Leupold BX-4 Rangefinding Binoculars

Finally got out for some Roosevelt scouting

Little Big Man MT Chris

Well-known member
Joined
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4,039
Location
ORYGUN Coast Range
After the the last 4 years of spending hundreds of hours out exploring the elk woods where I live and posting lots of the adventures, I’ve had a different schedule this year and neither me or my scouting and hunting partner have been out much this season , till this week. But after all the time in the past years exploring we know some spots that elk are always hanging out at , We had a break from the heat for a few days this week and we went for 2, hikes after work , we did just short of 12 miles .

the 1st hike we saw 3 Blacktails a coyote and 11-12 elk , this was the best pic from that trip
D2C6B99F-A019-48BA-AF47-57E3C3D808C8.jpeg
My buddy John In the lead walking out
FAB43212-B7E3-4207-83E1-40BAF7A81D4A.jpeg

the second hike we took was in an area we hunted last in 2019 , just never got in there last season, the main reason I picked this spot was because they logged in there in 2019 and I wanted to see how it’s changed, I went back and dug up old pics to show the transition of logging country, the landscape here is constantly changing from year to year .

walking in on an old logging road
0CDBFCF3-29E2-4E1F-A8F5-EAAC0DF7B24D.jpeg

The 1st part of or 6 mile loop this day was to see how the meadow area is growing back since the cut that area in 2019

John hanging the meadow camera in early may 2019
1625406319508.jpeg

the best pic we got off the meadow camera June 2019
CC218BC8-D7F8-46CD-AB15-E37BFEDE9B3D.jpeg

last week of august 2019 I went to pull the meadow camera before archery season and check it and found …….😱 no meadow, no woods no camera
1625406671940.jpeg

We were hunting in that area in mid September 2019 and they had got most of the logs out now and John still had the location marked on onX so we went out in the cut and I still can’t believe we found that camera, The tree was so small it just got drove over and never cut ….

John took a pic of me with one of the rigs the day we found the camera
86DF8369-D1D2-4B34-917C-1FDEB272179F.jpeg

John digging in the debris and finding the camera September 2019
53FC962B-0333-4748-BA31-4E0B7D24C9E2.jpeg

Still can’t believe we found that camera it still works I’ve used it since then and that we were able to pull all the pictures off it , I do regret deleting the pictures of the logging equipment as it was working towards the tree with the camera, I should’ve save those….

the meadow area now almost 2 years to the day since that herd of elk was photographed in the meadow..
F9A1D9FD-E696-491E-AB12-6275D9F6A131.jpeg

Happy to see the new food plot coming in quite nicely, and thinking during rifle season how nice would it be to catch an elk out there feeding at sunrise with not a tree in 300 yards in any direction.

we went on and hiked into a more mature clear cut to see how it’s growing in and cut an elk trail and followed in back into some timber , seeing it was a main trail the elk use to feed in and out of the cut we hung a camera, And we joked these trees Ain’t big enough they’re not gonna log them this year.

John hanging the camera on a strait way part of the trail
72C0DFC0-201D-4A0F-8F4A-024F394843B0.jpeg

the view from the tree back towards the cut
7ADFA605-7509-471A-A26F-B3E487D8A9A3.jpeg

as we continued on our journey, John took a pic of me walking with his dogs and sent it to me the following day
67A8D667-452A-4A43-B37B-46F102DE1358.jpeg

as the hike continues We went to another newer clear-cut that we knew was in the area but hadn’t really spent much time in and around it and of course there was elk there . And we saw them before they saw us.
773DD7EC-3166-4159-BEDB-F4A536AB3E2A.jpeg
B78A84F4-FE94-444B-95F4-69702CD3C53A.jpeg
3321B5DC-C334-480E-BB48-5879B6AAC072.jpeg

John finally gave a soft whistle to get the bull to look our way , so we could get a good head shot because he was to busy stuffin his face
80A91129-0F8D-46C3-AC8D-7F52DAF21FF8.jpeg

They were close so they all heard the John whistle
D7CCF289-44FD-4CDD-A8F8-CB49CB94C18C.jpeg

they grouped up and then slowly over the hill to go have dinner somewhere else in peace and quiet… without us people staring at them
EED22712-55F8-4F74-B3E9-49CA63581496.jpeg

one the way out we saw 3 more elk after this a lone cow and then 200 yds from the truck at the gate we parked at my was another cow and a calf feeding. I have really come to enjoy and appreciate these summer elk experiences when the woods are quiet and no one else is around, the elk are really relaxed because they haven’t been chased all over the mountain yet.

also almost sat on this thing during the hike , freaked me out for a second. don’t know what it is , anyone know what kinda bug this is
088E62AB-CC89-4D61-9376-74703EA6593A.jpeg

hope you all enjoyed my adventures this week , me getting out in the woods was long overdue. In the busyness of life it’s easy to forget good laughs with a friend and hiking the woods is healthy for the soul and a much needed break .

