PDA

View Full Version : Everest expidition.....



srupp
10-12-2007, 11:20 AM
Well we got home from the frozen north safe and sound but not for lack of trying.. we left Williams Lake with great weather and by Fort Nelson we had gotten into 6 inches of wet heavy snow so we stopped at a small lake and camped..this required we take my quad out of the truck box and take the utility trailer with Tims quad and put it beside the truck and we climbed into the back while snow was falling heavily around us... I was BEAT from 12 hours of solid driving..but the only other campers at the lake came home around 8 pm we opened the tailgate and they were from WILLIAMS lAKE ALSO!! and knew me..me bad....lol I was TOO tired to even go over for a drink....at about 4 am I had been hearing trees CRASHING to the ground driven down by massive amounts of wet snow...when C R A S H..something came down and hit "something" close by..at 8 am we awoke to chainsaws buzzing at our truck ..we opened the tailgate to find 18 INCHES of wet snow and the wind was now breaking off more snow laden trees unable to cope with the snow load... a fellow was out cutting up the 80 foot tree that had fallen between my new quad and new truck that had landed ON my quad trailer and Tims utility trailer ruining the tonge, axel ...rim we quickly dressed and helped free our unit and then make our way quickly out of that dangerous situation.... truly one of the few times I had been genuinly afraid in the woods..

we stayed in fort Nelson overnite as the roads were undrivable..

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d47/srupp/sheep2.jpg
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d47/srupp/tree3.jpg
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d47/srupp/tree2.jpg
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d47/srupp/tree1.jpg



Next day we continued on north seeing elk..moose..sheep..cariboo..goats..whitetails..mul e deer..etc etc..

We stopped to take photos of a black bear eating 'something " under the snow ..and discovered one of Tims tires on the utility trailer was GONE and the smoking rim was all that was left....bear saved us???"lol

We made it to our most northern camp and set up.. we saw game every day lots of game but nothing legal..stone sheep were seen daily high on the mountains and even down on the creek by the lake I will post the photo tonite..nothing legal.. the elk herd bull was only 5 point as were the cariboo..no moose so we packed up several days later in the pouring rain and started hitting spots south everywhere was the same story LOTS of animals nothing legal..and the bull moose we DID see that WAS legal wasnt because he was tooo close to the highway..

This continued on everywhere we went there was one place I wanted to head in to a tower? but was busier than a strip shop on a friday nite..
we went way up north and went in and camped

We hit one last place and there we saw our first legal moose..he had been shot earlier that AM..we hunted long and hard and sleeping in two pup tents in the snow and freezing temps and 30 miles per hour winds in two weeks we got 45 minutes of sun but wind -rain -snow daily...I was warm at nite in my MOUNTAIN HARDWARE tent if its good enough for everest expiditions I KNEW it would do me well again..and the sleeping bag was a NORTH FACE product and equally well suited...for the brutal weather...

Beautiful scenery in the rain and more often than not no way to spot in the driving wind and snow... we DID stick it out and gave it everything we knew how to and saw hundreds of animals one goat was a BIG old single male but impossible to access on the sheet of ice that covered the verticle rock wall..and another black bear i was looking for fossils in a pile of shale when a black bear walked out of the riover 30 YARDS from us Tim never moved as he assumed I had seen the bear and was getting ready to shoot..I was getting off the qaud because I thought I saw a fossile..I never even saw the bear till Tim cleared his throat and motioned towards the bear...by then the bear decided Kansas was were he should head towards...

We hunted 5 different areas seeing game at most of these areas..but weather was ensuring it was not to be..another stone sheep hunt where we were successful in seeing rams but not harvesting anything legal..

On the way home we went through PROGRESSIVE BC and saw a sign "JACKS USED ATV PARTS " so we stopped and mety Jack who instantly recognized my mangled qaud trailer rim.."why thats a 4 hole 1985 rim off a Honda BIG RED 250 deep dished rim that is...very rare.." I asked IF he had one he said 'why ..yes I have one but it has a useable tire on it ...$100 for the tire /rim..."..however when seeing our situation he let it go for $35 CASH and my agreeing to send him $25 more....great guy VERY KNOWLEGABLE with TONS of parts for ALL makes of ATVS..trail bikes etc...

