This week's Links

• Boulder Flycasters
• Colorado Trout Unlimited (CTU)
• Trout Unlimited (TU)
• TU's Youth Education material
  

Hell Freezes Over: Elk Calling Article in the New York Times

In today's New York Times (Feb 27th, 2008) there is an article about the elk calling competition in Reno, Nevada at the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation's 2008 Elk Camp. I don't believe it! Since when do New Yorkers give a rats ass about elk calling, or anything with the word "elk" in it. Amazing. Guess I need to start training the kids for the 2012 Elk Camp...

Crazy Winds

This is the time of the year when new residents of the high country call up a real estate broker and scream “sell it NOW!” If you don’t know why, then you’ve either lived here for more than a few years or you’ve been in Costa Rica for the last week or two. Severely cold temperatures and high winds are the true test of will for anyone “living the dream” just a few miles as the crow flies from the continental divide. With all the wind and cold over the last couple of weeks it was almost impossible keeping the house warm. It was so windy at our house that we’d only let the dogs outside to do their business with a strong rope attached to their collars. One of my buddies living near the Justice Center tells me that he’d measured the wind gusts at 80+ MPH. Maybe that explains why my house was shaking so hard on those crazy, windy nights.

If you ever wondered why it get so windy up here in the mountains, here’s the simplest explanation I could find: As wind runs into a mountain it flows up the side until it reaches the top. It cannot continue to flow upwards because wind flowing above the mountain forces it back down. When the rising air reaches the top of the mountain, it has to all funnel all that converging wind through a small area just above the peak. To allow that much wind through a limited amount of space, the wind speed increases. You can see this same effect in a river. When a river is wide, the water flows slowly, but as it narrows, the water speeds up. This is because the same amount of water needs to fit through a smaller space. This principle of fluid dynamics explains the high wind speeds on mountaintops.

Here’s the explanation that I tell my kids at bedtime: When the earth was born, all the winds gathered here in Gilpin/Nederland to decide who was the biggest and loudest wind. They liked living in the mountains so much that they forgot about the gathering and made this their permanent home. That’s why all the wind in the world starts here and is the strongest, loudest wind in the whole world. My daughter, like her mother, is not susceptible to my tall tales. She just looks at me and scowls.

Then she tells me that the winds are made by differential heating and cooling of the earth and oceans, resulting in areas of high and low pressure. Wind and weather move from areas of high pressure to areas of low pressure. Finally she tells me that there’s this thing called the Coriolis Effect, caused by the rotation of the earth. The Coriolis Effect causes wind to rotate clock-wise around a high pressure system and counter clock-wise around a low pressure system. That’s why we get the nasty high winds in the winter and the awesome upslope snow storms in the spring. There’s no fooling that girl.

All I know is that when I went online to find the cities in America that have the lowest average wind for the year I found a few that I were interesting – Oak Ridge, Tennessee, Medford, Oregon, and Missoula, Montana. Oak Ridge was a city built during World War II to support the Manhattan Project. The Manhattan Project was the effort to build the world’s first nuclear bomb. If you think radon is a problem when it comes to places to live, I’m guess that nuclear research is also a big turn-off. Scratch Oak Ridge from the list. Medford, Oregon looks interesting, but I’m not big on living in truck stop towns. Scratch Medford. That leaves Missoula.

The last time I was in Missoula was when we took our camper to Kalispell for the 4th of July a few years ago. We’d just bought the camper and I had no idea how heavy it really was. I was still learning about the gas mileage you don’t get when you pull a camper when I passed a gas station and said those words to my wife that I’ll never forget – “Don’t worry, we’ll make it to the next gas station. We’ve got plenty of gas!” About 10 minutes later the gauge went from half-a-tank to a quarter-of-a-tank. That’s when I started to get a little nervous. 10 minutes after that when we started up a long series of hills and the gauge started to drop towards empty is when I really got nervous. Assuming the worst I looked at my wife, smiled, and said “I just want to apologize now for running out of gas in the next 5 minutes.” Then a miracle occurred. With the needle on empty we managed to drive another 5 miles uphill, only to spot a gas station on the outskirts of Missoula at the bottom of the hill. To this day I don’t know what got us over that hill into Missoula, but I can tell you it wasn’t a tailwind. I can’t wait to retire to Missoula, but I’m not going to take the camper.