Happy 4th of JULY everyone 🇺🇸
 
Last edited:
After the the last 4 years of spending hundreds of hours out exploring the elk woods where I live and posting lots of the adventures, I’ve had a different schedule this year and neither me or my scouting and hunting partner have been out much this season , till this week. But after all the time in the past years exploring we know some spots that elk are always hanging out at , We had a break from the heat for a few days this week and we went for 2, hikes after work , we did just short of 12 miles .

the 1st hike we saw 3 Blacktails a coyote and 11-12 elk , this was the best pic from that trip
View attachment 187340
My buddy John In the lead walking out
View attachment 187341

the second hike we took was in an area we hunted last in 2019 , just never got in there last season, the main reason I picked this spot was because they logged in there in 2019 and I wanted to see how it’s changed, I went back and dug up old pics to show the transition of logging country, the landscape here is constantly changing from year to year .

walking in on an old logging road
View attachment 187344

The 1st part of or 6 mile loop this day was to see how the meadow area is growing back since the cut that area in 2019

John hanging the meadow camera in early may 2019
View attachment 187345

the best pic we got off the meadow camera June 2019
View attachment 187346

last week of august 2019 I went to pull the meadow camera before archery season and check it and found …….😱 no meadow, no woods no camera
View attachment 187348

We were hunting in that area in mid September 2019 and they had got most of the logs out now and John still had the location marked on onX so we went out in the cut and I still can’t believe we found that camera, The tree was so small it just got drove over and never cut ….

John took a pic of me with one of the rigs the day we found the camera
View attachment 187349

John digging in the debris and finding the camera September 2019
View attachment 187351

Still can’t believe we found that camera it still works I’ve used it since then and that we were able to pull all the pictures off it , I do regret deleting the pictures of the logging equipment as it was working towards the tree with the camera, I should’ve save those….

the meadow area now almost 2 years to the day since that herd of elk was photographed in the meadow..
View attachment 187352

Happy to see the new food plot coming in quite nicely, and thinking during rifle season how nice would it be to catch an elk out there feeding at sunrise with not a tree in 300 yards in any direction.

we went on and hiked into a more mature clear cut to see how it’s growing in and cut an elk trail and followed in back into some timber , seeing it was a main trail the elk use to feed in and out of the cut we hung a camera, And we joked these trees Ain’t big enough they’re not gonna log them this year.

John hanging the camera on a strait way part of the trail
View attachment 187353

the view from the tree back towards the cut
View attachment 187354

as we continued on our journey, John took a pic of me walking with his dogs and sent it to me the following day
View attachment 187355

as the hike continues We went to another newer clear-cut that we knew was in the area but hadn’t really spent much time in and around it and of course there was elk there . And we saw them before they saw us.
View attachment 187356
View attachment 187357
View attachment 187358

John finally gave a soft whistle to get the bull to look our way , so we could get a good head shot because he was to busy stuffin his face
View attachment 187359

They were close so they all heard the John whistle
View attachment 187360

they grouped up and then slowly over the hill to go have dinner somewhere else in peace and quiet… without us people staring at them
View attachment 187361

one the way out we saw 3 more elk after this a lone cow and then 200 yds from the truck at the gate we parked at my was another cow and a calf feeding. I have really come to enjoy and appreciate these summer elk experiences when the woods are quiet and no one else is around, the elk are really relaxed because they haven’t been chased all over the mountain yet.

also almost sat on this thing during the hike , freaked me out for a second. don’t know what it is , anyone know what kinda bug this is
View attachment 187362

hope you all enjoyed my adventures this week , me getting out in the woods was long overdue. In the busyness of life it’s easy to forget good laughs with a friend and hiking the woods is healthy for the soul and a much needed break .

Happy 4th of JULY everyone 🇺🇸
Hard to tell from the up close photo but kinda looks like a pine beetle? devilish bugs.. are you aware of any pine beetle infestations out there? They leave a pile of sawdust at the base of the tree, dead giveaway.. the pic of your buddy digging thru a heap of small trees laid over like a game of pick up sticks is unreal… I can’t flippin believe y’all found the camera in THAT HEAP!?? Cool pics all around and great story to follow. Good luck this upcoming season.!
 
Def not a pine beetle (God only knows how many of those bastards and tent caterpillars I’ve trapped in my USFS days) looks like something in the wasp or hornet family. Whatever it is I wouldn’t have wanted to remove it from my ass cheek either Chris!
 
Def not a pine beetle (God only knows how many of those bastards and tent caterpillars I’ve trapped in my USFS days) looks like something in the wasp or hornet family. Whatever it is I wouldn’t have wanted to remove it from my ass cheek either Chris!
Yeah coming down the trail there is two new trees that fell and crossed it one higher than the other and as a straddled the logs I was getting ready to sit down and slide the other leg over as I looked down and saw directly underneath my crotch was that wasp looking thing it arched its back and flared his wings for a second. I’m like hey little buddy you’re cool and i very slowly moved my other leg over the top of it , because they look like some giant hornet to me and he relaxed and then I was able to take a picture of it after I was clear , i’m sure I know I’ve seen them before but I don’t see one very often , they’re rare sightings to me seems like, Also he was at least an inch long and as thick as a pencil or a little thicker
 
