Dirt Life

For a guy that eats, sleeps and breathes elk hunting I sure struggled this year.  Do you remember the saying “God made Dirt, so Dirt can’t hurt”?  After sleeping on the ground for days on end, I can assure you that it in fact does!  I normally relish in the idea of living out in the woods for a week or two, but for whatever reason this year seemed a little different.  That’s kind of an understatement based on what 2020 has thrown at us. 

I can only attribute my lack of enthusiasm to dirt living to the overall weirdness of 2020 and I guess a fair amount could be blamed on the pandemic in general.   I was struggling to keep myself positive while on our trip and while I know this is common for many guys, it was a new one for me. 

I always block out a chunk of time on the calendar for our annual elk hunt and even if I tag out on day one, I’m there for the duration.  Whether it’s helping the rest of the guys fill tags, taking photos or video, or just enjoying Dirt Life, but this year was different.

I actually gave this quite a bit of thought while I was up there trying to pinpoint the source of my lousy attitude and the best I could come up with was a laundry list of things.  I really hate to bore the reader with my list of gripes because that’s one of my pet peeves, all the whining I normally hear from other hunters, but I’m going to lay them out only because I think it may help me planning next year’s hunt.

First and foremost, I guess I have to give Covid some credit, it’s just been a difficult year.  At first the whole Covid thing really didn’t bother me, I’m a fairly easy-going guy and it just didn’t seem like that big of a deal but if I’m really being honest it’s that death by 1000 cuts thing when it comes to Covid.  Frist maybe you have to cancel a big trip, then the kids are doing the homeschool thing, then your archery 3D league gets canceled, etc, etc., you get the point.  Covid sucks.  

My next problem was I went into this hunt in pretty lousy condition.   I know from experience that planning on using your week in the woods as time to get in shape is a poor plan but that’s where I was this year and I’m sure that didn’t help my attitude.  We also found out a few weeks before season that my dad had been diagnosed with cancer and wouldn’t be able to join us for the first time ever.  While his prognosis is very good it was still a bummer not having him in camp.  We also had a large fire burning right next to our hunting area (who didn’t this year?) and our access road was closed on one side due to the fire and open on our side but knowing we could be evacuated at any time was a bit unnerving.  And finally, and I think this is what really got to me was work.  I’m self employed as a general contractor and several of my summer projects were held up due to covid and didn’t kick off until right before hunting season.  I put my heart and soul into growing my business and keeping clients happy.  And I’ve found that me filling my freezer isn’t always as important to them as it is to me.  My thought going into the season was that between my Garmin InReach and/or hiking 1,000 ft to get a cell signal I would be able to keep on top of any issues that may come up in my absence.  Unfortunately the one day I was actually forgetting about work and getting my head into the hunt I didn’t make the climb to check for messages and of course this is the day I had a hiccup on a project and my internal panic meter started to go into overdrive.  Anyway, looking back I could have avoided a lot of these negative thoughts if I would have prepared more diligently over the summer months, hindsight.

Ok, sorry to subject the reader to all of that but anyone who tries to escape from reality into the woods knows the drill, it takes a lot of prep and planning.  This year we were hunting over-the-counter public land in an area we hadn’t hunted for over a decade.  I knew the area had grown in popularity over the years and was expecting the worst.  I was not disappointed.  The number of vehicles at the trailhead was staggering and we struggled even finding a camping spot, eventually settling for a spot right off the trail, right out in the open.  Like many, we normally like to tuck camp into the trees a bit but this year we just waved as everyone else rode by, or drove into camp to make small talk.  Assuming guys who camp right on the trail must be looking for company.  As several hunters stopped by camp we got all the usual dire reports:  it’s too hot and dry (it was), there are too many guy (there were), the elk aren’t talking (we disagreed but didn’t tell them that 😊).

We actually had a pretty amazing first day (Sept 13^th).  As we headed into our old stomping grounds, we weren’t 10-minutes off an OLD horse trail when I spotted the ass-end of a cow elk about 70-yards up the hillside oblivious to us.  This was only several days after we had the freak snowstorm and even though the snow had all melted there was still some moisture in the ground.  I had snuck another 20 yards up the hill when elk started running.  I was pretty disappointed that I’d gotten so aggressive and forgot that where there’s one elk there’s almost always more.  However, I was still pretty dang delighted that we were into elk.  I’d been planning on not seeing or hearing elk for days on end, so this was great.  We could hear the bull bugling to his cows as they all vacated the hillside.  We gave chase but never caught up.  We did hear several other bugles that morning, and again couldn’t be happier that with all the guys hunting this area we were still actually getting into elk.

It was getting late in the morning and the winds were settling into their mid-day swirling madness, so we started looking for a good place to bed down for the day.  When we setup for the late morning/afternoon sit we typically check in on the radio every couple hours to see if the other guys are seeing or hearing anything or need any help.  This year we decided to bugle twice if we wanted the other guy to turn on his radio or three times if they had shot something.  I guess it just gives us a little extra something to look forward to as were sitting in the dirt all afternoon.  I had just barely scuffed out a nice sitting spot when I heard elk hooves hitting the ground.  My first thought was dang it, there must have been elk right here and they smelled me.  I quickly grabbed my bow and looked through the trees and 20 yards away is a nice bull trotting directly towards me up through the clearing I was sitting.  His tongue was hanging so I knew it wasn’t my wind he had caught and some other hunters must have bumped him and his cow out of the bottom.  He was moving too fast to get a shot through my 20-yard opening but he as he walked into my second shooting lane, now 40-yards, I whistled, and he stopped and looked back my way.  I made myself slowdown and pick a spot, everything felt great and I sent my arrow flying and watched it sail harmlessly over his back and kill the tree behind him.  I was bummed.  I couldn’t believe I just had the bull walk into my lap, on day one and missed!  Later I stepped it off and I was spot on with my yardage estimation, I just flubbed the shot.  Either way I was pretty happy with how our first day was panning out.

The following days were hit or miss.   Somedays we’d find the elk and it was awesome, and some days were a grind.  Elk hunting.  It did get hotter and dryer as the week wore on, to the point where we really couldn’t do much mid-day, it was just too crunchy and loud.  Even mornings and evenings were tough, but we were still into elk.  Two of our hunting buddies pulled out during the week leaving only me and my brother (Drew) in camp.  It was great having some alone time to catch up but we also missed having the other guys in camp to swap stories at the end of the day.  I don’t envy the guys who hunt solo, I really do enjoy those end of day powwows.

As the week wore on, I was struggling with whether we should keep hammering or if I should just call it and head home.  I hated that these thoughts were creeping into my head.   I think we were going on day nine which happened to be our mom’s birthday.  I always feel like a loser because we miss her birthday without fail every year but at least we hike to the nearest peak and make sure to give her a call.  This year was no different and we decided to try a new area directly behind camp, mainly because we were beat-up and the hike to our other ridge sounded too painful.  Turns out the ridge behind camp was just as painful and I started to panic as we were gaining the top of the hill and my cell phone still wasn’t finding a signal.  Finally, as we reached the tippy-top it found some service.   

After making our call we started slowly shuffling down debating what to do with the rest of our day.  Drew made the comment that this particular mountain sucked, and he was never coming back to hunt up here again, I grumbled a similar remark.  It wasn’t until I said it out loud that I almost reached over and grabbed him.  I knew that for all practical purposes we had both just thrown in the towel and if that wasn’t a reason to be ran over by an elk nothing was.  Sure enough (we weren’t ran over) but 10 steps further and Drew looks down and mentions “wow that’s some really fresh sh!t.  We were just getting off the top and into the trees, so we made the decision to get inside the trees and do a little light calling for a while.  Drew tucked in and I walked another 50-yards down or so and found a game trail to wander down.  As I was walking, I noticed about five piles of super fresh elk poop.  We sat for an hour or so and then decided that there was a good chance these elk would feed back up here this evening, so we decided to hole-up for the day and see what evening would bring. 

I was convinced that the elk had walked down below us and bedded for the day in a string of timber.  So I picked out the best ambush spot I could find and watched it like a hawk as the day wore on.  A bit before sundown I heard a bugle from quite a ways off but from up on top where it was wide open.  Drew doesn’t typically sit around and wait for elk to walk by him, especially when there’s bugling to be heard but this was too far away for even him to chase.  The bull kept bugling and it sounded like he was actually getting closer.  About the same time I spotted a cow and calf step out in the open, but again up on top.  I’m still watching the string of timber below thinking any minute those elk should be on the move.   The cow and calf started walking and surprisingly were headed somewhat toward us.  I’m thinking heck maybe they’ll make it over here before last light.  It’s also about this time I finally get eyes on the bull making all the ruckus, I could tell he was a good bull but I’m a horrible judge and let it go at that.  He was still way out there, maybe 800-1,000 yards but what I didn’t realize is that the cow and calf were leading the herd towards us.

They crossed just up above Drew and then I could see the next cow falling in line.  They were still uphill of where I thought Drew was sitting, I didn’t really know for sure but I was definitely starting to think he might get a crack at ‘em.  As I watched the bull follow his cows and get further along the ridge, where I’m guessing they had already gotten past Drew, I heard Drew bugle.  I laughed to myself thinking Drew just couldn’t help himself and laughed again that he thought he’d get that bull to turn around with all those cows.  I was watching and listening as Drew bugled a couple more times and I’m still chuckling to myself.  About then my radio cracks on with Drew saying “I think I just shot a bull.”  Super pumped I grabbed all my gear and scrambled over to Drew asking what went down.  He just pointed out into the meadow and I could see antlers sticking up above the shrubbery silhouetted in the waning light.  He was surprised I didn’t get there quicker when he asked, “didn’t you hear me bugle three times?”  I should have known Drew doesn’t sit around and hope the animals will just happen to walk right in front of him.  He said when he saw the first cow/calf walk past and then the second cow walk the same path he started sprinting uphill knowing the rest of the heard would follow. 

I know with every trip around the sun I’m likely to lose a bit of the fire that gets me so excited for Fall.  And I’ve already noticed that I’m more excited to get my kids and friends into the outdoors and I’m ok leaving my gun/bow behind.  But I am going to work harder at putting in the work to make my season a success.  Success doesn’t even mean punching that tag (although that’s still a big part of what motivates me), but just making sure I’ve done everything in my power to ensure a successful hunt.  I’m already looking forward to next season, hopefully Covid will be in the rearview by then and things will be back to “normal.” But I’m not going to sit idly by and wait for that to happen.  I’m going to be like Drew and get moving to get in front of things.  Good luck this fall!

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