First want to give props to all the JHOers who were kind enough to give me their hard earned info and sound advice. Everything you guys told me was true. jvle95, MattS, RELH, 84toyota, Slohunter, .257magnum. Thanks again guys. I apologize if I forgot anyone.
In a nutshell my buddy connected and I did not. He got his on the second day in painters flat after a 2 hour exhausting belly crawl in which he almost pssed out from dehydration. He then came and got me and we spent the next four hours dragging it out. We were both pretty spent.
Due to work obligations he needed to get home ASAP so we drove the 6 hours back home. After 2 days I couldnt stand it any longer and loaded up my ATV and headed back by myself. Please note, as you gentleman know, this high desert is not the kind of country you want to be alone in.
I arrive and set up camp then head out to explore new roads. It's late, the sun is starting to fall and I realize I'm on the very road, if you can call it a road, MattS told me not to go on. I'm alone in the middle of nowhere, it's getting dark fast, no cell service and I'm praying nothing happens to the ATV as I traverse what I can best describe as a neverending dry creek bed of sharp lava rocks. Where the road leads, I do not know, but it is taking me in the opposite direction from my camp. I begin to pray and make promises to god. The road leads through a deep creek with no way around it. I'm forced to hit the throttle and dive in. I barely make it through, but my ATV is sputtering and about to stall. I start praying again. The ATV hears my prayers and roars to life. A short while later as darkness looms over the desert, I come to a main road which will eventually lead me back to camp. I jump off and kiss this road.
I should have packed up and left then, but I am foolish and void of any common sense. The next few days would prove to be the most humbling and exhausting hunting I have done in the 5 years since I started this wonderful sport.
I stalked and shot at several bucks. I think I pulled the trigger a total of 7 times, all clean misses. Most of the time the bucks would bust me sneaking up and in a flash they would put another 1,000 yards between us. I made many mistakes, but mistakes I will learn from and never make again. I can honestly say I grew as a hunter this week.
Top 10 things I learned this week:
1. Wear proper foot ware.
2. buy and use shooting sticks in big wide open country.
3. always make sure your scope is turned up.
4. Always take alot of water when stalking.
5. Buy a spotting scope and better binoculars.
6. If you get lost, head downhill (the skeleton of a wild horse is not a good sign)
7. Always try to hunt with someone, hunting and camping alone is not much fun.
8.Carry toilet paper.
9. Stop and rest before you get too exhausted.
10. Always remember to take extra bullets on a stalk.
Number 10 refers to the last hour of my last day hunting and me missing three shots and the buck not knowing where they were coming from, so he runs within 100 yards and stands broadside looking the other way. I then frantically search my pockets and realize my extra ammo is a half mile away. I wanted to cry.
Anyway it's late and I'm tired. I took some pics for you guys. Hope you like them.
Fishing in the Truckee river on the way up,
[attachment=33061:attachment]
In a nutshell my buddy connected and I did not. He got his on the second day in painters flat after a 2 hour exhausting belly crawl in which he almost pssed out from dehydration. He then came and got me and we spent the next four hours dragging it out. We were both pretty spent.
Due to work obligations he needed to get home ASAP so we drove the 6 hours back home. After 2 days I couldnt stand it any longer and loaded up my ATV and headed back by myself. Please note, as you gentleman know, this high desert is not the kind of country you want to be alone in.
I arrive and set up camp then head out to explore new roads. It's late, the sun is starting to fall and I realize I'm on the very road, if you can call it a road, MattS told me not to go on. I'm alone in the middle of nowhere, it's getting dark fast, no cell service and I'm praying nothing happens to the ATV as I traverse what I can best describe as a neverending dry creek bed of sharp lava rocks. Where the road leads, I do not know, but it is taking me in the opposite direction from my camp. I begin to pray and make promises to god. The road leads through a deep creek with no way around it. I'm forced to hit the throttle and dive in. I barely make it through, but my ATV is sputtering and about to stall. I start praying again. The ATV hears my prayers and roars to life. A short while later as darkness looms over the desert, I come to a main road which will eventually lead me back to camp. I jump off and kiss this road.
I should have packed up and left then, but I am foolish and void of any common sense. The next few days would prove to be the most humbling and exhausting hunting I have done in the 5 years since I started this wonderful sport.
I stalked and shot at several bucks. I think I pulled the trigger a total of 7 times, all clean misses. Most of the time the bucks would bust me sneaking up and in a flash they would put another 1,000 yards between us. I made many mistakes, but mistakes I will learn from and never make again. I can honestly say I grew as a hunter this week.
Top 10 things I learned this week:
1. Wear proper foot ware.
2. buy and use shooting sticks in big wide open country.
3. always make sure your scope is turned up.
4. Always take alot of water when stalking.
5. Buy a spotting scope and better binoculars.
6. If you get lost, head downhill (the skeleton of a wild horse is not a good sign)
7. Always try to hunt with someone, hunting and camping alone is not much fun.
8.Carry toilet paper.
9. Stop and rest before you get too exhausted.
10. Always remember to take extra bullets on a stalk.
Number 10 refers to the last hour of my last day hunting and me missing three shots and the buck not knowing where they were coming from, so he runs within 100 yards and stands broadside looking the other way. I then frantically search my pockets and realize my extra ammo is a half mile away. I wanted to cry.
Anyway it's late and I'm tired. I took some pics for you guys. Hope you like them.
Fishing in the Truckee river on the way up,
[attachment=33061:attachment]
