Wyoming Elk - I need a lucky break

[POk3s]

As much as that sucks I can't help but to chuckle. Last year me and my friend were the only 2 idiots on that stayed on the top of this mountain when winter hit. The night before we were having a good time taking pics with the 50 cent piece sized flakes, when we went to bed the ground was covered. Well I think I got about 15 minutes of sleep that night. We had to pack out the calf elk he shot that night or we would've been long gone too. About every half hour or so I would shake the tent off that was either laying on us or inches above us. We woke up to about 2 feet of snow. PS, he was 20 and I was 19 LOL. Talk about serious fear factor. The next morning we walked down, I gave him the pack frame and put the front half on and I grabbed the back half and through it over my shoulder. It was only a short 2 mile trip tops...but once we got to it it was nothing but up hill. I kept pushing him telling we had to get out of there...he actually threw up at the top of the mountain from the stress and me constantly pushing him. I felt about the same. We through the stuff we could find into the truck when we got back and headed down the mountain. We had to move fallen trees out of the way on the way down...luckily they were all fairly small!

At least that story will keep you entertained if you can't sleep in the Nissan Finny! I am headed out to try and fill a cow tag and help my buddy fill his general tag tomorrow. I don't think there was as much snow over here as over there but it's still worth a shot! The lucky break you need very well might be this storm!

 

[gman82001]

What you talking about gman?, I'm sure that Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, et al all have coverage maps that show 98 % coverage for WY!!

Haha I got a crayon want me to draw you a map like theirs? We were in the madres last week I would send my wife a text or 2 every day just to keep updated I left the phone on in the pack incase we came Into service and it could send them needless to say she got 4 days worth of texts about an hour before I got home on sunday lol.

 

[Big Fin]

The wind is still blowing pretty good, but no snow. 10F is plenty cold for me.

Going to see if I can get across here, now that I have some visibility.

 

[the nikster]

Best of luck. Gimme a call if you need more trouble, it follows me.

 

[wingman1]

After reading your first post last night I checked noaa. It thought you were being a little conservative with the forecast. Got a snowmobile or quad? It would be a miracle if you could even see an elk in the next three days considering the weather that is coming. 40 plus MPH. Yikes. Good Luck.

 

[Hem]

oyoa wouldn't be the same without you Randy,play it on the safe side, no footage is worth freezing in a Wyoming snowdrift.

 

[Dinkshooter]

Get your camp off the top and then go in from the west side and hunt the HMA. There is some BLM ground off the county road on the west side you could camp on.

I've seen those drifts and wind last year and it had me pretty spooked. I was all by myself and it was a bit scary.

 

[----]

I've seen those drifts and wind last year and it had me pretty spooked. I was all by myself and it was a bit scary.

Is that why you've been bringing your little buddies with you this year?

Fin, not sure exactly what the situation is, but I know worrying about something like getting stuck or snowed in can ruin even a successful hunt. Maybe pulling camp and heading for the low ground is a good idea. Good luck!

 

[Big Fin]

Drove in with chains on all four. Got within four miles of camp. The droughts are just too huge. Only 6-8 inches on the windswept areas, but the low spots where the two track goes are filled in with three to for feet, for stretches of 100 yards. Nothing but a snowmobile is getting through there.

When I left yesterday afternoon, there were four rigs the base of the hill. Hopefully they got out. If not, they have some problems on their hands.

I would try some of the detours around these bad spots, if I had another chained up rig with me to pull me out if it got too bad. The bad part of taking detours is that I don't think it is allowed, and if out was, there are these really nice big rocks all over the place that would probably do wonders to my skid plate our front end.

Not sure what to do, but kind of glad we came out yesterday to buy chains. I could not have gotten out without chains, so we would be stuck in there.

Chained up just to get down the county road. The two tracks leaving the county road are impossible.

Headed to Casper to look for snowmobiles. More snow coming on Friday, so I better extract what I can by that time.

Dink, I wish I had your wisdom and would have stayed low. When they called for three inches in the low country, I wasn't too worried. Thought if the blizzard hit high, I would forego the ridges and hunt the foothills. Never dreamed it would be this big of a mess.

The episode of On Your Own MISAdventures is brought to you by .............

 

[Dinkshooter]

The HMA road, although not a real gravel road is WAY better than a 2-track, not real scary. Even ends in a nice parking lot. It did have drifts, just not giant ruts.

That wind is what made me loose my cool last year and shot the wrong bull, I think(might be just a spaz). I stuffed my Ipod in my ears after this picture just to drown out the wind while a broke him down.

 

[jarheadhunter]

Sounds crazy Fin good luck man. I am sure someone up there has a snowmobile or two for you.

 

[DreaminofMT6X6s]

Hopefully you get in there fast Fin and can get something together tomorrow or just get your gear out and punch the gas down to CO. Good luck!

 

[Big Fin]

No way I can get camp out today. It is a great day to be hunting. I am going to the HMA to shoot a bull. That leaves three days to pack camp out on my back, if I need to. Some useful hunting gear is back there, but I will make sure with these same clothes I slept in last night.

I am not coming out of the hills until dark. Camp will be there for retrieval. WYF&G guy told me not to worry too much, that the wind tomorrow, with no accompanying snow, might clear it of more.

Just tired of all the hassles and headaches. I want to hunt, so screw it. Hunt today when conditions are good and retrieve camp when conditions suck.

The WYG&F guys are some of the friendliest and most helpful I have encountered.

 

[elk_hunter]

Oh yeah! Hunt dude, hunt! Worry about camp and gear later!

 

[thecrittergitter]

Holy crap, we are looking to get some snow here but that sounds terrible there. SHould make for an awesome elk hunt there next week..............oh wait, you will be in another state by then

 

[StrutNut]

Thats the spirit!

 

[angels2011]

You inspire me! I'm calling in sick tomorrow and, SCREW IT, going hunting!!

I like that, just hope my boss doesn't know about this forum.

 

[stillkickin]

Uff Da! Go get em Fin..........

 

[Lawnboy]

Got a message from Fin at 6pm that he ran into 3 trucks that had worked together to break the trail in up to the area his camp is in. One of my friends in Casper was trying to help him out with either snow machines or wheelers to get around but it sounds like he made it to the mother ship. Hopefully the weather holds tomorrow and he can actually hunt.

 

[montanadogs]

I can't wait to see this episode. what a story to be told for generations to come.