Need to get to know the area a bit before the buffalo hunt in December, so headed down to the Henry Mountains over Labor Day. Did quite a bit of driving around, but didn't see any buffalo. Talked to some people who had.
Got one flat tire on the way up into the mountains, on the very first day out. Should have gone back to town, but I figured what are the odds of two flats? The spare was a better tire than the one I took off anyway.
Wandered around a bit, camped out in Penellen Pass under The Horn. To take it easy on my remaining tires, walked a road the next day I could have driven, saw lots of cattle, but no buffalo. Not sure I know how to tell the tracks apart.
That afternoon, tried to drive up past an area where another hunter had seen some, I still didn't see any. Up around the mountain, then on the way back down, stopped to check the map, and got another flat.
Tried to patch with the patch kit I had, but the hole was too big. Asked if anyone was going to town, finally someone passing by said they would loan me thier spare when then went down around 8:00 or so.
No one else was heading down the mountain, so when they came by at 9:00, we tried to get thier spare tire off, they hadn't brought the tool to lower it. So they gave me a ride into Torrey where they were staying. I stayed at a hotel, then the next morning called around, the closest tire repair place that called back was in Loa. So they came from Loa to pick me up, put a new tire on the wheel I had carried down the mountain, then gave me a ride back up to my truck to put the new tire on. Was a $600 flat tire if you include the hotel room.
Was more of an adventure than I planned, and only got half the scouting time in, but the first day was really fun.
Henry's.
Washout
Robbers Roost
First flat.
The road.
Capitol Reef Storm.
Doe and Fawn
Buck
McMillian Springs Campground.
Mt. Pennelan
Horned Toad.
Chained area
Camp.
Sunset.
Jasper?
Capitol reef
Mt. Ellen
Clouds
second flat
A sign?
Second sunset.
Second scouting trip
Went up again to look for Buffalo on the 19-21th of October. I got
1/2 day off friday for covering for canadian thanksgiving, so I got an
early start. Tried the road leading up from hanksville to see if it was
a good road. Not a bad road at all, but not very many camping sites
that weren't marked private property. Then it winds steeply up the
mountian. Ended up getting to camp after dark, and just pulling a bit
off the road.
Tried hiking above the sawmill basin, had trouble finding the road at first. Saw lots of turkeys, then eventually found the road. It's not a car road, but an ATV would have no problem. Found lots of tracks, but didn't see any buffallo. Were they cow tracks? Do you know how to tell a cow pie from a buffalo chip? I don't.
Talking to several deer hunters, they said that the two main herds were in this basin and over by Airplane spring. Decided to try Airplane spring the next day, so went to camp nearby for the second night. There is a watering trough below the spring, that is probably what keeps them around here. More tracks, but nothing as fresh as sawmill basin. Just after dinner, more turkeys came by and flew up into the trees for the night.
Got up before sunrise and walked a big circle around the spring to see if I could find anything. I did see several big bucks, and lots of rabbits, but no buffalo. Found almost no tracks. Don't know how this will work out for the actual hunt.
On the way home, checked out a possible campsite, and photographed the road out to send to people who are thinking of joining me.
Sawmill Basin
Dandylion Flat
turkeys.
Another turkey.
Still another turkey.
Tracks!
Trailer
A narrow spot.
Airplane spring.
Still more turkeys.
sunset.
Turkeys again.
Sunrise.
Deer.
Bunny
Tree
The road down.
tight spot from the other side.
Tree and wash.
Possible campsite.
The other way.
wash crossing.
The narrow bit.
the wet spot.
Went down for another scouting trip over the thanksgiving break. Harold and mom brought the trailer with the fourwheelers, so we wouldn't be camping in the cold. We went for a drive up to Airplane Springs, then had Thanksgiving dinner later.
The next morning it had snowed. I had wanted to go over the pass to the sawmill basin on the ATV's, but it was still snowing up high, so we didn't get that far. After lunch and a warm up in the trailer, went out to the north. On the way back, found some tracks that were not there on the way in. I tracked them down the valley for about a mile, then came back. The scat didn't look like cattle to me, so I'm pretty sure these were bison.
