leanin' H
Well-known member
We slipped away for ten days last week and took a much needed trip to the mountains of southeastern Utah. It's a grand place and we sure enjoyed being down there. We had muzzleloader deer tags but mostly went as a kind of vacation. My folks went and my wife and kids and i. The scenery and wildlife were spectacular as always. We did miss Mrs. H's parents who are moving to Wyoming for a new job near Lyman and could not go this year. 
But we had a safe, relaxing, successful trip and even made it home with all the parts and pieces we left with. 
Looking at the south peak of the Abajo mountains.
The fall colors were slower than normal this year. It was a powerful dry year til September rolled in and then we almost got washed plumb away. This part of the state experienced the same weather and we found several areas where water had shut down roads and washed out fences. Not sure if it effected the leaves but they were just getting started as we packed up to come home. Still pretty if ya ask me though.
My hunting pardner, best friend and line cook! We celebrated out 18th anniversary while down there. We have spent every one of the 18 but two down there hunting and the other two were spent hunting up here where we live. We may have a hunting problem? :lol: Or maybe families who hunt together, stick together! She is a fine woman, a swell neighbor, a hard worker, a devoted mom and all those characteristics allowed her to marry wayyyyyyyyyyyy over her head and capture me! RIGHT! :roll: :wink:
More of the wildlife. We spent a morning still hunting through some meadows and captured a shot of a chipmunk that wasnt in warp speed. National Geographic should be pretty proud of me cause every other chipmunk was tearing around gathering groceries for winter like little blurs of fur.
A shot of his bigger cousin soaking up sunlight on a rock.
More critters we snuck up on was this group of tom turkeys. 6 head just cruising along feeding. Next May i hope to run into them again.
Lots of black bears in that country. We found many places where they climbed trees or marked trees as territory boundaries. Someday i will pull a bear tag and attempt to shake hands with a big bruin.
Helped a polaris ranger driver put his rig back together on a trail after his tie-rod came apart. Thankfully my Honda rancher was mechanically able to make several trips back to camp for tools and enough spare parts to rancher-rig a repair job.
The weather was nice for 8 days and the skys so blue it hurt your eyes looking.
Then we had 2 days of rain and hail and snow and wind. But it didnt keep me in the cabin tent too long. The elk really cranked up the bugleing as the weather cooled off. Simply awesome.
As quick as it rolled in, it rolled out and we had nice weather the rest of the trip.
More scenery looking south at the head of Johnsons drainage.
Westward towards the bears ears and elk mountain.
Snow stuck up on the peaks over 9000 feet for a few days, but not for long.
More scratches from a 2 legged bear from a few years ago.
Had a funny thing happen one evening. The wife and i set up in a meadow where we had glassed a bunch of deer previously. Built a small blind with a few old pine logs and settled in to watch. Had several deer and young bucks within easy shooting range and then saw a decent buck working towards us through the pines. Then everything went to heck in a handbasket! :shock: Sounded like a tractor idleing and it kept getting closer. Deer scattered and hit the timber and into our desolate and secluded meadow came a dodge truck with 3 cowboys. :lol: Apparently there was a seldom used logging road across the way and they came to cut firewood in the middle of our deer meadow. :lol: :lol: :lol: Mrs. H told me i brought the wrong calls.
I did get a nice young buck on the last day but neglected to take pictures of him. However, i will leave you with a pretty neat experience. I made a big circle through an oakbrush bench. I kicked out a few deer and even ran into a bunch of cattle bedded in the early morning hours as the sun was coming up. Then i caught the putrid odor of something dead. The cowboy in me decided to follow my nose and see if it was a deceased bovine and maybe get a tag number to let somebody know they lost a cow. Well it werent a dead cow bovine, it was a dead cow elk and i came in dead downwind from a blackbear having breakfast. I didnt see him til about 30 yards and i gently tried not to inhale my tongue. :shock: Probably should have backed away quitely and vacated the area. But i have never been smart and decided ya dont get that close to an unaware bear every day, so i took his picture.
Then i did something really brillant. I hollered HELLO BEAR several times at him. He jumped away (Fortunately) and then ambled off into the oakbrush. I watched him and then approached the dead elk. He stayed about 25 yards above me and just watched me watch him. Took another few pictures of him and even shot 2 minutes of video. (Been telling ya for years i am dumb) It was a neat experience and one i'll never forget. My dad said later at camp that i only gave the bear 2 options, he took one and left. Option 2 mighta got a tad western and put pudding in my britches to say the least. But it all turned out ok this time. And it makes a great desktop background! Ya'll have a fine evening and thanks for taking the time to veiw my bad photography and west desert rambling.
