2020 Best season yet?

Well, the hunt adventure forum has probably been my favorite forum for quite a few years so I figured this year I should contribute. This year should be really exciting as I'll be hunting multiple states with different family members and friends. Here's a breakdown of what tags I have and what hunts I'll be helping out on.

-Utah General Archery Deer
-Utah OTC Archery elk
-Idaho General Rifle Deer
-Colorado OTC Rifle Elk

I'll also be assisting my family and friends on a couple of limited entry elk tags here in Utah which should be a lot of fun. I'll try and post as many stories and photos as I can. Big thanks to Founder for running with this forum for another year!

Well most years by June 11th I would have already had some trailcams out and multiple weeks of scouting under my belt. But due to my career in public safety and the current political climate here in Utah I have not quite had the time. Luckily I was able to sneak away and get a solid morning hike in. I hit one of my favorites trails with my dog. Just wish I would've brought my fishing pole.




It was a beautiful morning and I'm glad I was able to hit the hills. Next week I should get a full 3 days off of work and will be able to make my first scouting trip of the year. The goal is to get some trail cameras set and hopefully be able to glass up a few good bucks!

I was able to get out for a quick overnight scouting trip. I went in with the hopes of setting 3 trail cameras. I was really looking forward to setting one specific camera in a high basin but due to a fast flowing river with levels higher than usual I wasn't able to cross. I'll try another route next week and will hopefully get that camera up. But I was able to get a few other camera's set up, and I did glass up quite a few bucks. I don't have any photos of them because I left the phone scope home but here's a few other photos from the trip.

I probably could've made it across this river but due to being solo I didn't want to risk it.



Here are a few photos from one of my trail cam locations, I don't have any high hopes for this spot so if I can get any action here it'll be a win.



This year for my late season hunts I'm going to be running a Jimmy Tarps Ti-pi. I tried it out on this trip and I think it'll work really well even for the early season hunts.



And lastly here is a photo during my hike out, just like everyone I hate when the fog rolls in because it impedes my glassing. But it can produce some cool pictures.

This week I got out for another overnight scouting trip, this time my Uncle Patrick went with me to help set some cameras and check out some new country. We were able to glass up quite a few deer and saw one buck that should turn out pretty decent. We were able to cross the river and set a camera in a spot that I am very confident will produce some good bucks. We then set another camera in a patch of aspens which had quite a bit of sign, if that spot produces some bucks it'll be great to hang a tree stand. Anyways, it was another good trip and I should get out for another one next week.

Here's a view of one of the basins we were glassing.



Here's one of my trail cam setups. This is the spot that I have high hopes for.





Here's the second camera location down in the aspens, it would be awesome if there was a group of bucks working through here.





Here a video of the one decent buck from the trip.

I was able to make it out for another quick scouting trip. I checked 1 of my trail cameras which has been out for about 3 weeks. I didn't have a lot of hope for this spot but it ended up producing about 10-12 different bucks. There's no giants but a few up and comers. I was also able to do some glassing and located 1 potential shooter buck. He's a narrow, heavy, 3x4 and he should finish strong. I wasn't able to get any good video of him as he was a long ways off.

Here's a few trail cam photos.



A few younger bucks that are coming by the camera almost every day.



Not a big buck but I like this photo.



This buck looks like he could end up being fairly wide, but still pretty young.



And finally a few more younger good looking bucks.



Next week i'm hoping to get out for a full 3 days and check my other cameras. I'm also planning on exploring some new country! Anyways, thanks for following along, we've got a little more than a month and then it's go time! I hope you all are just as excited as I am.

I was able to get out for another quick scouting trip. Work has been making it very difficult to put a good trip together but that's how life goes. Anyways this trip I was able to find a good buck, probably in that 160-170 class and a definite shooter for me. Here's a few pictures from the trip.

I saw this moose and snapped a few photos. I'm no expert on field judging moose but I know If I had a tag in my pocket this bull would be in trouble.







Here are a few photos of the buck I found. He's no giant but a solid buck, he's definitely on the hit list.







Here's a video of the buck, I think the video makes him look a little bit better than the photos.


Next week I'm hoping to get out again, I might be heading to Colorado to do a little bit of elk scouting but we'll see how the week goes first.

