Tuchodi Hunt 2014

[Taylor329]

Well it's been a month now so I guess it's piss or get off the pot with writing this story, here goes.

On September 1st we started driving north towards Fort Nelson. Spent a few days touring around Muncho lake area, and the Stone Mountain Provincial Park. This was my first time hunting in the north portion of the province, so dad wanted to show me all the places he has been in years past. When the big day finally came we met Kevin of River Jet Adventures at the boat launch bright and early.
Before I continue I just want to say how much the both of us enjoyed Kevin’s company and his extreme professionalism. He is an all around great guy and it was refreshing to see someone with the welfare of the animals always in mind, instead of business profits first . He made my first northern hunt that much more fun and enjoyable. So a big thanks to Kevin, and I highly recommend his services for anyone planning a hunt in the Fort Nelson area.http://i1174.photobucket.com/albums/r613/Taylor7120/2014%20Hunting/Tuchodi/IMG_4324_zpsbd5752e8.jpghttp://i1174.photobucket.com/albums/r613/Taylor7120/2014%20Hunting/Tuchodi/IMG_4329_zpsd99c6a87.jpghttp://i1174.photobucket.com/albums/r613/Taylor7120/2014%20Hunting/Tuchodi/IMG_4340_zpsa7947428.jpg

[Taylor329]

After the incredible boat ride at very low water levels, we arrived at the drop off point an hour ahead of schedule, packing lightly has great advantages. After we unloaded the boat we wasted no time in shouldering our packs and making our way up the mountain. Hiked as far as we could, crossing the creek a few times, after a few hours we started up the steep mountainside. In that first day we hiked around 10km and gained 150m altitude, set up camp in the wind fallen hillside and awaited the next leg.
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The next morning we finished the hike in to our planned spike set-up, 2.5 km and gained 400m altitude. Doesn’t seem like much on paper, but the hike was brutal, many gullies and wind felled trees hindered our progress. Set up spike camp and hiked up the valley a little ways to glass and get a bearing of the basin we had planned our hunt in. Saw a deer, some caribou and some awesomely huge elk, if it would have been an easier pack out we would have made a play at them. But our focus was on stone sheep.

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[Taylor329]

The next morning greeted us with 3-4 inches of snow and heavy hanging fog. The fog didn’t let up until the 4th day. In that time we saw many caribou and elk, all up top where the sheep should be. Finally on the 3rd day we spotted sheep in the fading light, 3 rams but no full curls. We decided to come back the next morning and see where that takes us. The next morning we went right to the spot we had seen them, found where the bedded for the night and realized there was a 4th one with them. We spotted them a little ways up the valley feeding and watched them for a bit. They must have seen me move to grab the camera, and they were gone in a flash straight up the mountain and over the ridge. So we decided to head around the corner just to see what was there, the weather was breaking and the sun was poking out. We were feeling optimistic.

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[Taylor329]

Dad is a little ways ahead of me and below me, when suddenly i hear him loudly wishpering “Legal rams get down!!”. I drop down prone on the steep hillside and ready the gun, finally spotting them feeding in small gullies of scree. We moved when they looked down and froze when they looked up, getting in closer position for the shot. Wind was in our face and they didn’t seem bothered by our presence, I don’t think they even knew we were there. I finally found a good spot and set the rifle onto my pack, dad ranged the biggest one at 240yds, and I could just see the top of his back and the tips of his horns. I waited for 20 minutes for him to move up enough for a shot, and when he finally did, I sent one right through the lungs. He staggered and took 2 steps down the hill, stopped, and then tipped over after a few seconds.

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[Taylor329]

We had no idea how fat he was until we got closer, this ram was ready for winter for sure. This was going to be a heavy haul out. We snapped a few pictures and got to work skinning and deboning the meat. We took the skull and cape back to camp, and spent the day de-fleshing, cleaning the skull, turning ears and splitting lips. Next morning we went back for the meat and hiked back to the river. We got down 2 hours before sunset and set up camp to have dinner and recover. Going in each of our packs was 50lbs on the dot, now we were 150lbs + each! The next day was 8.5 hours of hiking and river crossing with very little rest, we figured just go go go get to base camp and be done with it.
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[Krico]

Awesome ram, way to go!