The third day, took the truck again out to the Coyote Benches, then up to the high road around the side of Mount Ellen. No bison, but lots of deer. Because Mom and Harold had a long drive back to Idaho, we left that evening to at least get back to pavement.
Another flat tire.
The narrow bit.
Buck.
Sunset
Morning.
Morning light.
Heading up the trail
On the mountain.
As far as we got.
Steele Butte.
A hill.
South Caineville Mesa.
Stevens Mesa
Tree
Tracks.
Easy to follow.
The end.
Moonrise
more deer
Another buck.
Are you looking for a CHALLENGE!?!
Last camp.
Sunset from the Notam Road.
Started up on the 7th for the real hunt. Brad came up from California to help. He has GPS tracks of everywhere we went while he was here. I only logged the significant points. Each picture has a time stamp of the form (day hour:minute).
We left early to try to get a good camp site. Met in Scipio on the night of the 6th, pushed on to Aurora before spending the night. Got off pavement around noon. Crossing Sandy Creek, we got stuck.
I tried to pull Harold out with my truck, just spun all four tires. Tried to snatch with a tow strap (know you're not supposed to do this), just broke the strap. All this tire spinning dug the truck's back tire in up to the axle.
As this is the only road in or out of the mountains from the west, and the hunt starts tommorrow, people came by. At first ATV's were going past, then full size trucks searching around to find a way past by driving up or down the creek. Some guys borrow our shovel and make another way out of the creek so folks can get past, but not before another truck gets stuck, and breaks his luggage rack getting pulled out.
After dark, we try to pull the trailer with as many as three trucks chained together, it moves maybe an inch. We go over to Sandy Ranch to ask if they can pull us out with thier equipment, but it is up the canyon, and can't get here. They won't risk getting the tractor stuck in the creek. They do manage to call the county road crew who promises to come in the morning.
We spend a cold (didn't want to use the heater in this condition), slanted night in the trailer.
Stuck
really stuck
going around
Still stuck
In the morning, as I have nothing to do, I look at the situation and think we would be better off trying to back up than go forward. So I start digging out to go that direction. After I have been working for an hour and a half, the road crew shows up with a front end loader. He digs out a road around in about one minute, moving 10 times the dirt I shoveled in my 1.5 hours. They then hook up to the truck and pull it and the trailer right out, making it look easy. They then repair the road in two passes of the front end loader.
With that we were accross the creek, but not wanting to get in trouble coming out, we drive back up to the ridge above the creek to make camp. Its farther to go each day, but we won't get stuck. Also, it means that Brad can make it all the way to camp in his car.
After that we go up to hunt for a bit. Drive up past Airplane Spring, and then around the mountain, a bit before Gibbons Spring we see fresh tracks crossing the road. Follow them for a bit, they go into an area where they spent a huge amount of time, I can't figure out where the tracks leave the area. So we drive back out. Very muddy and slippery before Stevens Narrows, snows a bit before getting back to the trailer.
Still stuck, the next morning.
Washed out.
Ready to pull
The spot.
The spot 2.
Fixed
Tracks!
Snowstorm.
Sandy Ranch
Wildcat Mesa.
Decide to try out the four wheelers today. I want to get out to Maidenwater Spring, which is where the herd I tracked back at Thanksgiving seemed to be heading.
Its a long ride out, and when we get there, the road is good enough I could have driven my truck out to it. Nothing but a herd of cattle at the spring tho. I had also wanted to check out Stevens Mesa, and I see a road leading from the spring up onto the Mesa, so we press on.
Just down the road a bit there is a bad spot. It is washed out on one side with about a four foot drop off, then a steep slope to the valley below. Only about 30 feet down, but more than enough to hurt you. Also, there is a small bush growing in the road that has made a bump that pushes you toward the drop off. I get off to walk the ATV around, but on the wrong side. I slip, lose my grip on the brake, and hit the trottle with my thumb.
When I get it stopped, the wheel is right on the edge, and pointed down. I manage to get around, seeing my performance Harold decides to winch across that spot. We joke about how Mom had told me it was Ok if I was there as I wouldn't go anyplace dangerous.
further down, this road is in very bad shape, but we push on, not wanting to go back across that bad spot. Up the other side is Ok till the rock ledges, more washouts, but this time with a boulder to kick against. Around the final switchback we get a close look at the top of the trail. Very steep with lots of loose rock.