If you’re looking to retire to one of the “least windy” places in the lower 48, here are your top choices:

1. OAK RIDGE,TN

2. MEDFORD, OR

3. MOUNT SHASTA, CA

4. LOS ANGELES C.O., CA

5. CHARLESTON, WV

6. ELKINS, WV

7. ELKO, NV

8. QUILLAYUTE, WA

9. SANTA BARBARA, CA

10. CHATTANOOGA, TN

11. PHOENIX, AZ

12. LONG BEACH, CA

13. TALLAHASSEE, FL

14. MERIDIAN, MS

15. KALISPELL, MT

16. MISSOULA, MT

17. FLAGSTAFF, AZ

18. BAKERSFIELD, CA

19. FRESNO, CA

20. AUGUSTA,GA

21. JACKSON, KY

Send me a postcard when you get there. I'll be here, living the dream, telling my kids tall tales about the home of the winds. Wish me luck, I'm gong to need it!

The 2008 Colorado Big Game Application is Here!

Run to the mailbox! The 2008 Colorado Big Game Application is here! Hooray!!

Swimming with the Geese

My track record for goose hunting remains unchanged: zero, nada, zip. I went home after sunset on Super Bowl Sunday empty handed. Too bad we don’t have pizza delivery around here. The bad news is that this past weekend was very different then any other goose hunting trip I’ve done in the past two years, despite not dropping any birds.

What started with the usual early morning start was only complicated by the fact that I’d stayed out a bit later than I wanted to the night before playing poker with some buddies. By buddies I mean the guys that took my money and sent me home a few dollars poorer. Four in the morning isn’t so bad, as long as you don’t forget to set your alarm like I did. For some reason I woke-up 20 minutes after my unset alarm was supposed to go off. Luckily my goose hunting buddy knows me pretty well and doesn’t get bent out of shape when I show up 20 minutes late each and every time we get out. I’ll have to work on that.

After a quick pit stop for gas and picking up my buddy’s son in Longmont we pulled into the parking lot at the Simpson Ponds State Wildlife Area (SWA) just northwest of Johnson’s Corner. I think they should rename it “Goose World”. Seems that we picked the one day when everyone else also thought it would be fun to go goose hunting. The parking lot had at least a dozen trucks and half a dozen trailers. The trailers are important because that’s where the dozens upon dozens of decoy were stored before the twenty something hunters set them up on the frozen ponds in preparation for the first flights of geese at sunrise. We were too late to grab a great spot, a good spot, or even a crappy spot. We resigned to take a really crappy spot and hope that we could pick off a bird that didn’t respond to the billions of decoys. That’s when the fun really began for me.

I grabbed my shotgun, my gear bag, and hotfooted it toward the really crappy spot, just in case someone else grabbed it and we had to give up the hunt altogether. On my way across the ice I came to a spot that must be a shallow channel between two of ponds. With sunrise just minutes away I neglected to notice that the ice was particularly clear and thin and charged straight ahead, dead set on getting into position before the geese started to fly. As I plunged up to my waist in the icy water a few thoughts crossed my mind. None of them can be published in this paper or any other paper with standards for decency. Fortunately, as I already mentioned, the spot where I fell in was shallow and I was able to jump out almost as fast as I fell in. Drenched in frozen water I made a beeline for the truck where my buddies were still gearing up.

Imagine the most you’ve ever laughed in your life, multiply it by two, and that would the amount of laughter I heard from my buddies as I stripped off my soaking wet clothes and dove into the truck to warm up. Cold, wet, and embarrassed I wondered what karmic sin I’d committed to be rewarded with a refreshing dip in the pond. I told my buddies to keep going and I’d figure out something to keep hunting. I tried braving the cold with just some long johns and my sockless boots, but that got embarrassing quickly after a carload of folks on their way to church pointed in my direction and started laughing. The something I figured out was a quick trip to Sportsman’s Warehouse in Loveland to buy some dry socks and pants. Returning to the SWA, the fun just got better.

