JA1234
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Jan 13, 2006
- Messages
- 3,821
- City & State/Province
- just a hair or two north of the [censored] hole
This has been a long time dream come true.
My wife, surprised me for my Birthday and told me to find a hunt I wanted to do and go. Turned out a friend of mine back home is kinda a booking agent now, and set me up with outfitter/ houndsman Van Johnson of Cortez Co.
I was to spend the week hunting with his Guide Brandon Maxwell...The boy can hump up and down some mountains.... well after three days of coming up dry except on a female and her young, snow set in.
It was suppose to be a 5 day hunt. On day 4 we tried but snow was covering our tracks so fast we knew no way we would ever catch track in it. So back to the room, and for two days I set and waited for it to quit, watching ice grow.
Van decide to give me extra days due to the weather and not having a hunter due until the next day...
So now on day 7, and after checking every road in the county, and walking two canyons out, we came up empty. I was in the mind set to go home with tag in hand. Which was fine, done it on other hunts. This was different for some reason. All I can figure it was because we had spent so much time, and miles walked, trying to find this one cat. I knew in my heart and sole it would happen the next day. Just because I knew, nothing more then just that gut feeling. The cat we been checking everyday had huge tracts, and I knew with the fresh snow it was just a matter of a day or so before we found really fresh sign. But my time was over and it was time to head home.
I called Van to see when his next open date was so I could try again. He told me he would get back with me but he thought Feburary. About 5 mins later he calls and says if I can stay he had a local hunter cancel and Brandon would love to get me on the cat we been chasing.
And all I can say is what a great feeling I had, as my most wonderful wife said get him....as long as your home by Monday, I dont care. She is really the most giving spouse a man could ever ask for. How I deserve such is beyond me.
So basically, and At a very reduced rate, another five day hunt was booked and I was staying in the most beautiful country side I have yet to visit.
So now on day 1 of the new hunt, or day 8 total, we set out about an hour before light figuring other houndsmen would be out in the fresh snow. We never saw any as we went to the high country we had been in, and figure everyone else went low to find less snow. On the first turn we make we see tracks. It was the same place as the big tracks we found in the dirt 8 days earlier that got us fired up. They were big but he had came through the day before sometime behind us. We let the lead dog out to see how hot and he was gone so we dropped one more goodun and two pups.
after about six hours tracking through loose knee deep snow and 2 miles later me and Brandon make it to the tree to see the big Tom we been after. When it set in that it was about to happen I almost broke down. I had pushed so hard to get there and had a huge sense of everything coming together that it hit me hard.
Weight Estimated at 185 pounds. Skull is 1/8 shy of the 15 needed for BC and Age estimated at 10-12 by game warden and in 6 months or so I will get tooth age estimate...but his bottom and top teeth between canines are just about gone...
Without a doubt this was the most physically and mentally challenging hunt I have ever been on, even with dogs doing the main work for me. I can't wait for the day to do it again hopefully with my youngest son who thinks its the coolest thing ever.
I can assure you when I get this cat mounted I will hug it like its my kid before bed every night. If you ever do one of these hunts get in shape. I wasnt and I tried..it takes about 3-4 days to get your lungs ready so anything you can do to get heart rate up and ready...do it... I hurt first few days. And on the last day I cramped all the way back to 4 wheeler that the outfitter was trying to work in to us on. thank goodness for that 4 wheeler coming to get us or it would have been well after dark before I got out. Had he got his snow machine out before the snow hit he could have drove to us before we had this cat skint and quartered.
I had head and skin in my pack and my Guide Brandon had the meat in his. He would bust trail for 50 yards then I would go 50..and if you think walking up mountian canyons is easy, try it with 40 pounds in a pack and in knee deep snow..LOL you will appreciate the stair climber you forced yourself to get on. Like I said I didnt...and I hurt, but I didnt wuss out,,,until that night anyhow LOL
now I am babbling
photos.... more later of the area.
My wife, surprised me for my Birthday and told me to find a hunt I wanted to do and go. Turned out a friend of mine back home is kinda a booking agent now, and set me up with outfitter/ houndsman Van Johnson of Cortez Co.
I was to spend the week hunting with his Guide Brandon Maxwell...The boy can hump up and down some mountains.... well after three days of coming up dry except on a female and her young, snow set in.
It was suppose to be a 5 day hunt. On day 4 we tried but snow was covering our tracks so fast we knew no way we would ever catch track in it. So back to the room, and for two days I set and waited for it to quit, watching ice grow.
Van decide to give me extra days due to the weather and not having a hunter due until the next day...
So now on day 7, and after checking every road in the county, and walking two canyons out, we came up empty. I was in the mind set to go home with tag in hand. Which was fine, done it on other hunts. This was different for some reason. All I can figure it was because we had spent so much time, and miles walked, trying to find this one cat. I knew in my heart and sole it would happen the next day. Just because I knew, nothing more then just that gut feeling. The cat we been checking everyday had huge tracts, and I knew with the fresh snow it was just a matter of a day or so before we found really fresh sign. But my time was over and it was time to head home.
I called Van to see when his next open date was so I could try again. He told me he would get back with me but he thought Feburary. About 5 mins later he calls and says if I can stay he had a local hunter cancel and Brandon would love to get me on the cat we been chasing.
And all I can say is what a great feeling I had, as my most wonderful wife said get him....as long as your home by Monday, I dont care. She is really the most giving spouse a man could ever ask for. How I deserve such is beyond me.
So basically, and At a very reduced rate, another five day hunt was booked and I was staying in the most beautiful country side I have yet to visit.
So now on day 1 of the new hunt, or day 8 total, we set out about an hour before light figuring other houndsmen would be out in the fresh snow. We never saw any as we went to the high country we had been in, and figure everyone else went low to find less snow. On the first turn we make we see tracks. It was the same place as the big tracks we found in the dirt 8 days earlier that got us fired up. They were big but he had came through the day before sometime behind us. We let the lead dog out to see how hot and he was gone so we dropped one more goodun and two pups.
after about six hours tracking through loose knee deep snow and 2 miles later me and Brandon make it to the tree to see the big Tom we been after. When it set in that it was about to happen I almost broke down. I had pushed so hard to get there and had a huge sense of everything coming together that it hit me hard.
Weight Estimated at 185 pounds. Skull is 1/8 shy of the 15 needed for BC and Age estimated at 10-12 by game warden and in 6 months or so I will get tooth age estimate...but his bottom and top teeth between canines are just about gone...
Without a doubt this was the most physically and mentally challenging hunt I have ever been on, even with dogs doing the main work for me. I can't wait for the day to do it again hopefully with my youngest son who thinks its the coolest thing ever.
I can assure you when I get this cat mounted I will hug it like its my kid before bed every night. If you ever do one of these hunts get in shape. I wasnt and I tried..it takes about 3-4 days to get your lungs ready so anything you can do to get heart rate up and ready...do it... I hurt first few days. And on the last day I cramped all the way back to 4 wheeler that the outfitter was trying to work in to us on. thank goodness for that 4 wheeler coming to get us or it would have been well after dark before I got out. Had he got his snow machine out before the snow hit he could have drove to us before we had this cat skint and quartered.
I had head and skin in my pack and my Guide Brandon had the meat in his. He would bust trail for 50 yards then I would go 50..and if you think walking up mountian canyons is easy, try it with 40 pounds in a pack and in knee deep snow..LOL you will appreciate the stair climber you forced yourself to get on. Like I said I didnt...and I hurt, but I didnt wuss out,,,until that night anyhow LOL
now I am babbling
photos.... more later of the area.