So, we go back. When we get to the bad spot, I take out my toilet trowel, and harold a knife, and we spend 30 minutes leveling out the way around the washout. After that it wasn't so bad and we could ride across it. Decide to always take the shovel with us on the 4-wheelers from then on.
That adventure took us long enough we don't have time to check out Stevens Mesa. Go back into Torrey to meet Brad and show him where the camp is. Because of problems with the car rental, he is three hours late. We do get to know the lady at the gas station fairly well.
Getting ready to ride
A bad spot.
Up the trail.
Drive up around Airplane Spring again, all the people I talk to say there should be some around there. We find fresh tracks and follow them almost up to the pass above The Horn. Call Harold up to meet us with the truck, he gets stuck in the snow. We have to put on the chains to get back down the mountain.
After that we go back over by Gibbons Spring. Can't see anything with binoculars due to the snow and fog. Hike down to where I saw all those tracks, nothing has been in there today. Due to the fog take a much shorter hike than I was planning, got turned around and hit my own footprints.
Returning.
Snowing.
Want to check out the big chaining near McMillian Springs. Ride the 4-wheelers up, decide to get off at a chaining lower down and just check it out. Harold is too tired to come along and rides back to camp.
Walk out to the end of it, find nothing. On the way back, looking down below into a clear spot, see some footprints. Can't tell how old they are from where we are. Debate for a while about if its worth it to go down to them. End up going down to take a look.
In the open spot there are many tracks and beds we couldn't see from above. The ones we could see are very fresh, lead out of the clearing down the mountain.
Following them down, almost to the bottom of the valley, others come up from below and lead off to the west. I decide to go down, the track turn around and then are the ones that came up from below. Shortly after leaving the down track I get my first glimpse of Henry Mountains Bison.
Its just a tail that I see for an instant heading off into the woods, but enough to get my blood pumping. We walk quiet as we can, and follow them back up the mountain. They go right back to the bed area, then stop and eat just past them. We take cover behind some trees, I try to figure out which ones are cows.
One steps forward from the rest of the herd, it is a good shot if it is a cow. It looks like a cow, and I keep waiting for it to turn its head so I can see the horns to make sure. They all walk off before I feel certain enough to fire.
We follow along and catch up with them again just over the next hill. This time I identify a cow for sure, but never get a shot at her, there is always another buffalo in front or behind her.
They head down the hill again, and we follow. The fourth time I see them it is in heavy trees, and they run away fast. I do see the whole herd pass over the ridge ahead. We follow them down to the open area at Sage Flat, where they turned and ran back up the mountain again. We figure that as fast as they are running they are too far to catch up with now, and let them go. Brad hitches a ride back up to the ATV to ride back to camp. It turns out guy who gave him a ride is Mark Anderson from Fillmore, and they know the Stevens. They don't want to hike this hard and are coming back with horses.
Morning light.
Crossing the creek.
Up the road.
Spaceman Brad.
Down the hill
Crossing a wash.
There they are!
The herd.
Away they go.
Found em again
The herd, again.
Get up in the morning, want to try the going up canyon from Apple Brush Flat. Harold stays back in camp to rest. On the way in, see fresh tracks leading off onto the flat. Follow them for about two miles while they head onto Stevens Mesa. Then another hunter is ahead of us on the same trail. We can see his boot prints. So we walk back to the truck and look again. We find where the herd came off the mountain, but nothing else. Take a drive out Stevens Mesa, don't see anything but cows (domestic).
After that, go up to check the big chaining near McMillian Springs. Heard that a guy got one up here yesterday, that must have been the hunter we kept seeing in the same spot from below yesterday.
We start in the campground and walk out. We see some deer, then nothing. There is a road leading from the campground to a watering trough overlooking the chainings. Finding nothing up there, we check the beds below where we found the herd yesterday. Nothing there either. On the way out, meet the two from yesterday leading thier horses down the mountain. They saw our tracks from yesterday, as well as the tracks of another herd leaving the area where one was shot, but no bison.
Hunting the Henry's.
