my daughter would be- she loves pink camo. We need to change the way we talk to each other, if not for our own self but for those young girls that are easily influenced and want to be hunters.

Next topic is the fight amongst hunters- male and female- over hunting styles. This is a big split amongst us and it will destroy our sport if we don't  stop the fighting. Bow hunters versus rifle hunters is a big one and even the split amongst bowhunters- traditional versus compound versus crossbow. "Trophy" (I hate this terminology) hunting is another big one that is very misunderstood. There are many, many more splits amount us, but one topic that seems to be growing is hunting for food, especially with the organic food and locovore movement where hunting seems to be becoming more acceptable- but only if it's for food. We seem to be moving away from the original purpose of hunting, conservation and management.  It never fails to see a proud hunter holding up his predator for a picture and in the comments are an overwhelming amount of negative ones from anti hunters and hunters, ridiculing the hunter on his trophy. The comments "I'm a hunter but that's not right" and "I'm OK with hunting as long as it's for food" are very common comments when it comes to exotic hunts and predators. If you want to hunt just for food that's fine, but don't go after those that still understand the meaning of being a hunter. If we don't take part in conserving and managing ALL species, be it lowering populations or protecting them to try and build them up again, we will lose our wildlife to poaching (particularly in Africa), disease and starvation from overpopulation and simply by being wiped out completely. And sometimes saving one species means controlling another, for example, the dilemma here in BC with the wolves and caribou. It's amazing how many people are willing to let a species be wiped out instead of controlling another that's overpopulated. It all comes down to education and I think that education is slowly dribbling away from the up and coming generations of hunters, particularly the ones that don't have a mentor. These fissures that divide us make us an easy target. It just starts with banning one type of hunting and it snowballs from there until nothing will be left.

Social media is both a blessing and a curse. While it has brought many of us together that otherwise wouldn't even know exist, it has brought out a lot of negativity in the world. Everyone has an opinion and isn't scared to express it because you aren't face to face with the person. The old saying "if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all" has gone out the window and has been replaced with "I don't like your opinion and I'm going to verbally attack you or express my distaste with you" or just plainly call you an idiot and belittle you. We need to start putting aside our differences and start standing up together, not just for our sport and the upcoming generation but for our wildlife and wilderness. Without us who will fight for them?

Nikita

It's all about the kids! ~ Hunting 2014

It's All About the KIDS!

This past season was a lot more work but also a lot more rewarding- even though I only harvested a doe. I think through out the entire hunting season I got out twice without the kids, where it was just Kyle and I. I had a couple hunts where Kyle took the kids and dropped me off to hike and hunt as well. One of those hunts I was looking for a bull elk and Kyle took the kids in the jeep, he ended up shooting a very nice black bear. After he shot it, it took off up the tree it was standing beside and when he died he fell out. The kids were so excited when they came to pick me up that that was all they wanted to do for the rest of season was bear hunt.

I think the most rewarding part of the season for me was seeing how much more involved the kids were. Pheonix really started to pick up on things like the wind and why we sat where we did and where we wanted the animals to come out. She also got to try her hand at cleaning a grouse, although she wasn't strong enough- she tried! I had given her my Binos since I received new ones from the contest so she would help glass. Most of the season was spent split up- I had one kid and Kyle had the other- and sitting and waiting. They both did amazing and enjoyed themselves. We also brought coloring and cars to help keep the boredom at bay. We had lots of action almost every hunt that made them more and more eager to go out the next time- anything from black bear and grizzly, to moose and being surrounded by screaming elk, they got to experience it all.

Easton was getting into things more as well. He was enjoying the hiking more then past years and helping look for sign and animals. I took him out multiple times, just him and I, while Pheonix was in school. He did really well spot and stalk. The one day we seen  9 deer and a coyote. He tries hard to be quiet and sticks close to me, he was even getting into learning about the tracks, rubs and poop. A huge jump from previous years where he had no interest at all until an animal was on the ground.

I was one proud momma reflecting back on the past season and seeing the change in both kids. How much more their knowledge grew and how much more comfortable they were in the bush (Pheonix has always been very comfortable in the bush but it took Easton a few years). I'm excited to see what this new year and seasons bring and how much they flourish as little outdoors people.

