There is a quota of 3000 caribou (1500 bulls and 1500 cows) for this area, and as of last night there have been only 682 bulls and 648 cows taken. The last week had only about 200 bulls and 200 cows taken. So it is not looking like there is any danger of the season being closed. Yahoo!
My hunting partners are leaving tomorrow, Sunday and will begin setting up camp and then hunting.
Weather forecast is looking good. After some snow showers on Monday night it is supposed to clear and be sunny and mid 50's Tuesday through Sunday the 6th. After that who knows, but having such good weather early is good and not that common.
Moose season starts September 1st. Brown/grizzly bear season is open already. We always see grizz tracks, but in 5 years hunting this area we have yet to actually see a bear, even when watching gut piles!!
Did I mention that I am excited??!!
Better get off here and go for a run and start doing more laundry and packing and loading!!!
I leave for Mt. on Thursday and I am nearly as excited as you. My only concern are all the fires and closures. Send some rain down if you don't mind.
My hunting partners have arrived at our spot and are chasing caribou as I type!!
Worst part is trying to get back into shape after almost 3 months off due to a calf/achilles. On a 1 hour run today I was stung by a wasp for the 4th time in the last 3 weeks. Really not good for someone allergic to bees/wasps.
Have an epi pen packed for the trip. Hope I don't have to use it. But better to have it than not have it and ending up needing it. When I get stung, I am useless the rest of the day while the benadryl and epinephrine do their jobs! Guess it is better than the alternative....dying from getting stung!!
Was sheep hunting MT Harper unit and had a cow moose go thru a pass we were using at 5,500 feet. Was above the sheep.
Sleep or just plain bone headedness took over early. My wife gave me $200 cash to use to make a cc card payment, then use the card for grocery shopping for the trip. Took my list to the store, filled my cart and went to the checkout. Went to pay and........card not authorized. Tried again, card not authorized. Ugh. Checked with the bank, and despite making the payment in person, in cash, the payment was still pending. So...had to leave a cart with a couple hundred dollars of groceries in the cart at the checkout. Why didn't't I just use the cash for shopping???? No idea.
Then went home and spent 2-1/2 hours searching for my moose call I.g cone. This was my 3rd time looking/searching. Couldn't find it. Tore apart she'd...not there, not in any of my 3 vehicles.not in any of the rooms in the house. Wtf? I go pick up my sonfrom school, dropped him off with mom to go to the state fair, and head home after filling the 5 gallon propane tank.
I get home, search the shed, vehicles and house again. Finally go into the boiler room to get a biscuit for our dog Hannah and see 4 boxes of junk. Forgot my wife had put them there and......in the last box I look in there is the cone.
That is the last item that was missing. Now all that is left is grocery shopping.....again......and one tiny load of laundry.
Friday morning at 9 AM and I will be on the road.
So, that is 4 wasp stings in less than 3 weeks, way too many items where they shouldn't have been, and way too much wasted time searching for stuff. Oh, and an 8 year old that keeps waking me up at least 6 times a night. So very little sleep for me.
Hopefully the trip will go smoother andthe moose and caribou gods will look down favorably on me and throw me no more curveballs. And I hope they will be kind enough to allow me a caribou and moose for my freezer.
Now, the only problem will be sleep. Since Sunday I have had a ton of trouble sleeping since I can't get my mind off the hunt!
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Got a report from my hunting buddy and his wife who have been there for 4-1/2 days already. They said they have seen a lot of caribou, but mostly cows and calves. Bulls won't be far behind. Also have seen a bunch of bull moose and they have been coming to calls already. Problem is they have been sub legal bulls. In the area we hunt they have to be only a spike or fork on one side or....... Have 4 brow tines on one side, or.....be 50 inches wide or bigger. Nah not complicated. The bulls that have come to calls so far have been all in betweeners. That does bode well for the next few weeks for us. The bigger bulls will soon be following the lead of these smaller bulls and coming to calls.
I will be dreaming of moose and caribou tonight!!
