Lance

Should have just told the scum to call once the cam was back! Now you have to make a trip up there just to see that it's not there. But hey , it could happen, I got my SD card maild back to me once! Lance

Dude! Way to get it done! Lance

Wow! Those are some great pictures Christian! Thanks for posting the story it looks like a great time with your Dad! Way to get it done guys those are some great looking fish! Glad you had a great time! Lance

Thats Crazy! what did it do to your boot?

Amen. ("What have we been up to, PART 2" comming soon. ) Lance

We are back. Once again, a hunt of a lifetime with lifelong friends, and more Blessings than we can count. A humble Thanks to our Father for the hand He had in bringing our team together in His amazing land and once again safely home to our Families. I will post the story of Dennis's hunt on another thred. "What Have We Been Up To part 2" We are still organizing all of our pictures together, cleaning up and catching up on some rest. Should have it done by the end of this week. Thanks to all. Lance

<img src="http://forums.coueswhitetail.com/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/unsure.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="" border="0" alt="unsure.gif" /> <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="" border="0" alt="laugh.gif" /> <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wink.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="" border="0" alt="wink.gif" /> Thanks! lol! PS. Scouting the last couple of weeks has been a blast! Lots of pictures! I think we got one tied up! Headed out right now with the Feared Foursom! <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/ohmy.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="" border="0" alt="ohmy.gif" /> (or Funny Forsome) <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tongue.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="" border="0" alt="tongue.gif" /> The TLO Buff Crew of Russ, Jon, Jake and Lance. Often three, But Never before have all four of us been in the same unit together, not to mention on the same tag! It will be funny if we strike out hard! <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/rolleyes.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="" border="0" alt="rolleyes.gif" /> <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="" border="0" alt="laugh.gif" /> But it will be fun none the less! The rain is falling on my house as I type. The wonderfull smell of the cool rain on the hot dust brings life to my already excited bones as I push "Enter" and head out the door for the Bab!

Thats so cool! And two of them together! Nice pictures, thanks for sharing them! Lance

I mean that hopefully we can get some more hunters with deer tags that want to hunt Buffalo as well! Except that this year they made the OTC Buff tags all Cow or Yearling only so that really sucks! I imagine the Department will loose some $$$$ over that change. Oh well, it'll be tough, but we'll just try to have fun anyway. The picture below is one of our last years hunt pictures with an OTC Buff tag during the early deer hunt.

Sweet find! Thanks for the pictures! Tough way to go. Lance

Thats awesome. Thanks for posting the video! I ran down an elk once. But he had a hurt back leg to start with. He ran really well at first and just as fast as a normal elk. He had been shot in the back ham. It was an older lady with the tag and she needed to finish him off. After a few miles of tracking and running he finally laid down just like that. I laid down next to him and about passed out myself. After I got up I told him to stay right there and I'd be right back! When I made it back with the lady he had snuck off again so the tracking/running started all over again but didn't last as long this time and she filally got her finnishing shot into him! Once an elk breaks into a full run they tire really fast. But they can do a swift trot all day long. I also tried to run down a Mtn Lion once as well. yea yea stupid I know, but I did it! I jumped him in two inches of snow and ran him as hard as I could for 3 miles! I tired him down to a sloppy feet and gut dragging kitty that couldn't do much more than a sloppy heavy breathing walk! But he never would tree and just gave it his all to stay about 100 yards ahead of me. I tried and tried to cut the distance but I was dragging tail by then as well. He finally drug himself into some thick PJ's in some hilly country and I just couldnt crawl through it like he could and the hills did me in. But at least I got to see him all tuckered out and dragging tail trying to stay in front of me! Even though he beat me I was pritty happy knowing that my best was good enough to wear him to a frazzle and get me close! I used to run cross country in school but those days are long gone and my counter weight out front has got too much movement to it and messes with my rhythm! Lance

It was one of the 14 Spring Draw tags. But hopefully we can work out some more of the OTC tags latter this fall! We have taken a small break from the buff and got to spend some quality time with the Family, and a little time stacking up some turkeys between AZ and NM! But I am going back to the Bab this week and will be pritty much living there again until we are done. I'll make sure the camera has fresh batteries! Lance

If these pictures don't give you the bug to get out and do some mountain trout fishing..... then,,,,, I'll just have to go try to get some better pictures I guess It'll be tough but I'll sure try! The fallowing pictures are from the last couple of months fishing with my family. Gotta love fishin with the Fam! We hope to see you all at the Flag Area CWT.com Get-together in June! Lance Too much fun! My boys are learning to fly fish and to tie their own flies! That should save me a little change and maybe keep my fly box full! Hope to see you in June! Lance

You can come if you bring four horses and a snow machine! See you there and bring your glass!

