Finally couple years later got around to scouting in D14 in between two large general landmarks that a successful Bear Hunter was kind enough to suggest I look within a few years back. (Though I highly doubt today I got back in there enough for Bear sign)
Since I went in with the boy... and this was my first time in the area... game plan was arrive in sunlight and leave in sunlight for first visit. To a certain degree the clouds didn't cooperate. Thought I'd be able to do some glassing but unfortunately the weather today had cloud cover rolling back in at about the time I got to a worthy location to glass from, effective making it like thick fog essentially so oh well.
Not gonna lie... it's got a lotta steep and Papa don't have much time under his belt at this altitude (6670ft). BUT!!! AT least the terrain isn't choked with miles of impenetrable chaparral as far as the eye can see! Though we did stomp thru quite a substantial bit of low-growing Buckthorn.
Along the way in the loop, we did make sure we punctuated the day with 4 sets for predators. No takers unfortunately....
BUT!!! It turned out to be a cool productive day though!
Been constantly reminding to the boy to not get caught in the habit of just looking at his feet when we're negotiating around in there... and at a certain spot, coming back down along the ridge of this one big finger, I'm like whispering "Connor! DEER!!!" Trying to point without motioning at the Deer. Was maybe 200yds away. Stayed there a long time just remaining frozen... staring dead-on back our direction.
Took forever to get the boy seeing him. Finally had to tell him to come over close to my side... then pointed at the damn thing with my trekking pole! Then he finally saw it! I checked him out with the ZEISS. Then disconnected em from the Marsuipial and let the boy check him out with the ZEISS. At first I was having a hard time seeing it with the shaking from exertion... but when he gave the binos back I checked again and finally confirmed that he had the short beginnings of at least 2x2 in velvet. But his body was nice so likely more than just 2x2 when fully mature.
I didn't want him to bolt and think he was being "hunted" so eventually I told the boy that we'd continue on along the ridge top... so when we slowly began to continue on... that buck... at about 150-200 below us... non-chalantly and slowly... sauntered off in an opposite direction nice and calm. Pretty sure this was the same deer we'd sorta jumped coming into this area first thing in the morning upon arriving. He'd gone up this one steep finger... pretty sure we were on a parallel finger on the way back down.
Then... once we see he's sauntered off, I change it up so that we go down to where he was and where gonna from there proceed in direction of vehicle. We'd travelled along... sidehilling from there... eventually crossing over to that original finger I mentioned. The crossover ridge area of this new finger dumped you into this nice flattened out minor bowl area on top of it. Right after cresting that fingers ridge, once again whispering to the boy "Connor! A Doe!" pointing from my chest with two fingers. Again... a Deer looking dead at us, but frozen. Oh my goodness you guys... this Doe was only like maybe 60yds... and oh good grief that damn boy just wasn't freakin' seeing it to save his soul! Finally as he moves closer to me and snaps a branch... a 2nd Doe that was laying down in the grasses partially covered buy some scraggly dead branches off some smaller tree pops up... and it's sibling also turns around and they mildly trot away from the scene, so THEN he sees it #FacePalm.
With the cloud cover the way it was, and the boy needing to finish a few homework assignments... we move continue onward back in direction of the vehicle. 2 more Does were mildly trotting away up on the rim of this sorta bowl we were in the middle of, just totally out in the open. They were gone to quick though, ducked more toward top of ridge away from rim of bowl so out of the FOV. so he didn't get to see these other two, unfortuantely. It was cool though. I got to discuss with him and mention to him "Ya see the difference in their bodies? How the Buck was much ticker in his body? See how you can tell right away the difference between the two, even without the antlers being visible?"
Along the way back out... we saw this very bizarre red thing sticking up outta the dirt at this one spot. I asked the boy to go check what it was. Figured it was something man-made. Turns out.. it was some kinda plant/flowering blossom thing. If I had to describe it... hrmm.. might say it kinda reminded me of a Dragon-fruit? Little further towards the vehicle... we came across this Noble Fir. Told the boy "Look Papa, isn't that like a perfect Christmas Tree?" To which he had to agree, it was almost perfect dimensions for it!
So anyhoo... just jazzed that my boys first "real" scouting experience with me today he did alright and it wasn't the whiner-fest I kinda thought it might become. He toughed it out in terms of the Buckthorn occasionally bitin' him. But he did whine a bit about the Rifle on the Quake-claw wanting to "slide forward" a lot. I showed him how I put my hand in the sling a bit to ensure it's tightened to the shoulder. All in all.. it was a good day!
