Scouting the Upper Country

July 29, 2009 by Terri Lee Pocernich
Filed under Hunting and Fishing Stories

Todd and Cody checking out the canyon at first light.

With temperatures pushing the mercury into triple digits in our part of the country, it seemed a good time to head to the mountains for a cool down, but really it was an excuse to get a jump on game movement in our newly found hunting grounds (thank you Google Earth).

My brother, Todd, and I had stumbled into a large pond while elk hunting last year and noticed it was full of sign all around it – and located in an ideal spot. We knew this was a spot where we would spend some time this year, but the plans to spend a week on a backpack hunt in the area started a few months after last year’s archery season ended. Our cousin, Cody Waldo, called me up and started to tell me about a spot he’d found on Google Earth that looked liked a prime spot for an above timberline deer hunt. He started describing it, and pretty soon I realized he was talking about the same area near the pond Todd and I had stumbled into and discussed hunting. That started the ball rolling and this spring we decided we’d put an honest hunt into it – Cody with an out of state deer tag, and Todd and I trying our luck for deer and elk both.

Not as above timberline as we'd thought, but prime deer country.

Summertime, for the western bowhunter, is an ideal time to hit the mountains for scouting as the deer are on their summer patterns – the same patterns they’ll be in for the first couple weeks of archery season before they start their annual slow and steady migration out of the hills. Add in the fact that the high country is looking at conditions fit for living even in July and August, and it’s a perfect time to escape the valley’s furnace and call it ’scouting.’ I can’t pretend to know enough about elk and their patterns this time of year, but it seemed from all the elk tracks up there that elk are already in the area.

We had to race against daylight on Friday night as we had to wait on yours truly to punch out from his day job. As we hiked past the waterhole Todd and I stumbled into and continued on towards the peak new country unveiled itself at each step. The ridge leading to camp was full of knee high grass and foilage – and water was everywhere. There were several natural saddles that were nothing more than giant elk wallows waiting to happen. If I had any shame at all I’d not mention the fact that three grown men high fived over this discovery. When we topped out and laid eyes on the canyon we’d spent all summer virtually learning, it was far above and beyond our best dreams.

This is what deer country looks like. Our hopes are high.

When we had been planning the trip, I was telling Todd over the phone I was packing my sleeping bag, but he convinced me that he was just bringing a blanket as a sleeping bag was just added weight. As we unrolled our packs at camp, Todd casually mentioned he saw the weather report for a relatively close town at the same elevation showed the temperatures dipping into the low 40s. My ears perked and I told him, “Well, looks like you and I will be freezing tonight!” Todd looked at me and chuckled, “Not me, I packed my sleeping bag after I read that!”

Needless to say, I didn’t sleep well that night because I was…well, freezing. If I can have one free feeling of malice, I can take comfort in knowing Todd didn’t sleep well, either. So it was no surprise that we got up well before dawn. We went over the ridge and set up on the edge of the drainage to wait for the first streaks of light to change the color of the sky and give us a look at the country we’d been dreaming about for several months. I was thinking there would be deer all over, so was a little dissapointed when, all told, all that we saw was a forked horn, six does, and one nice buck. Despite elk tracks aplenty, we never saw a single elk. Cody had to remind me that with the hot weather, the deer and elk would both be limiting their movement and there’s a good chance they were moving around mostly at night. It’ll be interesting to see what the next month brings to that country.

Heading down into the canyon in search of water.

Despite the lack of game sightings, we accomplished some essentials – such as finding water, a camping place, and the simple fact of getting to really see the country in person. We got an idea of where we want to be at first light on opening day after finding out the sun didn’t rise exactly where we thought it would after looking at it on Google Earth. With the flowers in full bloom, turning the scenery back to a spring setting, it was certainly a trip well worth it!