[Taylor329]

Finally we made it to base camp and I fell backwards onto my pack and elected not to move for about 15 minutes, I’ve never had such a satisfying rest. It was short lived though because we had to get to work hanging meat, salting the cape, and setting up the base camp. The next day we slept in and were just planning on taking a rest day before going after elk. Dad decided that he wanted to keep hiking so he didn’t tense up so we followed the river for 2 km to a grassy knoll jutting out of the flat areas. We started bugling and cow calling, spotting a couple of elk on the mountain opposite the river from us, but nothing answered back.
We were heading back to camp and decided to throw out one last bugle before days end, the sun was starting to go down and the shooting light was fading quick. Finally an answer back, from way way up the hillside!! We stood still and kept calling him towards our direction. He came close and he came quick! he was less than 30yds away from us but we couldn’t see him because the bush was too thick. we could hear every footstep and every breath he made. He was grunting and thrashing the bush around him. It’s an incredible thing to hear a bugle so close to you, super loud! He must have heard something or smelled something he didn’t like, because he continued towards the river and stopped answering our calls. We paralleled him down the hill and saw him in the river when we came out of the bush. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 on each side!! He made his way across the shallows to the big dry flat in the middle.

We followed onto the flats and started cow calling again, he started to answer but not as often. We stopped and tried bugling to locate him again, but he had circled around us. He stepped into the clearing to our right probably to check out what we were or what was going on. Dad ranged quick, 75yds, one shot to the chest and he ran out of sight. When we rounded the trees where he had ran, he was already down. It was getting dark quickly so a quick picture and right to work we got. Built a quick fire and skinned the hide away, then gutted him so the meat could cool quickly. By the time we finished and walked back to camp by headlamp, it was around 10:30-11:00.

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[Spy]

Awesome keep it coming :-)

[Taylor329]

Two trips the next morning to get the meat and skull back to camp and hung up, the elk was shot 1.6km away from camp, so we were thankful for the easy packing. It was flat the whole way too, bonus! We spent the day preparing all the skulls and re-salting the hides, hanging more meat and keeping the flies off.

Kevin came to pick us up the next day and he was just as excited as we were when he saw the horns and meat all hanging. We loaded up and headed back to the truck, had a quick stop at A&W and didn’t stop driving till we hit home. Everything is at the taxidermist and I can’t wait to get everything back! This was my longest hunt, my first hunt in northern BC and my first try at stone sheep and elk. Lucky would be an understatement, but it helps when your dad is your hunting partner. He is the guide and I’m the young pack horse as some would say.

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A big thanks to Kevin from River Jet Adventures for the excellent service and expert handing of his boats getting us in and out safely. Also to my dad for taking me to his favourite place in the world, and now my favourite place too. A guy couldn’t ask for a better hunting partner or a more perfect hunt.


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The End

[islander7mm]

Awesome story! A Stone and an Elk that's quite an accomplishment. Thanks for posting.

[Ovis17]

Big congrats!!! You guys earned those trophies without a doubt. Happiness is a large taxidermy bill.

[Sleep Robber]

Definitely one of the best hunting stories this year and to be doing it with your pa is just awesome, I sure miss those days but that's life.

Congrats on your success and I hope you and your dad do it again next year.

BTW, Thanks for taking the time to do the write up as I'm sure all of us here at HBC enjoyed it a lot.

[.264winmag]

Great story and awesome animals, congrats! Thanks for sharing

[BimmerBob]

Wow! Thanks for taking us along with your pictures and storytelling. Congrats on a fantastic hunt, something that you will surely remember forever.

[Rackmastr]

Congrats! What a trip!

[boxhitch]

Good story and two good critters , attago guys
Nice dark cape on that ram too

How did that Safari Sling work out ?

[xfactor]

Holy shit that's an epic beard!...oh and great animals:) Thanks for taking the time to write the story and post the pics.

Congratulations!!

[NorBC]

Congrats awesome read!

[Blainer]

Fantastic!!!!

[Rhyno]

Great story, an excellent read! Thanks for taking the time to share. Congrats on 2 great animals.

[ydouask]

Thanks for taking the time in sharing your hunt with us. You spoke of luck, looks to me you and your Dad made your own with great planning and effort. Really well written too !... Nice Ram.

