Idaho Outdoors

Our New Website!!!!!

2010-01-14T10:32:00.001-08:00

The Blog has evolved, and now we have an actual website!!!! http://www.outdoorsmanspursuit.com/ I will continue to post material here, but this blog will evolve into more of a private blog, vs posting as much material from others. Come check out the new site, and join, submit photos, submit stories, etc...the site is open to all people and outdoor pursuits!!!!!!

Jan. 2010

2010-01-11T09:56:00.001-08:00

Buck Frozen into the ice...broke a shovel trying to get the horns out....had to come back the next day with a pick axe.

Otter playing on the ice of the Clearwater

Wolf Kill on the ice of the Selway.....

My first Muzzleloader Buck, 10 degree buck....

2009-12-09T08:51:00.001-08:00

Well, I hunted hard, as usual, this year for whitetail. I passed on plenty of decent bucks (such as the one I shot with the camera below) and had missed opportunities on some trophy bucks...was beginning to think I had a Wolf curse, especially after having snow fall out of a tree and into my scope while a huge mountain buck ran off......

I ended rifle season without punching my tag, so I thought I would give a late muzzle loader season a try. I've never taken a game animal with a muzzle loader, so thought it would be a fun and challenging experience. I hunted a day on the Selway, with little luck, and being down to the last day and a half of the season, I set out with my good friend Donny to hunt some areas he has access to.

It has been bitter cold the last few days, and figured the deer would be needing to move to eat and stay warm in the sub-zero overnight temps. The temperature had however warmed up to ten degrees when we set out on an afternoon hunt.

We saw some deer, out of range of the muzzle loaders, and the cold temps were causing all sorts of havoc with the camera and other optics...as you can see in the frosty deer pic above. We were walking a canyon rim when two bucks came running out into the field about 75 yards in front of us. I pulled up the muzzle loader and put the open sights on the largest of the two, and as he slowed his run to a trot at about 125 yards, I held at the top of his front shoulder and fired. He immediately folded with the impact of the 295 grain lead slug, then spun and ran about 30 yards crashing into a fence and brush, where he piled up.

He wasn't the biggest buck I'd seen this fall, I passed on quite a few larger than him earlier in the season, but for my first muzzle loader buck I was excited, and definitely will have to do more muzzle loader hunting in the future......he turned out to be about a 15 inch 4x5, not bad for only one day of season left, and he will make some fine eating for the winter months ahead....

Magazine's Myself or my Photos are in.

2009-11-30T16:47:00.000-08:00

Wolf hunting story and photo

Wolf Hunt story and pics

Detailed Wolf Hunt article written by myself and my photos

Wolf Photo

Deer Camp Photo

Will also be in future March issue of Field and Stream and have a photo in the March issue of National Geographic.......buy a copy or get a subscription!!!!!!

More 2009 Youth Success

2009-11-30T10:15:00.001-08:00

The older Weddle Brothers filling more tags!!!
Brent Weddle packing out his 2009 Whitetail.

Garret Weddle with his nice 2009 Whitetail...

Joe's 2009 Whitetail

2009-11-20T08:45:00.000-08:00

My Cousin Joe Sams and his 2009 Whitetail Buck....at least I'm not the only one who shoots off horns (my 2008 mule deer) thanks for making me not feel alone!!!!!

Darren's Yotes

2009-11-20T08:44:00.000-08:00

My cousin Darren Weddle and a couple Prairie Canyon Coyotes....great pic Darren!!!

Jason's Whitetail 2009

2009-11-12T19:36:00.000-08:00

I helped my Brother In-Law take this really nice 18 inch 4 point whitetail. It was a fun hunt, and he made a great downhill shot in some very steep and nasty terrain.

2009 Bull Run Elk Hunt, An Opening Day 6 Point Double

2009-11-09T12:51:00.000-08:00

The backcountry base camp...everything brought in on foot.......doing it the hard way....

Jerry, Glassing no tell'um ridge for elk......

Dustin and his great Idaho 6 point!!!!

Dustin's Bull was about as big bodied as they come....lots of work getting bulls out of the backcountry on foot....no easy way to do it.....

Now that's a backstrap!!!

Jerry and his brother Jeff with Jerry's very nice 6 point. Jerry took the Bull while packing out Dustin's elk!!!!

Jeff, Dustin, and Jerry.............

Jerry and his very nice Idaho Bull!!!

An opening day 6 point double.....will be hard to ever do again.....

Bloody, fun work...................

After the meat is taken care of, the victory packout.............

Packing out a couple well earned Bulls!!!!

Steven's 1st Whitetail

2009-11-09T12:46:00.001-08:00

Dustin took his brother in law out yesterday and he shot his first whitetail buck. Steven made an excellent shot at 400 yards through both shoulders using Dustin's 300 ultra. Congratulations Steven!

Jim's 2009 Mule Deer

2009-11-03T13:44:00.000-08:00

Fog Filled Canyons don't make for the best glassing, but they are pretty.....

Jim's very Nice 26.5 inch Mule Deer....lots of bucks passed up and time put in to take this very nice buck!!

Katie's Halloween Buck 2009

2009-11-03T10:56:00.000-08:00

Fog through the Timber in the Clearwater National Forest

Katie's National Forest Whitetail

Donny's 2009 Mule deer.

2009-10-29T09:26:00.000-07:00

A very nice and Deep Forked Mule Deer!!! Congrats Donny!!!

Youth Hunters have tagged a couple!!!

2009-10-26T13:57:00.000-07:00

Austin 12 years old, Donny's oldest took his first deer, this nice 4x4 Muley!!!

Hunting Prairie Canyons

Dustin, helped his friend Aaron get his Nephew Caleb age 17 this realy nice 4x4 Muley!!

Glassing Prime Deer country

Some mule deer bucks, to small for Jim's draw tag, but good enough to shoot with the camera...

2009 Elk Hunting, opening weekend

2009-10-13T13:03:00.000-07:00

This year I was going to hunt the opening weekend of Elk Season with my good friend Jim. His plan was for us to mountain bike our gear a few miles back in behind a gate on some old skid roads, then hunt from there. He had taken an elk in there the year before, and it seemed as good as any place for my Elk hunting season.
We loaded packs, and a small trailer Jim pulled behind his bike and headed in the day before opener. I hadn't road a bike in well over a decade, but managed to not wreck...more coasted downhill, and pushed the bike uphill... all in all it wasn't a bad way to get in to camp. We set up a rough spike camp, and tried to make things as comfortable as a mummy bag and small Bivy tent can be. We were welcomed to the woods this year by mother nature throwing record cold temps at us...I am pretty sure we were in the single digits the first night.