Steele Butte at sunset
The camp next to us had to leave early, told us about a herd they had seen in the valley below Box Spring. Went up there to check it out. Harold walked out with us, about a 3 mile loop. Didn't find any tracks that looked less than three days old.
In the trailer
Want to go out across that entire big chaining, then cross the mountain below. After that, go out to the point, than down to the Road below in Apple Brush Flat.
Harold drops us off at the top, then drives down below. We cross the big chaining, finding nothing. Dropping down to the area below, we do find tracks, but of a very large solitary animal. I guess that it is a bull as the cows should be in herds.
We also find the tracks of a herd leading down the hill, but they are a few days old, as well as the tracks of horses coming up. Having nothing better to do and as they are going the way we wanted, we follow the solitary tracks around the top of a ravine then down the hill.
About half way down the hill we catch up with him. It is a very big bull. I just get a view of his hump and horns before he is gone. Brad hears but does not see him. It is now getting very steep and we just try to get down the hill.
Part of the way down, I slip on 45° ice covered slickrock and fall down. My stock on my Marlin 1895 is cracked. This is a light, easy to carry but heavy recoiling gun. I don't think it is safe to fire with a cracked stock. Good thing I brought a spare.
After that, as it is Brad's last day, we go to check out Cave Flat, where another hunter got his. Rode out on the 4-wheelers as he said the road was bad. Lots of tracks, but I can't tell them from Cow, and none fresh.
Ride back in the dark, very cold.
Sunrise
Coming down.
Sunset on Cave Flat
The Henry Mountains from Cave Flat
Get up early to drive Brad back into town and to buy some more gas. Its about 20 miles to the mountain from where we're camped, thats burning up fuel driving it twice a day. Get gas, refill propane, make some phone calls then back out. I decide to try the beds again, its the only place we have found a herd. This time try walking up from there to a higher level.
Just as I'm heading back to the car to give up and go elsewhere, hit fresh tracks. Follow them up the mountain, getting hot enough to take off my coat and shirt. Actually get onto the herd and take two shots. I find what looks like blood in the trail, so I follow the herd till sundown, never seeing them again. I mark the spot in my GPS to pick up in the morning. See the picture below for details.
A hard day's walk. Details of the 15th.
Get up early to be back on the trail at first light. I haven't found any blood in the trail except the two drops at the place I shot. I expected them to head up to the first saddle, then down into the next valley, but they instead continue up the ridge. I find where they spent the night, and check all the beds. No blood in any of them.
I keep following them up the mountain, then down thru a saddle right next to the road. They cross a large open area, then up onto and along the road for quite a ways. They keep following the road till it comes to a cattle guard. In spite of the fact that the fence is down on the south (downhill) side of the road, they go up the mountain a quarter mile or so to another hole in the fence. They then angle back down and onto the road again.
After another valley, they leave the road again, and head out onto a ridge. Out here I find more beds, again with no blood sign. From here, I start to find fresh (not frozen) scat. A few more valleys and ridges over I see the herd across the canyon from me, moving over the next ridge. I count 9 animals. None looks injured, but it is too far to be sure.
I estimate it will take me 30 minutes to get to where I saw them, as I have to cross another ravine, but it only takes 6. Just past there they drop into another steep and deep ravine, then climb up the other side. This time it takes me 20 minutes to get back up. I'm more than a little tired. Out across the next flat, don't see anything.
I try to call Harold on the radio to tell him where I am, and with my voice, the herd breaks out of the trees just ahead of me. They run past at a full gallop, but only 20 yards away, so I get a good look at each animal. None have any injuries. I must have missed entirely and been mistaken about the blood sign. It is now 13:00. I have been walking since before 7:00.
I follow them back to the deep ravine that took me 20 minutes to get out of. They seem to be following the same trail back they came out on. I just don't have the energy to follow them anymore, and as there were no injured animals, no duty to do so either. I go back to the open area, have some lunch and water and rest for a bit.
It takes me till 15:00 to get back to the road. Once there, I have to walk for a bit more before I can reach Harold on the radio. He has been searching for me all day. Get back to camp at sunset.
Morning light.
On the edge.
Running away.
Giving up.
Sunset from camp.
Going into town to do some laundry today, so only hunt a little bit. Walk around Airplane springs, back out to where I gave up yesterday, then back to the truck. See nothing but deer.
