AZHunter
Iowa Boy At Heart
I debated back and forth whether or not to keep a journal this year. Life has gotten so hectic that I wasn't sure I'd have the time to do a journal justice. But Syd insisted and promised to help me out more. We're more than likely going to let her have her own account on IW so she can post her own updates. That got her excited. She's at her summer camp again this week and next and then we (she) has a summer full of soccer camps, including already participating in the Olympic Development Program Sub-regional Camp here in Flagstaff June 3-5. We're waiting to see if she gets invited to the ODP Regional Camp in Oregon July 1-5. Jacob is also at summer camp this week, so my wife and I have our first kid-free week ever. Its both strange and exciting. We're taking some time off from work to enjoy it and reconnect without interruptions.
Part of the hesitation with whether or not to keep a journal was trying to decide if I wanted to get trail cams out for her elk hunt. She has a mid-October cow hunt in the same unit she had two years ago. This will be the 4th of 5 consecutive hunts and it will be tough to say the least. By her hunt, elk will be scattered and harder to find. Seeing elk on camera now through when the first hunt starts (late Sept) won't necessarily equate to where they will be when her hunt comes around. At the same time, it doesn't quite feel right to have a hunt and not have cameras out. We're hoping for some early snow to push them down lower, but Syd has already committed to spending all day, taking lunch/snacks with us, and covering ground and watching meadows/avalanche chutes. If she can keep that up, we have a chance of crossing paths with a cow sooner or later. A buddy of mine at AGFD said if we concentrate on the same areas and are willing to go a little higher into those areas, we should find one. That has me feeling more confident about it all.
Last Friday, I had the day off, so I took the kids to the shooting range for some fun. Jacob has been asking to shoot more than just his .22 and Syd has continued to branch out, too. I had Jacob start learning to use a scope so that this coming December, when he gets his elk/deer rifle for either his birthday or Christmas, he'll have better experience. Syd has been loving shooting her mom's Ruger GP100, loaded with .38 spcl instead of .357 (for now). She's also decided she likes my 1911. Jacob tried the .38 and loved it, but not so much on the 1911 (for now, he said). He's also been begging me to try my new AR, so we had fun there. Syd decided to try this one and immediately decided she needs her own now. God help us!
Shooting Day
Last Saturday morning, we got up and hiked into one of the meadows that Syd and I found during her 2014 elk hunt, with the intention of placing at least one camera along a known game trail. We had a great hike up, explored the meadow more, finding good sign along the trails, and starting to form a game plan. When it came time to put the camera up, I realized that I left the keys to the associated locks back in my truck, 1.5 miles away! I won't use the language I used that moment, but you can imagine. We made the most of it, though, by covering some ground and seeing new areas that looked promising.
The journey in.
Aspen grove below the meadow (good bedding area).
Part of the well-used game trail
Mid-point of the meadow looking up.
Open drainage/draw (above previous aspen grove) and open hillside to the west. All good elk haunts!
My wife and I took the day off yesterday and, after a 7-mile hike in the morning (from 9,000' to almost 12,000' elevation), we hiked back up into the meadow and placed both cameras. One is mid-meadow near a choke point and along the trail and the other is down in the drainage (which actually has a currently dry tank), just above the aspen grove where elk have been moving back and forth. After about 10 miles total yesterday in some of the steepest stuff this state has to offer, my legs are shot today! With everything we have going on, we likely won't get back out there to check the cameras until the July 4th weekend, if we're not in Oregon.
Sorry for the long first post, but I hope you all enjoy following our hunting adventures out here. We're now in the hurry up and wait mode of waiting to see if (what) deer hunt Syd draws this year. The application deadline is today and we put her in for some good hunts (buck only, per her request) that should get her drawn. One is a youth muzzleloader tag that only has 20 tags, but has an 89% draw rate for 1st and 2nd choice applicants. It was her 2nd choice. I only bought a bonus point for deer because the hunts I want would overlap with one of her hunts if she's drawn for that (2nd choice). As much as I want that trophy unit, I want her to get a buck more. I plan on making a better effort in December to fill my archery tag, now that another favorite unit has been opened up in December. Fingers crossed for a good season for us down here and good luck to you all!
