Probably alder. Willow brush bark is generally bitter and medicinal (literally). Chokecherry gets hit very hard by ungulates. Find a grove of that stuff and you will find deer, elk, and moose hitting it regularly!
Dude, stop. It was willow.
That is a hell of a backpack hunt. How old is that burn more or less? Are you going back next year?
2015 (but I had to look it up, I swear it was 2018)
No kidding! Fourteen miles out with a big buck and camp on two guys' backs? What were you guys thinking? That would be a helluva trek in just a track suit. Is there a horse packing outfitter in the neighbourhood who could help with the pack out? I guess you've ruled out the more distant Plan A after this experience?
Do you have to ruin everyone's threads with bs stories of how great you are? You clearly know nothing about this hunt or the area in general, and then judging the OP about things you don't understand. This is a wilderness only hunt, almost every spot is nearly 5 miles in just to the wilderness boundaries. The density of deer is very low, and as you see the terrain is extremely difficult. I think only about 60 deer were killed on these hunts in the whole state last year. The OP knows all of this and made an informed decision that you are going to second guess from your armchair. Start your own thread if you want to tell stories about yourself.
She burned a bit hot to say the least. Plus, some of it was a reburn from 2006Great picture of the Ptarmigan, not that easy to get a pic of around here
That burn sure isn't greening up very fast for 6 years.
Exactly. This is a bucket-list hunt, not a meat hunt. Every high buck taken is a trophy, with the legitimate potential to actually find a trophy (see Lampers success).
So you're saying there's a lot of people (60+) hiking into that country every year to hunt deer and carry them out ten plus miles on their back? Well, okay. Very interesting. Not judging anyone but the OP seems to have judged himself. The scenery and solitude were undoubtedly worth the hike. However, sounds like shooting something in there would not have been a good deal ("sucky"). I guess things have changed a lot. In my day no one would think about hauling a deer out of an inaccessible spot on their back even five miles in. Managing oneself in that kind of blowdown post burn mess and steep country is dangerous enough. Throw a seventy pound pack on your back and it's an accident begging to happen. I'm sure the OP won't disagree after experiencing it.
Well, that explains a lot. Thanks. Certainly goat hunts often involve the same sort of insane effort and risks to be successful. You are essentially doing a goat hunt in pursuit of another kind of trophy purely for the experience. Understandable and commendable. Again, is there an outfitter in the area who could assist in getting the meat out quickly? So early in the season spoilage must be a concern. Or perhaps you were high enough that evenings were cold?
I've been trying to just ignore him. Heaven forbid I fail to mention it was below freezing at night, or that we hiked that 14 miles out in just over 4 hrs. Yes would it have taken longer with a buck but not that much longer. And meat spoilage was not going to be an issue no matter what.
Well jeez now I feel bad haha. Great pics.
awesome pics! which wilderness area is this? My brother and I go into the eastern side of Alpine Lakes for high buck.
