AZHunter
Iowa Boy At Heart
This past Friday was our opening day of archery deer season. My plan was to head up and hike a couple of drainages to look for elk activity and hope that a decent looking buck would cross my path. I woke up at 2 am to the sound of heavy rain. I knew if it was raining like that at our house, it would be much worse 1000 feet (+) higher where I was planning to go. It didn’t take me long to switch my alarm from 4 am to 6 am with the intention taking my kids to school to help my wife out. Saturday morning was our son’s last soccer game and I try hard to make every game so that our kids know that, as much as I love hunting, they come first. I was planning to head to the shooting range after his game to get the borrowed .243 sighted in, but I started noticing gusty winds. A quick check of the forecast showed unfavorable conditions (by my standards), so I scrapped those plans and had a great day hanging out with my family.
Sydney and I made plans to get up early and head out deer hunting/elk scouting Sunday morning. We both got to bed later than planned Saturday night, so rather than get up at 0400, we got up at 0500. I knew we’d get there well past legal shooting light, but it was mostly a scouting trip to look at new areas, anyway. If a good buck or a smaller buck that made me mad enough was in range, great; if not, the scouting was still valuable. To my pleasure, Syd got up when I woke her up, despite my offer to let her stay home and sleep. We got water going for oatmeal, coffee, and hot chocolate and went to the garage to get our hunting clothes on.
Getting ready to roll at 0500
As I suspected, the grass was wet, but it wasn’t as cold as I thought it would be (at least for me). Sydney is still wearing regular hiking boots, so it didn't take long for her feet to get wet and cold, but she wanted to keep going (insulated, water proof boots being ordered this week). As we were beginning our hike, I told her that this was more about her elk hunt than my deer hunt and if she ever got to the point of being miserable from cold/wet, we could head back. She’s gotten pretty die hard and admitted to her feet being cold, but said she wanted to keep going and find a buck for me! I love how she has evolved and developed as a person, a girl, and a hunter. There were many times, I sat back and watched her with strong admiration and respect. We took some time to talk safety and situational awareness. I asked her what she would do if I twisted my ankle or broke something to the point I couldn't walk. She told me where I kept my phone and that she’d grab it and head somewhere to get reception. We talked about my truck being a good spot because she could give emergency responders directions to my truck (she knew the Forest Road we were on and I told her about how many miles in we were) and then lead them down to me. The more time I spend in the field with her, the more comfortable I feel in her ability to get me out if something happens.
About an hour into the hunt, she slipped on a rock and twisted her ankle a bit. I could tell she was in enough pain to not want to continue, but she kept insisting on finding me a buck. I suggested a plan that would circle us back to the truck through an area we hadn’t been through. About ten minutes into that, we jumped a doe out of her bed 10 yards in front of us. I won’t lie, it startled us both. For no bigger than that doe was, she made a huge racket getting out of her bed. I wasn’t expecting to see a bedded deer at 0830,considering the canyon was still chilly and wasn’t exposed to the sun yet. We both looked at each other simultaneously and said “Did you see that?!?!” We eventually cut a trail that we crossed earlier and I decided to take that back to the truck since it offered her the easiest, fastest walking with her ankle. We had a great father-daughter talk about life, in general, and hunting, especially her upcoming hunt. Her excitement is very apparent!
Quick Pic Making Our Way Down Canyon
When we got back to the truck (all uphill and very steep stuff), she decided to stay there and remove her Under Armour layers since it was starting to warm up. I grabbed my gear and headed up the trail to where our camera was sitting to swap the cards out and check activity for the area. What a difference switching cameras made. My Scout Guard isn’t nearly as sensitive as my buddy’s Covert. It took just over 50 pics in two weeks, with a handful of them being from me placing and removing the camera. This was a great pull, though, because it showed increased elk activity in the area, including one of the radio-collared cows we’ve been seeing. It also confirmed the elk using both trails (at a crossroads) like I suspected they would. I like this because it gives us more options to set up and move to after tags start getting filled and elk start getting spooked. The other nice part of this card pull was the slightest glimpse of a decent looking muley buck walking by. He walked by at 0830 on Saturday, 23 August. One day before we were there. I’m thinking I may take off work one morning later this week to see if I can find him and watch that trail for elk movement as well. It may or may not work, but its certainly not sitting at my desk.
This coming weekend, I’ll be heading out to the range one morning to get that .243 sighted in and I’ll probably grab our son and take him on a scouting/hunting hike. I promised him I’d take him last year, but that fell apart when my mom got sick. He’s been asking and asking and I can’t wait to get him out and get him more interested. I also wouldn’t be too surprised if there is a journal entry before too long from Sydney. She started reading through the entire journal yesterday and, while she hasn’t finished it, she was very excited to read my entries and all of your replies. We’re 4.5 weeks from opening day and she says it can’t get here fast enough!
Mature Cow Feeing Down Trail
Cow Using Trail Moving West
Muley Buck
Sydney and I made plans to get up early and head out deer hunting/elk scouting Sunday morning. We both got to bed later than planned Saturday night, so rather than get up at 0400, we got up at 0500. I knew we’d get there well past legal shooting light, but it was mostly a scouting trip to look at new areas, anyway. If a good buck or a smaller buck that made me mad enough was in range, great; if not, the scouting was still valuable. To my pleasure, Syd got up when I woke her up, despite my offer to let her stay home and sleep. We got water going for oatmeal, coffee, and hot chocolate and went to the garage to get our hunting clothes on.