Thats pretty awesome! what an adventure!

I missed the questions that asked something like...."What is your fine for your third offence of poching a sheep while drunk driving?" Good thing there wern't too many of those! You have already studdied more than anyone I know! You'll do fine dont worry. Lance

Dude, Goulds are sweet and it sounds like you found alot of them! Gotta love that pure white, Goulds are so pretty and you took a beautiful one! Cant wait tell I draw one of those tags! Congrats on a great hunt! Lance

Nice! Very perty buck! Lance

Nice! Way to go with the stalk ! That is some open country to be stalking turkys in! 10"er to boot!

I tell you what, it takes a real pro to get one to fall in the back of the truck but some times the middle of the road will have to do! hahaha Thanks! Lance

Thanks! And thank Amanda for requesting I post the story We got up at 3:30 the next morning and finnished packing up camp and got on our way. It was our coldest morning yet by far but no one cared We headed out and had a beutifull uneventfull ride stopping a couple times for group pictures. This is one of our stops on the way out. Everyone is giving the "Big Tatonka" sign! We stopped for one last group picture just before we reached the trucks. This is the "Tatonka Crew" friends for life, with one tag filled and one to go! Dennis had a great time and can't wait to get back at it! We told him maybe we will bring an extra gun next time! Actually we had an extra gun but it was back at the trucks and there was no goin back at the time. Once again like all others, it was another awesome House Rock Buffalo adventure! We are making plans for Dennis's buff and we all can't wait to get back at it! Every one had a great time on a grand adventure and I cant even begain to relay all the details and just skimmed the surface with this story. I hope you enjoyed it, we sure did! Lance Crowther and the Buffalo Crew Timberland Outfitters "Making Memories"

Richard, Russ and Myself with Richard's B&C class House Rock Buffalo! Richard made a perfect shot at 200 yards across a small canyon. Richard and his son Andrew Richard with his first buffalo kill blood smeared on his face and happy as can be about it! Performing the clasic "TLO RIB BOLL" Buff are a couple hundred pounds lighter in the spring than they are in the fall. Now, it may not look like it here but Casey at Casey's Processing did compliment us on how very clean our meat was. Did I mention it fell in the road There was also a great patch of snow to lay the meat on as we pulled it off! This is a picture of the processing site where we skinned and deboned everything. Jon and I finnishing up the capeing job. The Bull went down at 12 noon. We took pictures, caped the entire buff in one piece, quartered, and deboned everything, and had it all cooled, strapped down on the quads and ready to go by 4:30 including the heart, liver, tongue and oysters! All during beutifull snow flurry's This is a happy crew on the way back to camp loaded down with Buffalo! Back at camp in time to pack up what we could before dark in preporation for the AM ride out. We settled in around the camp fire and and cooked up some oysters, Buffalo tongue and short loins! We planed ahead and I brought a grill for the fire and some steak seasoning! It was good good good and everyone slept well with a full stomach and the smell of bufflao on everything! This is Jon cutting up Buffalo Tongue for the grill! Yum yum! It's awesome don't mock it tell you try it!

Jon said it was a little nerv racking, but if you ask me the man has nerves of steel cause he was taking pictures during the incounter! Jon is the MAN He said he didn't take as many pictures as he would have liked cause he couldn't get the flash to turn off and he was worried he might spook them with the flash. You know, the plan worked great and Dennis was almost there but who knew those bulls would come and nibble on Jon"s shoelaces! as far as the A-Bolt, I guess he just wanted the take down stock so he could pack things tighter and more compact on the quad Lance

The third day we split up and made a hunt into the area we figured the bulls went. The area was a few miles from where we had first seen the bulls and in the total opposite direction. Like most wild animals, it's not uncommon for buff to button hook and go a totally different way then they started out. Jon and I took Dennis and half circled the area keeping our wind good and checking for tracks leaving out then cut through the middle about an hour after we sent Russ Richard and Andrew sneaking in from an old logging road from the far side. Sleep was found quickly during small breaks! A little fun with the cammera during a brunch break When we got deep in the area it was clear the buff were near and still around! It was soon evident that they were close by some where so we slowed down our hunt and searched every nook and cranny. We weren't far from Russ but the wind covered up the shot. The stalking silence was broken with Russ on the radio screaming "We got him! We got a big one and he died in the logging road!" He was sure to mention the most important part- "He died in the logging road!" When you have packed several buff out of deep canyons and rough places having one dying in a road is a true Halalula moment believe me! Sure enough, it was a group of 7 bulls, Russ told us where the rest of the bulls were headed and we quickly hooked around and tried to intercept the rest of the herd but to no avail they slipped by unseen but we were realy close! Jon and Dennis continued on the trail for a while longer and I headed to Russ to get started on the bull. We had decided to only hunt 3/4 of the day cause we were planning on leaving early in the am and wanted to make sure we had time to care for a buff before time to go. The bull we had went down at 12 noon so Jon and Dennis didn't hunt much longer and came to join us after a while. Did I mention it died in an old logging road?! Emotions were high and many trophy pictures were taken.