Opening morning, I went with Jim at daylight, to check out the area he took his bull in the previous season. After sunrise, we did some glassing. I told Jim I would head an opposite direction for the day, so we could cover more ground. I hiked several miles, and found some great hunting ground and terrain. I saw two whitetail bucks, one of which was a nice 17 inch 4 point, but not big enough for this early in the season, and 6 miles from the gate. I attempted to get some pics of the bucks as they walked within 30 yards of me, but my batteries died in the camera due to the cold. By the time I fumbled with the pack for new batteries the bucks winded me and took off. I continued to wander for the day, enjoying being in the mountains during my favorite time of year. I found lots of fresh elk sign, including some rubs, but no elk crossed my path.

I returned to camp and enjoyed a hot evening meal around the fire. I began to worry about Jim when darkness fell and he had not returned. I turned on the radio to try and call, but no reply. As hours went by, I worried more, thinking either he had something down and was dealing with it, or had some other situation arise and was huddled around a fire somewhere in the cold dark woods for the night...hoping he had not injured himself to the point of not getting a fire started. Finally at about 9:30 I tried the radio one last time (before going to bed and starting a search for him at daylight) and Jim came across in reply, asking if I had any plans for the morning as he had shot an elk. Upon his return to camp, he informed us he had hit an elk right before dark, and had tried to trail it, but his batteries gave out in the flashlight. He had built a fire and warmed for awhile before hiking back to camp. During his hike he had to shuffle his last working batteries between his light and GPS, and thought he had wolf go past him in the dark, as he only could see its eyes in his dim light.

The next morning, we strapped on the pack frames and went looking for his elk. We scoured the place where Jim had shot the bull, but could not find a single drop of blood, or piece of hair. There were so many elk tracks in the area, we couldn't figure out which way the bull had gone. 4 hours into the search, we jumped some more elk, and without a single sign of Jim's bull, I told him I would go after them while he searched. After chasing elk for a few hours and a couple miles I heard another guy from our camp come across the radio to inform us he had found Jim's elk. He had wandered down to check on us, and in a stroke of luck walked right up to the bull.
I had struck out on relocating the jumped elk, so cruised back to help with the found bull.

Upon inspection, Jim had made a good heart shot, but the bullet didn't exit...I think he was so close to the bull, his bullet blew up, causing massive internal damage, but not leaving a blood trail. Somehow with a bullet through the heart, this bull had made its way uphill and to the right several hundred yards, while from the noises Jim heard we thought the bull had gone down to the left....The Bull was a nice 6x7, with very nice sword points, one of which flattened out into 2 points on the tip.

After taking some quick pics, we set to work taking care of the elk. Night and falling temps were coming quick, so we set upon boning out the meat.

After getting the meat bagged, Jim and I both took half, electing to try our luck with overloaded packs vs making a second trip. Jim's friend Chris didn't have a pack frame, so he volunteered to take the horns and head out. We had about a 4 1/2 mile trip up out of there, heading cross country to a skid road that would lead to a gate near where our vehicles were. We made it to the skid road before dark, but while trudging up the road darkness swept over us. Chris and Jim got out ahead of me, as we all set into our own pace while dealing with the weight of our loads. While taking a break leaning up against a cut bank I heard something in the brush above me. I figured it was just a deer, so continued on. Upon stopping again, I heard the brush rattling again, and after a couple more occasions could tell something non-hooved was following me. My headlamp was growing dim from the cold, and I had well over 100 pounds of bloody elk meat strapped to my back, so I was a little unnerved about having who knows what trailing me. I had a little .38 pistol, so I drew it, and walked on with it in hand. I was about to the point of stopping to build a fire, as my back had started to spasm, causing flashes of light in my eyes, which I figured was not a good sign, on top of something trailing me, when I saw a light come around the corner ahead of me. It was Jim hiking back in to help with the load. Once we met up, Jim informed me we were almost to the truck, and we split my pack for the last 1/4 mile.....the tail lights of the waiting truck at the gate were a beautiful sight....

We elected to spend the night in my FJ versus walking back into camp in the darkness and the car thermometer reading 10 degrees cemented the decision. After a restless night of sleeping in the bucket seats, running the car and heater every hour or so we set off at daylight to break camp and pack it out. After half a day of hiking and biking we were done, and more than ready to head home for a hot shower, Excedrine, and a warm bed.........

Congrats Jim on a very fine Idaho Bull!!!!!!!

Dustin's 1st Idaho Pronghorn!!! 2009 Congrats Dustin!!

2009-10-01T09:00:00.000-07:00

Whitetail Pics from scouting

2009-09-24T11:33:00.000-07:00

Updates on the Scenery Blog

2009-09-09T11:31:00.000-07:00

Lots of updates and pics on http://sceneryofidaho.blogspot.com/ be sure and check them out as well......here are a couple recent samples...

Dustin's First Archery Mule Deer, "The Barefoot Buck"

2009-09-08T09:29:00.000-07:00

Well, Saturday was the first day I could get out and do a little bow hunting. I have wanted to get a nice Mule Deer with my bow for a few years now, and with no special permits, your choices are pretty limited in Idaho. There isn't a lot of great opportunities for over the counter trophy Mulies. However, there is a unit that has a archery season that has some good Mule Deer opportunities. I decided to go into a spot that is very steep, comprised of rocky bluffs intermingled with thick brush. The bucks like to bed at the base of the bluffs and if you can spot one bedded, there is a chance to get above and gain a shot opportunity.
When my alarm went off on Saturday, I thought of a million reasons to sleep in; it’s going to be too hot……I’m too tired……….maybe I should just sleep in? But that’s really not my style; I live for this stuff, so here I go, up and at ‘em. I walked out through the freshly harvested wheat field and headed out towards the breaks of the canyon. As I make my way around the steep canyon, I didn’t see a whole lot, mostly does and small bucks. The sun was up and once the sun hits those deer they are looking to bed somewhere cool. I was thinking about hiking out and coming back for an evening hunt when a couple deer caught my eye. One look at the lead deer and I knew he was a shooter for me with my bow. I have taken some decent bucks with my rifle, but have never taken a buck with Archery. They were headed for a draw with a lot of bluffs and really thick brush. I thought that if I could cut them off by ambushing them atop one of the bluffs, I might have my opportunity. Well, no such luck. By the time I spotted the herd, they were well out of range with no opportunity to get closer. There are a lot of rock slides and I don’t care how you try it, you can’t be silent in that stuff. I spotted the biggest buck and he seemed to have split off from his buddies and was feeding towards the top end of this canyon…….a box canyon with 100+ foot cliffs! When he fed behind some smaller bluffs, I saw my opportunity to close the distance. I figured if I spooked him oh well, I can’t shoot him at 150 yards; I needed to take the chance. It was real noisy going and I ended up spooking the other five deer, they were running and thrashing making their way through the thick stuff. My heart sank……..I surely blew it; no way would that buck be in the last place I saw him right? I decided to sneak up and peek over the bluff as if I expected him to be there. I couldn’t believe it; there he was, bedded and looking in my direction! He must have heard me and decided to stay put to see what was making that noise. I sat and watched him at 86 yards for about an hour. I stayed hunkered down to make sure as not to spook him. He finally got up and made his way to bed at the top of the box canyon……….right below the big cliffs!

