My Sunday Hunt.

[Milton]

Today was a nice cool day, so after lunch I took Sunny for a run. She ran, while I drove the Christmas Tree plantation. She loves that, as many jack rabbits abound. She got after a rabbit or two and was loving life.

This evening I went to a lookout in the swamp and watched for an hour with nothing showing but a few gold finches that were within a foot or so. Beautiful! Then I heard a bull elk bugle, but just barely. After last night, I had no hopes of seeing elk-----just too far away. A half hour later, another bugle. Still far off, but maybe a bit closer. Two more bugles and about 250 yards out appeared nine cows, five calves and a heavy horned 6 X 6. It was getting towards dusk, so after a spike and a small 5 X 5 trailed out, I decided to leave. I have no idea where he came from, but a real nice 5 X 5 was about 50 yards in front of me. He noticed my parked pickup, and spooked a bit. Then he decided, nothing was too dangerous, and strolled on over toward the rest. As I was leaving, the herd bull gave me a real nice parting blast on his bugle. A VERY GOOD DAY!

[Bubba]

Milton, That was one heck of a silverado stalk. Bubba

[Milton]

Pretty THRILLING! About 12 years ago, we started seeing elk occaisonally. At first, mostly small herds of big bulls. Ellis saw a cow and calf first of all, but usually just big bulls. We didn't really have any bunches of cows and calves for about five years. Since logging stopped in the state and national forests west of where we live, elk have been driven, by starvation, into the valley. The Pacific Ranforest is too dense for sunshine to get to ground level, where deer and elk browse. During the many years of harvesting timber on a sustained yield basis, elk and deer populations soared. They could eat the choicest sprouts from the newest clear-cut, then bed in adjacent 100 year old shady timber. When pushed by hunters, they could dissapear int 20 year old dense fir saplings. Western Oregon had over 10 times more deer and elk than before pioneers arrived. Recent politics has certainly ruined much of the wildlife in this area. Locally, it is great to see these big animals, practically in our back yard. About 2000 Acres in this swamp area near us. We own a piece of it, as do some other neighbors that appreciate wild life and don't over hunt. One neighbor got two cougars last Fall. I saw a mother otter with two youngsters about a month ago. We have seen three bobcats while riding horses.

Columbia blacktail deer were so thick that Ellis and I counted 47 different deer several years ago during one evening. Hairloss disease has clobbered that population, but now, finally, they are starting to increase again. Neither Ellis nor I have killed a blacktail for six or eight years. There seem to be enough to hunt again, now. Milton

[Wildwood Deckers]

We have elk here but they are just north of us, but are working their way south.... as for deer (white tail) they are like flys... there is one place a couple miles from us that you can drive down the road just before dark and easily count 100 deer... however that is all private land and no hunting.... most areas it is unusual to not see deer any time of the day.... This year they had an early doe season that just got over... our youth hunt is next weekend, then bow season opens Oct. 1, and rifle season opens Nov. 15... we have quite high winter kills and it seems to have no affect on them....

I wish we had elk in our area just to be able to enjoy their majestic beauty...

Clyde

[Milton]

Sometimes the elk stick around for a few days before wandering off. I think they are fairly isolated from other ranging herds. I notice that the bulls I see are usually ones I have watched before. This year is a good year for acorns (not so good for ACORN, so I hear), but anyway, they are dropping from the oak trees now. Once they get started on acorns, we see them much less. Our property have some oak, but much more ash timber. The elk go a mile north and stay in that 90% oak timber. Milton

They left last Thursday and I have looked in vain, since then. Eight deer this morning, so not all wasted effort.

[Milton]

I'm starting to think our elk are religeos. Nothing at all for days, but I am stubborn, if nothing else.

Sunday evening, here I am again in the swamp. Every morning and evening I check it out, but nothing. Only 5 minutes from the house, 2 minutes from Ellis' house. Anyway, I spot an object away cross the swamp. Binoculars prove it a beautiful 5 X 5 bull elk. All his tines over a foot long. Ahead of him come five cows with five beautiful big calves. Trailing him by about 100 yds is a small five pointer. No bugling, but here they come. They check out the apple and prune trees, Ellis and I planted 25 years ago. They gather down fruit about 250 yards out, then the calves decide it is romp time. They use the duck pond dike for an obstacle to play their hide and seek. Round and round they go. Flashing through, within six feet of the bigger bull, with him unfazed. What a treat to observe this without any fear factor. All elk, all the time. They are only doing what comes naturally. I love to hunt, but observing wildlife that is undisturbed, rates pretty high on my list.