[ace76]

Great job guys! beauty animals, love the ram. Thanx for posting

[coach]

Outstanding story and pictures. Great elk and ram, too! Congratulations and thanks for taking the time to post. Definitely one of the year's best threads. :-D

[ActionJackson017]

Great write up! Epic beard! Congrats on both animals!

[Taylor329]

Thanks for all the comments everyone, I'm going for LEH moose in a week so I'm hoping to have another story posted soon!


Good story and two good critters , attago guys
Nice dark cape on that ram too

How did that Safari Sling work out ?

Safari sling was great especially with the big pack. I had no room to hang it on my shoulder and nothing to clip it to, and wasn't that keen on putting it on the side of the pack out of reach. After a full day of hiking your neck gets a bit red, but the neck buff helped to give extra padding. I think ill keep it on the gun from now on, more comfortable and easier to handle overall.

[ElliotMoose]

Great couple animals. You guys earned those suckers! Thanks for posting, great read

[Trekker]

Fantastic trip and great write up. Thanks for sharing your adventure with us!

[rifleman]

Well done. Great hunt, story & pics. Congrats. Did you see any other hunters? I hear it can get busy up there!

[DR.DOUG]

Excellent story and great animals! Doesn't get better than a father son hunting duo. Big Congrats to both of you.

[guest]

What a great story and hunt ! congrats to you both, you earned it !

great picks, even with blacked out mountains ... I recognize those trees. Great place isn't it !

[Stone Sheep Steve]

Awesome stuff!!
Nothing like a first hunting trip in the north!!

Congrats!!

SSS

[Sofa King]

looked like it was a great trip and experience.
good job...............by the hair on your chinny-chin-chin.

[limit time]

Sweet!! Did you get any video running the river? I think that beard gained a few inches ;)

[markomoose]

Kool stuff.Love the pics of you & the ram on snowy slope

[lovemywinchester]

Awesome story and pics! Hard work pays off.

[Husky7mm]

Love how that piece of country looks. Nice ram !

[Pangaea]

Wow! Congrats! Great story and pics. Thanks for taking the time to share.

[IronNoggin]

Excellent Read and pictures! http://bigshotsbc.ca/images/smilies/Pozitive.gif http://bigshotsbc.ca/images/smilies/Pozitive.gif

Nothing better than sharing a successful hunt with your Pa!!

Many thanks for sharing!!

Cheers,
Nog

[Rattler]

Well done! Really enjoyed your story and pictures. Thanks for taking the time to share with us...

Congrats to you and your Dad.....an epic hunt, one you won't forget.

[budismyhorse]

great job! what an awesome trip with the old man!

[SR80]

Congrats! What a great hunt! Those are sure some dark storm clouds!

[TIKKA TIGER]

What a great story and a terrific hunt that you and your dad will never forget. Times like this is what hunting is all about. Thanks for sharing and the pics. are awesome. Great job! :-D

[Taylor329]

Well done. Great hunt, story & pics. Congrats. Did you see any other hunters? I hear it can get busy up there!
Saw a few guys camped along the first bit of the river, but I think nobody went as far as we did. We saw the outfitter from the area through a spotting scope on the other side of the river, leading a huge string of pack horses. Other than that we were the only humans, not even a footprint!


Sweet!! Did you get any video running the river? I think that beard gained a few inches ;)
We do have some videos of the river running, I'll try to get the good ones up this week sometime!

[Brez]

What a great trip! I don't think it can get better than that. Congrats to you and your dad.

[Salty]

Sorry bout the old cliché man but it just doesn't get much better than that. Dude! awesome write, up fantastic pics and just one hell of a trip. Thanks for taking the time to put it all down and organise all the pics just so. Like said epic thread one of the best, and yeah the sheep and the elk don't suck either. lol

[spear]

Awesome, good to see a father son combo doing well.
Thats a great ram, hope you[ll post some pics of the mount all done.

[Kami]

Congrats. Epic hunt! When I saw the killer beard I thought, "holy I wonder what he'll look like once his hunting beard fills in, by late Nov?" Beauty scenery and great write up. Thx for making the effort to post on here. 150 lbs on your back? Killer!

[Spy]

Best thread this year great pics and thanks for sharing and taking us along on your hunting trip. :-) :-) :-)

[Taylor329]

Congrats. Epic hunt! When I saw the killer beard I thought, "holy I wonder what he'll look like once his hunting beard fills in, by late Nov?" Beauty scenery and great write up. Thx for making the effort to post on here. 150 lbs on your back? Killer!