But we had a safe, relaxing, successful trip and even made it home with all the parts and pieces we left with. Looking at the south peak of the Abajo mountains.
The fall colors were slower than normal this year. It was a powerful dry year til September rolled in and then we almost got washed plumb away. This part of the state experienced the same weather and we found several areas where water had shut down roads and washed out fences. Not sure if it effected the leaves but they were just getting started as we packed up to come home. Still pretty if ya ask me though.
My hunting pardner, best friend and line cook! We celebrated out 18th anniversary while down there. We have spent every one of the 18 but two down there hunting and the other two were spent hunting up here where we live. We may have a hunting problem? :lol: Or maybe families who hunt together, stick together!
She is a fine woman, a swell neighbor, a hard worker, a devoted mom and all those characteristics allowed her to marry wayyyyyyyyyyyy over her head and capture me! RIGHT! :roll: :wink: 
More of the wildlife. We spent a morning still hunting through some meadows and captured a shot of a chipmunk that wasnt in warp speed. National Geographic should be pretty proud of me cause every other chipmunk was tearing around gathering groceries for winter like little blurs of fur.
A shot of his bigger cousin soaking up sunlight on a rock.
More critters we snuck up on was this group of tom turkeys. 6 head just cruising along feeding. Next May i hope to run into them again.
Lots of black bears in that country. We found many places where they climbed trees or marked trees as territory boundaries. Someday i will pull a bear tag and attempt to shake hands with a big bruin.
Helped a polaris ranger driver put his rig back together on a trail after his tie-rod came apart. Thankfully my Honda rancher was mechanically able to make several trips back to camp for tools and enough spare parts to rancher-rig a repair job.
The weather was nice for 8 days and the skys so blue it hurt your eyes looking.
Then we had 2 days of rain and hail and snow and wind. But it didnt keep me in the cabin tent too long. The elk really cranked up the bugleing as the weather cooled off. Simply awesome.
As quick as it rolled in, it rolled out and we had nice weather the rest of the trip.
More scenery looking south at the head of Johnsons drainage.
Westward towards the bears ears and elk mountain.
Snow stuck up on the peaks over 9000 feet for a few days, but not for long.
More scratches from a 2 legged bear from a few years ago.
Had a funny thing happen one evening. The wife and i set up in a meadow where we had glassed a bunch of deer previously. Built a small blind with a few old pine logs and settled in to watch. Had several deer and young bucks within easy shooting range and then saw a decent buck working towards us through the pines. Then everything went to heck in a handbasket! :shock: Sounded like a tractor idleing and it kept getting closer. Deer scattered and hit the timber and into our desolate and secluded meadow came a dodge truck with 3 cowboys. :lol: Apparently there was a seldom used logging road across the way and they came to cut firewood in the middle of our deer meadow. :lol: :lol: :lol: Mrs. H told me i brought the wrong calls.
I did get a nice young buck on the last day but neglected to take pictures of him. However, i will leave you with a pretty neat experience. I made a big circle through an oakbrush bench. I kicked out a few deer and even ran into a bunch of cattle bedded in the early morning hours as the sun was coming up. Then i caught the putrid odor of something dead. The cowboy in me decided to follow my nose and see if it was a deceased bovine and maybe get a tag number to let somebody know they lost a cow. Well it werent a dead cow bovine, it was a dead cow elk and i came in dead downwind from a blackbear having breakfast. I didnt see him til about 30 yards and i gently tried not to inhale my tongue. :shock: Probably should have backed away quitely and vacated the area. But i have never been smart and decided ya dont get that close to an unaware bear every day, so i took his picture.
Then i did something really brillant. I hollered HELLO BEAR several times at him. He jumped away (Fortunately) and then ambled off into the oakbrush. I watched him and then approached the dead elk. He stayed about 25 yards above me and just watched me watch him. Took another few pictures of him and even shot 2 minutes of video. (Been telling ya for years i am dumb) It was a neat experience and one i'll never forget. My dad said later at camp that i only gave the bear 2 options, he took one and left. Option 2 mighta got a tad western and put pudding in my britches to say the least. But it all turned out ok this time. And it makes a great desktop background!
Ya'll have a fine evening and thanks for taking the time to veiw my bad photography and west desert rambling. 
That must be a heck of a call. :lol:
:lol: