What’s the coolest thing you found in the back country

[AHayes111]

When I was a twelve year old kid I found this extra large deadhead whitetail. Started a lifetime of looking for antlers.

 

[AHayes111]

Only antler I ever found with a bullet in it. Found it in 91 on an Idaho mountain

 

[156821]

I was head up a trail into sheep country when I rounded a corner and found a MSR hubba hubba tent in a dry bag. Through it in the pack and kept going. A few days later I bumped into an older gentleman who asked about the tent. We had a coffee and visited for a while. He turned out to be Martin Hagn, a renowned gun maker. He has since past but it is a great memory.

 

[Pacific_Fork]

Last fall I found this old abandoned mine in a backcountry avalanche chute. Anyone have any guesses what it would be for? Someone had to pack in the equipment by mule to get here and for what that isn’t closer to a road?

 

[505Wapiti]

Cool find. Pretty modern looking shovel and buckets inside and interesting saw marks on the big flat front log. Wonder when this was made and who still pokes around in it?

 

[Agross]

When I was a twelve year old kid I found this extra large deadhead whitetail. Started a lifetime of looking for antlers.View attachment 744821

You ever had it scored ? What a tank

 

[Pacific_Fork]

Cool find. Pretty modern looking shovel and buckets inside and interesting saw marks on the big flat front log. Wonder when this was made and who still pokes around in it?

Yea the shovel and bucket didn’t look too old. There is some old rusted steel parts scattered all over and this big steel beam.

 

[Alex P. Coltrane]

I was in Sitka, Alaska, fly fishing for salmon. I ended up hiking several days higher up (because apparently I suck at salmon fishing). I found an opening to a cave, big enough to walk into but not stand upright. It was basically a blind cave that ended after ten feet or so. There was a rusted-out bolt action rifle, a rusted out revolver, and some empty and rusted tin cans scattered in the back. I found what appeared to be a leather pelt—it disintegrated. I found some metal pans—rusted out.
As I stood there, with the sun setting, it occurred to me that whoever owned these things likely died here. I can understand storing panning equipment for next year, or storing canned food. No one would leave their guns—it was a four day hike back to town. It sent shivers down my spine. I noped out of there and hiked another hour or so to put distance between me and that cave. I don’t know why it spooked me. But it did.

 

[AHayes111]

You ever had it scored ? What a tank

209+ net

I remember that day like it was yesterday, not nearly 50 years ago.

 

[khart_6882]

Apologies in advance for a long post. I used to work as a bounty hunter. Back in ’95, I was tracking a group of escaped convicts into Montana's isolated Oxbow Quadrangle. I never found the men, but I did find a scrap of cloth, enough blood to paint the sheriff's office, a shotgun shell, and an old-fashioned Indian arrow. Seemed odd, so I took the arrow to an archaeologist who identified it as a replica of the arrows used by Cheyenne Dog Soldiers.

After much research, I found a long list of people who had disappeared into the Oxbow, including the story of a wild Indian child captured in the woods in the early 20th century. I know it sounds crazy, but eventually I returned to the Oxbow with the archeologist and began searching for a lost tribe of Indians.

After a week, we were maybe 50 miles in and nearing the end of our supplies. While packing our gear to head back to civilization, we were attacked by Cheyenne Indians who took us to their encampment in a valley only accessible through a tunnel behind a waterfall.

It was scary. They even shot my dog with an arrow. But eventually, tempers cooled, and I learned that the “wild Indian child” from all those years ago was now their tribal leader.

Befriending a hardy band of Native American Dog Soldiers who escaped the 1864 Sand Creek massacre and had been living in isolation for 128 years in the Montana wilderness was a unique experience. But if I had to pick, that secret tunnel through the waterfall was the coolest thing I’ve found in the backcountry.

View attachment 735050

We have a winner. As soon as you mentioned the oxbow quadrangle I started chuckling


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[def90]

View attachment 744858


Last fall I found this old abandoned mine in a backcountry avalanche chute. Anyone have any guesses what it would be for? Someone had to pack in the equipment by mule to get here and for what that isn’t closer to a road?

Those exist all over Colorado. It's amazing the shit they drug in to places you would never think.

 

[Pharmseller]

I was in Sitka, Alaska, fly fishing for salmon. I ended up hiking several days higher up (because apparently I suck at salmon fishing). I found an opening to a cave, big enough to walk into but not stand upright. It was basically a blind cave that ended after ten feet or so. There was a rusted-out bolt action rifle, a rusted out revolver, and some empty and rusted tin cans scattered in the back. I found what appeared to be a leather pelt—it disintegrated. I found some metal pans—rusted out.
As I stood there, with the sun setting, it occurred to me that whoever owned these things likely died here. I can understand storing panning equipment for next year, or storing canned food. No one would leave their guns—it was a four day hike back to town. It sent shivers down my spine. I noped out of there and hiked another hour or so to put distance between me and that cave. I don’t know why it spooked me. But it did.

Did you find a note written by Hatchet Jack?




P

 

[Rokbar]

When I was a twelve year old kid I found this extra large deadhead whitetail. Started a lifetime of looking for antlers.View attachment 744821

Holy Cow that buck is huge. You look a little older than 12yo though?

 

[AHayes111]

Holy Cow that buck is huge. You look a little older than 12yo though?

Some where I have a picture of a 12 year old me holding the head.

I found the head on a spring day in 79. My dad, a hunting buddy and I were looking at the fence on a 160 acre pasture my family owned at the time in the middle of the National Forest. This quarter section of land is mostly wide open grass land, but on the west end there are two deep and timbered draws. Dad and his friend were talking hunting stories and I was as happy as could be just setting there listening even though I had heard most of the stories multiple times. Dad pulls up the the edge of the first draw, hands me a pair of pliers and some staples and tells me to walk the fence in the two draws. This is not what I had in mind, bouncing around the rest of the pasture reliving old stories sounded much more fun, but I didn't have a choice. The first draw was uneventful but as I got to bottom of the second draw a giant old pine tree up the draw grabbed my attention. I had to check it out. As I was admiring the pine, I noticed a few antler tip sticking out of the grass. At first I thought it was a shed antler, but as I got closer I could see it was a deadhead. My first reaction was " What is wrong with this deer, the skull is so small". In reality the skull in of normal size, the huge antlers just make it look small. It wasn't long and I realized this. I counted the points, 10 on each side. Now I was beyond excited, I forgot about the fence I was tasked with fixing and ran out of the draw to show dad my find. Of course dad was at the far end of the pasture a good half mile away, so I stashed the head under an old loading chute and took off running across the pasture. Dad sees me and thinks something is wrong so he drives over to see what has happen. When he gets to me I can see the concern on his face. I am out of breath from running, but I manage to blurt out " I just found the biggest whitetail head you will ever see" . Dad is unimpressed and when I get in the pickup we go back to checking the fence and not driving over to see the deer head. I wanted none of this. " Dad, its a really big one, you have to see it now" I would say. Dad would reply " I am sure it is a nice one, but it will wait until we are done. After what seamed like an eternity we finally arrived at the old corral and I retrieved the head from under the loading chute. Dads jaw about hit the ground when I pulled the head out.

 

[mtnvol1]

Found several old homesteads, here is a cabin on the US/Canadian border, not sure if it’s an old trapper cabin or what
View attachment 697250

Cool place in AZ with the gun ports in the side of the house pretty deep into NF on a cattle camp
View attachment 697252

Found an intact bear skull this past season, Hayes guessed age in the teens. First bear dead head I’ve found.
View attachment 697253

I grew up in rural TN, it was very common to run across really old graves in the woods, occasional family plots, from early 1800s

Live in Tennessee now and still finding remnants of moonshine stills and graves

 

[Elk97]

Ran across a tornado track high up in the Crazy Mountains in MT. Took me a while to figure out what I was looking at- 25-30' wide swath where every tree was completely uprooted, broken and thrown in every direction. Couldn't figure out what kind of machine could do that, or why. Then it hit me (never seen a tornado or been in areas that have them). Went across the heavily treed hillside as far as I could see in both directions. Amazing amount of force to do that much damage. I'll try and find a pic or two and post them.

I guess I only took a short video and I can't post a vid here so here's a pic from the video.

 

[eddielasvegas]

Ran across a tornado track high up in the Crazy Mountains in MT. Took me a while to figure out what I was looking at- 25-30' wide swath where every tree was completely uprooted, broken and thrown in every direction. Couldn't figure out what kind of machine could do that, or why. Then it hit me (never seen a tornado or been in areas that have them). Went across the heavily treed hillside as far as I could see in both directions. Amazing amount of force to do that much damage. I'll try and find a pic or two and post them.

A pic or two would very kewl to see.


Eddie

 

[handturkee]

I was a big fan of the creepy thread that’s been going around on here, but wanted to expand this discussion beyond weird/creepy/paranormal. So what’s the coolest thing you’ve found?

Old mining equipment

 

[b.the.smith]

6x 6 deadhead, a 4 point elk shed, 3 other dead heads with antlers chewed down to nubs and killed a gobbler on first day turkey hunting.

 

[mtnbound]

Not an animal but I found a 12” metorite.


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