To ALL THOSE that sent suggestions and help my way THANK YOU..I APPRECIATE THE HELP AND SUGGESTIONS..and only hope and pray my leg holds out for next year....

Photos to follow tonite when Im not at work....

Steven

Sieg-MM
10-12-2007, 12:02 PM
Sounds like a great trip filled with many highs and lows. Looking forward to seeing the pics.

Will
10-12-2007, 05:07 PM
Look forward to the pics........:cool:
If one returns All in one piece....Can't beat that;)

srupp
10-12-2007, 06:58 PM
Pictures posted...and it WAS close...sheeesh this sheep huntings gonna do me in yet...

Steven

WoodOx
10-12-2007, 07:07 PM
any legal rams?

srupp
10-12-2007, 07:09 PM
no legal rams seen.....

pmj
10-12-2007, 07:32 PM
Sounds like you put in another 110% effort in this hunt. Congratulations on a really good season of chasing game no matter what the weather or obsticles. I look forward to hearing about more of your hunts next season.

srupp
10-12-2007, 08:09 PM
Thanks Paul....appreciate the encouragement.....season isnt over yet...
we did give it everything including the kitchen sink....

Steven

chinooker
10-12-2007, 08:40 PM
sounds like you had not a bad trip any way . just came back from a run up cariboo river in my jet boat we saw one nice bull up to his neck in water if we had a draw he would be hanging in my shop right now!!!:-P:-P

Canuck2
10-12-2007, 11:33 PM
Boy, did you ever have the weather! It sounds like you had a trip to be remembered - in spite of or maybe because of your misadventures. Nice to see lots of game, even if you can't shoot anything. Cool pictures and great story.

Allen50
10-13-2007, 12:12 AM
well thats hunting,, all in the fun of going on a hunting trip,, so much funnn,,,,, good pic....

Stone Sheep Steve
10-13-2007, 04:55 AM
Man Steven! If you didn't have bad luck you wouldn't have any luck at all:(!

Glad you guys stuck it out again.

This winter is shaping up to be another nasty one up north!

SSS

David Heitsman
10-13-2007, 07:03 AM
I just returned from there as well and I am going to write an article about the adventure. Was thinking of calling it "Hunting Argali's in Outer British Columbia".
That was some of the worst weather I have ever had to deal with.

srupp
10-13-2007, 09:35 AM
Ya David the weather it was POOP..14 days out of 15...but we have had phenominal weather for the past 6 years of late fall trips and it IS Oct. so not that unusual..SSS we had great luck the tree didnt land on us, my new truck or new quad...the ATV trailer is almost repaired already..and yes the winter up north is going to be brutal...and EVERYONE in Fort Nelson treated us wonderfully from the Klondike resturant..to Kal Tire..met a fellow site member up there from Williams Lake...having guided for Ghost Lake outfitters I know along that Cariboo river right now will be 20 bull moose..and although most are just "meat moose" a couple WILL BE gronks..if I had been offered decent daily fees I would have been back there guiding for them for moose..and then gotten one myself...but I digress..we did see sheep..just nothing legal..I was sure surprised at the difference in elevation..some way on top and others like in the photo were right down along a creek by a lake we went into..no fish either...lol..

watched bull elk try and keep his ladies from wandering too far..listening to him bellow..and the NICEST cape on a bull mooose I have ever seen...long bell..very nice color and well haired..just not in a legal area to shoot..he had 3 front tines..another adventure..

steven

BCLongshot
10-13-2007, 09:40 AM
Sorry for the unfortunate events.

1 thing though it's poopy when it happens but you get to tell BIG STORIES for the rest of your life !!!

BCJunior
10-13-2007, 01:49 PM
Hey Steven, nice read and awsome pictures. Sounds like a good time, with a well put amount of effort. Cheers.