dirtclod Az.
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- Jan 24, 2018
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Ok SFC you got me.What are choppers?Are you talking gaiters?
Old Sarge out and about for 2018.....
- Thread starter SFC B
- Start date
JohnCushman
Well-known member
Ok SFC you got me.What are choppers?Are you talking gaiters?
Those big mittens like Randy wears
Duck-Slayer
Well-known member
Congrats
Matt
Matt
dirtclod Az.
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- Joined
- Jan 24, 2018
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- 2,776
ok gottcha Cush,thanks.
duckhunt
Well-known member
Great stuff
SFC B
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JohnCushman
Well-known member
Where's all the beer and whiskey?
Addicting
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May Doug and you have safe travels!
SFC B
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SFC B
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JohnCushman
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deer_shooter
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I missed the post from last week...nice buck man!
Addicting
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Pink...?
Not every one can pull off the Camo ones like you do John......
SFC B
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Pink...?
AND Mickey Mouse!!!!
SFC B
Well-known member
Tucked in fir the night in Wellington.
dirtclod Az.
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- Jan 24, 2018
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Go gettm' SFC.
SFC B
Well-known member
Got back late Wednesday to Wellington and had some work to do. I also needed a little time to process the time on the mountain before I started writing. This trip turned into a sort of a comedy of all of the things that could go wrong/be trying when hunting public land. The trip from Wellington out was good. Doug ran well and was proving to be an upgrade for sure. There was snow on the mountains and all looked promising.
We pulled into the store at Toponas to get my obligatory 12 pack of Busch before we left the pavement. We were greeted by a sign on the window saving the store was for sale. I can't say I am surprised due to the age of the couple running it and the steady decline in the past 7 years but it will be the end of an era. If any of you have an extra 300k sitting around you can have a store, 3 bed living quarters and 2 acres with a few out buildings.
We got off the road and started up the jeep trail to camp. It seemed with the previous week's snow the going might get greasy so we chained up on the front end. The trail was not too bad but the chains were a good idea. Going was a bit slow but uneventful. We pulled up the valley we camp in where the road ends and had a bit of a surprise. There are some guys that have been hunting 1st season the past 3 years who have been camping about 50 yards away from where we set up. We get there early and usually have a day overlap. It has been pretty friendly between us so when we saw them set up exactly where we usually do I have to say I was a bit peeved. They have every right to be where they want but just isn't really cool IMO.
We adjust fire and set up camp with the new Davis CPO got this year. The alternate site was a little challenging but very serviceable. Unloaded and the space in the new tent is great. Took the next 2 days cutting some firewood getting ready. Thursday our buddy Kevin from Wisconsin, a last minute yes, showed. It was great to have him in camp as he is a positive guy and makes camp better. Things were looking good for the area too as there were only a couple of other camps in the area.....that was until mid Friday. 3 camps magically appeared near us that none of us have seen before (there is usually a fairly steady crowd in the area from year to year).
Opening day comes and we head off to various vantage points to glass and look at how things were moving on the mountain. From the get go things got a bit froggy. In every drainage we had people looking over there were yahoos literally just wandering around. On the meadow I was over I had two dudes walk right down the middle 20 minutes after shooting light. I was in orange and stood to get their attention. They were so clueless they didn't even notice me until they got within whisper range (about 50 feet) and they heard my "HEY!!" All they did was stop turn around and start stumbling back the way they came. Highlight of my day was having a little pine martin walk within 5 feet of me. Pretty cool. It was similar stories all around the area.
On Sunday the story got a little better. CPO took his boy out and although another 2 (different) dudes did a similar walkabout right past them they were able to connect on a forky who walked out about 5 minutes after they past. There was meat on the pole
The next 2 days were the same. Every drainage we would get to early, get high and be ready to glass looking for animals would end up with groups of these guys just stumbling through absolutely clueless. It was pretty disheartening. That being said, time in camp was still great. We had good food, we drank some beer and told stories. The scenery was as beautiful as ever and I had plenty of time to just sit and be.