Part of the hesitation with whether or not to keep a journal was trying to decide if I wanted to get trail cams out for her elk hunt. She has a mid-October cow hunt in the same unit she had two years ago. This will be the 4th of 5 consecutive hunts and it will be tough to say the least. By her hunt, elk will be scattered and harder to find. Seeing elk on camera now through when the first hunt starts (late Sept) won't necessarily equate to where they will be when her hunt comes around. At the same time, it doesn't quite feel right to have a hunt and not have cameras out. We're hoping for some early snow to push them down lower, but Syd has already committed to spending all day, taking lunch/snacks with us, and covering ground and watching meadows/avalanche chutes. If she can keep that up, we have a chance of crossing paths with a cow sooner or later. A buddy of mine at AGFD said if we concentrate on the same areas and are willing to go a little higher into those areas, we should find one. That has me feeling more confident about it all.
Last Friday, I had the day off, so I took the kids to the shooting range for some fun. Jacob has been asking to shoot more than just his .22 and Syd has continued to branch out, too. I had Jacob start learning to use a scope so that this coming December, when he gets his elk/deer rifle for either his birthday or Christmas, he'll have better experience. Syd has been loving shooting her mom's Ruger GP100, loaded with .38 spcl instead of .357 (for now). She's also decided she likes my 1911. Jacob tried the .38 and loved it, but not so much on the 1911 (for now, he said). He's also been begging me to try my new AR, so we had fun there. Syd decided to try this one and immediately decided she needs her own now. God help us!
Shooting Day
Last Saturday morning, we got up and hiked into one of the meadows that Syd and I found during her 2014 elk hunt, with the intention of placing at least one camera along a known game trail. We had a great hike up, explored the meadow more, finding good sign along the trails, and starting to form a game plan. When it came time to put the camera up, I realized that I left the keys to the associated locks back in my truck, 1.5 miles away! I won't use the language I used that moment, but you can imagine. We made the most of it, though, by covering some ground and seeing new areas that looked promising.
The journey in.
Aspen grove below the meadow (good bedding area).
Part of the well-used game trail
Mid-point of the meadow looking up.
Open drainage/draw (above previous aspen grove) and open hillside to the west. All good elk haunts!
My wife and I took the day off yesterday and, after a 7-mile hike in the morning (from 9,000' to almost 12,000' elevation), we hiked back up into the meadow and placed both cameras. One is mid-meadow near a choke point and along the trail and the other is down in the drainage (which actually has a currently dry tank), just above the aspen grove where elk have been moving back and forth. After about 10 miles total yesterday in some of the steepest stuff this state has to offer, my legs are shot today! With everything we have going on, we likely won't get back out there to check the cameras until the July 4th weekend, if we're not in Oregon.
Sorry for the long first post, but I hope you all enjoy following our hunting adventures out here. We're now in the hurry up and wait mode of waiting to see if (what) deer hunt Syd draws this year. The application deadline is today and we put her in for some good hunts (buck only, per her request) that should get her drawn. One is a youth muzzleloader tag that only has 20 tags, but has an 89% draw rate for 1st and 2nd choice applicants. It was her 2nd choice. I only bought a bonus point for deer because the hunts I want would overlap with one of her hunts if she's drawn for that (2nd choice). As much as I want that trophy unit, I want her to get a buck more. I plan on making a better effort in December to fill my archery tag, now that another favorite unit has been opened up in December. Fingers crossed for a good season for us down here and good luck to you all!
So it really surprised me when I get a call from dad: "Hey kiddo, you got a buck tag!" Its a youth tag, as seen with the price. 