Getting ready to roll at 0500
As I suspected, the grass was wet, but it wasn’t as cold as I thought it would be (at least for me). Sydney is still wearing regular hiking boots, so it didn't take long for her feet to get wet and cold, but she wanted to keep going (insulated, water proof boots being ordered this week). As we were beginning our hike, I told her that this was more about her elk hunt than my deer hunt and if she ever got to the point of being miserable from cold/wet, we could head back. She’s gotten pretty die hard and admitted to her feet being cold, but said she wanted to keep going and find a buck for me! I love how she has evolved and developed as a person, a girl, and a hunter. There were many times, I sat back and watched her with strong admiration and respect. We took some time to talk safety and situational awareness. I asked her what she would do if I twisted my ankle or broke something to the point I couldn't walk. She told me where I kept my phone and that she’d grab it and head somewhere to get reception. We talked about my truck being a good spot because she could give emergency responders directions to my truck (she knew the Forest Road we were on and I told her about how many miles in we were) and then lead them down to me. The more time I spend in the field with her, the more comfortable I feel in her ability to get me out if something happens.
About an hour into the hunt, she slipped on a rock and twisted her ankle a bit. I could tell she was in enough pain to not want to continue, but she kept insisting on finding me a buck. I suggested a plan that would circle us back to the truck through an area we hadn’t been through. About ten minutes into that, we jumped a doe out of her bed 10 yards in front of us. I won’t lie, it startled us both. For no bigger than that doe was, she made a huge racket getting out of her bed. I wasn’t expecting to see a bedded deer at 0830,considering the canyon was still chilly and wasn’t exposed to the sun yet. We both looked at each other simultaneously and said “Did you see that?!?!” We eventually cut a trail that we crossed earlier and I decided to take that back to the truck since it offered her the easiest, fastest walking with her ankle. We had a great father-daughter talk about life, in general, and hunting, especially her upcoming hunt. Her excitement is very apparent!
Quick Pic Making Our Way Down Canyon
When we got back to the truck (all uphill and very steep stuff), she decided to stay there and remove her Under Armour layers since it was starting to warm up. I grabbed my gear and headed up the trail to where our camera was sitting to swap the cards out and check activity for the area. What a difference switching cameras made. My Scout Guard isn’t nearly as sensitive as my buddy’s Covert. It took just over 50 pics in two weeks, with a handful of them being from me placing and removing the camera. This was a great pull, though, because it showed increased elk activity in the area, including one of the radio-collared cows we’ve been seeing. It also confirmed the elk using both trails (at a crossroads) like I suspected they would. I like this because it gives us more options to set up and move to after tags start getting filled and elk start getting spooked. The other nice part of this card pull was the slightest glimpse of a decent looking muley buck walking by. He walked by at 0830 on Saturday, 23 August. One day before we were there. I’m thinking I may take off work one morning later this week to see if I can find him and watch that trail for elk movement as well. It may or may not work, but its certainly not sitting at my desk.
This coming weekend, I’ll be heading out to the range one morning to get that .243 sighted in and I’ll probably grab our son and take him on a scouting/hunting hike. I promised him I’d take him last year, but that fell apart when my mom got sick. He’s been asking and asking and I can’t wait to get him out and get him more interested. I also wouldn’t be too surprised if there is a journal entry before too long from Sydney. She started reading through the entire journal yesterday and, while she hasn’t finished it, she was very excited to read my entries and all of your replies. We’re 4.5 weeks from opening day and she says it can’t get here fast enough!
Mature Cow Feeing Down Trail
Cow Using Trail Moving West
Muley Buck
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bigbuckhunter88
PMA Member
4.5 weeks from your opening day and it can't get here fast enough for me. This has definitely become my favorite thread because of the life lessons along with the hunting aspect. Keep it coming.
AZHunter
Iowa Boy At Heart
Almost there...
These past couple of weeks have been about as crazy as they can be and because of that I don't have any pictures other than a cool scenery shot. Two weeks ago tomorrow (Thursday, 11 Sept), I took the morning off of work to go look for that interesting buck and scout the area where the camera is hanging. I watched a doe feed across the hillside at about 0615 and that never gets old. Then the "urge" hit me and my guts started rumbling. I got a nice hole dug and was just about to start when I looked up and saw a cow elk on the hill above me at 50 yards just staring at me with a confused look and grass hanging out both sides of her mouth. She didn't laugh and she didn't spook, so that was a good sign.
I lost my patience sitting there, so I got up and hiked around. I eventually jumped on a well-used elk trail and followed it further up and over a couple of ridges. It was very promising to see all the elk sign in there, but there were no deer to be seen. I ended up in this aspen grove, though and loved the way the sunlight hit it.
As I was driving back to get ready to head into the office, everything took a major turn south. Gunny sack. FUBAR. My truck started making a strange sound and came to a skidding halt. When I got out, I could smell the fluid and saw my drive shaft hanging from the transfer case, no longer connected to the rear differential. Long story short: my mechanic said it was one of those 1:10,000,000 flukes of a bolt backing itself out, but it also caused a crack in my transfer case. Day officially ruined. $3200 later with a complete used rear end, drive shaft, and transfer case, my truck is running like a champ. But it did lead to a cease in my deer hunting for several days. The other side of that, though, is that I spent a ton of quality time with my family over a long holiday weekend. I also got my friend's .243 sighted in and ready to go.