It took me about half an hour to navigate through the rough stuff to the top of the mountain to where I could see into the top of the box canyon. I knew was bedded in some really thick stuff. Many different strategies ran through my head, I wasn’t sure if I would even be able to see him once I got above him. When I go to the top, I used my binocs to try to glass him in the thick stuff. I almost couldn’t believe my luck, I had stopped at the perfect angle and I could see his tail and hindquarters in the brush. I could see the edge of the cliff below me and I figured that might put me in range. As I got towards the edge I got that real dizzy feeling, I don’t really like heights all that well, but this is the kind of cliff you only fall off of one time………your last time! So here is the buck I’ve been bird doggin’ for two hours, bedded straight below me, quartered away, but with some brush over his vitals. I decide right there that would wait him out all day if that’s what it took. I looked at my watch, it was 10:00…………I had to ask myself, why did I only bring one bottle of water and leave my lunch in the truck? I sat there until twelve and decided that he probably wouldn’t be getting up until the afternoon early evening feed. I decide to go grab more water and my lunch if I was going to be on stakeout for the rest of the day.

I got back to my perch around 1:00 and saw the buck was still bedded……he had moved while I was gone. I cursed myself for being impatient. Now he was bedded facing me, I figured I would have to wait until evening when he left to go feed before I would get my chance. The sun was beating down and my feet were hot and sweaty. I thought since I was sitting doing nothing, I might as well take off my shoes, and dry out my socks in the sun. About 3:15 the buck started to stir. Barefoot, I grabbed my bow and knocked an arrow. I figured with the steep downward angle that I would lose about ten yards from the trajectory. He started to quarter away, I drew back took careful aim and let her rip! This had to be one of the coolest things I had ever seen. Watching that arrow drop out of space, this buck has no clue in the world that danger is above him. I felt like a cougar waiting to pounce this thing! I watched my arrow drift into space and crack! Down he went, right in his tracks! I didn’t want to take any chances…..so I put another arrow in him. He started to thrash around and got his antlers tangled in a tree (what a blessing!) he kicked for a few minutes and that was that. I couldn’t believe it, first buck with a bow! Now I just had to get him out…….all by myself. I finally got to the truck about 8:00 that night, tired but happy. I wish one of these days I would shoot something that I could ride or drive to…………especially if I’m gonna pull this stuff by myself. Oh well, if you’re gonna be stupid you gotta be tough!

Wolves Howling

2009-09-03T14:30:00.001-07:00

The wolves howling around me as I sat in the dark awaiting daylight, turn up those speakers!!!

My first, and very successful day of Wolf Hunting.

2009-09-02T11:28:00.000-07:00

For messages, good and bad, sent to me over the wolf hunt go to http://wolfcomments.blogspot.com/

Nothing like the sun burning through the Forest Colors of late summer and early fall.

A nice moon made the evening all the better, and was a beacon for the Wolves to howl at....

After hearing the wolves howling and raising cane down in a drainage I went in before daylight to set up. At daylight I started calling, using a coyote distress call, and within 20 to 30 minutes they came in. This Female came out first, and I believe she winded me, since she turned to run as I took my shot. Even as I was skinning and taking pics after the shot the wolves were still making a rukas in the timber around me.

Glacier National Park Trip 2009 Website

2009-08-24T14:29:00.000-07:00

A very beautiful place, click on the site link below to see them all....over 400 pics....

Here is a link to the site with my Glacier National Park Photos

Over 400 pics, check them out http://www.glacier2009.blogspot.com/
Lots of great wildlife and scenery shots.

Summer Fun

2009-07-29T11:30:00.001-07:00

Playing and Swimming at Rocky Ridge Lake

Kids Enjoying a snack....

Views from Weitis Lookout

William and Quentin exploring the Rocks around Weitis Lookout

Weitis Lookout

Small Forest Life

Wild Strawberries, the best...................

Huckleberries

The candy shelf of the forest............

North Fork of the Clearwater Trip July 2009 With Timber, The Cutthroat Lab.

2009-07-22T10:15:00.001-07:00

One thing nice about having a dog for a fishing partner, they are always ready to go, and never cancel on you.....

North Fork Country

Junction Mountain Lookout

Sunset over Pot Mountain

Sunrise over Pot Mountain

Black Canyon in the early morning

Wildflowers in Black Canyon

Elizabeths Finger, Black Canyon

NF of the Clearwater in Black Canyon

Waterfall in Black Canyon

Sunrise in Black Canyon

Burned Cedars in Black Canyon

Timber on Cutthroat Point.....

16 inch Kelly Creek Cutthroat

Kelly Creek

Doesn't get much pretty than Cutthroat fishing on Kelly Creek

Kelly Creek and the Rugged NF Country

A July Day with my Boys on the Clearwater

2009-07-13T11:57:00.000-07:00

William and Quentin fighting the big one.

They will be river rats like daddy before the Summer's over.

A beautiful day on the River, perfect mix of sun, breeze, and cool water.....

Who needs a sandbox when you can have a whole beach.......

Mid summer scouting on the Praire

2009-07-08T11:25:00.001-07:00

Horns are really growing...

Sunset over the Prairie

Early July Cutthroat fishing on the Lochsa

2009-07-06T13:15:00.000-07:00

Friends Floating the Lochsa

2009-06-30T12:09:00.000-07:00

Some of my friends floating the Lochsa 6/28/2009. I had a wedding to attend the night before, so was uanble to go on the trip, had to settle for following with the camera.

Lochsa at Wilderness Gateway, Boulder Creek

Lochsa Falls

June 2009

2009-06-22T12:28:00.001-07:00

Pilot Knob from Elk City Wagon Road

Cousins and their kids fishing Fenn Pond, Selway

Morel Mushroom

Grouse

Spring trip with the kids up the Lochsa.

2009-06-18T10:58:00.001-07:00

Rafters Enjoying the Natural Roller Coaster Ride

Kayaker Being Buried by the Lochsa

Kids playing in the sand along the Banks of the Lochsa

Blooming Bear Grass

Spring Wildflowers in Bloom on the Lochsa

Still a little snow in the High Country.

Whitetail Hiding in the Wild Roses

Spring Drive Near Pierce Idaho

2009-06-03T15:46:00.001-07:00

A scruffy Moose enjoying the Spring Green....

A sea of Camas in the Mountain Meadows around Pierce, a dedicated gardner could not produce a more brilliant show of nature.