Well another scouting trip is complete. I checked my 2 cameras that I hung back in June. 1 of the cameras had over 2700 pictures, almost all of which were of small bucks and does. The second camera for whatever reason did not take any pictures which is disappointing because I excepted that one to have some good bucks on it. Oh well it is what it is!

I had some issues crossing this river back in June, but now the water levels are down and it wasn't too bad.



I sure wish I wasn't seeing this critter on my camera. Either way still pretty cool.





As I was hiking I looked down and saw this.



Turned around and found the rest.





It was a good trip, just wish my camera would have been working properly, that's just how it goes sometimes. In other news I added another hunt to my schedule this year. My Dad, good friend Troy, and myself all purchased an OTC Utah Bison tag. I know its going to be a very difficult hunt but I'm just happy to have a buffalo tag in my pocket and I'm super excited to give it hell!

The archery hunt starts in just a few days. I'm super excited and can't wait to get this hunting season underway! I got out for one more scouting trip and have yet to find a buck that I really want to go after. I did have a few decent bucks hitting my trail cam.

Here's two bucks that have been coming in consistently.

Another angle on the 4x4.



Sure look good from behind, as always.



Night time photo of the 4x4.



This buck is pretty tall and heavy.



I think I'm going to spend the first few days trying to find a bigger buck, and if I'm unable to find 1 maybe I'll come back and chase 1 of these bucks. I'll be out for a total of 6 days and then it's back to work. Good luck to everyone hitting the hills this weekend!

The hunts have been exciting and good to me so far this year. It's been busy and I haven't been able to post about my Utah Archery deer hunt so here it goes.

Opening day produced some close encounters with a few decent bucks. I was able to sneak into 78 yards of a good 4 point but was never presented with a good shot. When he finally turned broadside, I stepped out from behind my cover and he caught my movement and took off.


The next morning I was set up in an ambush position where bucks like to travel from their feeding to bedding area. I had these two bucks walk within range but decided to pass.







The morning of day number 3 had myself glassing a canyon looking for a buck my Cousin Hayden calls junior. We were able to spot the buck and put him to bed. Hayden went on an all day stalk and was able to get within range. The buck finally stood up and gave Hayden a shot. Unfortunately his arrow didn't find the mark and that ended day #3.

Day #4 I was glassing for the group of bucks from my trail camera, right off the bat I found them high on this ridge. See if you can spot the buck. They ended up crossing the ridge and I made the long trek to get to where I last saw them. As I got to where they crossed I slowly peaked over the hill and saw the bucks feeding at about 60 yards. At that moment I felt the wind hit the back of my neck and the bucks were gone.



As I sat on the ridge my phone began to ring and I saw that my little sister Madison was calling me. She was hunting with my Dad in another unit. I answered the call and she excitedly told me that she just shot her first ever archery buck. She made a great 40 yard quartering away shot.



Not much happened the evening of day #4 and I was down to my last two days. The morning of day #5 I found myself sitting on the high ridge where the bucks had crossed the day before. at about 7:00 the bucks began to feed right to me. Unfortunately the bigger bucks broke off and crossed below me at about 100 yards. The two younger bucks from morning #2 crossed at 35 yards but I once again decided to pass. It was a great morning with some awesome views.



The evening of day #5 Hayden and I went and glassed some new country. We located an awesome 175+ buck but he was a long ways away and we weren't able to get any footage, or put on a stalk. This was the last evening I would be able to hunt and was just glad to be in the hills.



The last morning was slow with no encounters, and I did not fill my tag. I loaded up my camp and headed off the mountain. I'm just grateful I was able to get to the mountains and go hunting! Luckily I have a lot more hunts left this year and am expecting to have a lot of fun!

On Saturday August 22nd my dad got a phone call from Black Timber Outfitters. They were calling to tell him that he was the winner of a hunt giveaway on Facebook. BTO had decided to giveaway a New Mexico Antelope hunt to show appreciation to Law Enforcement Officers. To enter the hunt you had to either be active duty Military or Law Enforcement. After my Dad got the news he called me. I asked him if I would be able to tag along. He told me that not only would I be tagging along but he wanted to give me the tag as I am also a Law Enforcement Officer! I was ecstatic but wanted him to take the tag. He refused and insisted that I be the one to take the tag. The plan was set and our hunt would be starting on Wednesday August 26th. So on August 25th my Dad and I made the long 12 hour drive to Santa Rosa New Mexico.

