2017 Fun

[mfllood3800]

2017 was a good year to me. I had decent success and awesome learning experiences.
Being able to join Rokslide and glean valuable info from so many great people on this site is a blessing.
Big thx to Ryan, Tanya and Robby for all you do here.

I will try to break this up so it doesn't drag on into one long boring post, but several boring shorter ones.


My season started out with a Utah Turkey tag.
I was going to take one with my bow this year, but an elderly friend got a tag and wanted me to take him. So I put the bow away and got my 12 ga out. He ended up calling me and said he was too ill to make the hunt, so I ended up heading out alone.
I drove and hiked quite a few miles.



After seeing more beautiful scenery than feathered goodness, I drove out to head home, and as I was on the dirt road I heard a gobble.
I don't speak turkey dialect, but pretty sure he said something like, "hey bet you cant get me with yur bow" to which I replied with my 12ga, "you're correct".
This was a decent bird too, 19 lbs, 9.62" beard.



He was the biggest Tom for me to date, and probably the dumbest.

Then it was on to training and getting ready for my Idaho Bull hunt..... Got my Kifaru loaded with 60 lbs of items and the hiking at 6000 began.

 

[mfllood3800]

Well then I find out I drew the Utah LE Bull tag (Archery) here in the Beaver unit, which is my home town area. I was elated. I was in shock. I was now going to have a busy summer.

My dad was suppose to come out and hunt an OTC spike elk tag with me.
But now he gets to go on a bull hunt. My dad was almost 75. But before he could make it out, he had a heart attack, and eventually passed away from the troubles it caused
Here is an old pic of me and him on the Colorado River many years ago


He was the man who got me into hunting, trapping and fishing. My love for the mountains was from this old timer who for a while, lived in a shack in the North woods of Wisconsin, trapping for a living, with no electricity- tough dude.


To keep from the negative thoughts often associated with grief and loss, I retreated to the mountains with aggression. Finding many bulls, a few bears and some areas I didn't expect many other hunters to venture into.



I knew my Bull hunt was gonna be a demanding challenge - hunting solo in the Mountains of Utah, but I was going to do it no matter what, cause I wanted to be tough like my dad.

 

[mfllood3800]

I was able to go out for the Sat opener, and saw nothing, hunted that entire day - saw nothing. Came down from the mountain and went to church the following day, and was set to head back up that Sun evening. It was raining hard. I waited for it to let up. But it wouldn't stop. So I just packed the old truck up and headed into the mountain that was socked in.

I got up to base camp and got in the Ranger and drove the 7 miles to my entry point. I then hiked in almost 3 miles, and climbed the final 800' elev exchange up from the bottom of the draw. As I get to the top, sun setting, out of breath, I see a decent bull raking a tree around 100 yards away.
I jump behind a big ole spruce to glass him up and see if he is worth a stalk. Before I knew it, here he came, running like a crazy horse right down to the very tree I am perched behind.
I quietly nock an arrow, draw back and wait for him to reveal his glory.
With one eye on the peep, and the other the horns, I let one go at about 12 yards.
I had hit the record button on my go pro, but it took a picture of the spruce tree lol
I have another video of me tracking it right after the arrow recovery, but it only went for about 20 seconds. If I could upload it I would.
I found my bull 40 yards down the ravine piled up in some smaller trees on the north facing slope of this draw. My next thoughts were, wow, this is going to hurt.



The sun set, rain pouring, I was all alone, at 11,000' with a huge animal to properly take care of and prove I too am tough.

 

[mfllood3800]

It took me til midnight to get him processed, hung up, and the first load taken down to the ranger. I was spent had no more energy, drove back to base camp, slept for 4 hrs, and headed back in to finish packing my animal.
3 trips later I had him safely in my truck and I headed down the mountain to get him in the cooler.

It was now suppose to be time for me to go to Idaho and do this all over again.
But my body said no. My mind was saying go, but something my dad said to me earlier this year was ringing in my ear... " do this while your body can, cause your mind will always want to, but your body wont"
So true.

I notched my Idaho tag without ever leaving Utah.

Next hunt, was my Muzzle loader Utah deer

 

[mfllood3800]

I had never hunted with a muzzle loader before, though I had seen my dad shoot his decades ago. There was a huge difference in his vs mine though. His was the real deal, mine some new modern scoped sabboted killing machine.

I took my floorless shelter, stove and headed back to the high country to get me another decent animal, again proving I was tough.
Seemed like this kept haunting me all thru this year. How could a tough man like my dad die? No way I was gonna, and I set out to prove I was tougher than death.


It was freezing cold, snowy, but I stuck it out, and logged a lot of cold wet miles.