On the way out we slowed by each camp and were a little bewildered to see plates from all over. We counted Utah, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Arizona and Oregon. The whole thing is so strange as where we hunt is pretty obscure. There is no public access sign at the turn onto the jeep trail, it is mostly surrounded by private and just not well known. There is no way anyone just happens upon it. I don't know what led all these guy to it but it was very strange.
The trip home was an uneventful one. We made it back to Wellington and then did some butchering the next day. Not what we had hoped for but STILL great time with friends and in God's creation. I don't know if I will get a shot at anymore hunting this year but will be looking for any opportunity I can swing, maybe some waterfowl. Here are some pics....enjoy
BTW, the pics of the cattle are the same damn rancher running cattle again.....this time it happened to be the last day of 1st season though as we were setting up.
We pulled into the store at Toponas to get my obligatory 12 pack of Busch before we left the pavement. We were greeted by a sign on the window saving the store was for sale. I can't say I am surprised due to the age of the couple running it and the steady decline in the past 7 years but it will be the end of an era. If any of you have an extra 300k sitting around you can have a store, 3 bed living quarters and 2 acres with a few out buildings.
We got off the road and started up the jeep trail to camp. It seemed with the previous week's snow the going might get greasy so we chained up on the front end. The trail was not too bad but the chains were a good idea. Going was a bit slow but uneventful. We pulled up the valley we camp in where the road ends and had a bit of a surprise. There are some guys that have been hunting 1st season the past 3 years who have been camping about 50 yards away from where we set up. We get there early and usually have a day overlap. It has been pretty friendly between us so when we saw them set up exactly where we usually do I have to say I was a bit peeved. They have every right to be where they want but just isn't really cool IMO.
We adjust fire and set up camp with the new Davis CPO got this year. The alternate site was a little challenging but very serviceable. Unloaded and the space in the new tent is great. Took the next 2 days cutting some firewood getting ready. Thursday our buddy Kevin from Wisconsin, a last minute yes, showed. It was great to have him in camp as he is a positive guy and makes camp better. Things were looking good for the area too as there were only a couple of other camps in the area.....that was until mid Friday. 3 camps magically appeared near us that none of us have seen before (there is usually a fairly steady crowd in the area from year to year).
Opening day comes and we head off to various vantage points to glass and look at how things were moving on the mountain. From the get go things got a bit froggy. In every drainage we had people looking over there were yahoos literally just wandering around. On the meadow I was over I had two dudes walk right down the middle 20 minutes after shooting light. I was in orange and stood to get their attention. They were so clueless they didn't even notice me until they got within whisper range (about 50 feet) and they heard my "HEY!!" All they did was stop turn around and start stumbling back the way they came. Highlight of my day was having a little pine martin walk within 5 feet of me. Pretty cool. It was similar stories all around the area.
On Sunday the story got a little better. CPO took his boy out and although another 2 (different) dudes did a similar walkabout right past them they were able to connect on a forky who walked out about 5 minutes after they past. There was meat on the pole
The next 2 days were the same. Every drainage we would get to early, get high and be ready to glass looking for animals would end up with groups of these guys just stumbling through absolutely clueless. It was pretty disheartening. That being said, time in camp was still great. We had good food, we drank some beer and told stories. The scenery was as beautiful as ever and I had plenty of time to just sit and be.
On the way out we slowed by each camp and were a little bewildered to see plates from all over. We counted Utah, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Arizona and Oregon. The whole thing is so strange as where we hunt is pretty obscure. There is no public access sign at the turn onto the jeep trail, it is mostly surrounded by private and just not well known. There is no way anyone just happens upon it. I don't know what led all these guy to it but it was very strange.
The trip home was an uneventful one. We made it back to Wellington and then did some butchering the next day. Not what we had hoped for but STILL great time with friends and in God's creation. I don't know if I will get a shot at anymore hunting this year but will be looking for any opportunity I can swing, maybe some waterfowl. Here are some pics....enjoy
BTW, the pics of the cattle are the same damn rancher running cattle again.....this time it happened to be the last day of 1st season though as we were setting up.
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dirtclod Az.
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jan 24, 2018
- Messages
- 2,776
Nice pics,Thanks.Great Adventure.