Go into Torrey, meet Misa just inside Capitol Reef, stay at the motel for the night to shower and wash clothes. Misa goes back the next day to avoid a storm that is forecast.
Big Bucks.
Drive back in. The road has been fixed with a culvert where we got stuck before, so we take the trailer in to Pete Steele Flat where we camped over thanksgiving. This will save time for other hunting. Walk the area around Airplane springs again, again, seeing nothing.
Don't feel the need to go there again.
Morning
As the Cave Flat road will be closed on the 21st, decide to check out the area one more time, while there is still enough time to get a buffalo out.
Ride out with Harold, do find some fresh tracks. Follow them for about a half hour into another bed/feeding area where they spent a lot of time. They then go down into Bullfrog Creek, and someone else has already got in on them ahead of me, so leave those. Try some others out by the end of the road, lose them in an area of hard soil, no snow here to help me. Go to a resevior they seemed to be headed for, but nothing fresh there.
On the way back out, find some very fresh tracks. Get excited. Not sure if they are bison or cattle, till Harold points out the cows standing 20 feet away.
A rough road.
Crypto
Harold has to go into town for a blood test, so I take the 4-wheeler out myself. I first go up to Horn Spring, but the wind is blowing so hard, and the drifts are so deep, that no bison have been up there at all.
I drop down to airplane spring and walk a big loop around airplane springs, but only find the tracks that we had seen before. I do see the biggest buck of my life, but he runs off before I can get a picture. No pictures today.
Go up to McMillian Springs again, this time to head down the mountain to Sage Brush Flat, where it isn't so steep. Do see a lone big bull right after getting out of the truck, Harold even gets a look.
AFter that, head down the hill, switchbacking back and forth down to cover as much territory as possible. Take all day, find nothing.
Photography
A big one.
Heading out.
Head up Dugout Creek from the top of Apple Brush Flat. The road continues beyond the other side of the creek (where it is too washed out for vehicles) and goes up to what remains of a small resevior. See a coyote, but don't get a good picture.
After that, head back over to Gibbons Spring to check out that Plateau again. Find no sign newer than what we had already seen out there. Do get a chat with the DWR guy. He says if I'm seeing them, I'm doing it right. Haven't seen a herd since the 16th, feeling bad about my chances of success.
La Sal Mountains.
Want to check out the flats below the horn, and up the canyon toward Box Spring today. Harold drops me off below the horn, and goes to Box Spring to wait. I drop down into the canyon, just above the flat I come onto fresh looking tracks. 3-4 bison walking together. Just as I'm calling Harold on the radio to tell him about it, I spot two across the canyon. Maybe 3-400 yards away. I can tell one is a bull, the other is hidden by a bush.
I drop down to the bottom of the canyon, then climb up where I will be hidden by a ridge from where they were sitting. Once I am at the same level, sneak over the ridge for a closer look. Its just two bulls. I wait for a bit to see if others come out of the trees, but nothing. Take some photos then walk non-sneakily back across the canyon to pick up the previous trail. There is some blood in the trail of one of the two bulls, but only right between the toes of one foot. I suspect it is a walking injury, stepped on a sharp rock or something.
Back on the other trail, I soon find a bed area, after that, I am finding fresh sign all day. They lead me up a ridge, then back around, down to the bottom of the canyon and back onto the flat. Finally catch up with them out on a point above Dark Canyon. They hear me in the trees and run away before I get a good look. It looks like a bull and two cows, or at least two younger/smaller bison.
I keep following the tracks, but soon see them running fast clear the other side of Dark Canyon. I call Harold to come pick me up at the closest point on the road. We drive out along the east side of the mountain to see if the run into sight, but don't see them.
The air is the clearest I've ever seen it here, able to see all the way to Colorado. Take some pictures, then head back
Two sitting.
Up close.
Interesting places bison have led me.
The walk from the 23rd.
Clear air.
Clear day panorama.
Moon and Jupiter.
Moonrise.
Want to try a new area, decide on the road above Willow Spring. As I don't think many people have been up there, take the 4-wheelers to handle the snow. On the way up, just past where we go to "the beds", fresh tracks are crossing the road. I stop to look at them, Harold is looking at the tracks and didn't see me stop. He puts on the brakes, but slides on the ice right into the back of the ATV I'm riding. It breaks off one of his headlights.