Wednesday morning we found ourselves at the gate to the ranch just before first light. We met our guide Russell for the first time and he gave us the game plan. He had found a great buck the night before and he showed me a few pictures. He looked like a great buck and I would be more than happy if I had an opportunity to take him.

We left camp in search of that good buck. Not 10 minutes later we found the buck feeding through the large cactus. We tried for over an hour to get a good shot, chasing the buck across the prairie. Eventually, we were able to sneak into 350 yards and I finally got an open shot. The buck was quartering to me. I settled my cross hairs and squeezed the trigger. The bullet found its mark and the buck dropped in his tracks.







I want to give a big thanks to Black Timber Outfitters and our guide Russell. Having never been on a guided hunt, they made it a great experience. I also want to give a huge thanks to my Dad. He is not only a great role model in my hunting career, but he's also my biggest life role model. I can't thank him enough for everything that he does for me!

Now that New Mexico Antelope is in the books it's time to chase some Utah Archery Bulls!

Sorry, its been too long since my last update. Since my last post I've been on two more hunts which have been a blast. After getting back from New Mexico it was time to hunt Utah Archery Bulls. On September 2nd Patrick and I packed in our base camp 5 miles into the backcountry to prepare for 9 days of hunting. After helping set up camp I had to return home for a few days of work but then I would be back to hunt. When I left, my Dad and Bryce joined Patrick at base camp for the hunt. Their first night hunting My dad and Patrick were able to call about into 44 yards and Bryce was able to put the smackdown on him.

Bryce, Patrick, and my Dad with Bryce's bull.



They continued to hunt but did not have any more shot opportunities. I returned to camp on Monday the 7th for the rest of the week. That night we hunted but did not have any encounters. The next day is when the big snow storm hit. We spent the day in our tent trying to stay warm and wait out the storm.

This photo was taken at about 10:00 am on Tuesday and it continued snowing for at least 10 more hours.



Patrick and I got up early on Wednesday and headed out hunting. It was still snowing and it was extremely cold. We hunted most of the morning following tracks and listening for bugles. Nothing peaked our interest until Patrick spotted a group of elk bedded about a mile away. We made a long 3 mile loop to get above the elk and get our wind right. We were able to sneak into 55 yards of the elk. Patrick drew back on the lone bull in the herd. He let his arrow fly but his arrow deflected off of a branch and he hit the bull high. We followed a small blood trail in the snow for about 2 miles and eventually the bull stopped bleeding. We continued following his tracks but we were never able to find the bull.

The blood trail we were following in the snow.



We hunted all the way back to camp and had one more encounter. We spooked a bull that stood up out of his bed and stopped broadside. I got to full draw but could only see the back half of the bull. The bull busted before giving me a good shot opportunity. On Thursday the second to last day of the hunt we did not have many encounters with bulls but saw some beautiful country.







The last day of the hunt was exciting. I went and hunted with Patrick while my Dad and Troy hunted together. Patrick and I worked our way up a ridge bugling and cow calling trying to get a bull to answer. At about 9:30 we finally got a bull to respond. We got set up in a meadow hoping we could bring the bull down one more hill off the bench. After about 15 minutes of the bull no longer answering we decided to try and move up to the next bench. While walking up the steep face I looked to my right and saw the bull standing at 40 yards looking at us. I drew my bow and settled my pin. Just as I was getting ready to touch it off the bull took off with no shot opportunity. That would be our last opportunity of the hunt. It was a great time and I can't wait to head back next year, there's nothing like chasing OTC Utah bulls with a bow!

So after returning home from hunting elk I headed to the Wyoming High Country to help my good buddy Spencer on his deer hunt. I arrived the afternoon of opening day and made the long hike in with my camp to meet Spencer.

To get to camp we had to climb this nasty face and go down the other side. It was brutal.



I made it to camp and got my tent all set up and then headed down to the glassing point to meet Spencer. He filled me in letting me know he had yet to see his target buck and that there were a lot of other hunters in the area. We glassed for about 2 hours when I caught movement in the pines where the buck liked to hangout. Spencer got on his gun while I put the spotter on the buck. I confirmed it was the buck we were after. Spencer made a great 600 yard shot and the buck didn’t make it anywhere.

