Average Joe's 2018

Things have been absolutely crazy the past couple weeks.

Work, school, and lots of yard work. I’m trying to tackle all of the honey-dos before hunting season because, well... the answer is obvious on why.

I’m 47 days away from elk opener. I’ll head out a few days early though because I want to check cameras, get acclimated to the elevation, and relax!

I put in some additional applications for Tennesse and Texas, so cross your fingers on those!

I’ve been training my butt off in the gym, e scouting, and shooting my heart out with my new bow.

It’s funny how every year we get older, but I feel better than I ever have in my life physically and mentally.

I shot a 3D archery shoot yesterday. I wore a weighted pack to get some extra practice in because I’ve shot a deer and elk with my pack on before. You never know! The shoot went well and I ended up taking third.


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I had some local friends in my NM unit pull an easy camera for me to see what was on it. (I don’t let anyone know the hard to access spots ;) )

Elk were all over it, but also had some visitors like this.

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Needless to say I’m just ready for this year. I’ve got a great elk hunt with CJ, loads of whitetail tags in a few awesome states, some hunts where I get to help other people, and a few other fun things.


It’s going to be such a fun year!
 
Imperial reputation is outstanding. With the demand for the service, a 10 month turnaround is remarkable!

Yes sir! They knocked my antelope out in about 9 months.
With the amount of work they do I was so impressed and happy!

I’d wait however long I need to for their stuff.
 
If anyone remembers that buck I was chasing last year and whose sheds I’ve been finding the past few years..... he’s still alive...


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I’ll need to wait a few more weeks to get a good read on him, but regardless he’s old and I want him!

He will probably be my biggest focus this year. Even if I have to take from other hunts.

Got these little guys running around too.

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It’s going to be a great year!
 
You guys are doing a great job at getting everyone fired up for the up coming hunting season! I had Lostinthewoods fired up this weekend with some deer and bear pics of my own, but won't be posting them on here until they are on the ground.
Looks as though you guys will have an action packed thread just like last year with all the pics you are sharing with the HuntTalk crew!
 
August is by far the least productive month I spend at "work." Everyday is a struggle. I'm being PowerPoint-ed to death, and I can't stand much more of it. Luckily I'm only 19 days away from chasing elk in the desert with my buddy from Wisconsin. And I'm less than 1 month away from heading to Oregon for the first time.

I forgot to share this from a couple weeks ago. I shot a round at a local 3D club, and put down the best round I've ever shot in my life. Definitely helped boost my confidence a bit.

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I feel like I'm about as ready as I possibly can be, especially considering I'm sitting at sea level and thousands of miles away from my family and elk mountains. The last time I was in this situation I ended up killing a mature 6x6 at 1400 on there first day, so maybe this is a good thing.

The season is so close I can taste it, even in this thick, humid Texas air.
 
Loving this thread guys! All the pictures can really get a guy daydreaming...

I'll be following along all season!


That’s for following along!
We will try to keep it as interesting as possible. We will definitely be taking our fair share of pictures.
Good luck to you on your hunting season!
 
You guys are doing a great job at getting everyone fired up for the up coming hunting season! I had Lostinthewoods fired up this weekend with some deer and bear pics of my own, but won't be posting them on here until they are on the ground.
Looks as though you guys will have an action packed thread just like last year with all the pics you are sharing with the HuntTalk crew!
I was definitely fired up and still am. Your plots are coming along great this year. I can’t wait to see what you put down this year!



It’s great that the days are counting down.
I’m about 36 days away from heading to the mountains!
 
Still hangin' in there.Good luck and go gettm'!:cool:

It's been a rough couple of weeks, but I just submitted my last graded assignment for the course. Now I can just coast to the finish. I'm sure having an elk countdown timer in the corner of my computer doesn't help me focus on what I'm supposed to be doing.
 
It’s officially starting to sink in......
30 days from now I’ll be in NM and 32 days from now my season opens!

Bow is shooting great, I’ll verify broadheads in a week or two, trailer is prepped minus food, most of my hunting gear is packed and ready to go....

I just need it to be September 10th so I can start my trip!

I’m so excited, it’s going to be a great year!
 
I build this food plot seed spreader. Just got the final touches on it yesterday.

It will be tested this weekend.

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Gettr' done..must be nice with an ATV all I have is 1970s ATC three flat tires ,ok full now till get to camp.
 
Here's a bit of a sneak peak at what I've been up to the last few days. I'll sift through the thousands of pics I have and get you guys an update after I get home.

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And yes, despite my wife's better judgement, I'm keeping the mustache for the hunting season.
 
My plans for the return trip home were modified after finding out a few of my mounts were done at the taxidermist. My audible led me to the mountains to check trail cameras and walk an area I didn't check on the way down.

I ended up picking up a few bonus sheds and bumping into a couple small groups of elk.

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I was surprised to find that I had over 18k pics on my trail cameras! 2 of them had elk in front of them almost constantly from the time I put them up to the time I checked them again.

I'll have no shortage of acceptable options when it comes to bulls.

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I don't think I could be more excited than what I am after spending 6hrs picking through each photo, and trying to make sense of the elks' patterns. There's really nothing I can do at this point other than make sure I'm ready to go and that my gear is squared away.
 
After swapping batteries and SD cards, and getting drenched by monsoons, I blasted my way to Santa Fe to pick up my mounts. As usual, Imperial did not disappoint. I've said it before, but I don't think I can overstate it, Paul and Vince are amazing artists who pour their lives into each and every animal that leaves their shop.

The memories of the hunts and the hard work that went into making them a success is what the mounts represent. I'm very thankful.

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Running out of wall space is not something I was expecting to have happen this early in my life.

*Note to self: buy a house with taller ceilings next time*

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Still not sure where the moose is going to go.
 
Impressive critters and great taxidermy work for sure.

As for the trail cam pics...I would be CRAZY excited if I were you.

Lastly, Trying to figure out what to do with the bear I killed this spring, any chance of another pic or two of your bear mount?
 
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