The tracks are from late the night before. I suspect that they would have gone to bed nearby. So I follow the tracks over, Harold comes a bit behind.
Just like I thought, they bedded down about 1-200 yards above the road, in one of the chainings. It takes a while to find where they left the area (some many tracks all over the beds), but I follow them out. Harold does get a chance to walk out and see the bed area.
Just a bit further on in the trees, I see them up ahead. I can only see legs below the brush, but duck down and wait. After a bit they walk off and I follow. Out across the chaining, across the road and down the valley. Crossing Willow Creek, they had to jump up about 4 feet or so, didn't know they were so nimble.
Cross another small ravine, then coming up out of it, one is standing right in front of me. Maybe 40 yards? Closer? It turns its head to look and is clearly a cow. She is facing directly away from me, so it isn't a good shot. I want to move up and to the side, but if I move at all, she turns her head and looks at me again. I just stay very still and chamber a round as quietly as a can.
We stand there for what seems like 10 minutes. I try to climb up the hill and get to the side, but don't get even one step. I want to kneel or sit so as to shoot better, but if I go down at all, I lose sight of her behind a log. Finally she turns as if to go and faces broadside to me, so I take the shot. At the noise, two more pop out of the trees and they are all gone in an instant. I run over to where she was, lots of blood in the snow this time. Its about 10:00.
They are stopped about 100-150 yards away, just looking at me. I can see that one is bleeding, but I can't get another shot as they are all bunched together. I have time to take a few pictures, then they move on. Trailing the herd, the one that is bleeding soon veers off to the west while the herd goes south. Another comes and joins her.
Trailing them, I get a breif view across a ravine. She is gutshot, with a section of intestine hanging out. A fatal wound, but not a quick one. I have to finish her as quick as I can. They go back to where they had spent the night, then over to where I first caught up in the trees. She has mostly stopped bleeding now, just a drop every few steps, so it is difficult to follow the right track among the others from this morning.
Up the hill and back onto the big McMillian chaining. All the way across I am asking her to stop so I can catch up. She doesn't listen to me and keeps going. Around the mountain, and starting down the other side, I meet her standing in some trees. I can see the injury. But I had unloaded the rifle to cross a ravine before, and when I chamber a round, she is gone again.
Straight down the hill to the creek where I stop to catch my breath. Climb up out of the creek and she is laying down right above where I rested. But she is gone before I can get my rifle pointed in her direction. Across the valley and up the other side. I do see them once more in the trees near the top, but just tails thru the trees.
Getting to Star Flat up above, I start to worry about how late it is getting. It is now 14:30, I know a road comes up here, but have never been on it, don't know how to find it from here. I'm very tired and thirsty. I decide that at 15:30 I need to mark the point in my GPS and try to get off the mountain. I haven't been able to reach Harold on the radio since coming around the mountain past McMillian Springs.
At 15:30 they are heading down toward the Cedar Creek Benches, there is a road there that leads straight back to camp, so I keep following them down. At one point, I see them below in the trees, and tho I can only see legs and bellys, I figure I can't do worse than gutshot, so I take another shot, estimating the kill zone from what I can see of her legs. I think the bullet ended up in a tree trunk, there was no trace of it in her when we skinned.
At a saddle, I asked her not to go down Cedar Creek, as I thought that ended up too low to get back to the road easily. She complies and goes out onto the ridge. Out almost to the end of the ridge, it is surrounded by cliffs with no way down. Right back from one of these cliffs, she is standing. I think that she was lost and didn't know how to get down from here.
The distance is very close this time, 10 yards or so. I take a shot, knowing that I hit in the vitals. But she just stands there. I need to get her down so I shoot again. No reaction. I go a little closer and lean against a tree for stability and take one more. She then starts making liquid noises as she breathes and soon falls over. On skinning, all three of these shots went into the lungs, and one partially broke one of the front legs.