Camping with my boys, the next generation in training

2009-06-01T13:18:00.001-07:00

William and Quentin bear hunting.......

Hiking with dad.

Hanging with Timber Dog.

Mcomas Meadows with the Gospel Hump covered in snow beyond....

Garret's first Bear.

2009-06-01T13:07:00.000-07:00

My cousin Darren's son Garret, and his first bear, a nice 7+ footer.

Spring Trip to South Idaho 2009, Dustin's Bachelor weekend/Varmint Safari

2009-05-05T14:28:00.000-07:00

Black Bird

Jerry and Dustin Looking over some Elk Hunting ground. Jerry spotted a bear in the little opening to the right of Dustin's shoulder, it made for a day long hike down into that hole in pursuit.

Blond bear, long ways out so a little blurry. They earned an A+ for effort going after it but were unable to close the deal.

A shed I drug up from a deep dark hole.

Waiting by a fire for Dustin and Jerry to return from chasing the blond bear.

Some desert Muley's

Sunset over our varmint camp outside of Jordan Valley

Doing some long range varmint hunting on the National Guard range.

Blackhawks flying over ahead of a thunderstorm.

Getting hits out to 300 yards on some 4 inch tall by 1 inch wide targets. A good spotter is a must.

The gang of varmint hunters with Clyde's badger, left to right, Dustin, Myself, Clyde, Jerry, and Donny.

Sunset over the Boise Valley from the Mountains above.

Jason and Landon's Turkey Hunt

2009-04-28T08:30:00.000-07:00

Jason and Landon went hunting for turkey today. They found two jakes with a hen and even though it wasn't a big tom Landon convinced Jason he wanted him to get this jake. :) He wouldn't let Jason pack it out to the pickup either. I had to get his bloody pants to show who did the grunt work! :)

Spring Pics on the Breaks of the South Fork of the Clearwater

2009-04-22T11:38:00.000-07:00

The grouse had Love on the brain and were out and about strutting their stuff.

Gospels still covered in snow.

Steelhead Running Selway Falls, April 2009

2009-04-20T11:17:00.000-07:00

Click on images to see full size

Strutting for the Lady's

2009-04-16T10:14:00.001-07:00

Jim's Coyote

2009-04-07T08:52:00.000-07:00

Jim took a nice coyote while out to fill his depredation deer tag.

Badger Encounter

2009-04-06T10:40:00.001-07:00

While out horn hunting I had a run in with a badger with an attitude problem. I at first could not tell what was moving in the grass at my feet, then it turned and raised its head. I did not have a gun with me, but my buddy who was about 100 yards away had his little .380 Beretta pocket pistol. I yelled for him to hurry over as all I had between myself and a badger was my hiking pole. I managed to get the gun from my buddy and connect on my 3rd shot from about 25 feet.

I have always wanted to get a badger, as they make a really fine rug for the wall, and are impressive with the colors on their coat and their long claws and teeth.

While skinning the badger out my buddy went for a little hike and found an old rusted bucket that I used to pack the badger out. They have a strong musk smell, and I was thankful I would not have to strap it to my pack.

Some Early Spring Pics

2009-04-01T15:03:00.000-07:00

Steelhead trying to make their way upstream at Selway Falls.

Waterfowl on the Selway

Uneatin Wolf Kill

2009-04-01T14:38:00.000-07:00

A dead cow elk, aparant victim of wolves, left largley un-eatin. I have found several like this during the last couple of years. This one was on the Selway and judging by the smell was at least a week old.

This has been one of the reasons I believe the wolves have been so devestating on our elk herds in some areas, they don't just kill to eat, when elk are in a weakend state they seem to kill for sport and eat very little from each animal.

Pics for framed prints.

2009-02-25T14:08:00.000-08:00

I have given in to peer pressure and am having these pics printed and building frames for them. They are looking better than expected so far. I changed most to Black and White since I like that look along with a rustic frame.

Shed Hunting

2009-02-21T17:19:00.000-08:00

Pics from a nice Saturday of shed horn hunting.
Timber cooling off in a snow bank after working for a shed.

Timber prancing proudly with a nice 5 point shed.

A close encounter with a cow elk. Lots of game on the river breaks durring late winter.

Some Recent Winter Pics.

2009-01-26T10:59:00.001-08:00

Results from another day of shed hunting. Heavy 3x3 set, last years 5 point, and a little 4.

Scruffy Mule deer buck enjoying the late winter sun. Photo by my Mother Connie Cox

Six point shed. A deer was watching me when I found this shed, you can see it between the forks.

The deer were everywhere while I was shed hunting last Sunday. This whitetail was in no hurry to get out of my way, and slinked around in the brush as I passed by.

Elk, Deer, and Turkey's sharing the field in front of my Mother's house. Kamiah valley in the background, a rough place to have to live.

Turkey's in the Fog, Kamiah Valley.

My Cousin Joes kids and their shed horn they found.

Whitetail on the Southfork

Elk on the Southfork

A nice winter day of Firewood cutting, Red River.

Ice crystals growing out of the Snow near Red River

Eagle on the Southfork.

Shed Horn

Donny and his coyote.

Old Photos of my Grandpa, Bob Taylor.

2009-01-07T10:02:00.001-08:00

My grandfather Bob Taylor was born in 1904 in Shouns Tennesse. He came to Idaho at the age of 14 to work in the woods as an equipment operator for logging companies. He was an avid outdoorsman, and here are a few pictures of his that I thought I might share.

Early picture in TN with what was most likely moonshine and pistols, Bob on the right, may explain why he had to head west shortly there after.

Fishing North Central Idaho's trout streams 1937.

Camping In Idaho 1930's

Making a hard living working in the woods in the 1920's.

A creel full of trout in the 1940's

Bob and his dog with a bird for the pot. His 1897 Winchester 12 gauge in his right hand that I now proudly own.

His nice camping setup late 50's early 60's.

Another creel full of trout.

Bob with pheasants and his 1897 12 gauge. I have taken the old Winchester out for a couple of pheasant hunts, as much as I like to protect it, I figure he would like the fact that it still takes a bird every now and then.

Bob became a pilot and used his plane to access back country areas such as this picture at Fish Lake in the Selway Bitteroot Wilderness 1960's.

Another pic of the 1897 Winchester, his Jeep, Pheasants, and the Kamiah valley in the background.

Bob with a steelhead in the 1980's before his passing in 1988.

Pics of Quail my mother took outside her house.

2008-12-29T13:57:00.000-08:00

My first Steelhead of the Fall 2008 Season

2008-12-10T15:46:00.000-08:00

I finaly made it out to try and catch a Metal head this fall and was rewarded with this really nice male and a 25 minute plus fight. When you haven't caught one in a few months you forget how tough they can fight.