Moments after I pulled into the parking lot a Colorado Department of Wildlife officer pulled in behind me and proceeded to check our hunting permits, shotguns, and shells. In my haste to be only 20 minutes late picking up my buddy I neglected to grab my permit. On the bright side, I did have my current fishing/small game license which showed that I’d paid for my Colorado waterfowl permit. On the not-so-bright side I didn’t have my Federal Duck Stamp with me. Seems the computer system that tracks Colorado permits doesn’t keep track of the Federal permits. More thoughts that can’t be published in any respectable newspaper ran through my head. Since the DOW officer hadn’t actually seen me actively hunting I got a break and she didn’t issue me a fine; instead she gave me a stern warning and made it clear that if I even thought about pulling my shotgun out of its case she’d write me a ticket. Not wanting to waste the time and money I’d already invested in this goose hunting holiday I jumped back in the truck and drove to Sportsman’s Warehouse again to purchase another Federal Stamp. Thank goodness they’re cheap and the money goes to protect wetlands and other waterfowl habitat.

The insult to injury was finally getting our decoys out on one of the ponds for the late afternoon flights only to see every possible goose we could hit shot down by the hunter in the adjacent pond. So what if he had more decoys and knows how to use a goose call. Our meager spread of decoys could easily fool a half-blind goose any day of the week. I can’t really say I was too surprised. Whenever one of my buddies or I tried to call in the geese we sounded like a bunch of American Idol rejects. The 4^th chair oboe player at the elementary school could call a goose in better than any of us. At least now I know what I have to do for the next goose hunt – stay away from the thin ice, don’t forget my permits, and learn how to use a goose call. What could be easier? I think I’m going to take the rest of the goose season off and start getting ready for next year. That way I have a shot a regaining the circulation in my lower extremities sometime in the next twelve months and maybe those poor folks that saw me on their way to church will recover too.

Colorado's Top Fishing Towns

As reported in Field & Stream and reprinted with minor commentary in Charlie Meyers' outdoor column in this past Sunday’s Denver Post, Glenwood Springs was selected as one of America’s top fishing towns. From the article - “The town at the confluence of the Colorado and Roaring Fork rivers won out over Mountain Home, Ark.; Traverse City, Mich.; Bozeman, Mont.; and Minocqua, Wisconsin. In 11th place, Missoula, Montana, is the only other Rocky Mountain location on the list. What about Gilpin/Nederland? How come we never make it on the list?!?

I believe that the Peak-to-Peak stretch between Black Hawk and Ward is the best place to live. (I’d say Gilpin/Nederland, but I’ve got friends in Ward and points beyond.) Forget about just fishing, we’ve got much more. There, I wrote it. Now I’m hosed. Like the curse of Chief Niwot, I believe there is some spell that the high country has cast over me. As cold as it gets, as much as the commute to Boulder/Englewood is a pain, I doubt I’ll ever be able to leave. I tried once, before I was married, but here I am - living the dream above 8,000 feet. Something tells me I’m not alone with this curese/blessing.

What doesn’t living in the mountains have? Pizza delivery? Sure, but who needs pizza delivery anyway! The delivery guy always brings the wrong pizza and then looks at you with those sad, red, watery eyes that says “dude, I’m so fired if you don’t pay for this pizza that you didn’t order”. So I pay for the pizza and scrape off the artichokes, black olives, and all the other stuff I didn’t want, until I get down to the cheese, sauce, and dough that I did want. Yummy. Something tells me that if we ever did get pizza delivery in the mountains there be even more delivery guys with red, watery eyes delivering pizzas that I didn’t order. Oh well.

Here’s what we do have, all out our backdoor or within a few minutes: skiing, snowshoeing, hunting, fishing, snowmobiling, four wheeling, mountain biking, hiking, dirt biking, camping, trail running, swimming, and ice fishing. I still don’t give a hoot about ice fishing, but it makes the list longer. Not only do we all those things that we can do, there are actually folks that do them. The canyons that come up to Hwy 119 are the training ground for international cyclists. Magnolia Road is the training ground for Olympic runners. Eldora is the training ground for the national champion Colorado Buffalos ski team. My driveway is the training ground for future bobsled champions… or snowboarders. It depends on whether or not the kids sit or stand in the sled while taking turns sliding into the cul-de-sac. Until you write it all down, it can be easy to forget how much living in the mountains has to offer, summer or winter.