Its now past 16:00, I'm on a mountain I don't know how to get down from, sunset is at 17:00, and it looks like a storm may be moving in. I told her that she may get her revenge on me as I may die up here, temperatures have been in the single digits every night, and that was two thousand feet lower. I have two options: Build a fire, skin her by firelight and wrap up in the skin to wait for morning; or to just gut her quickly and try to get down the mountain in what light remains. Both are far from risk free, but I settle on the latter option as being safer then spending the night on the mountain in a blizzard in a skin I may have trouble getting off the bison.
Standing there looking at her I remember my father telling me one of his Shameful Animal Stories about a big buck he shot out on the Oregon desert. It was so far back in that he needed help to get him out and he just couldn't find anyone to help him. I wonder if I will now have a shameful animal story of my own. I thought, if I can get someone with horses to help for $500 I'll go for it.
Just as I start cutting, I hear Harold call on the radio. I tell him where I am and what I am doing, he comes out to the Cedar Creek Benches road to wait for me below. Her stomach is so heavy I can only get it out by gripping with both hands, putting my feet on her chest and pushing with my legs. It rips open doing this, and gets me more than a little messy, but does provide a place for a better grip.
I get everything below the diaphram out, and get started skinning when the sun goes down. I have to get off this mountain. I use a stick to prop the rib cage open, tie the upper leg back to a tree and stuff the hold with snow. Then I leave her to try to find a way down.
A way back I find a spot where the drop is only 4-5 feet and I can lower myself down. Then its straight down the mountain as fast as I can safely go. I am only half way down the steep part when it gets fully dark and I have to use my flashlight. It is cloudy tonight so the moon doesn't help much. Several spots I have to sit down and slide, or lower myself over a ledge too far to step. I get down into the bottom of a ravine and just don't want to climb the other side. Decide to follow the creek down to the road, this way I can't get lost at least.
I have to break they willows, and go around two big pour offs. Finally I find a place that has some running water. I have been sweating all day, and out of water for hours. I am too cold to safely eat any more snow. I fill my water bottle and put in the purification tablets from that survival kit dad put together some years ago. It is 19:00, and it says to wait 30 minutes before drinking. I do eat my "emergency" chocolate bar, but have no saliva, so I can barely swallow it and it doesn't taste like anything.
Around 19:15 or so, I hit the main creek. Around this time Harold calls on the radio to say he is going back for the truck so he can wait out of the wind. I tell him he has plenty of time. From here on the walking gets easy. It is wide and flat and frozen. It is a little slippery, but not too bad, I only fall once. The creek is so shallow that even when I break thru the thickness of the ice and snow keep my feet out of the water.
When I finally get to drink my water, the taste of chocolate fills my mouth. It takes till 20:00 to reach the road for a total of 11 hours on the trail. It starts snowing just as we get back to camp.
Some damage
Just standing there.
Blood trail.
They just keep going.
Places Bison have led me 2.
Starting to head down.
She's down.
A self portrait.
Looking at the map overnight, it looks like I was wrong about where Cedar Creek comes out, there is a road leading right to the mouth of the canyon. If we drive up to the creek, walk up the creek a quarter mile or so, we can then climb up to the saddle and be almost there.
I remember the road, it is more of a fence maitenance trail, so we take the 4-wheelers. I had left one on the mountain yesterday, so first we have to go back and get it. It has snow in it, and in the helmet and gloves. I put the helmet over the heater vent in my truck to dry out as we go back down to camp. We then gear up and go out to the bottom. It is very steep up on both sides of the creek. We try to go up first the north, then the south sides of the creek.
In both cases, the creek has meandered to one side or the other leaving a nearly vertical slope. We walk up in the creek for a way, but it is many large icy boulders. Harold slips and hits his back on a rock, pulling a groin muscle on the way down. We decide to go back and try another way.
On the way back to camp, we look at the ridge she is on. The cliff runs all the way around the edge. I just don't see a way up that would be an easy enough trail for me to carry buffalo parts down.
So we decide to head in that road from the top. I had driven it part of the way last summer, but turned around before getting to Star Flat. We get out on the road, but the snow has drifted very deep in spots, and I have trouble staying on the road. If we get stuck out here, the truck will be in place till spring.
It is now 2:00. Even if we got to her, it would be time to turn around and come back out to get out by dark. So we go down into town to make some x-mas phone calls, and see what it would cost to hire some horses.
