Thanks to everyone who replied and offered advice. Not surprisingly we didn't get our bull. We didn't see any elk, other than from the road in a field on private land. We expected this. Three days of hiking the steeps and we saw no fresh sign at all; lots of mule deer tracks and pellets, and...
Yeah, thanks for this. Great to hear that you're hunting - trying to get the "still" out of my mind. I totally agree about critter watching. I was out fishing two days ago and watched a stoat chase down and kill a chipmunk, right there on the bank, and I thought, yes, ok, this is in itself...
Thanks for the replies. I've been walking a lot, going across ridges, looking at whatever benches I can find. I'm looking at what the maps tell me is their winter habitat, I get that; mainly I'm just trying to slowly get the lay of the land. That said, the more I read the more humble I get. I'm...
Ha, I'm a ProfJ as well! Thanks for the encouragement about getting to know the local GMUs. I've been spoiled by living within spitting distance of some of the best trout streams in the country. There are elk in my back yard, basically, so I know they're here, but I know that finding them - when...
I'm getting the "glass glass glass" message consistently here. I'm supposed to be getting ready to teach in a few weeks, but instead find myself obsessively reading posts here and pretty much anything else I can. Learning a lot, but also learning just how much I have no clue about. So thanks for...
Wow, thanks for the advice and encouragement (and the awesome photos). I'm beginning to get that what I really should be looking for as summer winds down is places to glass, not necessarily what I think is sign. That's helpful. I'm also realizing that I'm going to have to learn some patience, as...
Thanks for this. Yeah, I'm realizing pretty quickly that hiking is a very different sort of activity. I think I have this idea that since I see a lot of animals when I hike, I must be pretty good at finding them. Ha, not so much. I've totally been willing to get out in the cold before dawn for...
Yeah, times have definitely changed. I went on a little tirade at a party about feed lot cattle and plastic wrapped steaks and antibiotics and all that, and pretty much emptied out the room. Maybe some prairie dog canapés?