Thanksgiving Day Buck

2008-12-01T12:09:00.000-08:00

2008 Whitetail, Thanksgiving Day Buck.
I started this rifle season like many before, with a focus on filling my Elk and Mule deer tags during the month of October, and waiting to focus on my mountain whitetail during the rut of November. This year was going to be different due to a new extended season for the unit I hunt, instead of the season ending on the 20th of November, I would have until December 1st. The extra days at the end, during the peak and post rut, had me excited for the better odds of crossing paths with a bruiser buck. The other change would be that since the season continued through Thanksgiving we would be bringing up friends and family and have our Turkey Dinner in the wall tents, which sounded like a better way to get to spend quality time without the distractions of TV, phones, etc…..

We set up our camp the weekend of the 15th and I planned on hunting a few days here and there and then taking off the week around Thanksgiving. Most years we have had a lot of success around the 17th of November, but this year we had the misfortune of having clear skys and a near full moon which sent the deer into their nocturnal mode, making hunting difficult. I did manage to call in several decent bucks but none that were worthy of my tag this early in the season. I had one 5×5 in particular that was kind enough to pose for my camera as I debated taking him with my revolver since he was only 20 yards away. I decided to let him walk since he had a couple of broken points, and I was looking foward to having the extra days of the extended season to hunt. Here is a photo of this buck over the sights of my S&W 686.
I hit the deer hunting hard the week of Thanksgiving. There seemed to be more hunting pressure this year than in years past so hunting was tough. With the terrible economy, more people were out to put meat in the freezer. Some of our local sawmill workers and loggers were laid off from work, and the majority of these guys are die hard hunters, so they had more time than normal to head for the hills. Most years we can count on a good dusting of snow in mid to late November which seems to get the deer moving and concentrate them at lower elevations, but this year the weather never did us any favors and we were not blessed with getting to chase these mountain bucks in the snow. The evening before Thanksgiving I ventured out of my normal grounds to a higher elevation in an attempt to get away from areas hit by other hunters. I was walking down an old logging road, making my way back from some clearcuts before dark, when I heard a deer blow and start running towards the road thru the timber. Like an idiot I waited to pull up my rifle until I could see what the deer looked like, and by the time it registered that it was a very large buck, he was already across the road and headed out thru the dark timber. After messing up on this buck due to my picky ways, I decided it was getting late enough in the season that I needed to stop looking and maybe start thinking about actually tagging.

The morning of Thanksgiving I returned to the same spot where I saw the buck the night before. As I was approaching the exact same spot from the day before I once again heard deer blow and start running towards the road. I back peddled a couple of steps to where I had a nice clear shooting lane and put my cross hairs where I thought the deer would go. While looking thru my Burris rifle scope I saw doe, doe, doe, horns, and let a shot go from my Tikka .243. I thought for a minute I may have shot low, and began the look for blood, hair, and the signs of a connecting shot. I didn’t spot any blood but could clearly see the bucks tracks so I followed them. After about 45 yards I could see the buck ahead of me piled up over a downed cedar. Upon approach I could see he was not the large buck from the night before, and that he was a smaller horned 4×4 with a couple of broken points. He was an older deer, and I could tell he was on his downhill slide as far as antlers go, but he definitely was the scrapper of the area with his broken tines, tore up hide, and other signs of battle.
In short order I had the buck back to my vehicle and loaded up. I was a little disappointed that he was not the buck I had seen previous, and I also have a problem with shooters remorse, I love the hunt so much I hate to see it end. My mood changed however on the way back to camp and upon getting to share the experience with friends over our wonderfull turkey dinner. This has been a tough year for a lot of people in our area, but I at least had one thing to be thankful for on this day, and it was hanging on the meat pole at the edge of camp.

5x5 Mountain Whitetail I called in

2008-11-21T08:16:00.000-08:00

Looking for the fighting bucks he had heard.

Debating taking him with my pistol.

Decided he was not quite what I was after, he had some broken points.

Getting close to a nice healthy buck in full rut always makes for a great day in the woods.

I keep forgetting my camera takes video, here is a short clip as he tried to walk away.

Jason's Buck

2008-11-21T08:15:00.001-08:00

Jason's Buck

Joe's Buck

2008-11-21T08:12:00.000-08:00

My Cousin Joe's Buck
Joe's Boy's with daddy's Deer. Hunters in training.

My Mule Deer 2008

2008-10-18T19:59:00.001-07:00

Scotty and I
I filled my Mule Deer tag with a nice buck that had a 28.5 inch spread and 24 inch main beams. A good buck for the area I was hunting. Only bad part was for the first time ever I blew a horn off with my second shot when trying to finish him, but the taxidermist can fix it, so it could be worse. A nice buck, and the first taking of a big game animal that Scotty was in on, now we just have to find him a nice whitetail. I finally broke down due to peer pressure and had this buck scored, 182 gross 177 net.

Elk Hunting opening weekend 08'

2008-10-13T09:52:00.001-07:00

Went with Donny opening day above the Scott Ranch on the Breaks of the Salmon. We had fresh snow and cold temps. We saw 8 cow elk, and about 400 other hunters opening day, lots of neat country, but way too many people. Left to find Jim Saturday and ran into Bryce on the Southfork, he was on his way up to help Jim get an elk out with a horse so went along to help. Jim got a 6 point about 4 miles back up a gated road and down in a draw.

Salmon River Canyon

Austin and Donny

Scott Ranch

Jim and his Six point

Jim and me.

Bryce with Annie earning her oats.

Jim riding a bike Idaho style.

Our Redneck pack string.

Jerry's Mule deer buck.

2008-10-13T09:47:00.001-07:00

Jerry and Dustin.

Well, opening day has come and gone and it was a good one! I spotted this buck at daylight along with about 12 others, but Jerry wanted this guy. It took us about 3 hours to work into a position across the canyon from him. We closed the distance to 505 yards and Jerry decided it was a little out of range for his gun. I handed him mine, dialed the scope up and took to the spotting scope. I had the buck in Jerry’s spotting scope and never even heard him tell me he was about to shoot. I think I saw the bullet hit his ribs about the time I heard the report of the rifle. This old boy turned downhill and went about 100 yards before piling up on the hillside. We thought that was the end of it………….but mule deer hunting always has to be a little more dramatic than that! He gave it one last kick and tumbled about 300 yards through rocks, brush and trees before he landed in the creek at the bottom of the canyon. Jerry was a nervous wreck, he thought he finally shot the buck he had been salivating over, and watched him get all busted up. Well, all turned out well, the buck was fine (unless you consider he was dead!). It took us about 4 hours to quarter, cape and pack him out……..but the big ones always do!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Welcome to the club Jerry!

Dustin

Gospel Hump Wilderness pics

2008-10-06T12:47:00.000-07:00

Sunset over Square Mountain.