Here’s a few photos of the buck. He died on an incredibly steep side hill which made taking good field photos pretty difficult.




We spent the night on the hill and then woke up in the morning and made the long 4 mile trek out.

Spencer and myself with our heavy load’s. I sure wish we had the horses on this trip.




It was a short trip but I had a lot of fun. Next year I should be able to draw the tag and am now more excited than ever to hunt Wyoming!

This next hunt has definitely been my favorite hunt of the year. My mom got lucky and drew a Wasatch Muzzleloader Elk tag, this would be her first ever big game hunt. I got to camp late Sunday night, and prepared for the hunt Monday morning. Opening day found My Step-Dad Tim, My mom, and Myself hunting up a canyon listening for bugles. Right before first light we heard multiple bulls light off and they sounded fired up. We began following the herd and were just behind them most of the morning. We were able to call in a few of the satellite bulls but never caught up to the herd bull. At about 9:00 the bulls became quiet and we weren’t able to keep up with the herd.

My Mom and Tim listening for bugles



We spent the rest of opening day sitting water and we never ended up seeing any more elk. We hiked back to the truck and headed back to camp to prepare for day 2.

Day 2 we headed to a new area where Tim had seen a lot of bulls in the past, before first light we heard multiple bulls in the canyon below us bulging. Just as it became light enough to shoot another bull a lot closer bugled. There was a saddle about 250 yards down the ridge from us, I put up my glass and saw a good bull pushing a heard of cows. I told my mom to drop her pack and we made a mad dash 75 yards closer. She got set up on a fence post and I cow called to stop the bull. He turned broadside and my mom touched off a shot, I saw the bull hunch up and immediately run down hill. I ran over the ridge to try and keep an eye on him, I saw him walking away from his cows but he didn’t appear to be struggling. I heard him bugle and we walked around a hill.

I went back to my Mom and Tim and told them I didn’t see the bull go down. We gave it about 30 minutes then went to look for blood. I followed the bulls tracks but wasn’t finding anything. After 100 yards of tracking I finally found some blood.



We searched for two more hours and only found two more spots of blood like the one above. We did a grid search and did not find any more blood or the bull. We then headed to the patch of trees where I last saw the bull and we did not find any more blood or the bull. We felt confident that the bull was not fatally wounded and decided to head back to camp for some lunch.

Here’s a few photos from the morning hunt.





That evening we headed back into the same area we hunted the morning. Right after we left the truck we spotted a stud 340+ bull working a ridge way above us. We took off on his direction, and about an hour later we found ourselves looking into the small bowl he walked into. Some other hunters saw the bull too and ended up bumping him out of the country.





We hunted the rest of the evening without seeing any more elk.

Day 3 found us going back into the same area as day 2. We got up into the timber before first light and immediately had bulls bugling around us. We tried sneaking into a few bulls but never could get our wind right. I ended up calling a small bull into 50 yards but Mom never had a good shot. The bull walked away without really getting spooked. We continued working down the ridge and ended up spotting a large herd with 3-4 satellite bulls along with a big herd bull. They were about a mile away so we started to cut the distance. When we got close to where we thought the elk were we stopped to take a quick break. Just as I set my pack down the entire herd came over the ridge right towards us. The fire drill was on as the elk were running through the thick quakie saplings. I grabbed my bugle tube and told my mom to follow me. We followed the herd for about 500 yards down a steep face but never got a good shot opportunity. They eventually worked out of sight and that ended the morning hunt. That evening was slow with not much elk activity and that ended day 3.

Day 4 we decided to make a long 12 mile all day hike through some new country. The morning started good with a few elk sightings but they weren’t really fired up. We never had a good opportunity in the morning. In the middle of the day we found an awesome wallow and ended up having a few cows walk in on us while sitting on the wallow.

We decided to keep moving and ended up sitting on another spring that evening. We never did see any elk that night and I had to return to work.

This was our view watching the spring that evening



That ended my time on this hunt but my Mom and Tim kept hunting!

Day 5 Mom and Tim took the morning off and decided to sleep in. But that evening went back and sat on the same spring as Day 4. Well as luck would have it a bull walked into the spring and Mom made a great 120 yard shot. The bull ran into the trees and they decided to leave him overnight. They went back in the morning and were able to recover him

Mom with her bull.