Extreme Huntress- The End

So back in July many of you know I went to Hondo Texas to compete head to head against 5 other ladies from all over the world in a hunting skills and skills competition. Then starting in October there were 13 episodes that aired online over 13 weeks on www.extremehuntress.com and on www.carbontv.com. I wasn't allowed to give the details on anyones hunts and skill scores until they had all aired. All the ladies were successful in taking animals on the 777 Ranch. Each of us taking 2 animals each except for Erika, who was able to take 1. Kasi was from Texas and was able to

takedown a management animal- Fallow deer and a trophy animal- Axis deer. Christie is from Australia and was able to take a management Impala and a trophy Black buck antelope. Amanda from Montana took a management Barasinga and Arabian Oryx. Erika from Sweden took a Jacobs sheep or 4-horned sheep. Margaret from South Africa took a management Red sheep and a trophy Black buck antelope. Myself, I was able to take a management Hawaiian Black sheep and a trophy Aoudad.

After the online shows were up and online voting was over we had to head back to Texas for the Dallas Safari Club convention in Dallas. It was an interesting experience- I had never been to a show that size before. This time Kyle was able to come with me so we made a vacation from it. We stayed in Texas for 9 days, spending 4 days at the convention and 3 days at the Geracis home hunting hogs and visiting. It was nice getting to see the girls again and Jim and Larry, unfortunately Christie wasnt able to come and we all missed her. Friday we had to do a public event, answering questions. Saturday was the dinner and when the winner would be

announced. The dinner was a different experience for me, it was a formal gathering which ment fancy dresses, make up and high heels. The dinner wasnt very long, they did all the awards while everyone ate which made the evening go quickly. Erika from Sweden ended up taking the Sculpture home as the winner of the Extreme Huntress contest. The auctions however were very long as there were many items up for auction. After dinner and the awards I couldnt handle being in my dress any longer and ended up changing back into my jeans. But I got to meet lots of people and it was an interesting experience.

There are a few things I took away from doing this contest, one is some amazing friends. These ladies, the judges and camermen, and Steve and Tommy from the ranch. They all hold a dear spot in my life and am so happy I got to meet them all. Getting to see what hunting on a ranch is truly like and learning all the amazing things they do for wildlife, and getting to see all the different species of animals-some that are extinct in their home lands! Animals I would have otherwise, never would see in my life. It gave me some insight into what the hunting industry is like. And it gave me confidence in myself, I went into this contest never expecting to make it the finals and when I got the email saying I was a finalist - I was scared to death. I thought I was in over my head and I was plagued with anxiety the entire month before heading to Hondo. Its intimidating, reading all these ladies essays and seeing their photos online and on social media. But once I got there and we got to work on the skills tests, I realized I was in my element and comfortable. It was a major boost for me and it changed me for the better. I know longer second guess myself or my instincts and learned a lot about myself as a hunter.

** Im trying to add pictures from DSC but having issues. I will keep trying to upload some**

Elk Season 2014

This had to have been the best year for elk we have had. We both hunted hard from September 1st to October 20th, and I think I only missed a total of 7 days hunting in that time. We seen lots of elk, we had elk everyday whether we seen them or heard them bugling. But finding that legal bull during rifle season or a bull I could get a chance at during the short bow season was tough!

September 1st, opening day,  we had action. We had 2 different bulls calling back and forth and cows walking around our blind, unfortunately the winds changed and screwed us over- everything went silent and the cows left. Afterwards we decided to hike around and see if we could find something. We did find where the one bull that was above us had been when he was calling and basically where he had been living. The whole area reeked like him and there was fresh sign everywhere.

 

Another memorable day during the elk season was hunting in Skookumchuck. Again we found lots of elk but nothing that was legal. We were heading down the dirt road and Kyle looked to his right and seen a bunch of elk in an opening, but instead of just letting me get out and going to check it out he bailed out with me. Unfortunately in his excitement he scared them all off by just charging in and not realizing that the elk could see him. As we watched them take off Kyle could see the herd bull mixed in with his cows and he was a BIG 6 point. So we tried to make a plan of one of us dog behind the herd and the other try to cut them off. It worked but he never gave either of us a clear shot. We ran out of light and had to call it quits.

