Scouting for Elk 2016

Caught a nice little trout in this exact spot. It's that time of year again, elk scouting time. This last weekend I went up to my usual spot to put in some sweat equity and place a couple of trail cameras. I went up with my dad and a few other friends, and I have to say (if I haven't said it before) that patch of wilderness is hands down my favorite spot in Utah. 

My dad and I hiked out to a couple of spots that I thought had potential, spots that I came across last year during my hunt. A couple of other buddies went out to another location to check out some trail cams that they had placed a few weeks ago. While my dad and I didn't see any elk, we saw a lot of sign to include fresh (that morning) droppings. We placed the cameras in two spots where it looked like elk trails were converging. 

There were a ton of empty camp trailers up there. I probably came across a dozen or so. I'm not sure if people were taking them up there and leaving them to save a spot (which is bullshit) or what. I hope that it isn't an indication of the amount of archery hunters there will be.

I was able to try out my tent and wood burning camp stove. Both worked out fantastically, although I still have to mess around with the stove to figure out the optimum way to keep it burning. The tent was nice and toasty when it was running, and let me tell you, it got pretty chilly at night up there. Hopefully, these spots will pay off come hunting season. 

In other news, I've tried using a bow drill to create fire every time I go camping/hunting since I had that survival skills class and I haven't been able to recreate it. That just tells me that I need to keep practicing. I've come close a couple of times, but close isn't going to get a fire lit.  Fire started using easier methods.