So my most recent scouting trip, I was doing the AZ OTC hunt. Spent years scouting the area, weekly trips, overnights, literally hundreds of miles hiking, trail cams all over the place, etc. I've taken a cow in this area before, and one spike, seen about a half dozen others.
So I'm at the site before sunrise, start walking in, then scouting my honey hole area that always has some sign. Hiking along the creek in the canyon, the standoff is at most 100 yards, usually pretty standard fare, nothing but deer tracks for my first hour. The I stumble upon elk sign, and it gets progressively fresher. I stalk it for a solid two hours, the tracks start meandering, a couple bedding spots, etc.. I'm maybe 3 miles in at this point, and I figured based off the really fresh tracks that it was two cows. I come across a water hole (used to be a creek, but it had been dry lately), and decided to get a closer look for tracks. I start moving through the tall grass, about chest high, and I'm about 15 yards in when I hear a loud crack, followed by some crashing. I stop, nothing further.
I squat down, and figure from my vantage point that I have two clear shots, regardless of which way it moves, I have it. Then I hear some rustling of the bushes to my left, sweet I think to myself, I've got a chance at both cows, this is clearly them as it's the only sign I've seen in this area, and the loud noises seem about right. It's now 18 degrees, and I was only dressed for a light hike, not a sit and stalk. I sit down now, since it's been about 30 minutes of waiting. I hear more and more crashing, and movement, which is good cause I'm now starting to shiver, sitting on wet ground for now over an hour. Problem is the crashing is now getting closer and closer, worrying me that this cow is going to walk right on top of me. I readjust for the approaching cow, but the movement stopped.
I sit and wait, it's now been over two hours stalking these two cows, with the farthest distance being 40 yards. I start moving for a better angle, but being in chest high dry grass makes moving very difficult, so I go slow, which takes forever. I finally get across to where I hear all this crashing and banging against the trees and brush. I get my rifle ready, I can see the tree branches moving and swinging, the bushes around the trunk moving. I figure it must have bed down, I'll keep waiting it out, my shivering had quelled anyway...
There's no noise, so I start maneuvering for an even better shot, perhaps it was my impatience. As I start quartering off on this bedded down cow, I'm maybe 20 yards out now. Then out of nowhere the cow that I thought was going to run right on top of me starts moving, fast. I thought crap I spooked it. Then I see a flash of brown run right by me, maybe 5 feet from me. A beaver. I'm like whew, at least it didn't spook the bedded cow. I was wrong.
No sooner did I think that, then the cow that had been bedded down, banging around the trees now three hours ago, got up and ran right next to me, maybe 7 feet right by me. Another damn beaver.
I stalked in on two beavers for a hair over 3 hours. It was embarrassing, even though I was by myself. I felt like shooting them out of spite. I walk through and check the trail, the cows had gone through there, but they were moving, now with a 3 hour lead on me. Figured I'd call it a day and check my trail cam. I get to my camera, the memory card was sticking partially out, so it didn't take a single picture. Apparently I was conspiring against myself for the entire hunt.
Next time.
So I'm at the site before sunrise, start walking in, then scouting my honey hole area that always has some sign. Hiking along the creek in the canyon, the standoff is at most 100 yards, usually pretty standard fare, nothing but deer tracks for my first hour. The I stumble upon elk sign, and it gets progressively fresher. I stalk it for a solid two hours, the tracks start meandering, a couple bedding spots, etc.. I'm maybe 3 miles in at this point, and I figured based off the really fresh tracks that it was two cows. I come across a water hole (used to be a creek, but it had been dry lately), and decided to get a closer look for tracks. I start moving through the tall grass, about chest high, and I'm about 15 yards in when I hear a loud crack, followed by some crashing. I stop, nothing further.
I squat down, and figure from my vantage point that I have two clear shots, regardless of which way it moves, I have it. Then I hear some rustling of the bushes to my left, sweet I think to myself, I've got a chance at both cows, this is clearly them as it's the only sign I've seen in this area, and the loud noises seem about right. It's now 18 degrees, and I was only dressed for a light hike, not a sit and stalk. I sit down now, since it's been about 30 minutes of waiting. I hear more and more crashing, and movement, which is good cause I'm now starting to shiver, sitting on wet ground for now over an hour. Problem is the crashing is now getting closer and closer, worrying me that this cow is going to walk right on top of me. I readjust for the approaching cow, but the movement stopped.
I sit and wait, it's now been over two hours stalking these two cows, with the farthest distance being 40 yards. I start moving for a better angle, but being in chest high dry grass makes moving very difficult, so I go slow, which takes forever. I finally get across to where I hear all this crashing and banging against the trees and brush. I get my rifle ready, I can see the tree branches moving and swinging, the bushes around the trunk moving. I figure it must have bed down, I'll keep waiting it out, my shivering had quelled anyway...
There's no noise, so I start maneuvering for an even better shot, perhaps it was my impatience. As I start quartering off on this bedded down cow, I'm maybe 20 yards out now. Then out of nowhere the cow that I thought was going to run right on top of me starts moving, fast. I thought crap I spooked it. Then I see a flash of brown run right by me, maybe 5 feet from me. A beaver. I'm like whew, at least it didn't spook the bedded cow. I was wrong.
No sooner did I think that, then the cow that had been bedded down, banging around the trees now three hours ago, got up and ran right next to me, maybe 7 feet right by me. Another damn beaver.
I stalked in on two beavers for a hair over 3 hours. It was embarrassing, even though I was by myself. I felt like shooting them out of spite. I walk through and check the trail, the cows had gone through there, but they were moving, now with a 3 hour lead on me. Figured I'd call it a day and check my trail cam. I get to my camera, the memory card was sticking partially out, so it didn't take a single picture. Apparently I was conspiring against myself for the entire hunt.
Next time.