cmc- no you cant guess So the first real trip was planned and cmc's father-in-law Dennis was one of the tag holders! There would be Dennis and Richard the two lucky tag holders, Richards son Andrew and three TLO guides, Russ, Jon and myself. 6 quads were loaded down with camp food and supplies enough for a comfy stay for 3 days of hunting out of spike camp. The ride in was pretty eventful and a 10 mile quad ride took a couple of hours. But we finally arrived at spike camp safely and everyone in one piece minus Dennis's gun that was broke in two pieces.... But no big deal, the morning was getting late and we needed to get hunting! Richard offered to share his gun with Dennis so we switched our hunting plans around a little, dropped camp and headed out. Russ would take the one gun and hunters and head to one area and Jon and I would head into another area that was a little harded to get to. We hadn"t been apart for 5 min when Russ calls me on the radio and says he's got buffalo! We turn our quads around and head over to them! They hadn't gone but a couple of miles when they drove up on a herd of buff the buff spent no time hanging around and got out of there quickly! Every one got to see the buff but there was no shot opportunity. When we caught up with them they had tracked them for a 1/4 mile. I took the shooters and picked up the track while Jon and Russ spread out on my flanks scanning the forest ahead The buff made their way into a canyon and up and down they went while folowing the canyon down. We came apon lots of fresh tracks and it was hard to decifer them. Buff tend to line out and go for miles. The tracks were getting colder and hunters were getting tired. We were all a little tired starting the day at 3:30 am. Some buff hair on the brush refilling the watter bottles after several miles of tracking We continued on their trail tell they gave me the slip in a jumble of other tracks in the pine needles. We circled the area but I didn't pick up their getaway tracks tell the next day. We rolled into camp that night dog tired and ready to catch up on some sleep. Dennis decided we could try to fix his gun in the early am after we all had some sleep. That was fine with us and after a hot dinner we slipped into our warm bags and a deep sleep. This is a pic of us headed back to camp The am started with a plan from what we learned the day before and from what we knew from hunts passed. Russ was doing an awesome job on fixing the gun but it was taking longer to fix the gun than expected. So I grabed Richard and Andrew and headed to our spot. We decided Jon would go down into the area we had planned for Dennis and sneek in to try to find the buff befor they slipped into the thick stuff. If he found them Jon would keep an eye on them tell Dennis and Russ could get there. Well guess what? Jon found them! 7 Bulls were feeding calmly in front of Jon and The newly designed gun was on its way! But then as buff often do they threw a wrench into our plan They turned and fed strait to Jon! Soon they were feeding all around him! One young bull behind him feeding at 15 yards and another large bull feeding right up to the large ponderosa pine trunk Jon was hiding behind. Was he realy hiding haha yea in between taking pictures! This is the young bull 15 yards behind Jon! When the big bull got to withen 6 feet on the other side of Jons tree, Russ called on the radio and the bull heard the squelch and leaned around the tree to look Jon up and down uuuhh, it was a stare down that lasted a minute! Then the bull turned and quickly walked away taking the rest with him. Including the young bull that was 15 yards on ther other side of Jon that figured he was being left behind and ran to catch up pasing by Jon at three feet! Jon has nerves of steel and took this picture as the bull ran by! A little duct tape, some tie wire and a couple of tent stakes and it was as good as new, solid and ready to rock! Needless to say, the bulls had mooved off before the gun got there. We converged on them and begain the tracking and circling. We tracked them for several more miles and had to pick up where we left off the next day. A hot dinner and a great time around the camp fire with friends led to sweet dreams of the next days hunt. The next day we quickly eliminated some areas and decided where they were headed. Instead of slowly tracking the now day old slow mooving spread out feeding tracks we decided to spread out and make a hunt into the area where we were sure they were! This was the way we figured we could catch up to the bulls that were a full day ahead of us. We had found buff on both days and realy couldn't beleive we hadn't killed one yet but hey, thats huntin Just keep it up and give it what you got and keep smiling To be continued....