 

Probably the most exciting days were hunting river bottom. We had the kids with us again and we parked the jeep and Kyle let out a locator bugle to see if we could get an answer. Right away one fired up not far from us. So I loaded up and went into the thick bush to find where they were. I got to the rivers bank and caught sight of a spike through the trees down in the river. So I quietly creeped to the edge of the river but still hidden by brush and sat down. There was the spike and a couple cows hanging out in the water. Kyle kept calling and I watched and listened. A bull lit up again right away, but I couldn't see him because he was on the other side of the river in the extremely thick river bottom brush. After waiting for what felt like hours he finally was mad enough to come to the river. He was aggressive, thrashing the brush with his antlers and screaming back at Kyle every time he let out a call. They were only about 40 yards from me and my heart was pounding. Kyle kept letting out calls and the bull got more and more aggrivated- but he never left his cows. I think I counted his tines 20 times while sitting and watching him- wishing a 6th would magically sprout. But unfortunately he had busted off his main beams which made him a 5X4. As the light grew dimmer he started to herd his cows down the river towards the open fields so I quickly made my way back to Kyle and the kids and headed for the fields on my own. I had seen the spot that they crossed over the fence when we had come in so I went there and sat. They jumped the fence only 20 yards in front of me, but they were moving. The bull was pushing them and I couldnt figure out why, Kyle wasnt calling anymore and they were quite a ways from where we had been. I followed them into the christmas tree patch and froze when I heard the squeak of the fence catching. I slowly turned my head to my right to see a satelitte bull come walking up behind me and only about 20 yards to the right of me, following the herd. He stopped next to me and looked around, smelling. I held my breath. And he let out a bugle that was so loud it had my trembling with adrenaline. The herd bull screamed back and he started to walk the same direction. He only made it about 50 yards when Kyle let out a bugle and it made him stop and turn, he went straight towards Kyle. By this time it was to dark for shooting but I was having such an amazing time I didnt care that neither bull was legal- I wanted to watch them. Kyle didnt realize the satelitte bull was there nor that it was comng to see him and with all the christmas trees Kyle and it almost walked into each other. By then I was making my way back to him and the kids. The kids were so excited they talked about the elk the whole way home.

 

The next day we decided to go back to the same area in hopes that with all the talking another satelitte would have come in and maybe he would be a legal 6 point. We got in and Kyle took the kids farther down the river bank and I went to the same spot. You could see all the kokanee swimming in the river and jumping for the bugs. I was only seated for about 5 minutes when movement caught my eye- bear. I sat still and watched as it came out of the long grass down to the water. It was a grizzly cub...then another one came running down to the water. I sat frozen, heart trying to pound out of my chest. Thats when momma came out. She wasnt a very old bear, it took another minute of watching her and the made their way to my side of that river. I quickly got up, grabbed my gear and phoned Kyle. He answered a little peeved I was phoning instead of texting him, but all I had to say was Grizz sow and cubs  and he was packing the kids up. I met them at the grass road and took the kids to the jeep right away and stood outside with them inside. Kyle was standing on the road watching for her- he knew as soon as she had found where I was sitting because she started huffing and popping her jaws. She followed my scent right out towards the road and Kyle yelled at her. She stopped and each cub popped their head out on a side of her to see what was going on, it just took another yell from Kyle and she took her cubs and ran.

 

Although we both hunted hard only one of us came out successful. The second to last day of the season, and only the second time we got out without the kids, Kyle shot a big young bull. We were heading out with a couple friends and only about 15 minutes of driving down the dirt road a herd of elk were standing next to the road in a clearing. We watched them run pretty far out and stop and watch us. The bull was just a legal 6 point. Standing at 425 yards Kyle dropped him from within the clearing, and just like that we had meat for the freezer! We loaded him up and finished the evening off trying to find another one since there were still 3 of us with tags, we never found another legal bull but the one guy did manage to fill his whitetail tag on a big bodied 4x4 buck.