Square Mt. lake.

Buffalo Hump Mountain.

Gospel Lake with Rainbow.

Knob lake

Square Mountain lookout.

Pics from Guiding Elk Hunters and setting up hunting camps.

2008-10-01T12:12:00.000-07:00

The squirrels kept busy making noise and dropping pine cones on our heads while hunting.

My clients Joe and Bill by a huge cedar we found in a hidden grove off the beaten path.

Elk hunting was tough due to hot weather, full moon, and wolves that moved into the area and ran the elk out, but if nothing else I sure could find some scenic spots for a lunch break.

A grove of huge cedars in the smokey sunlight.

A herd of elk we found while going in to set up hunting camps. Bull in middle keeping an eye on his cows above.

Following the packstring on our way out after setting up a camp.

Buffalo Hump Trip.

2008-09-08T09:00:00.000-07:00

Went with Bryce and Tara into Buffalo Hump this weekend. They both drew moose tags so I went along to help. We didn't see any moose, just some sign. We camped at Wild Horse Lake campground, and drove to the end of the road Saturday. The road to Wild Horse is bad enough, but the last 18 miles is one of the worst mountain roads I've ever been on. It isn't just rough, it is down right hazardous. The crazy thing is that people have cabins back there and actually have managed to drag the materials back there to build them. The worst part is called devils stair case, and we had to walk the 4-wheelers up some of it, and winch the 2 wheel drive timberwolf to make it. After the ride Tara watched a meadow for a moose and I went for a hike to try and do a little elk calling even though I didn't have a bow or a tag for that area. After finding a good spot and calling for about 15 minutes a little 5 point came in. He was so confused that there were no cows waiting for him that I could barely get him to spook off, and he stood there stairing at me for about 20 minutes or so. I talked to Tara on the radio while he staired at me, changed batteries in my camera, and yelled at him and he just couldn't figure out what to do since I think he was so convinced a cow should be there. He wasn't a big bull, but it was fun. Video of the bull also on myspace here is the link http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=42415155

Follow Bryce and Tara into Buffalo Hump.

A 4 point Mule Deer Buck.

One of the many rugged mountain peaks of the Gospel Hump Wilderness.

I don't know how they drug all the building materials back in here for these cabins, but this one on the rocks above Hump lake was awsome.

A large dead snag near Hump Lake.

Negotiating the worste part of a very bad road. This section was called the Devils Staircase.

Wild Horse Lake

A 5 point bull I called in.

Where's the cows I heard????

Labor Day Huckleberry Picking.

2008-09-04T10:19:00.000-07:00

With the cooler summer and wet spring the berries were large this year. We had to go up in elevation to get into the ripe berries, about 5,000 ft this weekend. We found them in abundance on the Fish Butte road.

Quentin and William helping Jeff by eating what he picks.

Berries on a bush with leaves turning fall colors.

A catapiller resting on a Berry branch.

Harvest Sunset on the Camas Prairie.

2008-08-20T09:19:00.001-07:00

Click on Images for full sized Pic.

Hiking and Scouting trip into Craigs via Fog Saddle and Big Fog Mountain

2008-08-11T10:36:00.000-07:00

We took 4-wheelers up from the Selway to Fog Saddle and camped at the trailhead Friday night. On Saturday we hiked up over Big Fog Mountain and up onto a no-name peak to glass for game and check out the scenery. Neat country, and can't wait to have the time to spend a couple weeks back in the Craigs.

Trail head at Fog Saddle

Fenn Mountain peaking out behind Jesse pass on ridgline between Big Fog mountain and Gedney Mountain.

Gedney Mountain

Snow banks on the back side of Big Fog Mountain.

Canteen Meadows from Big Fog Mountain, in timbered draw below peaks.

Heading for an un-named peak to hike up onto for a view.

View of Fog Lake from un-named peak.

View of the upper Selway Country, Shissler Lookout on middle Butte behind ridgeline. You can see if you click on pic for full sized image.

Looking back at Big Fog Mountain and where we just hiked from.

My mug and Dustin on un-named peak.

Chipmunk on peak that had no fear of people. I think we will call this peak Chipmunk Mountain from now on.

Dustin Glassing with Big Fog Mountain, Fog Saddle, and Fog Mountain in Background.

Sunset over Gedney Mountain.

A 4 point whitetail in the morning hours.

Looking back at ridge and peak we climbed from our camp on Big Fog the next morning.

A large ruffed grouse on our way back to the trailhead.

Backpack Trip to Goat Lake

2008-07-29T07:27:00.000-07:00

We took a 4 day trip into the back country of the Clearwater National Forest. With the late snow melt this year we were worried that we wouldn't be able to make it into the high country. We managed to time it just right though, and were the first people this summer to make it into Goat lake. We drove to the trail head via the North Fork and Kelly creek, and came out 4 days later via the 500 road and Parachute Hill, arriving at Powell on the Lochsa.
The trail head from Black Lead Mountain. It is located off from Toboggan ridge road between Cayuse Landing and Cayuse Junction. It is about a 3 mile hike along a nice trail into Goat Lake.

Wilson Peak, Wilson Range, Clearwater National Forest.

My yellow Lab Timber with his backpack. He actually seems to enjoy wearing it??

Mountain Goats were out on the Mountain above the lake each morning. We also had a very large wolf come through camp when we first arrived at the lake. I had just laid out my pad and sleeping bag and was taking a break when I saw something moving through the timber about 60 yards away. I thought it was a deer until it came into an opening and I could see it was a wolf. it stopped and sized us up for a minute or so, then slowly trotted away. The way the wolves don't immediately take off running like bears and cougars do when they see you kinda creeps a person out, the wolves seem to size you up more, deciding if you are food or a threat. Having the wolf around camp put a little damper on things since we had to worry more about my lab and my friends nephew, and could let them run around the lake as freely.

Goat Lake. There were plentiful 12 inch cutthroat in the lake which made for some good eating when baked in tin foil over the camp fire coals with some butter, onion, lemon, and Season salt.

Cameron and Timber taking a dip.

The still reflective waters of Goat lake in the early morning.
We stopped on the Lochsa on the way out to do a bit of cutthroat fishing. We hooked into several large trout, with the largest being about 18 inches.

Cougar encounter while hiking on Fish Creek trail, Lochsa.

2008-06-14T16:26:00.000-07:00

Hiked 10 miles round trip up Fish Creek this morning with my friend Dustin looking for Bears and getting some exercise. On the way out Dustin was a couple hundred yards ahead of me, and as I rounded a corner I saw what at first I thought was some ones dog, about 15 yards away, but it lifted its head and I could see it was a lion. The lion was walking away from me, and could not hear me over the sound of the creek. It rounded a corner, so I unsnapped my holster just in case, and ran up around the corner to get some more photos. When I rounded the corner, it was still in the trail walking in Dustin's direction, like it was stalking him. I shouted "hey" to get it to look at me for a photo, and took a couple pics as it stared back. The lion then started to walk towards me. I then decided to draw my pistol and at the same time the cougar turned and ran up the bank, so I shot a couple times into the dirt just to put some fear of humans into it, since it didn't seem to be very afraid, and may have even been stalking my buddy. It was a medium sized cat, a little bigger than my Lab. Not too often you get to be that close to a cougar in the wild.

