2011 Hunting season

Wow, it really has been a long time since I posted anything here! I seem to start every post that way but this time it is really true. It's nice for me to put these together as it forces my memory to re-live the events and trips I took and that is all worth it.
I had a good season although not as successful as I would've liked. I started the year off with my annual archery elk hunt in Idaho. I went with two friends that I work with this year and one of them had never shot a bow until 2 weeks before the hunt! He and I had talked about hunting together for a few years. He came out West a couple of times a year and had been on a couple of guided hunts in Wyoming, so he knew he liked the area. He was booked for a mule deer hunt in the Dakotas and was unable to draw the tag so his hunt fell through. One evening we were talking on the phone and I mentioned that I was getting ready for my trip to Idaho. We talked about the availability of tags and before I knew it, he committed to going!  That night he made a trip to Bass Pro and bought a bow and began shooting. Not exactly the way most people prepare for an elk hunt for the first time, but hey, why not?  To be honest it concerned me a little but I knew he would do everything he could to prepare and wouldn't take a shot that he wasn't comfortable with if the opportunity presented itself. The other guy in our party is a good friend that I hunted with in Idaho last year and is an accomplished 3-d tournament shooter and whitetail hunter.
It was a little slower this year due to the weather and the wolf population. That is another (touchy) subject that I won't get into now but it is having an effect on the animals..
We did manage to get into elk and had a great time. The last night of our hunt, Paul got a shot at a bull and his arrow hit a "branch".. I looked down his shooting lane many times and didn't see the branch, but it was a clean miss so no harm done, other than some feelings!

The rest of the season was spent chasing elk close to home and mostly working! I didn't get a chance to get out anywhere near enough this year, but I'm thankful I have a job so I shouldn't be complaining.
The deer season got off to a slow start also. For some reason our deer herds were down this year. I'm sure it's a combination of the last 2 years of hard winter, predation issues and some diseases that have been going around. There were some deer but just not as many as usual. I had a good friend coming up to visit and hunt Thanksgiving week, so I took a lot of nights and weekends scouting some property. To say I was a little concerned would be an understatement!  When he arrived in town, we made plans for the next couple of days and decided that we were just happy to get out. That's what you usually tell each other when you don't want to get your hopes too high...

I was able to get in touch with some good friends that run a ranch that is a great deer area and they were kind enough to let us come out the day after he arrived. That was a great day and didn't disappoint. We glassed numerous deer and in the evening I decided to let this guy have it!

It was a great deer and I was lucky enough to have a great old friend, some good new friends and best of all, my son. He has been out with me many times and had never been with me when we were able to fill a tag. He's watched me blow a lot of stalks, but never seen it actually work out. It was a great moment, and I'm looking forward to the year when he can let the arrow or bullet fly. That is what it's all about and I'm sure he'll remember that day forever.
All in all it was a good season. I didn't get a lot of time to get out, but the time I did have was spent with great friends and family. Good stuff!!