While I may not have grown up around livestock, I did grow up in the woods with a creek flowing through it. I got to do all the things kids do in the woods – climb trees, build tree forts, hunt for snipe, and have acorn fights. I can’t remember a summer day when I didn’t play in the woods or go fishing in the creek. Well, there were a few, but those were the days that I had to cut the lawn or pull weeds. I’ll never understand my mother’s complete infatuation with weeds. Anyway, the fish we caught were nothing to shout about, mostly catfish or sunfish, but they did provide use with hours of entertainment and kept me out of trouble.

Lucky for me I’ve got lots of woods to play in now, a few creeks, and a lake. The lake is stocked with trout every spring and by fall the bigger ones tend to tip at 3+ pounds and measure almost 22 inches. Yes, I said 22 inches! I’ve fished the Roaring Fork River by Glenwood. It is a great river and the hot springs make a nice rest stop after fishing all day long. I’ve never caught a 22 inch Rainbow or Brown in the Roaring Fork. I’d rather save the time, gas, and money by fishing in my own neighborhood than schlepping all the way out to Glenwood. Perhaps one day Gilpin/Nederland will top the list of Field & Stream’s best places to fish next year. Until then, I’ll just enjoy everything we have and appreciate all the wrong pizzas I don’t have to pay for.

The Outdoors Goes Indoors

Along with everything else, the 31st annual International Sportsmen’s Exposition is at the Colorado Convention Center today through the 27th. Adults are $12, kids 12 and under are free. Park at Coors Field for $5 and take a free shuttle to the Convention Center. Did I mention that kids are FREE? Sweet! I’m going Thursday night by myself, for obvious reasons (no kids to haul around), so I can hear Frank Miniter speak. He’s the fellow that wrote “The Politically Incorrect Guide to Hunting”, the book I mentioned in my very first column.

I finally found a copy of the book at the Barnes and Noble in Boulder. Let me repeat that – I finally found a single copy. I was not surprised that there was only ONE copy in all of Boulder. Nobody in Boulder is stocking the book in a quantity greater than one. What a shock. The copy I found was hidden between books by Hillary Clinton and Al Franken. My guess is that whoever was stocking the shelves when that book came in had a pretty twisted sense of humor. (If you didn’t already know, Hillary and Al are very outspoken gun control advocates. Both seem to believe that guns, any guns, are a problem. That’s a problem for hunters. We’ll talk about how gun control laws affect hunters another time.) I’ve read the first few chapters of the book already and I expect to finish it before I go and meet Mr. Miniter at the Expo. I may even have him autograph my copy while I interview him for a future column.

At the Expo you’ll find just about any kind of field and stream vendor, you could imagine, as well as dealers showing off boats and off-road vehicles. There will be: outfitters that will take you hunting or fishing anywhere in the world, nearby hunting clubs selling memberships for deer/elk/duck hunting, various state and national associations, and some great educational opportunities with the Colorado Division of Wildlife. From the DOW website: “DOW experts will be on hand to answer your questions and present seminars. The Pavilion includes new merchandise, educational exhibits, live raptors, a laser shot game to practice shooting, a catch and release fishing pond, spawning demonstrations, an archery shoot, an antique fish truck and more!” The DOW will be premiering a new DVD titled “Fly-Fishing Colorado”. I’ve got a few of their DVDs already I expect this one will be added to the collection. I will definitely be taking the kids to the expo, if only to see the DOW booth. The Division is offering an admission discount coupon at your local licensing agent. For anyone reading this column that would be the Ace Hardware store in Nederland. I called and confirmed that they do have the coupons – tell’m Drew sent you.

For those of you that have the time and money to go to the show twice, once by yourself and once with the family, there’s a vast array of seminars, presentations, and competitions to check out. As I already mentioned, I’m going on Thursday night to see Frank Miniter give his presentation, titled “Learn How to Defend Yourself with the Anti’s!”. From what I’ve already read in the book, I expect to learn some great tips and tricks for applying some logic to what can be a very emotional argument. Something like that whole “Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus” thing, except that in this case “Hunters are Good People doing Good Things, Anti’s are Just Bambi Lovers That Think Hunters are Evil and Stupid”. Should be a lot of fun! Also on my hit list of seminars are: a lecture on hunting public land, fly fishing Wyoming with Jack Dennis, an introduction to using electronic collars (on dogs, not kids), and ice fishing for lake trout. What’s amazing is those are just a few of the 50 seminars they’re putting on EACH DAY! Overall there will be over 150 different seminars on hunting, fishing, dog training, and fly tying. (I’m just kidding about attending the ice fishing seminar. I still believe that I’d rather wait for hours in the dentist’s office reading “Highlights” than go ice fishing.)