I wonder what that would look like myself! I grew the beard specifically for this trip, 8 months I think it was. Promised my fiance' it would go once I got back home, so I have a new beard to start filling in. I have a great before and after picture I'll post up later.

[f350ps]

Wow, good on you guys, dream hunt for sure, excellent write up too! K

[goatdancer]

Awesome ram, beautiful colour. Congratulations.

[Knute]

Congrats to you and your Dad, what a fantastic experience you shared.
Great animals to the taxidermist and stories to tell for a long while, pretty hard to beat that!

[BChunter]

I know Kevin and he's highly recommendable! We'll earned Ram and Elk! incidentally, Who is the Taliban guy you hired doing all the packing? Can he cook? One proud Dad, I've been in his hunting boots!

[BCrams]

Fantastic story and adventure!! Reminds me when everyone posted a few years ago.

[JDR]

Congratulations!! Sounds like the trip of a life time made even better with your dad there.

[Skull Hunter]

A great read, thanks for sharing!

[kennyj]

Congratulations on a couple of great animals!
Thanks for sharing your adventure.
kenny

[tayleoscar]

Congrats to you and your dad!! love father son hunts, my dad dosent hunt anymore but my son does, and I love being out there with him

[Sofa King]

one thing that sounded odd to me, was that you's ranged the elk when he was 70 yards away.
if I was using the bow, that would seem necessary, but not with a rifle.

[Taylor329]

one thing that sounded odd to me, was that you's ranged the elk when he was 70 yards away.
if I was using the bow, that would seem necessary, but not with a rifle.

My dad was using his new ranging binoculars and he was quicker with those than my gun, not necessary but adds a bit of excitement in the moment!

Here is the before and after photo that I mentioned before.

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[Sofa King]

ha, that's awesome.

ok that makes sense.
forgot that you had to be counting the 6 points as well, and the binos would do it all at the same time anyway.
makes complete sense.

[Colinofthewoods]

Thanks for living the dream ! Beauty Ram, awesome pics and killer beard to boot.

[Sofa King]

would have been cool do have done a series of pics of stages of the shave.
like some mutton chops.
soul patch.
goatee.
etc.

[1911]

Awesome write up!

[markomoose]

Stick with the Mountain man look!It'S DEFINATELY you!

[Frosty]

Great hunt!! Thanks for posting!! I enjoyed it. I noticed on your facebook hunting page pictures, there are two sets of ram horns on your boat ride out?

[Taylor329]

Great hunt!! Thanks for posting!! I enjoyed it. I noticed on your facebook hunting page pictures, there are two sets of ram horns on your boat ride out?


Correct, my dad shot a ram a few minutes after I shot mine, he asked that I not include his ram in the story or pictures that I posted here on HBC. There is also a 2nd elk in the boat coming out with us but that was someone else's elk that Kevin was doing a meat locker run for.

[Stone Sheep Steve]

Correct, my dad shot a ram a few minutes after I shot mine, he asked that I not include his ram in the story or pictures that I posted here on HBC. There is also a 2nd elk in the boat coming out with us but that was someone else's elk that Kevin was doing a meat locker run for.

Well, that would help to explain why you estimated your packs to be so heavy coming out when you only had one ram. I just figured you were full of BS or packing out guts, bones and hooves.:-?

Congrats to your Dad as well!

SSS

[jaeger]

Congratulations on an awesome hunt!

[325]

Wow, talk about a dream hunt! Well done, and thanks for sharing! BTW, what kind of rifle were you using?

[Seeker]

Woah! Great job! Great trip and an incredible memory to hold on to. Keep up the good work.

[Danicus]

Fantastic thread! Thanks for sharing - I'm sure you'll be telling this story for the rest of your life! I would love to take my son on a hunt like that - I need to scout out the north more!

[blueboy]

LOVE that HUNT, and GREAT story WISH you all the Luck in years to come

[ryry4]

Great story and trophies, congrats!

[ElectricDyck]

Radical hunt!Congrats to both of you! I'm sure that's a father's and son's dream....Was the base camp Jim from this site that posts the Tuchodi elk hunting slide show vids?

[ohno]

What a great adventure and awesome hunt. Thanks for sharing.

[jonz]

Awesome story, good job.