[Search for users] [Overall Top Noters] [List of all Conferences] [Download this site]

Conference vmsnet::hunting$note:hunting

Title:	The Hunting Notesfile
Notice:	Registry #7, For Sale #15, Success #270
Moderator:	SALEM::PAPPALARDO

Created:	Wed Sep 02 1987
Last Modified:	Tue Jun 03 1997
Last Successful Update:	Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:	1561
Total number of notes:	17784

397.0. "Best Moments Afield 1989" by ATEAM::AYOTTE () Tue May 16 1989 10:59

      I felt that since many of us spend time afield year round that
    it would be acceptable to start this years note now instead of waiting
    'til the end of the year.
    
     Truely my best moment afield this year to date occured Sunday
    afternoon.  I happened upon a fox kit.  At first I thought it was
    a cat but it didn't move like one.  I watched it from a distance
    of about 30 yards for about 2 minutes.  It was playing with something
    that might have been a toad or a dead mouse.  I then heard something
    that at first sounded like a hiss from about 100 yards behind a
    knob.  The hiss changed into a strange growl/bark/howl.  Never heard
    anything like it but I'm convinced it was the mother as the kit
    headed off in that direction.  So I continued on for a bit and doubled
    back to see if I could get another glimpse.  Well I was surprised
    with the sight of the mother fox checking out my trail.  She saw
    me the same time I saw her and she was off like a shot.  Needless
    to say the encounters made my day and gave me a pleasant memory.
     
    Dave

T.R	Title	User	Personal Name	Date	Lines
397.1	The elk are in...	RIPPLE::CORBETTKE	KENNY CHINOOK	`Tue May 16 1989 14:34`	35
	To all elk hunters.... Went to the cabin last weekend to repair winter damage. (The snow flattened my wood shed.) In the evening of the first day I was sitting on the porch and I saw what I first thought was cattle in the meadow below the cabin. (app. 250 yds) The local ranchers winter cattle up there, but it's too early. I got the binoculars and spotted a whole large herd of elk grazing across the meadow. I also could see legs moving through the black pine thicket on the other side of the clearing. When I finally started counting I counted 56. I fully believe there was a minimum of 80 - 100 elk that went through. The next morning at "0-dark-30" I drove over on the breaks to see if I could see anything. There is still snow drifts on the road where there is shade, so I had to walk the last mile or so. I was able to sneak up on nine head bedded down on this ridge - within 50 yds. They couldn't see me, but they could smell me and started to get up and mill around trying to locate me. Finally they took off. Sure got my heart started. Same thing next morning, but on another ridge. This time they spotted the rig and took off running. I was able to head them off and turn them across the ridge into another canyon. I counted 21. Then two more came out and ran toward the rig. One of them kept coming . It would walk towards me, stop, sniff, and then walk closer. It finally got to within 25 yds and decided it didn't like it there, so it headed into the brush. I glassed some more ridges and spotted 3 more groups, so their up there, but it's a long time til elk season. Lots of green grass and flowers up there, so the elk should stay through the summer. Ken
397.2	When you least expect it .....	ATEAM::AYOTTE		`Thu May 25 1989 12:04`	11
	Went shooting after work on Tuesday and while drawing on a burlap deer target at the walk-thru range some movement caught the corner of my eye. I turned and looked as a bedded doe stood up. It was obvious that she was carrying fawn(s). We looked each other over from about 20 feet before she "woke" up and flagged out of there. Nothing like a little realism at a practice session. To say that the NH deer herd is improving would be an understatement. Dave
397.3	Funny you should mention foxes...	CSCOA3::HUFFSTETLER		`Mon Jul 24 1989 19:00`	14
	Funny that .0 should mention foxes. I was riding my ATB with some buddies in a state park and stopped at an area where a pine tree fell across the trail. We saw movement at the bottom of the hill to our left, and realized it was a fox kit. He saw us, too, and bounced up the hill toward us. He stopped at another downed tree, where another head popped up. When we saw that, we said something and ANOTHER head popped up. We were really excited at seeing three, when a FOURTH head popped up! We couldn't believe it. I did get a little nervous because we weren't but maybe 15 yards from the den, and all mamas (human, fox, it doesn't matter) get mean around their little ones. When we rode on around the trail to the other side of the hill, we could see what looked like an underground network with holes everywhere. I figure the mother moved them, though, because we haven't seen them since... Scott