Best September EVER!

[Steve O]

Travel home was uneventful other than TSA in Bethel removing every single one of my frozen Zip Lock bags of Musk Ox meat. Even with that all made it to my freezer still frozen. I love my Yeti stuff from the biggest cooler to the smallest cup.

I let my taxidermist know what was coming and he stayed late to get everything checked in and into his freezer.


One of my good hunting buddy’s from home was going to go with me to Utah for the goat hunt for the first week. I was happy to have help! Ol’ Mick made everything go better whether it was the incredibly LONG stretch Nebraska is to packing out my goat.

Nebraska...if Utah can make the speed limit 80, why can’t you step up and get us to triple digits?!?

 

[Jbehredt]

Sub’d. Great storytelling!

 

[Steve O]

Making good time thru the flat and seemingly endless/lifeless part of Utah thanks to thier brilliant 80mph speed “limit”, Mick and I figured we would get to the top of the mountain in time to set up our luxurious base camp which is my Kodiak Canvas 10x14. Love that tent. Driving made it easy to bring along all the comforts of home and the Beaver unit made it very possible. There is access up quite high. I still brought my backpacking setup just in case all the intel I had gathered was more optimistic that reality, but it was not necessary.

As we started getting closer to the mountains, we contacted my guy on the ground out there. He suggested we stop at his place before heading to camp to go over maps and game plans and that sounded great.

I need to add something here. I have hunted in 20 states and 6 provinces. I have made lifelong friends in many of them. Thru hunting I have met some of the kindest and most generous people on this earth. This husband and wife team in Utah is very near the top of this list. I cannot thank them enough for their help and support and I hope that others will think somewhat the same of me as I have helped and continue to help other hunters.

Anyway, we meet up late as my buddy is out elk hunting and one of his friends has killed a spike. After going over everything, this wonderful couple offers Mick and I to stay in their camper out back and asks if I would mind if they “tagged along” to show us around the unit tomorrow. Are you kidding me? YES!

 

[Chris D]

Keep it coming Steve....enjoying the reading!

chris <><

 

[Redside]

Great read, I'm in!

 

[Steve O]

So we were up at 4:30 and out. We got to our first glassing spot as day was breaking. Nothing. We covered a lot of ground that morning and looked over a LOT of goats. None of the billies that interested us were in good spots to stalk or kill. I heard over and over how “easy” this goat hunt is but trust me, NO goats live where anything is EASY. Yes we did not have to pack in and up thru many miles of Devils Club, and yes we could cover a lot of ground to spot goats. But you weren’t going to shoot any goat here from the road

I’d also heard how the unit is full of B&C goats. Good for them! I let everybody know I’m not good enough to judge and neither is anyone I know so 1/2” doesn’t mean diddly to me. The first mature billy we could find was more than good enough for me. I had studied all the information from all the different state game agencies that offered advice on telling billies from nannies; I did not want to make that mistake. A mature billy would make me very satisfied.

I’ve hunted with a stick bow much of my adult life. I’ve had PLENTY of long hunts, both with and without tags filled; it was OK if this was a shorter hunt. I was very happy to have this opportunity and I was going to enjoy it fully whether it lasted an hour or the entire season.

 

[Steve O]

We had a quick lunch and made plans for the afternoon. While Mick and I were rolling around the unit Friday night we noticed a LARGE group of goats on the flat peak of one of the mountains. According to our friends they were known to frequent that area quite a bit so we all decided to hike up there and see if they showed up tonight. Now, it IS pretty flat up there, but getting to that point was steep and there is much less oxygen at 12000’ than I remember when I was Bighorn sheep hunting in Colorado 11 years ago! Well, we made it and so did the goats. There was a huge mixed herd headed our way. I got all set and solid. We looked everyone over in the spotter. I picked out a very nice billy; all of them looked very similar but “mine” had a distinctive stain on his right side in his stomach area. I could keep track of him this way and make sure I was shooting the right goat.

My glorious 15x Geovids said 253 yards and I stayed focused on him and waited for all the other animals to be in the clear in front and behind him. I held into the stiff wind and hit him perfectly with the 264 midway up right behind the front shoulder. He bucked like a bronco and took a few wobbly steps and laid down and flopped over. That was more like it!

The other goats were very curious and all the other billys came up to him and sniffed or kicked him. We waited quietly until they wandered off and made our way over to him. The first thing I checked was to make sure his plumbing was correct and a huge weight was lifted off my shoulders. He was a billy and he was spectacular, and I was elated!

 

[Steve O]

I take great pride in being able to do all there is to do on a hunt on my own down to the smallest detail, but I can’t tell you what a blessing it was to have three so capable outdoors people by your side at that time. From taking pictures, to skinning, cutting, and packing everything out I cannot thank my friends enough. We made quick work and headed down the mountain.

 

[Boiler]

That is an impressive month of hunting! Thanks for sharing!

 

[Steve O]

That is an impressive month of hunting! Thanks for sharing!

It was the most impressive WEEK that I’ve ever had. Took both animals opening day Saturday. My son plays college football. I only missed one game; that was a big bonus.

I figured I had over 13,000 miles in by air, land, and sea.

 

[Steve O]

Mick and I finally got camp set up and spent the next few days chilling out and relaxing in the mountains. We had a great Musk Ox dinner with our friends. Mick got to break in a little 6 foot bamboo fly rod his father had made him on the local cutthroat and brown trout.

 

[blackdog]

Incredible!!! Thanks for sharing.

 

[realunlucky]

It was the most impressive WEEK that I’ve ever had. Took both animals opening day Saturday. My son plays college football. I only missed one game; that was a big bonus.

I figured I had over 13,000 miles in by air, land, and sea.

That's one hell of a week!

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[Steve O]

If I could give any advice, it would be to apply for the hunts you want to go on. I drew that goat tag in the random draw (odds were 1:2416 after preference tag was removed) and the musk Ox tag is the 2nd hardest tag to draw in Alaska at less than .2% from what the biologist told me. BUT, that is the only hunt in the WORLD that I could hunt Musk Ox unguided and not in the winter and THAT is how I wanted to hunt Musk Ox, so that is exactly what I applied for and never anything else. I always feel someone has to draw and you can’t draw if you are not applied. Understand each state’s draw system and look at it as an investment in yourself. Quality time in quality places is worth paying for. You don’t have to blindly put in for everything in every state; know what you want to do and apply with purpose. You don’t have to put in for all “blue chip” hunts; I find 2nd tier hunts to typically be awesome. But do apply.

 

[dirtclod Az.]

Very nice adventure,thanks for sharing!The monster browns made the day.

 

[rooster440]

Wow doesn't even come close! What a month! I hope to have a month like this someday.


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[Battleguy]

Thanks for sharing, Looks like you had a lot of fun.

 

[Chris D]

Good Stuff Steve!!!

Congrats!
Maybe we can add a few "swung up" steelhead this November as well!

chris <><

 

[mparks270]

Great story telling there Steve!

Very happy to be able to tag along for the Utah portion. Was a bonus to get to do some high country trout fishing.

 

[Steve O]

Good Stuff Steve!!!

Congrats!
Maybe we can add a few "swung up" steelhead this November as well!

Yeah buddy, let’s keep the streak alive! I’m putting in my Arizona spring hunt application in today. I have one under max points for Goulds turkey and I have GOT to draw that soon...