The rains have been hitting these past few days and I'm sure you saw Phoenix flooded on the news. Crazy Pacific coast hurricanes! It should be drying out soon and that's good because opening of archery elk (bull) season is this Friday and I'm helping a buddy Friday morning so he doesn't have to chase big bulls in a rugged canyon by himself. He told me to come out early tomorrow night to try and find one of the biggest mule deer he's seen in that unit and tomorrow is the last day of our OTC archery hunt. Fingers crossed. My favorite part was Syd asking me if she can go! She made a good case for all the hard work she's been doing in school (she has) and said she deserved a Friday off. It was hard to argue with her logic, but I explained that two weeks from this Friday, she will get a Friday off for her elk hunt and then two weeks after that, she will get a Thursday/Friday off for her deer hunt. When I get done hunting with my buddy, I'm planning on heading up to the camera for one last card pull before her hunt in two weeks.
Two weeks! I'm honestly not sure who is more excited about her hunt. We talk about it daily and I'm confident we will have a tag on an elk by 0700 opening morning. The more time I spend thinking about her hunt, the more I pray for her success and the more I pray that she will find success no matter what. I don't know why, but I went back yesterday and read through parts of my 2012 elk hunting journal. Syd's influence and encouragement were very strong throughout my writings and ramblings. Looking at my thoughts two weeks and one week out from my hunt, I know how she feels right now. I looked at the lessons I learned and I hope that, in two years since, I have been able to teach those lessons to her. The life lessons I learned from my dad, the lessons about defining success, defining your personal ethics and sticking to them no matter what, helping friends because that's what real friends do, the lessons about not giving up no matter how tired you are. I truly hope that in 30 years, she is sitting down with her kids and teaching them, saying this "I'm teaching you these things because its what my dad taught me." I hope she knows that the times I'm tough on her are because I love her so much and I want her to reach the potential I see; the potential my wife and I see. I hope she knows that my biggest fear in life is failing as a father.
Next week is a crazy-busy week for me with meetings every day, including being in Las Vegas for a meeting 18-19 Sept. Next weekend is her first soccer tournament of the year, here in town. She's told me her goal for this soccer season is to have a complete tournament shut-out at goalie (every game). I don't know that she'll play goalie every single game yet, as the other goalie needs some game experience, but I love that she is setting a lofty, but achievable goal and that she is determined!
Two weeks...
These past couple of weeks have been about as crazy as they can be and because of that I don't have any pictures other than a cool scenery shot. Two weeks ago tomorrow (Thursday, 11 Sept), I took the morning off of work to go look for that interesting buck and scout the area where the camera is hanging. I watched a doe feed across the hillside at about 0615 and that never gets old. Then the "urge" hit me and my guts started rumbling. I got a nice hole dug and was just about to start when I looked up and saw a cow elk on the hill above me at 50 yards just staring at me with a confused look and grass hanging out both sides of her mouth. She didn't laugh and she didn't spook, so that was a good sign.
I lost my patience sitting there, so I got up and hiked around. I eventually jumped on a well-used elk trail and followed it further up and over a couple of ridges. It was very promising to see all the elk sign in there, but there were no deer to be seen. I ended up in this aspen grove, though and loved the way the sunlight hit it.
As I was driving back to get ready to head into the office, everything took a major turn south. Gunny sack. FUBAR. My truck started making a strange sound and came to a skidding halt. When I got out, I could smell the fluid and saw my drive shaft hanging from the transfer case, no longer connected to the rear differential. Long story short: my mechanic said it was one of those 1:10,000,000 flukes of a bolt backing itself out, but it also caused a crack in my transfer case. Day officially ruined. $3200 later with a complete used rear end, drive shaft, and transfer case, my truck is running like a champ. But it did lead to a cease in my deer hunting for several days. The other side of that, though, is that I spent a ton of quality time with my family over a long holiday weekend. I also got my friend's .243 sighted in and ready to go.
The rains have been hitting these past few days and I'm sure you saw Phoenix flooded on the news. Crazy Pacific coast hurricanes! It should be drying out soon and that's good because opening of archery elk (bull) season is this Friday and I'm helping a buddy Friday morning so he doesn't have to chase big bulls in a rugged canyon by himself. He told me to come out early tomorrow night to try and find one of the biggest mule deer he's seen in that unit and tomorrow is the last day of our OTC archery hunt. Fingers crossed. My favorite part was Syd asking me if she can go! She made a good case for all the hard work she's been doing in school (she has) and said she deserved a Friday off. It was hard to argue with her logic, but I explained that two weeks from this Friday, she will get a Friday off for her elk hunt and then two weeks after that, she will get a Thursday/Friday off for her deer hunt. When I get done hunting with my buddy, I'm planning on heading up to the camera for one last card pull before her hunt in two weeks.
Two weeks! I'm honestly not sure who is more excited about her hunt. We talk about it daily and I'm confident we will have a tag on an elk by 0700 opening morning. The more time I spend thinking about her hunt, the more I pray for her success and the more I pray that she will find success no matter what. I don't know why, but I went back yesterday and read through parts of my 2012 elk hunting journal. Syd's influence and encouragement were very strong throughout my writings and ramblings. Looking at my thoughts two weeks and one week out from my hunt, I know how she feels right now. I looked at the lessons I learned and I hope that, in two years since, I have been able to teach those lessons to her. The life lessons I learned from my dad, the lessons about defining success, defining your personal ethics and sticking to them no matter what, helping friends because that's what real friends do, the lessons about not giving up no matter how tired you are. I truly hope that in 30 years, she is sitting down with her kids and teaching them, saying this "I'm teaching you these things because its what my dad taught me." I hope she knows that the times I'm tough on her are because I love her so much and I want her to reach the potential I see; the potential my wife and I see. I hope she knows that my biggest fear in life is failing as a father.