Willow RidgeObia Cabin (shack) Bridge over Fish creek past Obia's Cabin.

Deer Creek Reservoir

2008-06-09T10:01:00.000-07:00

Deer Creek is a great place to go for a relaxing day of fishing with the kids and wildlife viewing.

You can only access one end of the Reservoir by road, so it is nice to bring a boat if you have one. Deer Creek is a No Wake reservoir, but you can use gas motors.

A moose was feeding along the bank of the reservoir in the early morning.

This Eagle was battling Ospreys for fish all day long over our heads. He swooped down and grabbed a stunned trout that we had thrown back right off the bow of our boat.Between catching fish and watching the Raptors and Waterfowl our day on the water went by way too quickly.

Elk Sheds I found this Spring.

2008-05-29T09:10:00.000-07:00

Bryce with Elk sheds we mounted on synthetic skull.

Turned out nice.

High Water on the Selway Pics

2008-05-20T10:31:00.001-07:00

Lots of Birds to entertain you at Fenn Pond. Fishing wasn't any good, must not have stocked it yet. I was Hoping to get my 2 year old his first fish, his older brother caught his here last spring.

Selway falls rolling in High Water, compare to photos in previous posts.

Water was coming over the road in a few locations.

Landon and Jason's Spring Turkey.

2008-05-07T09:12:00.000-07:00

My Nephew and Brother In-Law with Spring Turkey.

Spring Overnight Backpack Trip / Spot and Stalk Bear Hunt.

2008-05-05T09:28:00.001-07:00

Back country Whitetail Buck with velvet nubs showing.

We seen several groups of elk.

Early Morning hike up to get a good perch for glassing.

Dustin inspecting one of the many waterfalls along the trail, which made for good drinking water when filtered.

Lots of snow still in the high country.

Glassing for bears and sheds.

Another elk who seemed surprised to see people.

Waterfall in a burned out cedar grove, victim to the wildfires of years past.

The country looked like it should hold allot of bears.

Stopping for a lunch of dehydrated food.

The only black bear we saw, this photo was 1000 yards away. He was in a very bad spot to get to, across a large canyon full of steep cliffs, and didn't appear to be very big.

Found other side of Elk shed.

2008-04-28T08:55:00.001-07:00

Found an Elk Shed a couple weeks ago (post below) and managed to finally make it back to look for the other side. Luckily I found it about 1/4 mile away. Dumb luck and persistence pays off some days.

More North Central Idaho In The Spring.

2008-04-23T10:38:00.000-07:00

Evening Elk. Photos a little Noisy due to low light.

Wildflowers starting to bloom on meadow creek.

Selway Falls

Hiding Grouse

Another Sunday Drive With My Boys On The Selway.

2008-04-21T10:31:00.000-07:00

Tom Turkey.

The Boys talking to deer.

A little sun between the snow on this blustery spring day.

Playing at the snow line on Ohara Creek Road.

A mountain turkey at race creek on the Selway.

A brief heavy spring snow shower on the Selway.

Another Scruffy spring whitetail.

A small Selway Elk herd.

Making The Most Of The First Really Nice Weather of 08'

2008-04-14T09:12:00.001-07:00

Elk And Deer enjoying the green grass brought on by the first warm days of spring.

The Snow Capped Gospel Hump Wilderness.

Scott with a nice 6 point elk shed I found, couldn't find the other side, but will look again.

Playing With New Camera on the Selway.

2008-04-11T10:05:00.000-07:00

Elk and Turkey's Looking for the green of spring. Photo is not the best because of low light, but way better than what my old camera would have done. My new camera is a Cannon Powershot S5 IS, we'll see how it holds up.

Geese Taking Flight.

Playing with the settings on the camera.

William checking out a waterfall created by the spring runoff up Ohara Creek.

Deer were running everywhere.

Easter trip to Lolo Hot Springs from Kamiah

2008-03-24T10:22:00.000-07:00

We took the boys to Lolo Hot Springs for a mini Easter vacation. We stayed at Lolo trail Center, it was very nice. This made for a fun family trip, lots of wildlife and scenery to see on the Lochsa and Selway, snow to play in at Lolo Pass, nice dinner at Lolo Hotsprings restaurant and bar, and ending the day with a soak in the spring water.

Tried to get a photo with the Montana sign, but the sun was to bright for the boys to cooperate.

Lots of snow at the visitors center at Lolo Pass, nice place, they had free hot coco and coffee. Nice displays and info, great place to stop for a travel break.

Moose on the Lochsa

Swollen creeks and lots of water falls this time of year, makes for some scenic vistas.

O'hara creek, Selway river.

Mule deer in the Highway.

White tail looking for green spring grasses on the Selway.

Geese making themselves at home at Fenn Ranger station on the Selway.

Turkeys on the Selway.

Lots of waterfowl on the Selway this time of year.

Quentin and William throwing rocks on the Lochsa.

Bryce's Winter Hunting trip on the Salmon River

2008-03-20T10:18:00.000-07:00

Big Horn.

Ice breaking Idaho Style.

Hunting the hard way, looking for fresh lion tracks.

The end to a long day in Idaho's back country.

Wildlife on the South Fork of the Clearwater.

2008-03-20T10:01:00.000-07:00

Steelhead Fishing and Camp.

2008-03-10T11:35:00.000-07:00

Relaxing and fishing in style.

Trying to wrestle a tent in a spring wind storm.

My Uncle Larry with a Steelhead

Our Late winter Steelhead Camp on the Clearwater between Kamiah and Greer.

Beautiful Sunrise on the Clearwater.

My Sister, Brother in-law, and my Nephew's trip to Henry's Lake.

2008-03-10T10:52:00.000-07:00

Big Horn

Moose

Henry's Lake, Near Yellowstone in Feb.

Landon helping Grandpa and Dad spawn Henry's trout.

Horn Hunting

2008-03-10T10:42:00.001-07:00

Lucky Dustin with a nice 4x4 set he found. Spring horn hunting is a great excuse to get out and tromp around. You see allot of game this time of year, and if the weather cooperates it can be absolutly beautiful in North Central Idaho in the spring time.

Above the South Fork of the Clearwater.

Racoon Hunting With The Kids.

