kennyg826
09-30-2013, 10:44 PM
Well, what an adventure this fall. My dad and I began our drive on sept 14th up to region 5 where we met up with an uncle and family friend. We stayed the night in a beautiful post and beam home before the all day drive to our destination. On the itinerary were moose, elk, bear, mule and w/t deer. We arrived around dinner time and quickly set the canvas tent and the bare essentials. The next day saw good amounts of rain fall as the day went on. We focused on getting established. That evening, we decided to go for a drive (all 4 of us) as a bit of a scouting trip. It had been probably 20 years since we were last there. We headed down the Mtn road and things were a little greasy. In that gumbo, we saw various tracks of various game, but most notably was the cattle and the wolf. Their tracks were everywhere! We carried on for about 15 k from camp and jumped 3 w/t does foraging on the alphalpha. This area was a newer road with NO gravel 😰. We made it to the end and turned around. The truck was all over the road. Cheeks were squeezed tight. Breaths were held. Palms were sweaty. Zzzzip, off we go, right into the ditch. After a few attempts to get her back on track, we knew we were really in a jackpot. Decision was made, two guys hike the 15 k back to camp to get the quads and come back for dad and I. Light faded out. Dad and I began chopping trees down, de-limbing them, and cutting to length so as to build a makeshift bridge. It was our only hope. Yes we forgot to throw the chainsaw in. It sat back at camp 😔. When dad and I could do no more, we decided to try to get out. If it worked, wonderful. If not, we would await the others return. After pouring some water back into our systems and thinking long and hard about what had to happen, dad got in the truck, and with a little guidance from me, and a whole lot of answered prayer, that truck climbed out of that hole and got back on the road. Dad kept on truckin and I watched him drive up the hill, missing only by inches from going into a worse situation. I began walking up the road as he disappeared around the corner, praying he would still be on the road when I caught up to him. As I got up to the corner, I saw him sitting dead Center in the road. Whew! The worst was nearly over. "Good job dad" I told him. We saddled up and clawed our way through the last 300 yards of grease before getting into the gravel. 5 k later, we picked up two tired wet hikers who were ever so greatful to see us. We got back to camp and slept very well. The next mornin, after some coffee and toast, we headed out into a cut block where we jumped a moose. Never had the chance to see it unfortunately. The next two days would prove the same. Even with calling, I couldn't coax it out of the thick brush. Nearing a week into the trip and only spotting 1 bull 1 cow moose, and no elk, we decided to pull up camp and head back to our stomping grounds, 3 hrs closer to home. Much more sign there, but still hardly saw a critter. Lots and lots of wolf tracks. I've never in my 21 years of hunting seen anything like it! We walked into places far back, off the beatin path and still nothin hardly at all. I did however get a couple shots off with the bow at a small 4point muley. Just wasn't meant to be. We had many great laughs, enjoyed some great food and drinks. The scenery was heavenly. But we came home empty handed this time. Now planning the next trip in 2015, for the east Kootenys. And yes, we WILL have the chainsaw. Happy hunting. Stay safe.