I was fortunate to get a decent buck. I saw a 4 pt wide frame buck head into the trees, and when I got there, I saw a few deer legs and 1/2 of their bodies moving about. Then I saw a huge rack and I assumed it was my 4 pointer. The herd got nervous as I approached 16 yards away, some flighted, but the wide 4 pointer decided to scratch himself
That would be his last scratch. I sent a 250 gr slug pushed by 120 gr of powder in his direction. He ran about 15 yards and dropped.
I walked up on him and to my surprise, some where from when he ran into the trees to when I shot, he lost all but 2 of his points.
Yep I shot the wrong deer.
In the excitement of the herd fleeing and me seeing this rack thru the trees, I just assumed he was my 4 pointer.[/

I got him home a processed him with a smile on my face wondering what the heck happened here.
This is me trying to look tough

 

[mfllood3800]

Next up was my wifes hunt. She drew a general season buck tag rifle for Utah. She had never hunted before, and didn't know she was about to.
lol
We hunted several days before this decent first time buck was taken right at dark.

One shot walking at 135 yards


She did great sticking it out in the cold and racking up many miles in the ranger, and the cold and scary woods of Utah.

But she loved her new Vortex razor binos. She said it was worth it.
lol

 

[mfllood3800]

Next up Utah Cow elk, muzzle loader...
Not much to say here, this was more a management freezer filler tag for us.

Then another Turkey tag


Then I was off to Az for an archery OTC deer tag

 

[mfllood3800]

I didn't tag out in AZ. But had a blast, so much so I went ahead and got another tag there for 2018. I will be heading back in a couple weeks to try and be tough there too.

I missed mentioning some good opportunities I chose not to mention. I got lost, after getting dehydrated. I was helping other people get some great animals:
I hunted close to 12,000', in Utah, 400' in the AZ desert and about everything in between.
I was hot, cold, frustrated, elated. Lots of ups and downs this year.

I learned a lot about what being tough is. It isn't proving anything to anyone, other than yourself.
It is taking what ever life throws at you, and making the best of it.

I have heard when life gives you lemons, make lemon aid- that is stupid. Everyone knows you need sugar, and life rarely throws you some sugar.
When life gives you lemon, eat that sucker and be tough. Then move on to the next season.

Hunting teaches us that seasons come and go. We are always successful, if we continue to learn in each season. Not every season ends with a notched tag, a great time with your dad, or pats on the back, but they certainly can end with you knowing you were tougher than what life threw at you.

" I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength"
Apostle Paul from a Philippian prison around 60 AD.


Bring on 2018

 

[Boiler]

I'd say your plenty tough! Great season!

 

[Copen1822]

Great season and great write up. Thanks for posting it! Your dad raised a great son!

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

 

[River Rat]

Thanks for sharing.


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[mfllood3800]

Hey guys I appreciate the comments. I really wrote this up to try and put the book end on a year (season) that was full of a lot of stuff in my life. I am really not after compliments, yet appreciate them. I am after finding closure to a year that was full of ups and downs, and I hope to not leave anything open.
I have lost both parents, 2 siblings, 1 child and realized a long time ago, I have a friend in Jesus who never leaves me nor forsakes me.

My 2018 will never top my 2017. Not even if I double up on notched tags. 2017 held a special spot, cause I was driven deeper, harder than before. I am certain many of you on this site, had a 2017 to remember, for lots of reasons.

I don't use Face book, twitter or other social media to put out stuff- they wouldn't get it, cause they wouldn't get me.
I kind of feel members of Rokslide have a brother hood, and we get each other. That's why I chose to air my book end summary here.

I appreciate all of you, well most of you..
lol

I don't know if the founders of RS imagined that their site would be more than just a place for info swapping. But to me it is.
Its a place we come and tell our story to brothers who relate. We come a hear others stories we relate to.
My younger brother was lost in the gulf war as a Marine, and I know he would've loved this site.
I tried to enlist in 82', but never made it to the physical, due to back injuries, and there wasn't a major war (or they may have grabbed me) lol

But my family is full of veterans, hunters and mountain men.
This is kind of like home to me.

 

[Scoot]

Sounds like our 2017s were similar in many ways. I can relate to the year itself bring a tough one. Sounds to me like you sucked it up and mucked through it pretty darn well. Congrats on surviving and making the most of it.

 

[austinphps]

Great season and great write-up. I hope to get out on half as many of the hunts you were able to coming up in 2018, and hopefully get that elusive elk tag filled. Thanks for the motivation!

 

[Nick Muche]

Great year man! I am very sorry to hear about your father's passing. I am sure he was with you every step of the way.

 

[Hesseltine32]

Good write up and you had good season

 

[mfllood3800]

I uploaded the only video I have of my LE Elk hunt to my YouTube channel.
Faith for Life Church UT - YouTube

don't let the vid link scare you lol

It cuts off just about 10 seconds shy of me walking up on the expired bull. I had battery issues with the GoPro that prevented it from filming effectively that day.
Oh well, you can see I already went and recovered my arrow, which was over 40 yards thru him and lodged in a tree trunk, inspected it, and knew he didn't go far.

The storm is really coming in, you can see the winds moving everything around. I am at about 10,600'.

I had just climbed the 7-800' elv exchange from the bottom creek, and the bull went right down to where I just came up.

I was hoping he would've made it all the way to the bottom, but out of instinct, after the shot, I cow called and stopped him, for about 10 seconds. Shortly after that he tipped over.