Then old Annebell, the lead cow, decided to come on over. They start grazing on lush new grass about 75 yards out. I'm afraid to cough or scratch. When my folding chair squeaks, Annebell is on it instantly. I'm pinned for an hour. What a delicious predicament. Finally, just before dark, after they noticed my parked pickup, with no fear reaction, they feed off about 150 yards and I make my exit. I wish all lovers of "the wild things", could have been there. Milton

[Danielle_Atencio]

Very beautiful story Milton.

[Carol PA]

Beautiful story! Milton you are a true sportsman something that I admire. Keep those stories coming.
Carol

[Milton]

Well Carol, you did ask for it. First off, that same Sunday evening, when I got situated in our raised "Hide", I heard a hum. I FROZE, I was treated to close inspection by a hummingbird. The little beauty perched about 3 feet away, lifted off, came back, etc. I was enthralled. It seems to me that a human 10 or 15 feet off the ground, quits being a threat, or a recognizeable threat, at least. I try to wear camo cloths.

Last week, a very small woodpecker spent 15 minutes within a few feet of me. The day before a Bewick's wren stayed a few minutes, acompanied by a slightly larger woodpecker. Nearly every evening a family of five Chicadees forage through, almost within reach. A few days before that a Wilson's warbler came through with a flight of about 30 Bush Tits, a couple of Towees, a yellow throat Warbler, and White Breasted Nuthatch. So, even when no elk, deer, coyotes, or otter show, I enjoy some "wild time". Wood ducks, Nutria, Beaver, Muskrats, Sora and Virginia Rails, Bull Frogs, and tree frogs voice their opinions from near by, while Cackler and Great Basin's geese occaisonally fly overhead. Milton

[Milton]

Friday morning at dawn seemed the best time to be out "Taking a look" this week. Heavy overnight rains must have left all game out in the open. First off, Sunny ran off, which hardly ever happens. She chased the deer family (a doe, her two fawns, and the current courting three point) out of our little backyard pasture. When I caught up with her, all I saw were their fresh running tracks. After a "bad dog", for running off and a pop on her butt, we started our Silverado stalk.

The millet patch had a doe, two fawns and a yearling. At the start of the swamp, were two yearling does and a forked horn buck. A 10 power glimpse into our northern most duck pond showed two big bull elk sparing, bucking, and splashing in about eight inches of water. Another big bull was watching their play. WOW! I knew that I was in luck at that glimpse. I crawled the ole pickup past the forked horn and his two girls and idled another 300 yards. When I got where I could see, six nice big bulls were looking at me from about 250 yards. Sunny hadn't seen them. She was calming down from seeing those three deer at 20 to 30 yards. I turned off the motor and watched the big fellows graze, spar, and nibble for over a half hour. The sun came out and their many ivory tips made a spectacle to behold. I think they were 5 five pointers and one big 6 X 6. I glanced with binoculars over to my left and saw another buck with two does. A yearling deer strolled through my field of vision about half way to the elk. The big guys wandered away, so I eased back the way I had come.

The neighbors field had a yearling deer grazing. The millet patch had a different doe and her two smaller fawns as well as a spike buck. All in all, I think the tally was 16 deer and six bull elk. Today is the last day of regular deer season, maybe I should have taken a rifle. Milton

[Milton]

What a difference a day makes. After yesterday, I had to try again this morning. Another rainy night and wet morning. You can already guess-----ALMOST NOTHING. I looked high and low for an hour and a half. One three point with his doe, four hen pheasants, and thirty wild turkeys. I guess that is why yesterday seemed so special. Milton

PS---Lots of geese flying both mornings.

[Wildwood Deckers]

Milton asked me to add the photo above to his "Sunday Hunt"... that is such an awesome photo... I love it Milton....

Clyde

[Danielle_Atencio]

This is such an AMAZING picture!!! And THANK YOU for sharing your hunting stories with us, Milton... I have really enjoyed reading them!

[Milton]

Thanks, Clyde. When Ellis checked the trail cam, we put 2 and 2 together and figured out the photo was taken while I watched from about 250 yards. When they lowered their heads they were mostly behind a duck pond dike, but when all six raised their heads in that early morning sunshine, it was awesome. Milton

[Wmratz]

Wow nice photo!!!

I'm hungry for an elk burger now!! (Just got out of work a lil while ago)