AZHunter
Iowa Boy At Heart
After some long thought, and at the urging of others, I’ve decided to keep another Arizona hunting journal this year; however, this one will be a little different. This won’t be my journal about just my elk hunt with something separate for Sydney. This is going an all-out hunting journal for both me and Syd to keep tabs of our hunting and life, in general, throughout the year. After last year and then having to tell her that she didn’t get drawn, but I did, I realized that she is as much a part of my hunting journey as I am. I’ve had days over the years where I didn’t want to head out without her. Obviously, I’m a big part of hers, at least until she’s 16 and can drive herself. I can only hope to still be apart of her hunting adventures! It only seems right that we keep a journal together and she’ll be sitting down at her pace and keeping tabs as she progresses with me. Herein, it begins…
Work has kept be extremely busy with being in our leadership development program, my regular workload, and helping another office on two BIG projects, one of which is a great conservation effort. Free time this winter/spring hasn’t been abundant, especially when chasing two kids all over the place. Finding the time to shoot my bow has been tough and the times I get to have been tougher because I realized that I’m behind the strength curve in my left shoulder after my surgery two years ago. PT was going great until I found out my mom was diagnosed with lung cancer. After PT ended, I was all about taking care of her and getting her healthy, to the demise of my shoulder strength. I’m working my way back into it, shooting mostly close range to work on strength and form, although one 50-yard group this weekend proved hopeful (all in the kill zone). 70 yards is a much different story, but I have faith I’ll get there again by September 11.
After a crazy-dry, hot winter, our spring (late winter?) finally got here in mid-April. We’ve had a mix of heavy rain, light snow, medium snow, light rain, and more heavy rain off and on since April 16. I’ve been eager to get a camera out, but needed to figure out where. I hunted with a friend who had this tag last year and called in a bull for him (shot but not recovered; shoulder blade) and he told me this year he had two buddies who had that tag, but I was welcome to go with them into “the sweet spot”. The idea of being a third wheel doesn’t excite me, so I went back to my map and started thinking. I remembered an area in my unit that I discovered on my last hunt three years ago. It’s a wallow up on top of a bench that was pretty heavily used back then. This was the area I had a big bull facing me at 50 yards with a branch across his chest. I still remember it so vividly. I GPSd the general area and knew I could find it again if I came in from the right area. We decided that we had an opening on Memorial Day weekend, so we loaded up and took off to the area to place my camera. The storms in the general area the day before should have been a clue, but I figured we’d be ok. The roads were great until about 2-3 miles in off the main road. Things got really messy, really quick and I was in 4-low hoping that it would get better eventually, because going back was not an option. At one point, I was praying that we wouldn’t slide off the road into the stock tank (cattle pond) that was flooded and up against the road. That would have sucked royally!
We decided to forego the next side road where I knew to go in from because I had a feeling it would have been worse since its on a decline and the next road out was through a bottom, hence it would have been even worse! We hiked in and I found what I think is the wallow, but there could be another one. Once it dries out, I’ll head back in and scout around some more. Syd and I discussed the camera placement and agreed on a tree that wasn’t too close, but wouldn’t get hit by the sun (its northwest facing). I like how she’s so eager to learn and be a part of it, even if its not her hunt. After getting the camera secured, I turned around to see her halfway up a ponderosa pine snag, with her dog, sitting below looking extremely worried. The storms were brewing to the north of us, so my suggested we get out quickly and hope that the roads were in better shape ahead. They were and I had no further need for 4-low, but 4-High did come in handy for a few more miles! Life is still crazy (just got back from a shadow assignment in Lakewood, CO), but warming up and drying out. I’m hoping to carve out some time on the 13th to head back out to the camera and see if the fresh tracks we crossed are elk using the wallow!
Some pics of the area are below, as well as a pic or two of Syd playing keeper in her last two tournaments this May. She got a new keeper jersey for her 11th birthday in April and she picked this one herself! Her team went out strong and finished the last tournament of the season with 2nd place. After the championship game, 3-4 parents from the other team pulled me aside and asked me if I was the keeper’s dad. I very proudly admitted that and they all praised her and the amazing job she did in shutting their team down. Syd’s team lost 2-1, but the other team had been winning 10-0 in the first 2-3 games! That was a great feeling and I gladly passed on the compliments.
