marlinguy wrote on Jul 7^th, 2018 at 3:36pm:


I once confirmed my cardiac fitness by dragging such a buck about 200M up a very steep slope all by myself. It was an "all 4s" kinda task.

BP wrote on Jul 7^th, 2018 at 4:30pm:

That is one thing you learn quick on the west side of the Cascades, do I really want to do this here? 

svartkruttgris#369 wrote on Jul 7^th, 2018 at 5:49pm:


Western Cascade forests are plenty thick, enough so that when still-hunting through them, shooting light in the mornings is delayed by about 30-45 minutes in the timber, as compared with the open cut areas... and the evening shooting light in the timber disappears by about that same 30-45 minutes earlier than in the open areas.
Cover is also closer in the thick timber, and animals normally don't have to move more than a handful of yards to be hidden.

Closest shot I never got to take was in an elk herd in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. The brush was thicker than I expected to get into.  Down low, I could see elk legs all over the place    No way to tell if any of them were legal bulls    No way to get a shot before they were gone if I had known   

Sometimes the snow and ice would get packed so hard between the scope and action I was hunting with a single shot whether I wanted to or not.  Couldn't even unload it at camp until it thawed out. Maybe road hunters have the right idea 

Schuetzenmiester wrote on Jul 7^th, 2018 at 8:06pm:


On a spring trip into mountains in southern Colorado long ago I encountered a sizable herd of elk in a thicket so dense I could see parts of elk all around be but nothing more of them. There was almost no air movement but I was amazed that largish herd would feed all around and past me so close but never sound alarm as they passed. Seemed like they knew I was no threat so far outside hunting season.

Bob,

When out glassing open areas, I've watched animals lock up and freeze, and let people walk right on past very close by them, and without the people ever seeing them, and then watched some animals turn and start following along behind as if asking themselves "What's that human doing?".
Guess at particular times when they're feeling pretty safe, animals just get real curious too.   

At various times of the year when driving on Hwy 12 between White Pass and I-5, there has been heavy fog and elk will come out of the timber to graze close by along the sides of the road. Those times make me glad I don't drive some low-riding plastic/aluminum beercan peanut of a car. If one suddenly ran out in front of you, and you took the legs out from under it, it could come over the hood, through the windshield, and end up in your lap.   

Long ago, while hiking in a relatively high mountain area, we stopped to rest maybe 10M off main trail. Part of reason to stop was a noisy Boy Scout mob behind us. After the BSers had gone by we were surprised and happy to see a herd of Mtn Sheep start peeking up the trail, watching last of BSers go out of sight. Then they slowly crossed maybe 30M away from us. So, we had an interesting half hour or so watching the entire herd go by, including several quite small. Wind was in our favor.

Had we not gotten well off trail before BSers passed, I wonder if we would have seen any of those Mtn Sheep.

Most of my deer and elk hunting has been in Eastern Oregon where there's little or no timber. But shots have been at all ranges from as close as 30 yds. to over 360 yds. 
The first year I began hunting with antique single shots I figured I wanted to get as close as possible, so when we spotted 3 bucks in tall grass, I knew it was going to be tough to get close! 
We were 500 yds. away, and my brother and I got on our bellies and slithered through 3' tall grass for probably 45 minutes! When I felt I was possibly close enough I turned on my back and turned my feet towards the direction we crawled. I readied my rifle and as I sat up I cocked the hammer on my Ballard, only to see 3 bucks staring at me 30 yds. away! 
I quickly picked the one straight in line with my sights and took a shoulder shot. The buck dropped, and the other two trotted off, but stopped to look at their deceased partner as each passed by him. Strangest reaction I'd seen from other bucks in years of hunting. They usually bolt as fast as they can go!
That big buck I had roll down into the draw after what I thought was a perfect shoulder shot, weighed over 200 lbs. on the hoof! Even after field dressing him I wasn't able to drag him up the draw by myself, and my niece's husband wasn't much help except to carry both guns. Every time I stopped he'd start to slide back down, and it wasn't until my brother and my nephew arrived that we were able to drag him to the top where it was all downhill to the truck about 2 miles away!