Next week is a crazy-busy week for me with meetings every day, including being in Las Vegas for a meeting 18-19 Sept. Next weekend is her first soccer tournament of the year, here in town. She's told me her goal for this soccer season is to have a complete tournament shut-out at goalie (every game). I don't know that she'll play goalie every single game yet, as the other goalie needs some game experience, but I love that she is setting a lofty, but achievable goal and that she is determined!
Two weeks...
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AZHunter
Iowa Boy At Heart
Next Week!
I figured I’d get in an update before the week goes crazy on me. This will also probably be the last big journal entry until the hunt next week. I was out all day Friday with my buddy chasing bulls. I wasn’t supposed to be out all day, but circumstances changed that morning that lead to a long day. Long story short, after having a big bull hang up at 100 yards with 20+ cows, my buddy and I switched gears and dropped into a steep nasty canyon and I called in a bull that he was able to shoot 15 yards from me. The arrow fell out too quickly for our liking so we backed out and gave him 2-3 hours to bed up and lay down. We went back into the canyon around 4 pm and followed his tracks and minimal blood (hands and knees at times) over a mile for 3 hours before figuring out he was shoulder shot and, while limpy, he would live to see another day. All told, we covered just about 8 miles, most of which was in that steep canyon. We found out this past Friday that Sydney’s first Open League soccer games are going to be on Sept 27th, the Saturday of her elk hunt. Her coaches knew going into the season that they might have to play without her if her tag wasn’t filled and games overlapped with her hunt.
Saturday was mostly family day, although Syd slept most of it away after staying up until about 3 am at a teammate’s sleepover birthday party Friday/Saturday. About the time we were able to wake her up and start supper, another buddy (disabled vet) sent me a text letting me know he had a cow elk down about 20 minutes from our house. Even though I’d been gone all Friday and my legs felt like jelly, my wife encouraged me to go help him get it out. Fortunately, the elk was only about 100 yards from the road so it was an easy haul out! I still ended up having to warm up supper at 9pm.
After breakfast Sunday morning, we drove up to pull the trail camera out of her unit and hike around a bit. With less than two weeks until her hunt, I figured it was time to pull the camera. I knew where the elk were and this pull would tell me how much more they were using this other area. As we approached the camera, Sydney asked if she could do all the work since it was her hunt. I gladly threw her the keys, guided her through the different locks, and how to shut the camera off while I took pics with my phone. We talked quite a bit and she is so excited for her hunt. We talked about her Open League games on the 27th and what her thoughts are if she still hasn’t filled her elk tag. I told her I was ok with her going to play soccer and coming back to hunt Sunday if she didn’t get an elk Friday. I emphasized that it’s her hunt and her decision and I would respect whatever decision she made. I can’t say that I envy her having to make that choice, given her passion for both. I know I would be losing sleep over a decision like that. She didn’t even bat an eye. She said she loved soccer and knows she has a commitment to her team, but her hunt was more important right now. She has first shot opening day and her coaches know I will do everything in my power to get her tag filled so she can be there for her team Saturday.
We also found out yesterday morning that her next Open League games will be the Saturday of her deer hunt (Oct 11). That one will be a tougher one because we will be extremely remote on the north rim of the Kaibab National Forest. My wife and I have to have a serious discussion about that one; mainly what to do if she tags out Friday. I told my wife Sunday night that I’m really starting to feel the pressure of getting my daughter and our friend elk. I’m confident that we will have one elk down Friday morning, but we all know how the best laid plans can go. I really want my daughter to fill a tag and experience that part of a successful hunt. My wife pointed out all of the hard work and scouting that we’ve done, but I still can’t seem to shake this self-imposed stress! If I can get both kids an elk Friday, I will be at her games. If she is the only one to tag out, I will stay and take our friend out Saturday to help him find an elk. She doesn’t like the idea of me missing her games, but she also understands the commitment to getting our friend his first elk, too.
The trail cam revealed quite a bit more elk activity in the other canyon area, including a nice looking bull in the background. There was a muley buck walking through, as well as a couple of deer hunters, and a coyote running quickly through. We also found some fresh bear sign up above on the ridge. This area will be our Plan B area. Plan A will be to head up to the other area where the camera was hanging since April. Tons of elk moving through that area and its right next to a burn scar/meadow that the elk love to feed in. Hope you enjoy all of the pics on this last big entry before her hunt next week. Next week…I’m super excited for her hunt and super nervous. Next week…
Sydney pulling the camera:
Elk pics:
Coyote pics:
Buck Pic:
Bear sign:
Syd by Aspens
I figured I’d get in an update before the week goes crazy on me. This will also probably be the last big journal entry until the hunt next week. I was out all day Friday with my buddy chasing bulls. I wasn’t supposed to be out all day, but circumstances changed that morning that lead to a long day. Long story short, after having a big bull hang up at 100 yards with 20+ cows, my buddy and I switched gears and dropped into a steep nasty canyon and I called in a bull that he was able to shoot 15 yards from me. The arrow fell out too quickly for our liking so we backed out and gave him 2-3 hours to bed up and lay down. We went back into the canyon around 4 pm and followed his tracks and minimal blood (hands and knees at times) over a mile for 3 hours before figuring out he was shoulder shot and, while limpy, he would live to see another day. All told, we covered just about 8 miles, most of which was in that steep canyon. We found out this past Friday that Sydney’s first Open League soccer games are going to be on Sept 27th, the Saturday of her elk hunt. Her coaches knew going into the season that they might have to play without her if her tag wasn’t filled and games overlapped with her hunt.
