Cam relates the story:

My parents got me out of bed at 5:00 in the morning and we headed up to the mountains. It was so cold that there was ice on the ground and I had to wear gloves. Our friend, Gerry, had his dogs on the dog box in the back of his truck. We drove around and tried to find a bear. Finally, around 10:00, the dogs got a bear’s scent and started the chase. They treed the bear after about 45 minutes. We got under the tree and I put the cross hairs of my .243 on it and I pulled the trigger. I hit it in the right shoulder and it fell out of the tree. I was really excited and my mom was video taping the whole thing. The dogs were going crazy. The bear fell down out of the tree and rolled down the hill. Then Gerry let the dogs have a go at the dead bear as their reward for a good job. After that we took pictures and then skinned it. I was really happy to fill my first bear tag.

Well done Cameron! This is the first of many I can tell!

Bret shared his story, which undoubtedly will make it into Relentless 365, the California hunting magazine. It truly is a story of perseverance.

My hands have finally quit shaking enough that I can type! (this is no joke, after I shot it, I borrowed Jack’s cell phone but couldn’t type in the numbers as I was shaking so bad) Started out Saturday with Bill, Dave, Doug and Myself, the wind was about 40-50 mph with rain but we still saw sheep. Bill and Dave saw 7 ewes and 1 small ram and Doug and I saw a group of 3 med rams then 5 rams with a shooter. We were about 800yds away and we snuck up when they went behind the ridge but blew it when we came out of the first gulley the same time the sheep were coming out of the second gully, Busted!

Sunday Doug and I spotted a big ram about a mile away, and he stayed at the scope while I did a 2 mile end around to get on him. When I got into position the sheep changed course from coming across the face right at me to going straight down. Now I had them at 240 yds in the open and I was stuck. When they went out of sight I started after them but they gave me the slip in a couple of canyons and ended up crossing by Doug (of course!)

Now Jack showed up and Bill, Dave, and Doug had to leave to go to work. We ended up going back about a half mile to get my pack that I had dropped for the stalk. We decided to go further down the ridge line when Jack spotted a group of sheep with 3 giant rams! We started after them but hit some cliffs and since it was already 2:30pm and my legs were like jello from the last stalk we decided to head back to camp and try this southern area in the morning. The next morning we hiked from south to north on the same ridges we were hunting and not one single sheep! They all disappeared! we didn’t know if the scent from all of the scouting on sat and sun buggered them up or what. At this point we had seen about 51 sheep between the five of us over two days, but nothing on day 3.

Day 4, Oh Boy! Started out even farther south where the 3 big rams had been and I saw a sheep disappear over the ridge. I snuck up close took off my boots, climbed a cliff, carefully walked over knowing they would be right below the cliff I was on, and I’m thinking its the group with the rams, but as I ease over, 28 yards away are 9 ewes and lambs! No Rams AHHHGGGG!. I walk back to Jack who is staring at the group of ewes who had run around the edge right at him, no camera handy of course! as we discuss our next move we walk over to a ridge to look beyond and Jack throws his glasses up and says hey! there’s the 3 big rams! about a mile away bedded just off the ridge top (my hands are starting to shake again) We know this ridge now and plan a course that will take us up the other side of the top so we can sneak in. after about a mile and half walk we get there but some sheep are on our side now. We hold tight till they walk out of view then take off to our right to go around the nob to cut them off.
When we get there we can’t see them so I start stalking around the face with Jack about 20 yards behind. I feel I running out of room and they should bed close so I drop to my Knees and start scooting around the hill when I see sheep backs! I look back at Jack who’s standing about 30 yards behind me and signal to get down the sheep are right in front of me. I scoot a little closer and see a ewe and she is staring thru my bush and know something is wrong! then she just walks up to 10 yards to look over my little bit of cover ( a foot and a half tall scrub) right at me and blows out with 25 sheep! And the 3 giant rams are in the group (we thought there were only 7 sheep) I’m at full draw swinging on them thinking, no I can’t take a shot like this when they stop! I let down range it for 60 yds but shoot 57 (thank god I just bought this rangefinder with arc!) at one of the Giant rams who is in front and hit him perfect height but back in the liver. I see the blood spot immediately and know its a fatal hit! The whole herd runs down this super steep canyon then stops when he gets all weebly woobly then he walks over to a bush and lays down. He lifted his head twice while we were watching then lights out!!!!!!!!!!!
I’m not an experience sheep hunter and figured he was about 165″, when the biologist scored him at 180 7/8″ I about crapped my pants! Now, not only am I floating on air, I’m doing back flips at the same time!

