Big Buck!!

This is the first mule deer I've shot in 11 years and it is the biggest by far. I shot this near Wheatland, Wyoming. It turned out to be an enjoyable hunt. The weather was nice and Dave and I saw many deer. He didn't get one, but did pass up some smaller bucks. We spent 3 days hunting and hiking. I look forward to doing this next year.

Antelope 2009

Did you know there are more antelope in Wyoming than people? Even with the hunting the numbers remain constant because each doe has one and most times two fawns each year. It took about 4 hours to harvest this buck and other than the rainy weather it was enjoyable.
My friend Dave got one the same day and so we were home that evening.

Alaska Trip

I have wanted to do a trip to Alaska for 20 years now. My brother Andy moved up there 4 or 5 years ago so I finally got to see him and experience Alaska. It was an amazing trip and quite an adventure. The weather did not cooperate however and rained 7 days straight. I can fish in the rain, but it caused the rivers to flood and made fishing difficult. Also because of the rain I didn't take many pictures for fear of ruining my camera.
We did hire a charter to take us out in the ocean one of the days. I caught a 120 pound halibut.(my arms and back were sore after reeling him in) In the river we caught mostly pink salmon, which averaged 4-7 pounds. Towards the end of the week we started catching a few silver salmon, which averaged 10 pounds and bigger.
Andy and Cherie were very nice to us and we ate fresh fish every night cooked by a different recipe.

Wind River Trip 2009

I have been busy with many trips and activities this summer. I will try and catch up with the postings.
At the end of July I invited my high school friend Dan and his son Luke to join Isaac and me for a backpack trip into the Wind Rivers.
This was Lukes first time backpacking and being five years old we were nervous that he would not do so well hiking 5 miles in and spending two nights. He did shed a few tears, but overall did very well. We caught a lot of fish and saw several moose. Our new(old) dog Jecca joined us for the trip and had a great time.

Dougless Creek(platte river wilderness)

This is the first of several backpack trips. I lost these pictures, but finally found them on Emily's computer.
Isaac and I went backpacking the first week of July to Dougless Creek. The ride to the trailhead included 35 miles of windy dirt roads, which by the end made Isaac car sick. Luckily he lost his McDonalds kids meal just outside of the truck.
The trailhead was actually at 7,000 feet and in the afternoon made it very hot. We hiked through the sagebrush for 2 miles. Dougless creek itself has trout, but was running high from snowmelt. We caught several with a spinner, but I never even tried to flyfish.
We saw some bighorn sheep including a baby and found the largest mushroom ever.(Isaac thought it was a dinosaur egg).
We only camped one night, but it was enjoyable.

More Green River

Dan floating the Green River and catching fish.

Green River 2009

Our annual trip to the lower green had some unexpected changes at the last minute. Randy was unable to make it at the last minute and so it was just Dan and me. Also the river flows out of Flaming Gorge where dangerously high.(this happened to Lowell, Gordon, CJ, and me many years ago and it ruined the fishing)

Dan and I found some good fishing on the upper Green River in Wyoming. We floated the river 2 days and caught many fish, including a 21 inch Brown trout.
One advantage for this part of the river was the lack of people.
It was an enjoyable trip and will probably do it again.

In the video I comment about Dad going sideways, but his oar lock fell out, so he had no choice.

The Green River

I think we will make this an annual event. Last year we fished the lower Green River and had a good time. This year the same, but the weather didn't cooperate and we had equipment problems. It was still a lot of fun and I enjoyed spending time with Dad and we did catch fish.
The river is popular, but flyfisherman are usually nice people. They release the fish, don't pollute, and respect the river and the beautiful surroundings.
I plan on doing this trip next year. Anyone is welcome to come.

Snowed in!

Well kind of...the snow drifted pretty high in some spots, like around the garage doors. 24 hours of snow and wind created a mess for me. Luckily I didn't have to leave this weekend.

First fish of 2009

I went fishing last Saturday with Aaron Johnson. We fished and explored most of the day and this was the only fish we got. A good fish to start the year with. 18 inch rainbow trout.

Isaac Finds a Sport!!

Isaac finally found a sport he likes. We took him skiing at the snowy range ski resort in Wyoming last Saturday. Other than a few accidents on the chair lifts, he did really great skiing. I told him he needed a sport other than the Wi outdoor challenge.