Saturday was mostly family day, although Syd slept most of it away after staying up until about 3 am at a teammate’s sleepover birthday party Friday/Saturday. About the time we were able to wake her up and start supper, another buddy (disabled vet) sent me a text letting me know he had a cow elk down about 20 minutes from our house. Even though I’d been gone all Friday and my legs felt like jelly, my wife encouraged me to go help him get it out. Fortunately, the elk was only about 100 yards from the road so it was an easy haul out! I still ended up having to warm up supper at 9pm.
After breakfast Sunday morning, we drove up to pull the trail camera out of her unit and hike around a bit. With less than two weeks until her hunt, I figured it was time to pull the camera. I knew where the elk were and this pull would tell me how much more they were using this other area. As we approached the camera, Sydney asked if she could do all the work since it was her hunt. I gladly threw her the keys, guided her through the different locks, and how to shut the camera off while I took pics with my phone. We talked quite a bit and she is so excited for her hunt. We talked about her Open League games on the 27th and what her thoughts are if she still hasn’t filled her elk tag. I told her I was ok with her going to play soccer and coming back to hunt Sunday if she didn’t get an elk Friday. I emphasized that it’s her hunt and her decision and I would respect whatever decision she made. I can’t say that I envy her having to make that choice, given her passion for both. I know I would be losing sleep over a decision like that. She didn’t even bat an eye. She said she loved soccer and knows she has a commitment to her team, but her hunt was more important right now. She has first shot opening day and her coaches know I will do everything in my power to get her tag filled so she can be there for her team Saturday.
We also found out yesterday morning that her next Open League games will be the Saturday of her deer hunt (Oct 11). That one will be a tougher one because we will be extremely remote on the north rim of the Kaibab National Forest. My wife and I have to have a serious discussion about that one; mainly what to do if she tags out Friday. I told my wife Sunday night that I’m really starting to feel the pressure of getting my daughter and our friend elk. I’m confident that we will have one elk down Friday morning, but we all know how the best laid plans can go. I really want my daughter to fill a tag and experience that part of a successful hunt. My wife pointed out all of the hard work and scouting that we’ve done, but I still can’t seem to shake this self-imposed stress! If I can get both kids an elk Friday, I will be at her games. If she is the only one to tag out, I will stay and take our friend out Saturday to help him find an elk. She doesn’t like the idea of me missing her games, but she also understands the commitment to getting our friend his first elk, too.
The trail cam revealed quite a bit more elk activity in the other canyon area, including a nice looking bull in the background. There was a muley buck walking through, as well as a couple of deer hunters, and a coyote running quickly through. We also found some fresh bear sign up above on the ridge. This area will be our Plan B area. Plan A will be to head up to the other area where the camera was hanging since April. Tons of elk moving through that area and its right next to a burn scar/meadow that the elk love to feed in. Hope you enjoy all of the pics on this last big entry before her hunt next week. Next week…I’m super excited for her hunt and super nervous. Next week…
Sydney pulling the camera:
Elk pics:
Coyote pics:
Buck Pic:
Bear sign:
Syd by Aspens
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AZHunter
Iowa Boy At Heart
Syd had a good first tourney of the season. Her team won one, tied one, and lost one. She played great at goalie in the first two games, but at the end of the 2nd game, an opponent charged into the goal box stepping on Syd's left pinky finger as she made a clutch save, keeping the other team from going ahead. She held it together long enough, but I could see she was in pain. No goalie play for Sunday's game (the loss) due to her injury, but she played great at outside midfielder! The fortunate thing about her finger was that it was on her left hand and won't affect her shooting at all this weekend! We've now switched gears from major soccer mentality to elk mentality. Camper will be set up Wednesday afternoon and we'll be out there for good Thursday! I thought I'd share some of my favorite pics from the tournament (all taken by our unofficial team photographer). 4 more days...
This is the mouth guard I've mentioned before. She loves to flash it at opponents as they charge up on her:
She is actually giving an opponent the evil eye for charging into "her house":
She's never been afraid to dive into a save, no matter the pain that may result (the opponent is down because of Syd charging into it):
The moment she got stepped on during the clutch save:
One of several great runs:
Hustling as an outside mid:
4 more days...
This is the mouth guard I've mentioned before. She loves to flash it at opponents as they charge up on her:
She is actually giving an opponent the evil eye for charging into "her house":
She's never been afraid to dive into a save, no matter the pain that may result (the opponent is down because of Syd charging into it):
The moment she got stepped on during the clutch save:
One of several great runs:
Hustling as an outside mid:
4 more days...
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bigbuckhunter88
PMA Member
Awesome update. Tell her to keep working at soccer. Alot of athletes have the talent but don't have the mentality that she possesses and that's something that you can't coach into an athlete. The sky is the limit for her.
I for some reason thought she was suppose to hunt this weekend and was checking for updates all weekend. Then I read that it's next weekend. Dangit.