Mom and Tim with the bull.



Tim with my favorite piece of meat (the tongue). If you’ve never tried elk tongue your really missing out.



I couldn’t be more proud of my Mom! This was her first ever big game animal and she hunted harder than most people that have the tag! She definitely earned it!

After helping my Mom on her hunt it was time for Utah General Season Rifle Elk. This hunt would be my Uncle Patrick, my buddy Joe, and myself. This would be Joe’s first ever elk hunt!

Day 1 we decided to take the horses on a long 20 mile round trip, we found quite a bit of sign but never did see any elk. It was a great day and a great horse ride

Me and Patrick with our horses.



We looked at the maps and decided to try a new area on day 2. We rode the horses to a big meadow and decided to tie them up and take a break. Patrick let off a few cow calls and almost immediately we had a bull bugle back. Joe and I grabbed our rifles and worked towards the bugle. We made it about a 100 yards before I saw a small group of elk running right toward us. They ran by us at 40 yards and we never had a shot on the bull. They ran into the meadow and Joe and I followed trying to get to the edge of the meadow for a shot. By the time we reached the meadow they had already made it across. We ended up not having any more elk encounters that day.

Joe and Patrick in the meadow after we missed our opportunity.



Day 3 was our last full day to hunt and we decided to go back to where we saw the elk the previous morning. This time we decided to hike in and leave the Horses at camp. We made it to the edge of the meadow about 30 minutes after first light. As soon as we reached the meadow we herd a bull bugle and Patrick spotted the bull feeding in the meadow. We got Joe set up and ready to shoot. He touched off the gun and the bull took a few steps and tipped over. He ended up hitting the bull right in the heart! I don’t think he realizes what he accomplished, but he was super excited!

Joe with his bull.



All 3 of us with Joe’s bull!



After getting the bull all quartered out we headed back to camp and grabbed the horses. They made quick work of the 2 mile pack out!



So far it’s been a great season with a lot of success! Next up is OTC bison. Not sure what I got myself into but I’ll give it hell trying!

Next up was Utah OTC bison. Back when these tags went on sale I knew immediately that it was a hunt I’d be interested in. I did tons of research on the Utah hunt planner and scoured over google earth. It seemed like harvesting a buffalo would be nearly impossible, but after watching my dad harvest a buffalo a few years ago I knew I needed to give it a try. Well on Tuesday the 20th I left home to make my first scouting/hunting trip. I only had all day Wednesday and possibly Thursday morning then I would need to head home. I decided to hike into an area that I had looked at on google earth to try and get a lay of the land. The country was beautiful and rugged.



The hiking was difficult and I quickly understood why the Utah DWR made this hunt seem impossible. It was difficult to avoid getting cliffed out.



After about 2 miles of hiking I made it up on top where I wanted to be. Once I got on top I immediately started seeing sign, it was very old but it got me excited knowing that there could be buffalo in the area.





I continued hiking making it about another two miles. It was hard to believe that buffalo actually lived there as there was no water and very little feed. I had been hiking for about 2 hours when a small airplane began flying above me. It circled above me for about 10-15 minutes and I thought it might be the DWR trying to find and count buffalo. The airplane flew off and I started to continue my hike. I made it about 10 steps when I looked across a plateau and couldn’t believe my eyes...there was an entire herd of buffalo moving through a clearing. The fire drill was on, I threw off my pack and got a range of 600 yards. I set my rifle on my pack and tried to get steady enough for a shot. The herd was moving and wouldn’t stop walking, I was never able to get comfortable and steady enough for a shot. They worked into the cedars and out of my sight. I couldn’t believe I had actually found buffalo and got within range but couldn’t even get a shot off. I decided I would start following their tracks and hopefully get close enough for a shot. This was the trail they were on, they were pretty easy to follow but were moving fast.



To be continued...

I grabbed my backpack and rifle and began jogging in the direction I last saw the buffalo. Like I said the trail they were on was easy to follow but they were quite a ways in front of me. I made it into the next canyon and saw the herd moving through the cedars. Once again they were at about 600 yards. I got prone and tried to pick out a good one to shoot. They wouldn’t stop walking and I found myself watching them go into the next canyon without any real good shot opportunity. This cat and mouse game continued for 4 miles. I would jog as soon as the herd got out of sight and when I thought I was getting close I would slow down and catch my breath. All in all I ended up getting 4 different chances at them anywhere from 500-800 yards. Here’s a picture of the country they were in.