Well I can’t write anymore as I’m starting to shake again so here are a couple of pics

Bret with his hunting partner Jack Hankins and Bret's record book Desert Bighorn Ram

It was probably good Bret felt like he was walking on air, because this looks like a heavy load!

Tony is nearly dwarfed by his 2011 California black bear.

This is a special SWH edition because I was there when it happened!  Tony was introduced to me by our common friend Kirk Edgerton.  When Kirk and I planned a weekend bear hunt in the Sierras, he mentioned that Tony was coming along.  It was the second to last weekend of deer season, they both had deer and bear tags for the area, and I had a bear tag.

We split up in the morning at daylight and met up later at around noon.  Tony and Kirk had seen numerous deer but no legal bucks.  They also had spotted 3 bears across the canyon.  We decided that finding a vantage point to watch for the rest of the day was a good idea.  Tony and I went to the cliff over the canyon while Kirk went to find a buck napping along the ridge crest.

As the sun dropped and the shadows grew long, we heard, then saw a doe eighty yards below us on a trail.  We knew the critters would be moving more as the hot day cooled.  Soon Tony spotted three bears across the canyon.  600 yards straight line, but probably a mile through the canyon.  They were moving through brush and trees and the day was getting late, so we simply watched them disappear in the trees.

Shortly after we heard movement below us.  It sounded like a buck raking brush, but then changed to a steady walking gait of something BIG going through the manzanita.   We watched the mountainside below us for what seemed like hours when a black spot moved 150 yards below.

“Get above  it there so you can get a shot. ” whispered Tony

As I turned to get up, rocks rolled under my feet and I looked back to see Tony with his rifle at his shoulder and knew the bear was alerted.  I watched him fire and knew he had made a killing shot.  One more shot for insurance and the dust began to settle.  He apologized profusely but I was happy for my friend who was successful.  Now we had to get the sucker skinned and quartered and up out of the canyon, with less than an hour of daylight left.  It was fixing to be a late night.

From Left to Right, Tony Elwell, John C. Martin, and Kirk Edgerton. You can see the cliff above where Tony shot from.

When we got down to the bear, close inspection revealed a big, fat, old, sow with discolored and broken teeth, a jet black coat with two white chest patches , and probably a 300# carcass with a 4-6 inch layer of fat over her entire body.  Kirk arrived within minutes and we had a photo session after struggling to position the rolling body on the steep brushy hillside.  Between the three of us we had the bear skinned and  quartered in short time, with the meat and skull packed in our three backpacks. We hiked up out of the canyon and back the three miles to the pickup as darkness fell.

Headed back to the truck with packs full of bear meat

Nathan writes:

 I picked up Scout from the Homecoming dance at 11:30. It was worth waiting as he ended winning Homecoming for the Sophomore Class. Leigh and I were very proud. Proceeded to drive all night and arrived at the hunting grounds at 6:00, just in time get changed and ready to start hunting. We were very fortunate and were all tagged out by 11:00 . Great times spent with my Dad, Uncle, Brother, Nephew, Son and Jimbo, who wasn’t hunting. Awesome hunt and great memories. God is Good…

Dad, Me, Austin, Scout, Uncle Mel and Mark

Nathan and Son Scout

Nathans smoker buck

One of these characters was Eric Eidam.  This native of Pendleton Oregon is now a firefighter on the West side of the state.  In his time off he is an avid hunter, and shared this photo of his 2011 archery elk from Oregon.

Eric just returned from British Columbia with a  Canada moose with a 48 inch wide antler spread.  At a glance I’m guessing that this bull may be close to book.  If that wasn’t exciting enough, he averted a disaster when his group was charged by a mean tempered grizzly.

Thanks to the wonder of Facebook, I was able to reconnect with my college roommate Jeff Hepton of Asotin, Washington. He and his brother’s in-laws went to Alaska for caribou.  Jeff is one of my fellow University of Idaho Farmhouse Fraternity brothers.

Matt Morris and his father DeWitt pose with Matt's 5x6 bull elk from Wyoming.

Matt was the first hunter in our camp to fill his tag during the General Wyoming Elk Season. On opening day evening, I heard the first shot, and a second later I heard a second shot. Even as far away as I was it sounded like a solid hit, with a finisher. The bull fell in his tracks and never knew what hit him. The 30-06 that Matt used was also used when his younger brother killed his first elk.

While this is Matt’s first elk, he is an accomplished bowhunter as well and has harvested numerous whitetails, turkeys and waterfowl in his lifetime. He is raising his son to appreciate the outdoors as well.

Rich got a nice elk as well. I’m sure we will hear the full story in a hunting magazine somewhere in the future!