I for some reason thought she was suppose to hunt this weekend and was checking for updates all weekend. Then I read that it's next weekend. Dangit.
bigbuckhunter88
PMA Member
Hoping you're quartering an elk right about now or already done with it.
AZHunter
Iowa Boy At Heart
I wish I could say we are done hunting! We had a great time yesterday, though. We got up at 0400, had warm oatmeal, hot chocolate, and coffee (me) and then proceeded to hike a half mile into the wilderness. Friends with us left earlier with the plan of hiking further up. We were where we wanted to be by shooting light, but weren't seeing or hearing any elk in the meadows/burn scars. As we were working our way along the treeline, I heard elk moving in the deadfall in front of us, just out of sight. We scrambled to get the shooting sticks out so we could sneak forward and set up. As we were doing that, we must have spooked the elk because 4-5 cows took off running uphill towards the next treeline. 5 minutes later, we heard two shots followed by a big "Woo-hoo!" Turns out, we bumped those elk right up to our friends who didn't go as far as we thought they would. My friend's son had his elk on the ground at 0610! We watched two of those cows run east across the meadow we were on, but they were too far out of range and wouldn't have anything to do with my chirping to stop them. We formed a new game plan and decided to push back to the east hoping they slowed down, but we ended up running into two more hunters. We had heard some distant bugling back west, so we regrouped and went back to where we started. As we were doing that, I happened to see two other hunters in the meadow/burn scar to the south of us. It was time for a new game plan. We worked our way back to camp, regrouped, and drove down to the area where I had the 2nd camera. We hiked up in there and set up on the hillside hoping to do some soft calling and wait for a group of elk to move through. We sat for about 90 minutes before the antsy-ness set in and it started warming up. I managed to get these pics with my phone though.
Getting ready for final set up just before shooting light
Eyes peeled looking for elk
Checking out shooting lanes
Always a smile
We rested and regrouped back at camp in the afternoon and formed a plan with the group camped next to us (father whose son had a tag). Elk had been moving up and down the ravine below camp regularly for a few nights so we decided to head down and try to cut them off. We heard bugles in the distance, but no elk showed up. We sat there for almost two hours and Syd did great. She got a little restless and played some games to keep herself occupied, but I am very proud of how well she did for being only 10!
We got back to camp just after dark and everybody's phones were going crazy. Turns out the big storm we were expecting today was going to bring tornado warnings and large hail warnings. Yep, tornado warnings in Flagstaff, AZ! Sleeping in a pop-up camper didn't excite us with that weather prediction, so after a quick council with my wife (via phone/texting), and the hunter camped next to us (heading out because his wife was worried), we scrambled to break down the camper and secure it and head home. Turns out there were several other hunters who didn't want to camp out in that weather predictions. Today has been off and on heavy rain and I'm on the only one with rain gear, so we took and R&R day. Syd badly wants her elk tag filled, so we're getting up at 0300 tomorrow morning to head up there and go back at it, probably for the whole day. She only has one day of elk hunting under her belt, but make no mistake about it: SHE IS AN ELK HUNTER!!!
Almost forgot: the green tape on her fingers in the third picture is because we found out she fractured one bone in her pinky finger as a result of getting stepped on in her soccer game last weekend. She made it clear to the doc that she was going elk hunting, so we had to buddy tape her fingers with her gloves. Tough and determined kid, right there!
Getting ready for final set up just before shooting light
Eyes peeled looking for elk
Checking out shooting lanes
Always a smile
We rested and regrouped back at camp in the afternoon and formed a plan with the group camped next to us (father whose son had a tag). Elk had been moving up and down the ravine below camp regularly for a few nights so we decided to head down and try to cut them off. We heard bugles in the distance, but no elk showed up. We sat there for almost two hours and Syd did great. She got a little restless and played some games to keep herself occupied, but I am very proud of how well she did for being only 10!
We got back to camp just after dark and everybody's phones were going crazy. Turns out the big storm we were expecting today was going to bring tornado warnings and large hail warnings. Yep, tornado warnings in Flagstaff, AZ! Sleeping in a pop-up camper didn't excite us with that weather prediction, so after a quick council with my wife (via phone/texting), and the hunter camped next to us (heading out because his wife was worried), we scrambled to break down the camper and secure it and head home. Turns out there were several other hunters who didn't want to camp out in that weather predictions. Today has been off and on heavy rain and I'm on the only one with rain gear, so we took and R&R day. Syd badly wants her elk tag filled, so we're getting up at 0300 tomorrow morning to head up there and go back at it, probably for the whole day. She only has one day of elk hunting under her belt, but make no mistake about it: SHE IS AN ELK HUNTER!!!
Almost forgot: the green tape on her fingers in the third picture is because we found out she fractured one bone in her pinky finger as a result of getting stepped on in her soccer game last weekend. She made it clear to the doc that she was going elk hunting, so we had to buddy tape her fingers with her gloves. Tough and determined kid, right there!
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bigbuckhunter88
PMA Member
Sounds like some great bonding time tho. So did your friend end up bagging an elk that you kicked up?
AZHunter
Iowa Boy At Heart
Yep. We all got a good laugh at the circumstances. To his credit, my friend didn't ask me to help get the elk out. He encouraged me to keep at it with Syd and our other young friend. He and his 12-year old son packed that cow out in two trips.
AZHunter
Iowa Boy At Heart
Almost Closed the Deal!
