This was a different year for me, I have a brand new baby at home, I decided to work 2 days a week in September each week, that way I could keep the business running strong and see my wife and baby Avery each week. The good is obvious, I was able to hold Avery every week, give my wife a big hug and kiss, spend 2 mornings making them breakfast and reading the bible while sipping on hot coffee. I was able to see most of the members of the gym, and I got rest so when I headed back out I was able to go hard. The bad is that it’s tough getting right back into the groove, it seems like on day 4 or 5 I would find my stride then have to head home back to civilization. It was a lot of driving but worth it. I also had a once-in-a-lifetime moose tag in my pocket, so I wanted to get 2 bulls killed quickly so I could start hunting moose up north. Here’s a brief recap of my season of hunting public land brush bulls of north Idaho, from my journal…
Sept. 10th - Called in a rag 3x4 into 30 yards, he came in silent, great encounter. No shot as the brush was thick, I did just about everything right for calling solo. Beautiful bull, if I had killed him, it would have been a 4 day pack out. Steep and Deep baby.
Sept. 15th - Had a terrible, no in fact the absolute worst run in with another hunter who posed as some type of law enforcement guy off-duty... he barged into our spike camp in the middle of the day, my dad was interrupted as he was retelling a story from the morning from when he had a rag 5x5 at 10 yards… The dude didn’t introduce himself and began to give us the 411 on how our spike camp was smack dab in the middle of his elk, how we rode our bikes illegally down a marked trail on the map, he checked our bow rigs for fixed broadheads (they were), and told us we needed to move our camp or he would get the authorities. He then accused us of not having ORV stickers on our bikes, we do and they're current. He said he recognized me and had read my articles and would hate to have to be the one to tarnish my reputation, this was laughable. We felt like we were being harassed and threatened, he tried every trick to get us to move out of his honey hole, he wouldn't give us his full name which was very curious, and after an hour of his BS – we were finally able to get him to leave, we were upset. Fast forward a few days later and he ended up killing a great bull in the area, he wouldn't admit to us that he got that bull, the dude was weird. Well, I did some internet research, I love technology, and found out who he was and his full name. This man was convicted of poaching a moose out of season a few years back, worst yet he was and still is a policeman so he got off pretty easy in my opinion - instead of a $10,000 fine, he paid $500. Instead of serving time, he got 6 months probation. Instead of losing his hunting privileges for life, he lost 1 year. I could post links to the articles, but dude, I'm better than that. Bottom line, you shot a moose out of season and your taxidermist had the sack to turn you in, which you eventually admitted guilt. You ruined a day of my hunting and you seriously made my dad very upset, what could of been a more civil conversation turned into you doing your best to pose as some F&G officer or Forest Ranger, all the while, doing your best to get us to move out of your "your honey hole." Public land hunting is public, don't act like you own the drainage, and do your best to stay out of our way and keep your childish behavior to yourself. Guys like you make it hard to be a Christian, but I will continue to pray for you to be successful and to be more of an ethical sportsman. We as hunters have enough folks against us, we shouldn't have encounters like this that leave a bad taste in everyone's mouth. We need to stick together, when someone else is in your honey hole, you have to understand that public land is hard, and this is not uncommon. Furthermore, you have built quite the sour reputation in our small hunting area, I hope you can salvage some dignity and be more respectful of others, treat people the way you would like to be treated. I hope you read this. I wish you nothing more than future success.
sept. 18th - Missed a 6pt bull twice, called it in both times and shot over him both times, no excuses. An hour later I had a spike bull broadside at 33 yards and got a complete pass-though. First bull down and lots of meat to pack out. My first ever spike bull as well, I was tickled.
sept. 22nd - My dad's birthday, I’ve killed several bulls on this day, I knew it was my lucky day. I called in a rag bull into 8 yards, shot him and got a pass-though, he piled up 20 yards. It took the rest of the day to get the meat out, a labor of love. I broke down the bull solo and saved all the meat, I was proud. Thanks dad for coming up to help.
sept. 25th
1. est. high hang (pause) squat clean max - #255
2. Find your max set of CTB Pull-ups - 37
3. 14.4′
Complete as many rounds and repetitions as possible in 14 minutes of:
60-calorie row
50 toes-to-bars
40 wall-ball shots 20/14lbs. to 10/9ft target
30 cleans 135/95lbs
20 muscle-ups
195 reps
sept. 29th
Strength
1. Back Squat 6×4 @70% #85
2. Find your 5RM Strict Press #141
Met-Con
AMRAP 10 Minutes
3 Squat Clean 185/115lbs
6 Bar Facing Burpees
12 Toes to Bar
5 rounds + 14 reps
Now I am onto my moose hunt, I am going out this weekend, but really am probably going to have to wait for snow to push the bulls down and get them concentrated. It’s a great tag and I am honored to have it. I haven’t killed a herd bull elk wise since 2012, but my ego should be set aside as any brush bull in North Idaho with a bow is a TROPHY. I’ve been fortunate enough to kill 2 bulls a year for the last 6 years, separation is in the preparation and is why I take the time to journal my journey on elkshape.com – I’m not selling anything on this site, it’s my personal blog and if you take the time to read it thank you for allowing me to share my ups and downs of public land elk hunting.