2008-03-10T09:20:00.000-07:00

William, loaded and ready for Bear!! We took my 3 year old William and my 5 year old Nephew Landon Racoon hunting. First night time hound hunting trip for them, they had a ball.

A flashlight, glow stick around the neck so daddy can track him, snacks, and Juice, all you need for Coon Huntin'

Looking at the treed Coon.

William, Landon, Layton, and Hannah with their prize. They will have stories for a month now.

Steelhead Fishing

2008-02-21T09:17:00.001-08:00

Jim Holding My nice Female Steelhead. I managed to lose one prior to this that would have been in the 20 pound range, had it to the boat several times, but it didn't want to be caught, I was impatient and broke my 18 pound line.

Jim with his rock fish.

Geese filling the air in the Kamiah valley.

Scenery Shots on a nice calm Feb. day at the "Rock" near Kamiah.

Native Rock Paintings Near Kamiah

2008-02-21T08:52:00.000-08:00

I don't know the age or meaning, but they are neat to view, Just don't disturb as they are fragile.

Wolf Tracks Near Lolo Creek.

2008-02-21T08:44:00.000-08:00

Tracks next to my size 13"

I have seen over 20 wolves in the wild now, but have yet to get one to hold still long enough for a photo. These prints are about 8 miles from Kamiah.

Spring Steelhead Bite is on in the Upper Clearwater.

2008-02-14T09:39:00.000-08:00

Mark with a nice Thick Male Steelie.

Not the biggest, but the smaller ones sometimes are better eating.

Nice overcast early spring day, a person has to watch for the random ice chunk floating down from upstream.

Not bad for the first 4 hour trip of the spring, Makes you remember why you live in the Upper Clearwater Valleys.

Saturday Ride on the Lolo.

2008-02-11T11:05:00.001-08:00

Lolo Creek Campground Buried in the Snow.

April Creek Rock Pit makes a nice place to play, if only the snow wasn't so wet and heavy.

Clide tempting Gravity.

Jim Flying by, looking for a new place to get stuck.

Jim, Buried in the ditch near Musselshell.

A nice warm February day to be in the Hills.

Beating the winter blues with a Snowmobile ride from Caribel, across Lolo Creek to Weippe for Hamburgers and a beer.

2008-02-11T10:56:00.001-08:00

Evening Ride Back.

A hamburger, beer, and a game of darts in weippe.

Crossing Lolo creek, off of Woodland.

Frozen Lolo Creek.

Getting the Caravan ready to depart from Caribel.

Mighty Fur Hunters, nice 35 pound Bobcat

2008-01-28T11:01:00.000-08:00

Jason's Bobcat

2008-01-25T12:12:00.000-08:00

A nice Lochsa Bobcat.

Bull Elk, Casualty of winter river ice.

Snowmobile Riding In the Clearwater Mountains

2008-01-21T12:25:00.000-08:00

Dollar Creek Bridge, Eldorado

Taking a break at Canyon Junction, Lots of snow this winter.

Cedar knob Junction 100 road.

Mountains from upper Yakus Road.

Pheasant Hunting With Jim and Dustin at Little Canyon.

2007-12-10T10:10:00.001-08:00

A great day of Pheasant hunting at Little Canyon.

Me with a Ring Neck

Dustin and the mutts on point.

Jim with a retrieved bird.

Jason's Muzzeloader Buck.

2007-12-10T09:51:00.001-08:00

Jason and Landon.
Jason shot it with the muzzleloader this morning. He came home this afternoon soaked and limping. I haven't heard the whole story yet, something about falling in a creek and it was a really hard pack.

Short Range Whitetail.

2007-12-07T10:36:00.000-08:00

Our Buck, nice 4x5.

My Battle Scar, blood on my hand is mine not the deers, whomever says hunting is easy hasn't hunted public ground in Idaho very much.

Donny's Big Whitetail Buck

2007-11-28T11:13:00.000-08:00

21 Inch inside spread, very big buck, photos don't do it justice.

Late Whitetail Hunting 2007

2007-11-28T10:59:00.000-08:00

Looking for fresh tracks and playing in the snow.

Freezing in the ground (snow) blind. Rattled in several nice 4x4's and one 5x5 that I should have taken, but was being too picky.

2007 Hunting Lodge.

Tanya's nice whitetail buck.

2007-11-08T10:25:00.000-08:00

Fisher on Bear Bait.

2007-11-05T12:00:00.000-08:00

Misc. Fall Photos

2007-11-05T11:26:00.000-08:00

My 12 year old cousin on his first Deer Hunting Hike, earning a buck.

My big head and a beautiful fall day on the Clearwater.

The first snow of the year on the Eldorado.

Fall colors being burned by the setting sun in the Clearwater National Forest.

Click on images to enlarge.

Dustin and Jeremy with end of Muley Season Success.

2007-11-05T11:09:00.000-08:00

Well it had to finally come to an end! Saturday was the last day of our Mule Deer permit. Jeremy Wassell and I have been hunting hard and was coming down to crunch time. We spotted Jeremy's buck on thursday at about two miles and decided we better get a closer look. We got as close as we could (620 yards) and Jeremy decided to shoot him with my 300 ultra. I dialed the minutes on the scope and let Jeremy take a crack at him. His first shot was over the back, but the second was dead on the money double lung! It took us about 40 minutes to walk accross to where the buck was down. It was one brutal boned out packing experience but I guess thats part of the deal. Saturday was the last day and I had been passing up a lot of decent bucks with every intention of taking the big one or nothing! All season long I had been chasing down ghost stories of big bucks people had seen,but every time it wouldn't be the one I was wanted. I had about 300 hours and I don't know how may hundreds of miles of boot leather into this thing so I was feeling pretty beat on the last day. I had a hunter tell me about a nice 4x5 buck that was on a piece of property I can hunt that he thought would go about 170 gross B&C. I never went over to check it out, but kept it in the back of my head that it would be a good bet on the last day. Well, my hot spot wasn't real hot the last morning, I saw a couple small bucks and passed on a 25" three point. Jeremy and I walked back to my truck and I called the landowner for my last ditch effort to find something I was willing to tag. We went into the draw where the buck was seen a couple weeks ago and there he was! I didn't take enough time to make a good enough shot and blew it at 460 yards! I shot right over him! I wasn't sure if I hit him so I took off running to where he was at. About ten does came out below me and he came up in the rear. I finally connected after a few attempts and anchored him in the shoulder. Needless to say I was real happy to put so much time and work into something and connect on the last day. Another boned out pack job that took about 3 1/2 hours but I think Jeremy and I are starting to get pretty good at it!

Dave with a nice little elk rack. Good meat for the freezer!

2007-11-05T11:07:00.000-08:00

My Cousin Scottie with his first Steelhead.

2007-10-29T09:34:00.000-07:00

His first ever and the our first of the fall 2007 season. Oct. 24th, near Kamiah