Meeting the Flyfishing Cognoscenti

Over in Evergreen last weekend I meet some notable flyfishing authors at the Blue Quill Angler. I chatted with John Gierach, Ed Engle, (pictured to the left) and John Barr, to name a few.

I brought my daughter along. She was extremely shy and would hardly say a word. The guys joked that most fly fisherman have that effect on women. I thought for a moment then commented that I wished it would work that way at home with my wife. They all laughed for a minute then silently nodded their heads in agreement. Good thing the room was full of guys and my daughter who wouldn't tell on me.

Why Hunt, continued...

Hunting is a brotherhood. Camaraderie is the tie that binds. Even when I don't get the opportunity to hunt with my buddies they're still the first ones I call to tell them how my hunting was. I get the same phone calls from them telling me how it was.

One of my buddies went pheasant hunting in Iowa a few weeks back. I'd been signed-up to go on the trip, but other things intervened.

I called my buddy to see how the road trip was going, only to find out that he and the rest of the crew had just pulled into the Cabelas parking lot in Sydney. Boy was I jealous. Not only was I going to miss the hunt, I missed a trip to Cabelas. Long story short, the weather was crap before they arrived in Iowa and the hunting was pretty lousy. Between the three of them they only bagged one bird. ONE BIRD. Damn I wish I was there to see that...

2007 Elk Season Summary

The Abridged Version:
They went that way, I went the other way. I never saw any elk the rest of the season.

The Unabridged Version:
I hunted Green Ranch, part of Golden Gate State Park, in Gilpin County, Colorado. I had a bull tag for the first season. What a waste of my preference points... oh well.

I arrived at the earliest time allowed (5:30 am), grabbed my gear, and headed up the mountain. My plan was to put myself between the other hunters, the elk herd, and the escape route. By 7:00 I was at the top of the hill and I could hear at least one bull bugling. I continued to work my way toward the "bottleneck".

By 7:05 I heard two shots and knew that the season was over. I never saw the herd, but I knew that I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. By the time I had run down the hill into the "bottleneck" any elk that had been there were long gone.

The Final Countdown

The good news is that I'm hunting Colorado's first rifle season for the Elk this year. There is no bad news.

Sure, I wish the weather forecast looked a bit better, but I doubt we'll get the two feet of snow we got last year. (For the love of MIKE, I hope we don't get the weather we got last year!).

Today's chores are: load the hunting pack, clean the rife, make sure all the clothes are ready, load the cart in the truck, and write down all the phone numbers of the guys who've said they'll help me haul out the meat.

Wish me luck!

Why I Like Hunter's Specialties and the Mac Daddy

Even before I saw Wayne Carlton in person using one at my local Bass Pro Shop, I had bought a Mac Daddy elk call. See, as much as I'd like to use a diaphragm and a tube to talk to the elk, I can't. I have a high pallet, so using a diaphragm is almost impossible for me. I'm one of "those folks" that can't curl their tongue or whistle loudly through their lips.

The Mac Daddy is my solution, and what a great solution it is. If you get one, make sure you also get a copy of "The Complete Elk Caller" DVD to go with it so that you can learn how to use it. The CD that comes with the call is o.k., if you have a good ear and love to experiment until you find the right notes/tones. I'm a visual learner, so having go 'ole Wayne on the DVD show me how was MUCH better.

So why do I like Hunter's Specialties? Because they answer the phone and help you with your questions. My question today was "Where do I find replacement diaphragms for the Mac Daddy?". My favorite online store, Cabelas, doesn't show that they carry any and Wayne advised having a couple of spares in the field. I called Hunter's Specialties and within minutes they directed me to Western Recreation Industries. Apparently, HS doesn't want to do business any other way than through their retailers, and that's fine with me, as long as they answer their phones and tell me where to go to get what I need.

An Evening with Wayne Carlton

I went down to my local Bass Pro Shop to hear Wayne Carlton speak tonight. The topic was "Calling Elk to the Gun". I knew of course that there would be the usual product pitch, but that didn't bother me - we all have to make a living.

Wayne was great! He has an amazing mastery of the diaphragm call and it seems like he can create any sound he wants at will. The part I went for was to see and hear him use the Mac Daddy. He didn't disappoint. Seeing him use it to emulate a bull bugling was like watching an artist create a masterpiece. He's that good. Of course, I still have a LONG way to go, but at least I have somewhere to start now.

Thanks Wayne!

Good News, Bad News

The wait has been over for a while, I just forgot to write about it...

I drew a bull tag for the 1st Rifle Season AND I was picked for one of 8 slots in the Green Ranch lottery! That's the good news.

The bad news is that I'm not going back to Seedhouse north of Steamboat with my buddies this year. I just don't have the time to travel to a distant camp, so I'm sticking close to home. Very close to home - my backyard! Good old Unit 38.

Now I have to get my butt out to the shooting range and make sure I'm dialed into my rifle again. That, and learn how to use my nifty new "Mac Daddy" elk call...

Now we wait...

My application is in. Due to my new "situation" I've opted to stay close to home for the coming Elk hunting season. At least that's my intention. If I win the Powerball lottery then all bets are off.

At this point my plan is to spend a lot of time scouting my "back yard" (Arapahoe National Forest) as well as Green Ranch in Golden Gate State Park. If I see enough encouraging signs, I may just put in for the Green Ranch lottery and give myself some more options. First season is pretty short, compared to second season, so I want to have a few other places to go in case the weather does another number on me.

After feeling lost most of the time last season I've committed myself to spending more that just one afternoon scouting and learning the area I want to hunt. Granted, hunting in your back yard makes that easier, but only if you put in the time. My scouting plan includes using a GPS to mark springs, creeks, rubs, beds, etc. I may also lay in some caches of water and Powerbars just because I can.

Now would probably be a good time to inspect my rifle and make sure the oil I put on in the Fall is doing the job it should be doing...

Get Ready, Get Set, Wait...

April 3rd is the deadline in Colorado to submit your big game application. For 2007 I'm in a bit of a situation. I don't want to commit to hunting the unit I hunted last year because I'm not sure if I'll get the time off from my new job.

The good news is that I can be pretty sure of getting the tag I want in my home unit. If I do get the time off from work, I can surrender my home unit tag and buy an unlimited bull tag over the counter so that I can camp and hunt with my buddies. Time will tell.

Duck Wrap-up and Talking Turkey

Well, duck and goose season came and went. Despite that lack of success, I'm hooked! I've already got 2 dozen dekes and a mojo for next year. I'm also considering how I can afford a private hunt in South Dakota. Something I could do myself and maybe bring my dog Rio along for the ride.

Rio has turned out to be a great dog. When she isn't sleeping with my kids (to keep away the Boogie Man) she's teaching Copper (our Golden) the tricks of mountain living. I've done some basic retriving training with her and she's pretty good. Fortunately the shotgun doesn't bother her, so there's one less issue to deal with. (As opposed to my buddy whose Golden ran for the truck the first time he fired his shotgun.)

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Well, turkey season starts pretty soon. I just ordered 2 pairs of decoys from Sierra Trading Post. Don't get me wrong, I love Cabelas, but a deal is a deal. I got 2 Flabeau breeding pairs for $30 total plus shipping. WHAT a DEAL. I figure I can put one jake with two hens and the other jake a bit further out. Hopefully that will bring the target in close enough...

I probably should change the title of my blog, but I'm not sure I can, so for now it'll stay as is. I hope you don't mind.