Since I went in with the boy... and this was my first time in the area... game plan was arrive in sunlight and leave in sunlight for first visit. To a certain degree the clouds didn't cooperate. Thought I'd be able to do some glassing but unfortunately the weather today had cloud cover rolling back in at about the time I got to a worthy location to glass from, effective making it like thick fog essentially so oh well.
Not gonna lie... it's got a lotta steep and Papa don't have much time under his belt at this altitude (6670ft). BUT!!! AT least the terrain isn't choked with miles of impenetrable chaparral as far as the eye can see! Though we did stomp thru quite a substantial bit of low-growing Buckthorn.
Along the way in the loop, we did make sure we punctuated the day with 4 sets for predators. No takers unfortunately....
BUT!!! It turned out to be a cool productive day though!
Been constantly reminding to the boy to not get caught in the habit of just looking at his feet when we're negotiating around in there... and at a certain spot, coming back down along the ridge of this one big finger, I'm like whispering "Connor! DEER!!!" Trying to point without motioning at the Deer. Was maybe 200yds away. Stayed there a long time just remaining frozen... staring dead-on back our direction.
Took forever to get the boy seeing him. Finally had to tell him to come over close to my side... then pointed at the damn thing with my trekking pole! Then he finally saw it! I checked him out with the ZEISS. Then disconnected em from the Marsuipial and let the boy check him out with the ZEISS. At first I was having a hard time seeing it with the shaking from exertion... but when he gave the binos back I checked again and finally confirmed that he had the short beginnings of at least 2x2 in velvet. But his body was nice so likely more than just 2x2 when fully mature.
I didn't want him to bolt and think he was being "hunted" so eventually I told the boy that we'd continue on along the ridge top... so when we slowly began to continue on... that buck... at about 150-200 below us... non-chalantly and slowly... sauntered off in an opposite direction nice and calm. Pretty sure this was the same deer we'd sorta jumped coming into this area first thing in the morning upon arriving. He'd gone up this one steep finger... pretty sure we were on a parallel finger on the way back down.
Then... once we see he's sauntered off, I change it up so that we go down to where he was and where gonna from there proceed in direction of vehicle. We'd travelled along... sidehilling from there... eventually crossing over to that original finger I mentioned. The crossover ridge area of this new finger dumped you into this nice flattened out minor bowl area on top of it. Right after cresting that fingers ridge, once again whispering to the boy "Connor! A Doe!" pointing from my chest with two fingers. Again... a Deer looking dead at us, but frozen. Oh my goodness you guys... this Doe was only like maybe 60yds... and oh good grief that damn boy just wasn't freakin' seeing it to save his soul! Finally as he moves closer to me and snaps a branch... a 2nd Doe that was laying down in the grasses partially covered buy some scraggly dead branches off some smaller tree pops up... and it's sibling also turns around and they mildly trot away from the scene, so THEN he sees it #FacePalm.
With the cloud cover the way it was, and the boy needing to finish a few homework assignments... we move continue onward back in direction of the vehicle. 2 more Does were mildly trotting away up on the rim of this sorta bowl we were in the middle of, just totally out in the open. They were gone to quick though, ducked more toward top of ridge away from rim of bowl so out of the FOV. so he didn't get to see these other two, unfortuantely. It was cool though. I got to discuss with him and mention to him "Ya see the difference in their bodies? How the Buck was much ticker in his body? See how you can tell right away the difference between the two, even without the antlers being visible?"
Along the way back out... we saw this very bizarre red thing sticking up outta the dirt at this one spot. I asked the boy to go check what it was. Figured it was something man-made. Turns out.. it was some kinda plant/flowering blossom thing. If I had to describe it... hrmm.. might say it kinda reminded me of a Dragon-fruit? Little further towards the vehicle... we came across this Noble Fir. Told the boy "Look Papa, isn't that like a perfect Christmas Tree?" To which he had to agree, it was almost perfect dimensions for it!
So anyhoo... just jazzed that my boys first "real" scouting experience with me today he did alright and it wasn't the whiner-fest I kinda thought it might become. He toughed it out in terms of the Buckthorn occasionally bitin' him. But he did whine a bit about the Rifle on the Quake-claw wanting to "slide forward" a lot. I showed him how I put my hand in the sling a bit to ensure it's tightened to the shoulder. All in all.. it was a good day!
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