I decided to follow them into one more canyon to see if I could get a good shot opportunity. I rounded the corner and saw a perfect rock to set up on. I got set up on the rock but didn’t see any buffalo. I ranged a clearing across the canyon that came back to 425 yards. I knew If they hadn’t made it to the clearing yet it would be my best chance to get a good shot. Just then I saw the first cow in the herd step out of the cedars and into the clearing. They all followed single file, first a few cows then a young bull and then a few more cows. Then I saw the herd bull...he was huge, probably 12-18 inches taller then the rest and just massive! I put my crosshairs right on his front shoulder as he was walking. I took a deep breath and squeezed off a round. My bullet found it’s mark hitting him right in the shoulder, he hunched up as the herd began to run. He tried to follow running behind them, and I took another shot hitting him about 10 inches behind the shoulder. He stopped running and I shot again but missed. I racked my fourth round and touched off another shot. That one found it’s mark and the bull tipped over! I started jumping around and celebrating, I was in complete disbelief! I couldn’t believe I had actually killed a bison on my first day of hunting. As I walked up on the bull he just kept getting bigger and bigger. His size was overwhelming. Sorry for the field photos...it was difficult by myself.







Now that the bull was on the ground the hard work really began and the day really started to go downhill...I’ll continue the rest tomorrow!

After getting the bull on the ground reality set in. I was a little over 8 miles from the truck and there was no way to get horses to the bull, on top of that my Hydration bladder had leaked and I was completely out of water. I got the bull skinned and cut up on the top side and started the long hike out to get reinforcements. I ended up getting incredibly sick from the dehydration, lots of vomiting and a massive headache. I made it back to the truck and was able to call for help. The next morning I had 6 great friends and family members meet me to come help pack out the bull. These guys are life savers and I couldn’t have done it without them!



We made it back to the bull and got him caped out and the meat loaded up. We made the long journey back to the truck which took us nearly 6 hours. Here’s a few photos from the pack out.







All in all it ended up being about a 25 hour day with 18 miles of hiking for the guys that came and helped me. I ended up doing about 38 miles between the two days. I can’t thank them enough for dropping everything and coming to help me! It was epic adventure and one that will be hard to top.

I’ve been slacking off big time and haven’t posted the latest adventure, well my Dad and Troy both still had OTC buffalo tags and we had the week of November 16-19 off too hunt. Our plan was to arrive on the night of the 15th and hike in each day with horses to look for buffalo. Well the day finally came and we set off. The road to camp was treacherous, it’s a long single lane road that goes over a high mountain pass. The road was snow covered and we were towing a horse trailer. It took all 4 chained up and the hope that the weather would hold out and we wouldn’t get snowed in.

Here’s a few photos of our journey to camp.





Once we got to camp we got the wall tent set up and the horses all settled in. It was incredibly cold but there was no snow in the forecast.





We got up early the next morning and loaded up the horses and set out searching for buffalo. There was a specific canyon we wanted to get to and after about 9 miles and 5 hours later we had made it to the canyon. The country was awesome!



We sat down and set up to eat lunch and shed some clothes. As I was taking off my boots I looked up and saw a herd of buffalo working their way towards us. There was 7-8 in the group and all but 1 were calves. Troy got set up and shot the lone cow, he made a great shot and the cow didn’t go far. After he shot, Dad took a shot hitting one of calves. It took multiple shots on both buffalo to seal the deal but eventually we got them both down.

Here’s Patrick, Dad, and Myself walking up to the downed buffalo.



And a few field photos.









It took us about 5 hours to get both buffalo all cleaned up and ready to load on the horses. The horses did a great job and we began the long trek back to camp. We made it back to camp at about 2:00 AM. It was a long day but well worth it, Patrick and Dad headed back in the next day on horses for the rest of the meat. We spent that night eating and drinking enjoying our successful hunt! I feel incredibly fortunate we were able to go 3 for 3 on OTC buffalo but feel even more grateful I was able to spend time with 3 of the best dudes I know!