The Trek to WY Has Begun!
- Thread starter Joe2Kool
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Wapitiwilly
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Best of luck! Be safe????
Joe2Kool
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A tour thru the weigh station and two missed turns and we’ll be pulling into Rapid City in about an hour. Snowing there now! Good nights sleep and back on the road in the morning.
BTW, 80 mph with a stiff headwind puts a drain on the fuel gauge ?
Joe2Kool
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Treacherous trip on I-90 out of Rapid City. After
a sideways-sideways-sideways, Dan righted the ship. Two sets of $50 wiper blades later (we went for the supposedly good stuff in this weather!), and after getting kicked out of McDonalds, we were back on the road. In our defense, we didn't realize it was take-out only.
Antelope must know they are supposed to live in Wyoming cause as soon as we crossed the border, there they were.
Motoring on through the Bighorns was dicey as well, but not as bad or exciting(?) as earlier!
Arrived at the motel in time for a little scouting. First place looked good but appeared to have quite a few elk hunters. Next spot looked promising.
Now for a quick stop for groceries. Uh oh. Store closes at 6 on Sunday. But hey, the dollar store is still open!
Here's a few pics Zach took. Awesome scenery.
Oh, and how does the wife's vehicle always know when I'm out of town and cell phone service??
a sideways-sideways-sideways, Dan righted the ship. Two sets of $50 wiper blades later (we went for the supposedly good stuff in this weather!), and after getting kicked out of McDonalds, we were back on the road. In our defense, we didn't realize it was take-out only.
Antelope must know they are supposed to live in Wyoming cause as soon as we crossed the border, there they were.
Motoring on through the Bighorns was dicey as well, but not as bad or exciting(?) as earlier!
Arrived at the motel in time for a little scouting. First place looked good but appeared to have quite a few elk hunters. Next spot looked promising.
Now for a quick stop for groceries. Uh oh. Store closes at 6 on Sunday. But hey, the dollar store is still open!
Here's a few pics Zach took. Awesome scenery.
Oh, and how does the wife's vehicle always know when I'm out of town and cell phone service??
Joe2Kool
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Several does, fawns, spikes, and small forkies this morning. Saw several other hunters as well. Tried a different spot this afternoon. Again, does, fawns, spikes, and some bigger forkies but lots of traffic on the road. Once I got about a half mile from the road, suddenly no more hunters!
Saw lots of antelope this morning. A few around 13-14", and one that would probably go 15".
This afternoon I was working my way in on a BLM service road, I was about a half mile in and two jack@$$e$ pulled off the main road and fired two shots. I have no idea what they were shooting at because they couldn't see me, nor could I see them. (Ole Goat saw them.) They had to be shooting over the skyline because I heard the shots zing over my head. Could have been 50-100 yards overhead, but still not a good feeling.
Continued on and found a spot to sit for the last hour or so of daylight. Picture doesn't do it justice.
Saw lots of antelope this morning. A few around 13-14", and one that would probably go 15".
This afternoon I was working my way in on a BLM service road, I was about a half mile in and two jack@$$e$ pulled off the main road and fired two shots. I have no idea what they were shooting at because they couldn't see me, nor could I see them. (Ole Goat saw them.) They had to be shooting over the skyline because I heard the shots zing over my head. Could have been 50-100 yards overhead, but still not a good feeling.
Continued on and found a spot to sit for the last hour or so of daylight. Picture doesn't do it justice.
Onelegwonder
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Love the thread! Keep them coming.
Joe2Kool
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Exciting day to say the least. Parked at a gate to a Walk-In area to wait out the morning show storm. Just before daylight, truck pulls in and keeps going, on thru the gate! What the? Realized they must have been going to the private block past the gate. Oh well, public land hunting!
So me and Ole Goat went a little farther down the road and started working a few draws. OG saw several does, fawns, and a couple of young 4X4's. I didn't see anything until I worked my way to a large canyon about 10:00. Spotted 3 small bucks with a 4X4 about 800 yards across.. The 4X4 wasn't a monster, but bigger than any mulie I've killed, so he was fair game. Dropped down and circled above them with the wind in my face. Got within 60 yards of the patch of cedars and sagebrush I thought they were in and contemplating my next move when the 3 small ones stood up. After a minute or two, the 4X4 stood up, but no shot. Into the canyon they went. Oh well.
After the 90 minute hike out, lunch, and 90 minute hike back in with Dan, I immediately spotted a small bedded buck. After several minutes, I finally got Dan to see him. There were two small bucks, and a 4X2. After he stood up, Dan's first shot was a miss. Buck went uphill, maybe 25 yards. Dan couldn't spot him before fog rolled in the canyon. After several minutes, the fog rolled out and the buck was still standing there! The next shot was a hit, but the buck and his 3 buddies headed into the canyon. I went to the left to cut him off, and Dan followed behind on the right.