After getting chased out Friday night by tornado warnings, Saturday was full of off and on heavy rain. We used to get caught up on rest and muscle recovery and went to bed early. My alarm went off at 0300 Sunday morning and we got ourselves ready and drove out to the area we were planning to hunt. All along I’ve told her this is her hunt and I want her to have fun and remember why we hunt. She asked me Friday if we could use face paint, but I opted not to since I didn’t have any face paint remover in my truck. I fixed that Saturday and painted her face up in my truck while we were waiting to hike up. Of course, she wanted me to join her. We had a last minute change of plans and opted to go to the area where my second camera was hung since it was an easier hike in and I felt like Syd’s legs needed a bit of rest. At 0557, as I was getting ready to start doing some soft calling to entice a herd in, we heard 3 gunshots not far to our west, near the area where we were originally planning on hunting. We sat there for about an hour before the cold started working on her (and me, to be honest). She asked if we could get up and hike up the hill more, so we geared up and took off further up the canyon to an area where I knew there was a small meadow with a well-used trail. She didn’t want to sit anymore; she wanted to find elk so we kept on going and ended up running into an elk super-highway type of trail. We followed it up towards a big alpine meadow and ended up at the base of the meadow. Syd quickly decided that we should sit there and wait to see if elk would come out. We sat there for an hour with no elk, but we enjoyed the view of the peaks above us, watched clouds roll in and out, talked about life, snapped a few photos, ate some beef jerky, and taught her to cow call. All in all, it was one of the best hours of my life! When she was ready, we followed the trail down the other direction and bumped some mule deer, but no elk. On our way back to the truck, we had a very close encounter with two mule deer as they jumped and rand 10 yards in front of us across the trail. When I got my heart back in rhythm, I turned around to see Syd standing there with eyes as big as saucers! We drove back to camp to meet my wife and son, who were bringing us warm lunch and wanted to hang out. That’s when we found out the kid in the camp next to us filled his elk tag about 400 yards up the hill directly across from camp, our original plan!
High Alpine Meadow
Always Time for a Selfie with My Daughter
Making it Fun
After a good nap, Syd was hem-hawing about whether or not she wanted to head up the hill or just go home. I reemphasized that this is her hunt and there is no wrong answer, but also reminded her that she can’t fill a tag sitting at home. She finally decided that we were going hunting so we geared up and took off up the hill with the idea to sit at the base of the middle meadow/burn scar from Friday morning. As we were working our way to a good vantage point, I looked across and saw the distinct outline of a cow elk head looking our direction! Fortunately, at 200+ yards, she couldn’t tell what we were and didn’t spook. Syd and I managed to get set up quietly, but quickly and reacquired the elk behind a big down tree. All Syd could see was the rear half and I couldn’t see much more. We kept trained on her and I did a bit of soft calling to try and entice her out. She finally moved forward, but was always behind a tree or branches. I wish you could have heard Syd’s reaction when I told her to go ahead and take her safety off and get ready. When she was finally standing perfectly broadside at about 215 yards, there was a big patch of ferns and some branches blocking most of the vitals. I did my best calling to get her to come out closer, but every time she did, there was something blocking her vitals or she wouldn’t turn broadside. In the middle of all of that, a cow chirped to our west and close. Then a bull started chuckling right there, less than 100 yards from us, but on the other side of a small knoll we couldn’t see over. That group of elk ended up walking away from us despite my best efforts to get them to walk another 50ish yards and the original cow walked off with the other two at the top of the meadow. Just before shooting light ended, Syd made the decision that we should back out and let the place settle down, knowing that we would likely be coming back mid-week for another effort.
Meadow Pic. Target Cow was in the top center treeline and the shadows to the right. Bull and cows were behind knoll center left.
On the walk out and the drive home, Syd started second guessing herself and beating herself up saying she should have taken the shot. She felt bad for having succumbed to elk fever. I could see the tears welling up and I quickly started talking to her about the difference between “thinking you could make the shot” and “knowing you could make the shot”. I shared some personal stories that involved second guessing myself and good friends that reminded me why I didn’t take the shot in the first place. I told her about a couple of misses due to buck fever and how that feeling is part of why we hunt. I explained that, at least out here in AZ, I know adults and kids who have no problem taking questionable (i.e. unethical) shots and feel no remorse for losing an animal or causing undue suffering. I pointed out that she made a more mature decision than many adults out here and it showed me the respect she has for our sport and for the animals we hunt. On the drive home, I received a text from Wayne (Bowman) asking about the hunt. I had Syd call him and tell him her story and feelings. He assured her the same thing I did, which certainly brightened her spirits. Thanks, Wayne! If any of you reading this have some positive reinforcements, I would greatly appreciate it. I’ll have her read them tonight and tomorrow on our way back up. Yep, my wife and I spoke and I am taking tomorrow afternoon and Wednesday off and pulling Syd from school to go give it another try before the season ends Thursday night!