Down in Hanksville, everything is closed for Christmas, even the gas stations. We find an open motel and ask them about a guide. They know somebody, (Terry Albrecht of Panoramaland Outfitters) and give them a call. They say they can help for $500, exactly what I had already decided I was Ok with.
They were concerned that I wouldn't be able to find her again, but as I have the spot in the GPS, they are Ok to come out and meet us in the morning.
Some snow.
Walk on the 24th.
She's up there.
The guides have to get the horses loaded and bring a trailer from Hanksville, and said they would be here at 10:00. We thus have a slow morning. When they get here, I show them the map, the guide says that there just isn't a way up that mountain from the bottom where you can take horses.
So we have to go in from above. The road starts at McMillian Springs Campground, but they don't think they can get the horse trailer up that steep icy road with the horses in it. So me and Harold drive up to the campground and wait for them. They unload the horses at the junction down in the canyon.
They don't get up to the campground till 11:30. They were walking the horses up the mountain with the trailer coming behind when it slid off the road and jacknifed. They put me on a horse that thier 7-year old daughter rides, he seems fine, but I worry that I may be a bit heavy for him. After we ride off, Harold drives back down to help.
Further down the road from where we turned around yesterday, the drifts are even deeper and I am convinced I made the right descision. As far the road goes the riding is easy, but once we get into the trees, it starts getting difficult for me. My boots are too short and my pants ride up leaving my legs exposed. I get some bad scratches that way. I keep having to push limbs out of the way.
Then we start down the ridge. It feels like it is about 45°down. The horse does fine tho, I just have to hang on. One of the pack horses balks alot. I take them straight to where she is, never even have to get the GPS out. It takes two and half hours to get out from the campground.
The guide helps me with the skinning and quartering, he is very fast, but not all that carefull. End up with knive cuts in the hide. Because I didn't get her skinned, and only got the guts out below the diaphram, some of the meat in the upper shoulder has spoiled. We leave it on the ribs, they alway leave the ribs on the mountain as it is a lot of weight for not much meat.
They also have a battery powered sawzall to cut the head off. I had left my bone saw behind to save weight. I also left my game bags for the meat behind and the guide had forgotten thiers. We put the meat in the saddle bags, they end up with lots of pine needles and stuff on them. May lose some more meat that way.
Took about two hours to skin and quarter with expert help. On my own it would have taken at least twice as long. Load up on the horses and head out. The same pack horse as before just doesn't want to go up the mountain. It takes a lot of shouting and a little whipping to get him to go up. The horse I'm on only needs the occasional gentle suggestion, tho it does fall behind a bit.
We do manage to get back to the road before dark, but come to the campground well after dark. My horse keeps wanting to cut across the valleys to catch up with the others, but I keep him on the road.
Its about 21:00 when we get all the meat wrapped up and finished back down at the trailer. I put it on the hood of my car to freeze and we go to bed.
Mounted up.
And we're off.
Riding the trail.
How did she fare?
How much we left.
Loading up.
The load.
Get up early to get the meat into the truck before the sun comes up, it had frozen hard overnight. Load up my truck, start taking off the skirt. It takes about an hour to get the stakes out of the frozen ground. Drain out the left over fresh water, hook up the trailer and start off.
Because of the ice on the road, we need to put chains on the truck to get the trailer out, so we don't get to pavement until 13:00 or so. The roads are icy all the way home, but I still get back in time to drop the meat off at the processor before they close at 17:00.
This is a once in a lifetime hunt by law, and it was a once in a life time experience. I loved it. Lots of hard work, but a fun time in the mountains. For anyone who is thinking about this hunt, I reccommend to spend most of the summer climbing mountains. As for my performance, I would grade myself:
Tracking B I would rate higher, but anybody can track in snow. Hiking B I couldn't quite keep it up all day. 6-7 hours or so. Persistance A I think I did Ok here. Shooting D- The only reason it isn't an F is that I finally got her down.
Before I go big game hunting again, I need to be a better shot. I had practiced all summer with a pellet gun, but there isn't a time element as the target isn't going to run away. With the fear that the bison would leave at any moment, I ended up jerking the trigger and missing. Need to figure out a way to practice that has an adjustable time limit.