I came to the top of a hill and there was a road all the way around the top
of a small hill. It's steep sides maybe 200 ft tall, a 3/4 mile long
thick
pines , Jackpine, and Ponderosa and alot of sage brush,
200 yards wide at the
widest point.
I walked up the very end on the north side so the wind was in
my face.
It was steep there too so I figured it was a good spot to sneak up.
I started walking south, down the left side of the ridge.
I was startled when jumped a
deer. Crash! through the dry brush It ran.
Scared the stuffin out of me. It ran to the right so I decided to go that way
and follow it to see if it
was a Buck or a Doe.
I had just came around the corner,
when she jumped off the road across to the right and was gone.
Well I
just kept walking slow and quiet,
I rounded the next corner and there was a
Cow Elk walking up the hill away from me.
She didn't know I was there and i
was so busy looking at her,
hoping a bull would walk out from behind her that
I didn't notice
an elk on my left. It just snuck away and all I saw was the rear
end.
I didn't want to move to scare the others, so I held there.
It must
have seen me i guess because it made a snort sound
and ran in the trees and
stopped
which scared the other one. I waited for a long time before I moved.
Nothing happened so I walked on real slow.
When I was too close they all ran.
Not seeing what the other Elk was,
I ran around the next bend in the road to get a look.
Well i didn't see anything so I walked on slow again
which my old carcass needs at my age after all that excitment.
Just when i thought i could breath again just to my left
all of a
sudden a whole bunch 7 or 8 elk took off!
Let me tell you they can make some
noise in thick dry brush.
Breaking trees and dead branches it scares
the bejesus
out of you when your only 75 feet
away or less away from them and your heart is already pounding.
Well i ran around the next
corner
and didn't see anything there so i ran down a long strait stretch
of
the old logging road for a while hoping to see them.
When i thought I'd missed them
I started walking again and then stopped to rest.
(which I for some reason must
do quite frequently anymore ha)
When another Cow Elk stepped out on the road in front
of me
not 50 yards down the road. I brought my gun up
and she stopped, but
her head was over the edge of the road
and a bush was in her way so she
couldn't see me.
I was able to check her out real good with my scope.
I was hidden from her view I was hoping a bull
would step out of the brush
so I held still for 10 minutes.
I had my gun in position and it was getting
heavy and
hard to hold still. Finally she walked off the trail in the
bushes.
I was about to drop down to rest when her calf stepped out behind
her.
So I had to hold some more ha.
By now my arms are shaking from holding
the rifle up
trying to hold it still not to spook them.
Then to make it worse
the calf started walking towards me!
Gees I didn't know what to do but stay
still
in case a bull stepped out.
Then the calf noticed me about 20 yards
away.
They knew something was wrong there because a Pine Squirrel
was
barking at me the whole time. The little stinker
was really annoying!
So then
the Cow, wondering what the calf was looking at,
stepped up on the road again
and looked right at me.
But being very still, and their eyesight must not be too
good,
they couldn't see me. The cow came up the road further
then and kinda cocked her head,
thinking I
guess, and decided I wasn't a piece of the forest
and jumped off the road
with the calf in tow ha.
Pretty exciting stuff! good for the heart muscle!
Really makes it pound.
She was very pretty, her coat was as red as a sorrel
mare
(that’s a horse for you city slickers ha).
It's been so warm this fall in
the 70's
over in Central Oregon and they don't have their
winter coat yet. Short, slick,
shiny fur, beautiful.
They just hopped away and didn't even look back.
That
was just one of many of my experiences this trip,
We sure have a fun time. I can't wait till
next year,
what fun, who cares if you get one when you have these memories
to
think about in your old age!!!
We also found an elk scrape in the woods.
This Ponderosa Pine tree was about 6 inches in
diameter
and 20 foot tall. The scrape marks were 8 or 9 feet high.
I'd like to
see the old boy who rubbed his horns on that tree.
If we get back over
there
i'm going to bring it home with me
and put a coat of varnish on it
and
maybe make a corner lamp out of it...
Larry Pruitt
Well Let me tell you, I went over again
and drove out to the tree scrape.
What I didn't realize after closer look
was the old Bull that scraped his horns
on that tree did things to it besides scrape it PEWWWWW !!!
I don't think my wife will let me make a bedroom lamp out of that
stinking tree unless i am out side sleeping with it!!!
1-26-99
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Larry Pruitt
Sweet Home, Oregon
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