After several minutes, they came out and Dan put the kill shot on him. Going back to get him in the morning.
Saw a nice antelope in this canyon as well. Tips completely curled over.
So me and Ole Goat went a little farther down the road and started working a few draws. OG saw several does, fawns, and a couple of young 4X4's. I didn't see anything until I worked my way to a large canyon about 10:00. Spotted 3 small bucks with a 4X4 about 800 yards across.. The 4X4 wasn't a monster, but bigger than any mulie I've killed, so he was fair game. Dropped down and circled above them with the wind in my face. Got within 60 yards of the patch of cedars and sagebrush I thought they were in and contemplating my next move when the 3 small ones stood up. After a minute or two, the 4X4 stood up, but no shot. Into the canyon they went. Oh well.
After the 90 minute hike out, lunch, and 90 minute hike back in with Dan, I immediately spotted a small bedded buck. After several minutes, I finally got Dan to see him. There were two small bucks, and a 4X2. After he stood up, Dan's first shot was a miss. Buck went uphill, maybe 25 yards. Dan couldn't spot him before fog rolled in the canyon. After several minutes, the fog rolled out and the buck was still standing there! The next shot was a hit, but the buck and his 3 buddies headed into the canyon. I went to the left to cut him off, and Dan followed behind on the right.
After several minutes, they came out and Dan put the kill shot on him. Going back to get him in the morning.
Saw a nice antelope in this canyon as well. Tips completely curled over.
bonepicker
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Great stories and pics! Looking forward to seeing a few pics of the buck!
Joe2Kool
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Well, Mother Nature decided to cut our trip short. We had planned on hunting through Thursday afternoon, but the forecast was calling for 6-8 inches of snow, with 40 mph winds Wednesday night thru Thursday afternoon. So we set 2 pm as the latest trigger pull time today.
Well, Mother Nature also decided that wouldn't be the case. Less than an hour after daylight, the fog rolled in, with 25 yard visibility. I took a nice long nap. I think the other 3 did also. Still foggy so we deboned and packed out Dan's deer. By this time, it was 11 and although we could see the flats on top, the canyons were covered in clouds. So we called off the hunt.
Even with only an hour this morning, between the 4 of us, we saw probably 25-30 deer. Mostly does, a few forkhorns, and some young 4X4's.
It's been 8 years since we've hunted WY, first time in this area. But after finding this particular canyon, we might make it an annual or bi-annual trip!
Below is a pic of the fogged in canyons. And also one of Dan's buck. In his own words, a happy trigger finger makes for ground shrinkage.
I'm headed to a South Dakota bow hunt and the NC crowd is headed home.
Although it was only 2+ days of hunting, one small buck, and 3 tag soups, the main thing is we had a great time and made lots more long lasting memories.
Well, Mother Nature also decided that wouldn't be the case. Less than an hour after daylight, the fog rolled in, with 25 yard visibility. I took a nice long nap. I think the other 3 did also. Still foggy so we deboned and packed out Dan's deer. By this time, it was 11 and although we could see the flats on top, the canyons were covered in clouds. So we called off the hunt.
Even with only an hour this morning, between the 4 of us, we saw probably 25-30 deer. Mostly does, a few forkhorns, and some young 4X4's.
It's been 8 years since we've hunted WY, first time in this area. But after finding this particular canyon, we might make it an annual or bi-annual trip!
Below is a pic of the fogged in canyons. And also one of Dan's buck. In his own words, a happy trigger finger makes for ground shrinkage.
I'm headed to a South Dakota bow hunt and the NC crowd is headed home.
Although it was only 2+ days of hunting, one small buck, and 3 tag soups, the main thing is we had a great time and made lots more long lasting memories.
bonepicker
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Looks like it was a great time! Loved the updates! You probably didn't pack the gear for it but deer hunting in the snow is a blast! Not quite as fun with 40 mph winds though
elkassassin
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Looks Like Quite the Crew to Me!
Stick around!
The Snow is Gonna Push the Big Boys Down!
Stick around!
The Snow is Gonna Push the Big Boys Down!
Joe2Kool
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Unfortunately we had only planned to hunt through Thursday. The NC crowd had to be home by Saturday afternoon, so we called off the hunt because we weren't going to be hunting in the wind and snow Thursday.
I'm in SD now on an archery hunt. I think I'll do the semi-live updates on the Whitetail channel.
I'm in SD now on an archery hunt. I think I'll do the semi-live updates on the Whitetail channel.
