Gettin' ready for prime time! We got at least 7 bucks of various sizes on camera moving about, but the "Masher" has been a no show so far. SOON!

BANG!

Can't fuckin wait! One more day of prep stuff, and it's on.

Fish on...

Todd

Good luck!

Yep, good luck.
Don't get bar eaten.

It's finally here. I'm headed out tomorrow to get a little more scouting in until my White River bull tag opens Saturday. I took work off through the week, so I should get a bull if I can find the right one and get him to hold still long enough for me to get him with my muzzy. From what I've been seeing, it should be good!

Good luck to everyone who gets to hunt starting Saturday!

Excited to see your pics!!

Go git' em WSU! That's a great tag!

OK, time for Salmo's non-hunting report. As per usual, the yard is full of deer again this year. Fortunately they have been staying off the front porch, but they are checking ever inch of the exclosure fencing around my raised bed garden area. More bucks than ever this year, but I've only seen spikes and fork horns. And this seems to happen every year; I haven't seen an antlered animal in the last 3 weeks. I think a memo goes out to them every year that early archery season opens Sept. 1 or thereabouts. Funny how all the bucks get scarce around the end of summer every year. I really should get a game camera and mount it on our deer "freeway" to get some idea of just how many of these hooved varmints inhabit the neighborhood.

I have a bear story too. Two weeks ago I was fishing on the Madison River up a trail from a public access. On my way out that afternoon I could see a couple people at the access waving their arms over their heads toward me. For a moment I thought they were mistaking me for my well-known popular friend and were just happy to see me coming to the parking area. Then I overheard them yelling, "There, there!" Huh? So I yelled back, "There where?" Still hiking along, I could now hear that they were saying, "Bear! Bear!" So naturally I said, "Where?" "In the brush right in front of you!" they responded. Oh. So I yelled, "Black bear?" They replied, "Yes." So I reached for the can of bear spray in my pack's side pocket and let my wading staff drag and clank along the trail and began talking my usual and best Alaska and Kamchatkan "Hey bear, hey bear," and walked forward on the trail which became extremely brushy there because it was a riparian area along a small creek that ran into the big river. And sure enough, Mister Blackie was sufficiently disturbed by my conversation that he climbed up the hill from this brushy berry patch until he was about 10' above and 20' west of the trail. So I kept talking to him and walked over to the access area where my car was parked. I had no sooner reached the parking lot and the bear came right back down into the brush and resumed chomping on the berries he had been feasting on. I met the couple who had warned me of the bear's presence and thanked them. If they hadn't been there and seen the bear, the brush is so thick on the trail at that one spot that I would have literally run smack into the bear before I saw it. I think that is only the second, maybe third, time that I have encountered a black bear that didn't zoom off full speed away when I came upon them. This guy just didn't want to leave his berry patch and was willing to move aside for a minute while I walked through his territory. Then I got to thinking, just before I began hiking out, another angler came hiking up into the canyon, and he too would be hiking out at some point in the late afternoon or early evening. I hope the bear was finished with the berry patch by then.

Oh, the trout fishing was just so-so, and the biggest brown came unhooked and got away.

A few Septembers ago the wife and I hiked into Cascade Lake in Yellowstone to chase grayling. We gave up on the lake and were cruising along the shoreline looking for the outlet. First, we found an area about 20x20 where the grass was all matted down. There were some pieces of elk hair and a very few pieces of bone. After doing the standard (for me) but probably dumb thing of looking closely at the carnage we went on fishing. After talking with the wolf bio about which pack probably killed the elk I sort of arrived at the conclusion that the wolves killed the elk, ate some, and then the Griz cleaned up. The next time we went to Yellowstone we carried bear spray. Never saw anything, but I suspect that "they" saw us.

Salmo - I have an extra game camera if'n you really want to check out what's out there. They go nocturnal as soon as their velvet comes off. A couple of ours were on daytime camera Sept 1st with velvet and on the 2nd, the velvet was already off and they haven't been seen during the day since. It's pretty amazing how fast they can shed their velvet.

The velvet gnome is the problem.
Spook the chit out of about anything.......................except bigfoot.

After the past few weeks I've had, I'm really looking forward to the season starting tomorrow morning. This blue bird weather is going to suck, but at least I'll be sitting in a tree stand watching squirrels act a fool.

Less than 24 hours to go...

Indeed! Looking forward to getting to our zone tonight and being ready to go in the morning.

Fish on...

Todd

Best of luck to you both!

I'm off to Curlew for a week so hoping for a tasty twinkie (ie whitetail).

After all these years I'm still not used to watching them run off like a dog. Just seems wrong. Which is why I prefer to watch them run off until they run out of blood and drop like they hit a trap door

So it begins...good luck out there!

Fish on...

Todd

Was out all day yesterday 7am till dark, saw 3 does but that was it.

I hunted some small units, Christmas trees and reap rod all within 2 miles of my house, saw little sign. Did some rattling and calling, had one doe come in to a fawn in distress. No sign of the rut starting over here yet.

We need some bad weather to get the deer moving around during daylight.

I had not seen any bucks around all summer, so I figured they were all nocturnal but after going out yesterday into my usual spots that I know are big buck bedding areas I found little sign, only one fresh rub, so that has got me scratching my head since these areas always have good bucks occasionally eager to come into a rattle session and some grunts. Did not hear so much as a twig break on one coming into check the situation out, which is odd, I have found that if you can get within 100 yards of a bedding location more times than not they will come into a rattle, most times you wont see them but you generally always hear them when they get close trying to wind you or spy you.

I blew a chance once on a masher 4 point, 150 class, He came in hard in some Christmas trees, head down and grunting he got 5 yards from me standing broadside only problem there was a Christmas tree between me and him the whole time. He stood there confused for a few seconds so I figured I had to try and shoot him, All I had on me was a scoped riffle so I poked it through the tree pointed it at his shoulder and pulled the trigger, I figure the shot deflected off a branch as he just stood there for a second before swiftly zig zagging away. Now when I rattle in the brush I carry my short barreled 870 loaded with buckshot and a 10mm Glock (220 grain hard cast double taps) so I can shoot right through the brush. Buckshot kills them pretty good within 20 yards and Id shoot out to 50 with the pistol if I have time for a good shot.

Besides the blue bird skies, it was a nice opening weekend for Todd and I. There was pretty good animal movement considering the weather. I had a small 2x2 stop by yesterday morning, but I let him walk. The "Masher" is back in town and is bigger than ever. He made a 9 am appearance on camera yesterday and had if Todd or I elected to sit in that particular stand, we be posting him here today.

One of these days, we'll be in the right place at the right time. Until then, happy hunting!

You do realize that the "Masher" has his own trail cam system that lets him know where you guys are at any time.