This morning I decided to get up before day light to fish on “Fish Lake” in the Steen’s Mountains. We are camped right next to it and my 10 foot pram is always in the lake ready to go when I want to fish. This morning the lake was so beautiful as I could barely see across it before the sun came up. I was doing a slow troll with a wet fly and I saw a beaver swimming across the lake and followed it with my eye as it headed to a big beaver lodge on the side of the lake. As I watched the beaver I saw two really big bucks drinking from the lake, I could hardly believe my eyes. I have been hiking all over trying to find a buck to shoot with my bow and here are 2 monsters less than 200 yards from my tent. I slowly rowed my boat towards them, and they hardly paid any attention to me, I think they thought I was a big beaver. I got within 33 yards according to my range finder and attempted a shot, but I have never shot a bow sitting down out of a boat, a very little boat before. I missed so badly he only took a few steps and stopped and I got a second shot, same story. So, I did some practicing today, and I am ready for those bucks. I plan on being on the lake in my boat at 5:30 am, I am going to have my binoculars, and I am going to glass the hill above the lake and when they head down I will be there waiting for them. Great plan! 😬😬😬😬 I am so nervous that something is going to go wrong! I will let you know tomorrow how it all turns out😳😳
Yesterday I snuck up on 5 different deer and got within 10 yards of 2, 20 yards on 2, and 40 yards on the 5th one. All of those are really good shooting distances with a bow, and I could have easily shot any one of them but I couldn’t get any of them to grow horns as hard as I tried. In the Steen’s it is bucks only so I could see and sneak up on lots of does and not come home with any meat. Even though I didn’t shoot my bow I had lots of fun with the challenge of getting close to each of the deer without them seeing, smelling, or hearing me. I was constantly checking wind direction, and looking for bushes, rocks, and trees to walk behind. One of the reasons I have hunted archery primarily for the last 55 years is because of this added challenge of getting close. I am not always as successful as I was yesterday, in fact the stories of just, almost getting close enough for a shot and having the deer or elk spook is my normal story over the years. I don’t have to catch fish to enjoy fishing, and I don’t have to kill something to enjoy hunting, which in the hunting department, is a good thing or I would have quit hunting years ago! This trip has been particularly enjoyable because of the camping being just Patty and I, the fishing has been incredible, the scenery is beautiful, the weather has been sunny but not to hot at 8,000 feet elevation, I have seen deer every time I have gone out, though just does, and I have had lots of reading, writing, and praying time. I am thinking that I will see a buck or elk this evening, maybe, you never know, we will see, I hope so, don’t you love it! It is just like life! Maybe we will, maybe we won’t, but you always keep trying, keep setting the goals and having the dreams.
This is Blitzen Gorge. I hunt on the top on the left side of the picture.
A hunter fell today in this canyon and was killed.
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