eelgrass
Long Time Member
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- 31,770
I decided to hunt the timber this last weekend. It's been a week since we had a good soaking rain and that usually brings out the fall mushrooms. Don't ask me what kind of mushrooms because I don't know. All I know is that blacktails love them. The one place I remember where there are lots of mushrooms is up on top of Southfork around Horse Ridge Lookout. There is still lots of old growth timber and I figured with the rain it would be quiet enough walking. Besides, I hadn't been up there in many many years, so it would be nice to see that country again.
I even found my old camp site, after driving right by it twice. It's a little spot kind of hidden in the trees. I wanted to camp there because, if you're hunting the timber, you can walk right out of camp and start hunting. No driving involved. My old meat pole had long since rotted away, but remnants of the old rope was still there! Very cool, I thought!
The only problem I could see with my campsite is that it doesn't exactly fall under the new Forest Service rules as a place to camp. The rules state it has to be at a designated camp ground or no more than 100 feet off the road without doing any damage. My spot is just bare ground but probably a good 200 feet from the road. I decide I'm camping there anyway.
I did my hunt Friday evening and actually saw more deer than I thought I would. All does and fawns but they were definitely in the timber chowing down on mushrooms.
I got back to camp and was getting the place tidied up when a Forest Service truck came along. He drove past and then stopped and backed up and pulled in. I though "Here we go, I'm busted"
He did ask to see my campfire permit and told me I was fine to camp there. We chatted a little bit and I offered him a beer. I hardly ever drink it myself, but I had some in my cooler. He said no, he was on duty.
We chatted some more and he told me I should be sure and drive up to the lookout tower and check it out. He said the view from up there was incredible. I just chuckled and told him that I'd been there and done that. I told him the first time I hunted up here was late 60's. I told him that back then there was a lady manning the tower and she had a couple little kids.
His jaw dropped and he said that the lady was his mother, and he was one of the little kids! Unbelievable! 45 years later!
It jogged my memory so I asked him if he remembered me killing a rattlesnake almost directly under the lookout tower? He started laughing and said "You gotta be kidding me! I remember it like it was yesterday!" He asked my if I remember cutting the rattles off and giving them to him? I told him I didn't remember that part. He said his mother and sister still talk about that time even today. He said that was the first and only rattlesnake they ever saw up there. He said he couldn't wait to tell his mom and sister who he talked to.
We talked for about another half hour and it started getting late so I offered to cook him some supper but he said no, jumped in his truck and took off.
I decided I better go up and look at the tower one more time. I see that the old wooden tower has been replaced and actually moved to a slightly different location, if I remember right. I could be wrong though. It's been 45 years, you know.
I even found my old camp site, after driving right by it twice. It's a little spot kind of hidden in the trees. I wanted to camp there because, if you're hunting the timber, you can walk right out of camp and start hunting. No driving involved. My old meat pole had long since rotted away, but remnants of the old rope was still there! Very cool, I thought!
The only problem I could see with my campsite is that it doesn't exactly fall under the new Forest Service rules as a place to camp. The rules state it has to be at a designated camp ground or no more than 100 feet off the road without doing any damage. My spot is just bare ground but probably a good 200 feet from the road. I decide I'm camping there anyway.
I did my hunt Friday evening and actually saw more deer than I thought I would. All does and fawns but they were definitely in the timber chowing down on mushrooms.
I got back to camp and was getting the place tidied up when a Forest Service truck came along. He drove past and then stopped and backed up and pulled in. I though "Here we go, I'm busted"
He did ask to see my campfire permit and told me I was fine to camp there. We chatted a little bit and I offered him a beer. I hardly ever drink it myself, but I had some in my cooler. He said no, he was on duty.
We chatted some more and he told me I should be sure and drive up to the lookout tower and check it out. He said the view from up there was incredible. I just chuckled and told him that I'd been there and done that. I told him the first time I hunted up here was late 60's. I told him that back then there was a lady manning the tower and she had a couple little kids.
His jaw dropped and he said that the lady was his mother, and he was one of the little kids! Unbelievable! 45 years later!
It jogged my memory so I asked him if he remembered me killing a rattlesnake almost directly under the lookout tower? He started laughing and said "You gotta be kidding me! I remember it like it was yesterday!" He asked my if I remember cutting the rattles off and giving them to him? I told him I didn't remember that part. He said his mother and sister still talk about that time even today. He said that was the first and only rattlesnake they ever saw up there. He said he couldn't wait to tell his mom and sister who he talked to.
We talked for about another half hour and it started getting late so I offered to cook him some supper but he said no, jumped in his truck and took off.
I decided I better go up and look at the tower one more time. I see that the old wooden tower has been replaced and actually moved to a slightly different location, if I remember right. I could be wrong though. It's been 45 years, you know.
