Way to Go Idaho! **Final Day Story and Pics Added**

[John Scifres]

In less than 24 hours, I will be flying to Boise to meet up with my buddy Steve Russell.  Steve and UPS confirm that my stuff arrived safely.  Thanks UPS.  I have my bags packed and my backup bow ready for the flight.  The maps are studied and initial game plans laid out.  The fires are not an issue in our area.  Weather is perfect.  Cool with some rain forecast.

Supposedly our goal is an elk hunt but pretty much anything that moves is fair game.  I have a general hunting license and elk tag.  Steve is a resident and can kill anything in season.  We are going to be opportunists.  Fresh meat will sure offset the rice meals we are packing in.

This is a pure bivy style hunt.  Unless game patterns indicate otherwise, we will pack up camp every morning until we find some reason not to.  Our first couple days will be spent making a ten mile loop up to a saddle where game crosses from one canyon to another.  Over the saddle and down another canyon.  Hopefully some deer, elk, or other game allow us some stalking diversions.

The next 5 days or so will be spent going over a mountain into what local knowledge claims to be a good place to be.  We are lucky in that Steve has a friend from the area who will join us.  His family also owns horses so we won't be limited by having to pack out game on our backs.  Anything up to 10 miles from the trailhead is possible.

It's been 4 years since my last elk hunt.  I kind of miss it                

On Monday, September 25, we'll have some pics and stories to share.

[varmint]

Sounds like an awesome time is to be had.....good luck!

[Frenchymanny]

Best of luck to you both!

F-Manny

[Lost Arra]

Best of luck John!

What bows are you taking?

[Roughcountry]

Alright    Have a safe trip and a great hunt. Looking forward to hearing the story.

[TexMex]

Have a safe trip and successful hunt

[John Scifres]

My primary bow is an Ancient Spirits Kadiak Recurve.  Ribtek 190s and cedar arrows.

My backup is a sleeved takedown osage selfbow.  I'm using some cool arrows made for me by Calvin Peters.

My pack weighs in at 38# with water.  Hopefully I won't have to pack much water.  But it's been dry and even with the rain, I probably will  

[George Tsoukalas]

Good for you, John. Glad to hear you are going. Have a safe trip. Jawge

[vermonster13]

Best of luck. Look forward to the pics and story.

[Pat B]

Good luck, John. Have a safe and sucessful trip.     Pat

[Fritz Brown]

John,

Welcome and good luck.  Hope you find a big old bull to take home with you.  If nothing else take home lots of memories and pictures.

-Fritz

[Al Kidner]

Good luck on the ELK mate.

In Oz, alan

[Panzer I]

LUCKY

[the Ferret]

John best of luck my friend and since I just got my Bowyers Journal congrats!

Take a piece of plastic about 2' square and stake it out with 2 corners higher than the other 2 corners OR stake out all 4 corners evenly, punch a small hole in the middle and put a rock in it. Catch the rain for additional water.Won't have to carry so much.

Expect to hear great stories and see wonderful pictures upon your return.

Stay safe, have fun, hunt hard, shoot straight and track diligently.

[Dano]

John, have a great time. Just as Mickey said
" Stay safe, have fun, hunt hard, shoot straight and track diligently."

[Chris S.]

John,
Good luck.  I returned last weekend from elk hunting in Colorado. Got into elk but didn't bring home any meat this year.  Did run into a nice black bear.  Had a great time.  

Best of luck to you. Sounds like a great time.
Chris Smith

[John Scifres]

Thanks all.  My plane leaves in 67 minutes (or so).  Not that I'm counting or anything.  God Bless!

[George D. Stout]

John, enjoy your outing to the fullest.  Not everyone takes that road less traveled.
God bless,
George

[Tom Leemans]

Have fun, be safe, and stay dry this time buddy!

[John Scifres]

Well, we made it down from God's country, safe and mostly sound.  I have a lot of pics and stories to tell but 121 emails here at work and about 25 personal ones to filter through first.  The short and sweet is that it started snowing on our way up the mountain and pretty much snowed every day.  If it ever got out of the 30s, it was only briefly.  Still, we had a great time, saw lots of animals, heard and saw tracks of many more, got in on a couple calling sequences, stalked a couple bulls and several mulies, killed some grouse, and overall had a blast.  Twisted my knee in a fall the first day so I limped around a bit.  It never slowed me down while I was on the elk though.  It just hurt.  Lost 2 toenails on the way down into the canyon.  That's fewer than average for me.  Saw bear and mountain lion tracks and heard some wolves howl.  Saw lots of other hunters but that was near the road.  There weren't any where we hunted.  Missed my wife and kids miserably but smiled the whole way.  I have a lot of "Reflections While Elk Hunting" to bore you with too