While I’m there I plan to spend a fair amount of time talking to the folks at the national groups that I belong to – the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation (RMEF) and Ducks Unlimited (DU). Quick plug for RMEF and DU – if you hunt elk or duck in Colorado or anywhere else you need to be a member of these organizations. They do great work – they preserve habitat, they advocate for hunting and hunters, and they provide education to the general public on the value of habitat preservation and hunting. Good folks doing good work deserve our support. When I talk to the Elk Foundation folks I want to see if they have an official position on the plan to thin the elk herd in Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) and make sure they’re aware of the plan to create a gravel quarry in Gilpin County. I think the plan they came up with for RMNP stinks and I’m strongly opposed to the quarry. If possible, I’m going to offer my time and energy to the Elk Foundation as another voice to the Gilpin County commissioners. We’ll see how that goes. With Ducks Unlimited folks I’m curious to hear about what they think about the shrinking access to rivers and lakes for hunting, as well as the 30 year decline in successful duck hunts in Colorado. Seems I picked one of the most difficult states possible, at the most challenging time in recent history, to start a duck hunting career. Both conversations should be interesting and I hope to be able to dedicate a column to each one down the line.

Since there’s a lot of outdoorsmen (and women) in Colorado and there’s no NFL football to watch this coming weekend, I expect the crowd at the expo to be pretty big. If you’re going with the family make sure you grab a coupon at Ace and get there when they open the doors at 10:00 A.M. That way you won’t have to wait too long for the kids to have a turn at the laser rifle shoot, the archery shoot, or the fishing tank. Have fun, I hope to see you there.

Big Gun, Little Patience

One of my good buddies just bought a muzzle loader from Cabelas as a christmas present to himself. He's only been elk hunting for two years, the same as me. I asked him "Why a muzzle loader?" and his simple answer was "Because I can hunt earlier in the season and call in the elk." His answer sounds reasonable, but there's more to the story...

My buddy is ALSO going to take his new muzzle loader hunting on private property in a unit that is known to be full of elk for most of the year. Besides having the advantage of hunting an earlier season he'll also enjoy the benefit of hunting on private property, which in Colorado is rapidly becoming a HUGE advantage. It seems as if more and more of the elk have figured out that private property is safer and more secure that the public property crawling with tons of hunters. Despite the falling number of hunters there seems to be no drop in the amount of pressure put on public lands during hunting season. Let me restate that - even with the falling number of hunters there seems to be no drop in the amount of pressure put on public lands within 5 miles or less of a road during hunting season.

Here's my takeaway - switching to a muzzleloader is NOT the end-all-be-all for getting an elk. Even if you are hunting on private property. I know in my heart-of-hearts that what's going to get ME an elk is hard work - lots of scouting, lots of conditioning, and unwaivering determination. A bigger gun and the same (limited) patience is not the solution. Sorry buddy.

More Shows, Less Hunting...

January has got to be the busiest show month there is in Denver.
We just had the two fly fishing shows, the stock show just opened, the RV is going on, and the International Sportsmen's Exposition is in Denver next week. Remind me to spend less at xmas next year so I have some money left over for all the shows.

Avalanche Safety in a Nutshell

How to avoid being a victim of an avalanche

• Get some training/education
• Know the conditions before you go out
  
• Avoid areas that are an obvious threat
• Get the right gear (beacon, probe, shovel) and know how to use it
  

Links from this week's column in the Gilpin County News:
Rocky Mountain Rescue Group
National Snow and Ice Data Center - Avalanche Awareness
Colorado Avalanche Information Center
REI stores on the Front Range
Eldora Mountain Resort - Avalanche Course
Colorado Mountain Club
Gilpin County Search & Rescue

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.)

---

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.