PSA: Check Snow Levels Before High Country Scouting

[Jaden Bales]

There is still feet of snow in the shady pines in many places.... but rest assured, the bucks have been up there for awhile

View attachment 109051View attachment 109052

This is just the person/post we were looking for!

 

[Travis Hobbs]

This camera is set on a west facing slope around 8k ft of elevation. I have walked to it every year for around 10 years on Memorial Day weekend or just after, even (2) years ago after the bad winter... I’m usually navigating snow drifts, etc. to get it up and running for summer w/ fresh batteries.. this year I couldn’t even get close

Feet of Snow, check out the date


Same camera, ten days later


Few days later deer are arriving walking down the “trail” it’s set on

 

[Jaden Bales]

This camera is set on a west facing slope around 8k ft of elevation. I have walked to it every year for around 10 years on Memorial Day weekend or just after, even (2) years ago after the bad winter... I’m usually navigating snow drifts, etc. to get it up and running for summer w/ fresh batteries.. this year I couldn’t even get close

Feet of Snow, check out the date
View attachment 109205

Same camera, ten days later
View attachment 109204

Few days later deer are arriving walking down the “trail” it’s set on
View attachment 109203

Man that's crazy! Guess there's some proof the deer just stick to their habits though! Hard to change a deer's mind about their migration schedule. Lol.

 

[Jaden Bales]

Figured as the OP, I'd give my own confirmation here, as well. I crawled over the snowfields to check a high country basin last night. Bucks are definitely in there in full force, even with lots of snow.

 

[LongWayAround]

There is still feet of snow in the shady pines in many places.... but rest assured, the bucks have been up there for awhile

View attachment 109051View attachment 109052

These pictures pretty well some up my scouting trip this weekend. The dog and I did 17 miles and found a few bucks, some elk, and a lot of snow.

Some of the north facing jack pine strips had 5-6 feet of snow. The green meadows on satellite imagery were basically sloughs flowing about 2-3" deep. Lots of what I had wanted to glass was still snowed in so that narrowed my search some. The snow is melting rapidly but there is still a lot of it. New shoots were popping on the drier spots and there should be some really impressive forage soon. Also, probably an epic mosquito hatch on the way. I swatted a number of them but they weren't too bad yet.

My observation was basically deer in the more open timber and elk in the wide open basins. I was hoping to see a few more bodies to match all the tracks on the trail but what I did see was a good start.

 

[Dos Perros]

What elevations were you working @LongWayAround? Headed out on the 26th of July, trailhead is 9600 and we'll peak out at 11,800 north'ish facing. Nearest SNOTEL site is showing negligible snow at 11,400 but that's probably in the sun.

 

[LongWayAround]

What elevations were you working @LongWayAround? Headed out on the 26th of July, trailhead is 9600 and we'll peak out at 11,800 north'ish facing. Nearest SNOTEL site is showing negligible snow at 11,400 but that's probably in the sun.

Our trailhead was about 9000, snow started somewhere around 10-10,500. I camped at about 11,000 and worked up to about 11,500.

 

[Jaden Bales]

Our trailhead was about 9000, snow started somewhere around 10-10,500. I camped at about 11,000 and worked up to about 11,500.

Seems about right! The area I was in was over the weekend was basically 1000' lower than this and the epic mosquito hatch had definitely begun where I was at.

Man, it's important to factor in that north slope snow. I had a helluva slow hike out because I came up a south-slope trail that was completely clear of snow and came back down a north-slope trail... aka post-holed across the north-slope where a trail was supposed to be.

 

[Poser]

I linked a couple of trails up in the San Juans today starting at 9,000 feet and rode over a 12,000 foot pass, covering 26 miles. As soon as I hit 11,000 feet, there was snow. It was patchy but extremely cumbersome. Some of the snowfields were very sketchy. At 12,000 feet, there were still intact cornices. Creeks are high, it’s very muddy around the snowfields and the mosquitos are terrible.

 

[Jaden Bales]

I linked a couple of trails up in the San Juans today starting at 9,000 feet and rode over a 12,000 foot pass, covering 26 miles. As soon as I hit 11,000 feet, there was snow. It was patchy but extremely cumbersome. Some of the snowfields were very sketchy. At 12,000 feet, there were still intact cornices. Creeks are high, it’s very muddy around the snowfields and the mosquitos are terrible.

Nice to hear some San Juan beta! Thanks for sharing!

Man, those mosquitos are so annoying. They are thick enough to carry off a small child in northern CO/southern Wyo, too!