She did admit that, despite not filling her tag, yesterday was her most favorite day of hunting ever! I think the fun and her definition of success is finally sinking in and she admitted that she’ll be ok whether or not she fills a tag. That doesn’t alleviate the pressure on dad, though. I’m committed to running myself straight to the hospital to work my tail off helping her fill her tag! Stay tuned…
After getting chased out Friday night by tornado warnings, Saturday was full of off and on heavy rain. We used to get caught up on rest and muscle recovery and went to bed early. My alarm went off at 0300 Sunday morning and we got ourselves ready and drove out to the area we were planning to hunt. All along I’ve told her this is her hunt and I want her to have fun and remember why we hunt. She asked me Friday if we could use face paint, but I opted not to since I didn’t have any face paint remover in my truck. I fixed that Saturday and painted her face up in my truck while we were waiting to hike up. Of course, she wanted me to join her. We had a last minute change of plans and opted to go to the area where my second camera was hung since it was an easier hike in and I felt like Syd’s legs needed a bit of rest. At 0557, as I was getting ready to start doing some soft calling to entice a herd in, we heard 3 gunshots not far to our west, near the area where we were originally planning on hunting. We sat there for about an hour before the cold started working on her (and me, to be honest). She asked if we could get up and hike up the hill more, so we geared up and took off further up the canyon to an area where I knew there was a small meadow with a well-used trail. She didn’t want to sit anymore; she wanted to find elk so we kept on going and ended up running into an elk super-highway type of trail. We followed it up towards a big alpine meadow and ended up at the base of the meadow. Syd quickly decided that we should sit there and wait to see if elk would come out. We sat there for an hour with no elk, but we enjoyed the view of the peaks above us, watched clouds roll in and out, talked about life, snapped a few photos, ate some beef jerky, and taught her to cow call. All in all, it was one of the best hours of my life! When she was ready, we followed the trail down the other direction and bumped some mule deer, but no elk. On our way back to the truck, we had a very close encounter with two mule deer as they jumped and rand 10 yards in front of us across the trail. When I got my heart back in rhythm, I turned around to see Syd standing there with eyes as big as saucers! We drove back to camp to meet my wife and son, who were bringing us warm lunch and wanted to hang out. That’s when we found out the kid in the camp next to us filled his elk tag about 400 yards up the hill directly across from camp, our original plan!
High Alpine Meadow
Always Time for a Selfie with My Daughter
Making it Fun
After a good nap, Syd was hem-hawing about whether or not she wanted to head up the hill or just go home. I reemphasized that this is her hunt and there is no wrong answer, but also reminded her that she can’t fill a tag sitting at home. She finally decided that we were going hunting so we geared up and took off up the hill with the idea to sit at the base of the middle meadow/burn scar from Friday morning. As we were working our way to a good vantage point, I looked across and saw the distinct outline of a cow elk head looking our direction! Fortunately, at 200+ yards, she couldn’t tell what we were and didn’t spook. Syd and I managed to get set up quietly, but quickly and reacquired the elk behind a big down tree. All Syd could see was the rear half and I couldn’t see much more. We kept trained on her and I did a bit of soft calling to try and entice her out. She finally moved forward, but was always behind a tree or branches. I wish you could have heard Syd’s reaction when I told her to go ahead and take her safety off and get ready. When she was finally standing perfectly broadside at about 215 yards, there was a big patch of ferns and some branches blocking most of the vitals. I did my best calling to get her to come out closer, but every time she did, there was something blocking her vitals or she wouldn’t turn broadside. In the middle of all of that, a cow chirped to our west and close. Then a bull started chuckling right there, less than 100 yards from us, but on the other side of a small knoll we couldn’t see over. That group of elk ended up walking away from us despite my best efforts to get them to walk another 50ish yards and the original cow walked off with the other two at the top of the meadow. Just before shooting light ended, Syd made the decision that we should back out and let the place settle down, knowing that we would likely be coming back mid-week for another effort.
Meadow Pic. Target Cow was in the top center treeline and the shadows to the right. Bull and cows were behind knoll center left.
On the walk out and the drive home, Syd started second guessing herself and beating herself up saying she should have taken the shot. She felt bad for having succumbed to elk fever. I could see the tears welling up and I quickly started talking to her about the difference between “thinking you could make the shot” and “knowing you could make the shot”. I shared some personal stories that involved second guessing myself and good friends that reminded me why I didn’t take the shot in the first place. I told her about a couple of misses due to buck fever and how that feeling is part of why we hunt. I explained that, at least out here in AZ, I know adults and kids who have no problem taking questionable (i.e. unethical) shots and feel no remorse for losing an animal or causing undue suffering. I pointed out that she made a more mature decision than many adults out here and it showed me the respect she has for our sport and for the animals we hunt. On the drive home, I received a text from Wayne (Bowman) asking about the hunt. I had Syd call him and tell him her story and feelings. He assured her the same thing I did, which certainly brightened her spirits. Thanks, Wayne! If any of you reading this have some positive reinforcements, I would greatly appreciate it. I’ll have her read them tonight and tomorrow on our way back up. Yep, my wife and I spoke and I am taking tomorrow afternoon and Wednesday off and pulling Syd from school to go give it another try before the season ends Thursday night!
She did admit that, despite not filling her tag, yesterday was her most favorite day of hunting ever! I think the fun and her definition of success is finally sinking in and she admitted that she’ll be ok whether or not she fills a tag. That doesn’t alleviate the pressure on dad, though. I’m committed to running myself straight to the hospital to work my tail off helping her fill her tag! Stay tuned…
Very cool great lesson to learn and will make her success more rewarding when things finally come together.i just got back from almost 3 weeks in the same unit you are hunting hopefully cooler weather will arrive and increase movement. I have a true respect for what you guys are trying to do not as easy as one would think lots of pressure out there good luck.
bigbuckhunter88
PMA Member
Keep after it. Her hard work and patience will be rewarded. Her not taking the questionable shot shows her maturity and respect for the animal at such a young age. And that "elk fever" that she felt is why we all love this sport. Stay persistent and keep us updated!