A
antlerboy
Guest
I know it's more than 24 hours later like I'd hoped but we got our butts KICKED!! It was a very long day but a very productive one. Took us about 2 1/2 hours just to get to the rim above where the antlers we'd glassed last Sunday were at. On the way there we glassed up a few back on the other side where we'd found the 350 6x7 chalk set last week. Figures!
As we bailed off the first ledges of rock I spotted this OLD antler way below us. It's an old 6pt with a small devil point and we left it right there.
This picture is of my friend Gail Herrick and Chris Gravatt going to the first shed that Gail and I spotted last week. STEEP is hardly the word for it. Not sure why those elk live in that crap. Makes for exciting shed hunting though.
Gail and I with the shed. Small top but an enormous front end. 2 year old antler
We knew the match was down slope from this one so down we went.
Bummer the eyeguard was broken clean off but it did have a neat split G-2. Here's Gail with the set.
From here my dog and I slid our way the 700 vertical feet to the bottom to get other's we'd seen the week before. I left Chris up there to glass for me as it would be WAY tough to find the sheds in that awful brush w/o some guidance. Gail headed over to another slope about 300 yards up canyon to pick up one that I'd spotted before.
Once I got to the bottom my dog dove into the creek for some much needed water and I took a rest too. After five minutes or so I went down canyon. Here is a set that I'd seen from above.
From here I hiked up the opposite side and picked up a big chalk 5pt that was shed a few years ago. Didn't take the pack so I don't have pics of it. Once I got it I came back down and then crossed back across the canyon to pick up another set we'd glassed. I only found one of them and since it was an old pink 6pt I didn't look for the other. Back in the bottom I rounded up the set and big 5pt and went down canyon about a 1/2 mile to try and find a way out of this freakin canyon. While down there Gail called me on the radio and told me he'd found an old pink set and a year old single off of the same bull from the first set we'd found! Freakin crazy how that bull spent all that time on one little section of the canyon slope for 3 winters!
It was looking pretty grim for me as it was extremely hard to find a little slot to climb up through from way down in the bottom. After much walking and careful planning I finally spotted a small chute that I thought there'd be a chance to get back up top. I fought the horrible catclaw bushes up to enormous slope. About half way up I started finding lots of old and fairly new elk sign so I thought if they got here somehow then I knew there was a good chance of me getting up this way. Once I got about 2/3 of the way up (about 700') I found this shed. Thought it made for a pretty cool shot as you can see the slot I had to pull myself up through.
I left this shed just as you see it. I'm sure it'd been there at least 5 years and was just a small 6pt.
Once I got a little higher I got up on this ledge and took a break for a while.
Took me nearly an hour and a half to climb out of that canyon and I was whipped!!! Chris was already headed back to the truck with the first set and I hiked up canyon again to find Gail to see if he needed help. On the way there my dog Dexter was sniffing under a tree and I looked to see what it was. Just happened that a fox took a poo on this jacked-up antler and thats what Dex was smelling. What a bonus!!
I think Gail climbed out about the time I did and we met and swapped stories. It was awesome to see the antlers he'd found off that same bull and couldn't wait to pair them up.
We BS'd for the next couple hours as we made our way back to the truck. Finally got there around 7PM and took some bad photos in the dark of Gail and I and the 2 1/2 sets together.
We had an awesome time out there and I hope you all enjoy the pictures and the short story that went along with..........
Josh Epperson
As we bailed off the first ledges of rock I spotted this OLD antler way below us. It's an old 6pt with a small devil point and we left it right there.
This picture is of my friend Gail Herrick and Chris Gravatt going to the first shed that Gail and I spotted last week. STEEP is hardly the word for it. Not sure why those elk live in that crap. Makes for exciting shed hunting though.
Gail and I with the shed. Small top but an enormous front end. 2 year old antler
We knew the match was down slope from this one so down we went.
Bummer the eyeguard was broken clean off but it did have a neat split G-2. Here's Gail with the set.
From here my dog and I slid our way the 700 vertical feet to the bottom to get other's we'd seen the week before. I left Chris up there to glass for me as it would be WAY tough to find the sheds in that awful brush w/o some guidance. Gail headed over to another slope about 300 yards up canyon to pick up one that I'd spotted before.
Once I got to the bottom my dog dove into the creek for some much needed water and I took a rest too. After five minutes or so I went down canyon. Here is a set that I'd seen from above.
From here I hiked up the opposite side and picked up a big chalk 5pt that was shed a few years ago. Didn't take the pack so I don't have pics of it. Once I got it I came back down and then crossed back across the canyon to pick up another set we'd glassed. I only found one of them and since it was an old pink 6pt I didn't look for the other. Back in the bottom I rounded up the set and big 5pt and went down canyon about a 1/2 mile to try and find a way out of this freakin canyon. While down there Gail called me on the radio and told me he'd found an old pink set and a year old single off of the same bull from the first set we'd found! Freakin crazy how that bull spent all that time on one little section of the canyon slope for 3 winters!
It was looking pretty grim for me as it was extremely hard to find a little slot to climb up through from way down in the bottom. After much walking and careful planning I finally spotted a small chute that I thought there'd be a chance to get back up top. I fought the horrible catclaw bushes up to enormous slope. About half way up I started finding lots of old and fairly new elk sign so I thought if they got here somehow then I knew there was a good chance of me getting up this way. Once I got about 2/3 of the way up (about 700') I found this shed. Thought it made for a pretty cool shot as you can see the slot I had to pull myself up through.
I left this shed just as you see it. I'm sure it'd been there at least 5 years and was just a small 6pt.
Once I got a little higher I got up on this ledge and took a break for a while.
Took me nearly an hour and a half to climb out of that canyon and I was whipped!!! Chris was already headed back to the truck with the first set and I hiked up canyon again to find Gail to see if he needed help. On the way there my dog Dexter was sniffing under a tree and I looked to see what it was. Just happened that a fox took a poo on this jacked-up antler and thats what Dex was smelling. What a bonus!!
I think Gail climbed out about the time I did and we met and swapped stories. It was awesome to see the antlers he'd found off that same bull and couldn't wait to pair them up.
We BS'd for the next couple hours as we made our way back to the truck. Finally got there around 7PM and took some bad photos in the dark of Gail and I and the 2 1/2 sets together.
We had an awesome time out there and I hope you all enjoy the pictures and the short story that went along with..........
Josh Epperson