The wallow from the camera point of view.
Syd up in the tree.
My truck after getting out. The picture doesn't do it justice. The windshield was caked, the undercarriage had (still has, actually) 2 inches of mud.
Syd's deer hide finally back and hung up.
Making a great save.
Big punt, rocking her new keeper jersey!
Work has kept be extremely busy with being in our leadership development program, my regular workload, and helping another office on two BIG projects, one of which is a great conservation effort. Free time this winter/spring hasn’t been abundant, especially when chasing two kids all over the place. Finding the time to shoot my bow has been tough and the times I get to have been tougher because I realized that I’m behind the strength curve in my left shoulder after my surgery two years ago. PT was going great until I found out my mom was diagnosed with lung cancer. After PT ended, I was all about taking care of her and getting her healthy, to the demise of my shoulder strength. I’m working my way back into it, shooting mostly close range to work on strength and form, although one 50-yard group this weekend proved hopeful (all in the kill zone). 70 yards is a much different story, but I have faith I’ll get there again by September 11.
After a crazy-dry, hot winter, our spring (late winter?) finally got here in mid-April. We’ve had a mix of heavy rain, light snow, medium snow, light rain, and more heavy rain off and on since April 16. I’ve been eager to get a camera out, but needed to figure out where. I hunted with a friend who had this tag last year and called in a bull for him (shot but not recovered; shoulder blade) and he told me this year he had two buddies who had that tag, but I was welcome to go with them into “the sweet spot”. The idea of being a third wheel doesn’t excite me, so I went back to my map and started thinking. I remembered an area in my unit that I discovered on my last hunt three years ago. It’s a wallow up on top of a bench that was pretty heavily used back then. This was the area I had a big bull facing me at 50 yards with a branch across his chest. I still remember it so vividly. I GPSd the general area and knew I could find it again if I came in from the right area. We decided that we had an opening on Memorial Day weekend, so we loaded up and took off to the area to place my camera. The storms in the general area the day before should have been a clue, but I figured we’d be ok. The roads were great until about 2-3 miles in off the main road. Things got really messy, really quick and I was in 4-low hoping that it would get better eventually, because going back was not an option. At one point, I was praying that we wouldn’t slide off the road into the stock tank (cattle pond) that was flooded and up against the road. That would have sucked royally!
We decided to forego the next side road where I knew to go in from because I had a feeling it would have been worse since its on a decline and the next road out was through a bottom, hence it would have been even worse! We hiked in and I found what I think is the wallow, but there could be another one. Once it dries out, I’ll head back in and scout around some more. Syd and I discussed the camera placement and agreed on a tree that wasn’t too close, but wouldn’t get hit by the sun (its northwest facing). I like how she’s so eager to learn and be a part of it, even if its not her hunt. After getting the camera secured, I turned around to see her halfway up a ponderosa pine snag, with her dog, sitting below looking extremely worried. The storms were brewing to the north of us, so my suggested we get out quickly and hope that the roads were in better shape ahead. They were and I had no further need for 4-low, but 4-High did come in handy for a few more miles! Life is still crazy (just got back from a shadow assignment in Lakewood, CO), but warming up and drying out. I’m hoping to carve out some time on the 13th to head back out to the camera and see if the fresh tracks we crossed are elk using the wallow!
Some pics of the area are below, as well as a pic or two of Syd playing keeper in her last two tournaments this May. She got a new keeper jersey for her 11th birthday in April and she picked this one herself! Her team went out strong and finished the last tournament of the season with 2nd place. After the championship game, 3-4 parents from the other team pulled me aside and asked me if I was the keeper’s dad. I very proudly admitted that and they all praised her and the amazing job she did in shutting their team down. Syd’s team lost 2-1, but the other team had been winning 10-0 in the first 2-3 games! That was a great feeling and I gladly passed on the compliments.
The wallow from the camera point of view.
Syd up in the tree.
My truck after getting out. The picture doesn't do it justice. The windshield was caked, the undercarriage had (still has, actually) 2 inches of mud.
Syd's deer hide finally back and hung up.
Making a great save.
Big punt, rocking her new keeper jersey!