Last edited:
I’m always amazed at how people see Roosevelt elk in clearcuts during daylight hours. Interesting what keeping atv’s out and making people walk does for security. It’s a rare thing to see elk in the open cuts here because of the free for all of traffic
 
I’m always amazed at how people see Roosevelt elk in clearcuts during daylight hours. Interesting what keeping atv’s out and making people walk does for security. It’s a rare thing to see elk in the open cuts here because of the free for all of traffic
I’ve always felt that is because Roosevelt’s live in and around people constantly there range here is small in comparison to the Rocky Mtn Elk , and the Coastal Range they live in is basically a giant tree farm with roads everywhere and constant logging activity these elk from the time there born see and hear vehicles and people , I’ve seen herds in daylight feeding less than a hundred yards from blacktop , and cars zoom by , doesn’t phase them , the second you stop to check them out , they notice and get uncomfortable and will move to cover.That’s just my opinion on why we can find Roosevelt’s out in the open around here

here’s an example, my buddy was driving to work this week and spotted 4 bulls from the blacktop on the opposite side of the cut , When he stopped to take a picture they all looked he never could get the fourth one in the picture noticed the power lines , this pic was taken with his cell phone , even though these elk are way out there 400 yds at least , when he stopped they stopped feeding to watch him
2FBE703D-8A48-4210-A8B5-A52218232494.jpeg
 
Last edited:
After the the last 4 years of spending hundreds of hours out exploring the elk woods where I live and posting lots of the adventures, I’ve had a different schedule this year and neither me or my scouting and hunting partner have been out much this season , till this week. But after all the time in the past years exploring we know some spots that elk are always hanging out at , We had a break from the heat for a few days this week and we went for 2, hikes after work , we did just short of 12 miles .

the 1st hike we saw 3 Blacktails a coyote and 11-12 elk , this was the best pic from that trip
View attachment 187340
My buddy John In the lead walking out
View attachment 187341

the second hike we took was in an area we hunted last in 2019 , just never got in there last season, the main reason I picked this spot was because they logged in there in 2019 and I wanted to see how it’s changed, I went back and dug up old pics to show the transition of logging country, the landscape here is constantly changing from year to year .

walking in on an old logging road
View attachment 187344

The 1st part of or 6 mile loop this day was to see how the meadow area is growing back since the cut that area in 2019

John hanging the meadow camera in early may 2019
View attachment 187345

the best pic we got off the meadow camera June 2019
View attachment 187346

last week of august 2019 I went to pull the meadow camera before archery season and check it and found …….😱 no meadow, no woods no camera
View attachment 187348

We were hunting in that area in mid September 2019 and they had got most of the logs out now and John still had the location marked on onX so we went out in the cut and I still can’t believe we found that camera, The tree was so small it just got drove over and never cut ….

John took a pic of me with one of the rigs the day we found the camera
View attachment 187349

John digging in the debris and finding the camera September 2019
View attachment 187351

Still can’t believe we found that camera it still works I’ve used it since then and that we were able to pull all the pictures off it , I do regret deleting the pictures of the logging equipment as it was working towards the tree with the camera, I should’ve save those….

the meadow area now almost 2 years to the day since that herd of elk was photographed in the meadow..
View attachment 187352

Happy to see the new food plot coming in quite nicely, and thinking during rifle season how nice would it be to catch an elk out there feeding at sunrise with not a tree in 300 yards in any direction.

we went on and hiked into a more mature clear cut to see how it’s growing in and cut an elk trail and followed in back into some timber , seeing it was a main trail the elk use to feed in and out of the cut we hung a camera, And we joked these trees Ain’t big enough they’re not gonna log them this year.

John hanging the camera on a strait way part of the trail
View attachment 187353

the view from the tree back towards the cut
View attachment 187354

as we continued on our journey, John took a pic of me walking with his dogs and sent it to me the following day
View attachment 187355

as the hike continues We went to another newer clear-cut that we knew was in the area but hadn’t really spent much time in and around it and of course there was elk there . And we saw them before they saw us.
View attachment 187356
View attachment 187357
View attachment 187358

John finally gave a soft whistle to get the bull to look our way , so we could get a good head shot because he was to busy stuffin his face
View attachment 187359

They were close so they all heard the John whistle
View attachment 187360

they grouped up and then slowly over the hill to go have dinner somewhere else in peace and quiet… without us people staring at them
View attachment 187361

one the way out we saw 3 more elk after this a lone cow and then 200 yds from the truck at the gate we parked at my was another cow and a calf feeding. I have really come to enjoy and appreciate these summer elk experiences when the woods are quiet and no one else is around, the elk are really relaxed because they haven’t been chased all over the mountain yet.

also almost sat on this thing during the hike , freaked me out for a second. don’t know what it is , anyone know what kinda bug this is
View attachment 187362

hope you all enjoyed my adventures this week , me getting out in the woods was long overdue. In the busyness of life it’s easy to forget good laughs with a friend and hiking the woods is healthy for the soul and a much needed break .

Happy 4th of JULY everyone 🇺🇸
Great pictures!
 

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