# I'm back..........



## 220swift (Mar 2, 2011)

I'm home from the three day hunt, from a mom & pop motel with a nonworking wireless Internet and they refused to let me check it out. Three days of temps in the high 60's and low 70's and dry. I'm still working on the full write up which is pretty uneventful.






​​
Stand by, more to come.


----------



## kiyote (Jun 15, 2014)

was it the bates motel??if so, be glad you didn't check out.


----------



## youngdon (Mar 10, 2010)

Beautiful country Mike. Waiting patiently for the rest of the story.


----------



## hassell (Feb 9, 2010)

Nice pic..


----------



## SWAMPBUCK10PT (Apr 5, 2010)

*Glad your back Mike---------Nice country*


----------



## catcapper (Feb 11, 2010)

That picture looks like the Pinion Canyon area down south--- lots of lions in that country.

awprint:


----------



## prairiewolf (Feb 19, 2012)

Great looking country, waiting for the rest of your story !


----------



## Ruger (Jan 22, 2011)

Anxious to hear the whole story.


----------



## Bigdrowdy1 (Jan 29, 2010)

Like they all said.


----------



## C2C (Mar 17, 2012)

I'm ready for a story .. :lurk: , good lookin place to hunt .


----------



## Larry (Dec 2, 2010)

C2C said:


> I'm ready for a story .. :lurk: , good lookin place to hunt .


X2


----------



## 220swift (Mar 2, 2011)

OK everyone, here's my short story...........

Comanche National Grasslands 2/2017​​
Well this was (for the most part) one of the most uneventful calling trips I've ever done. I left the house at 4:00 a.m. for the approximately 3 hour drive hoping to get in a few stands before the mid-day. Uneventful drive which is a good thing. It's now 7:15 a.m. and I'm at the first stand location. After a 15 minute walk and setup I'm ready for some female invitation howls. After two sets of three howls I sit back, at this point there have been no answers (seems unusual) but I'm going to give it plenty of time for any action to start. At the 10 minute mark two more series of two howls, still no replies. Another 10 minute wait and two more howls, nothing but determined to give the amount of time I predetermined to use at each stand I make today. Another 15 minutes pass so now I hit the Alpha Dogg to let a coyote distress play for a few minutes. After 5 minutes of distress and absolutely no response or movement, it's time to move on.






​
Second stand 5 miles from the first and a 10 minute walk, the next 45 minutes of the same calling series produce the exact same results. As I'm walking back to the vehicle on the powder dry dirt trail/road I'm realizing that in the first two hikes from and to the Explorer I've yet to see ANY fresh sign of any type of critters. No tracks no scat not even a rabbit track in the powdered dirt, I'm already starting to be concerned. On the walk back I'm shedding a jacket, at the vehicle I check the outside temperature to find it's already 58° at 11:10 a.m. Time to head to town, get checked in at the motel and grab some lunch. At the motel the adventure begins. I've stayed at this mom & pop on one previous calling trip without an issue, but&#8230;..check in no problem, to the room unlock the door turn the door knob and push the door open to end up standing there with the door knob in my hand, what the ??????. Back to the office with half the door knob in my hand. Very apologetically they gave me another room. Next room door knob worked just fine, all setup in the room it's time to eat some lunch and kill some time(only thing that got killed on this trip) and get ready to head back out for the late afternoon stands.






​
The rest of the afternoon and early evening were more of the same as the morning. At the vehicle and about 30 minutes after complete darkness has set in I played some locator sound on the Alpha Dogg and never received an answer. Tomorrow will be time for a completely different area some 20 miles further south.






​
Back at the motel relaxing after a sandwich and coffee is when I discovered there was no Internet. At the office I was told that their computer guy has been working on it but has not been able to resolve at the point. When I offered to have a look I was given a resounding NO. I asked why and was told their computer guy has a contract with them and they pay a monthly fee for his services. I told them I wanted no compensation, I just wanted Internet. I was assured it would be up and running the next day which never happened. Well a relaxing evening of just making notes and watching TV.

Day two.

The next day started with a 27 mile drive, a 12 minute walk and setup. Today will be rabbit and bird distress sound because this area has coyotes, bobcats and grey fox. First stand was a 20 minute series of cottontail distress. After the 20 minutes I waited another 10 minutes with no sign of any critters.
A 15 minute walk further into Vogel Canyon and the same series as above with the same results and this is how the entire morning ended up. I'm now walking back to the Explorer on the road when a BMW SUV drives by. Not more than 20 feet passed me they slide to a stop, both the driver's and passenger's doors open and this 30's something man and woman started to approach me and I knew what was going to happen. The woman is yelling at the top of her lungs using language that would make a sailor blush. Seems as though I was unfit to be a human being because I was hunting, I let her carry on for about 30 seconds and responded at the top of my lungs, "shut the f*** up, your scaring the animals". To my surprise she did. At this point I let the two of them know in no uncertain terms I did not care about their opinions. I closed this encounter with the statement: "If I want your opinions on my chosen life style one of two things will happen, I will either ask you for your opinion or I'll beat it out of you, now I suggest the two of you find some other road to block", at that point I started walking passed them as they just stood there and looked at each other. As I'm walking I heard car doors shut and they drove by without even a glance my way. I still don't understand why a person would verbally attack someone wearing a back pack with a scabbard shotgun attached and a rifle hanging on they're shoulder.
With that encounter and temperature approaching 65° my morning was pretty much over. Oh, did I say this was the most uneventful calling trip I've ever done, emphasize CALLING.






​​




​
That afternoon into the darkness had all the same results. I'm wishing at this point that I had taken the time to contact the local Game Warden and acquired a night hunting permit. Well we all know what they say about hindsight.

The next day being Friday and the last hunting day I got a very early start to get much deeper into the Pinion Canyon area. When I arrived at the parking area, 4:45 am, there are already two other vehicles in the parking area, crap! I got all geared up for a considerable hike and headed out. At about 20 minutes of walking I could see flashlights flickering ahead of me. Just a couple dozen yards walking I came to a fork in the trail and headed down the trail away from the lights ahead of me. After walking another 35 minutes I'm at the canyon floor. There's just enough light now to scan the area and&#8230;&#8230;..WTH&#8230;..to my right about 75 yards at the Purgatory River bank is a group of three tents. This is starting to get a little ridicules and it seems I just cannot get away from people.
The #1 problem on this trip is I picked a few days when the weather is extremely unseasonably warm which has brought out a LARGE number of city dwellers.
At this point I'm just done, turned around and headed back up, up being the key word, the trail to my vehicle. 55 minute hike down and a 1 hour and 20 minute hike up and now I'm bushed, frustrated and ya a little PO'd. Late February should not have temperatures in the 70's. Temperatures like this have brought out hikers, campers and day trippers. In all the years of hunting the Comanche Grasslands I've NEVER seen this many people. Like I said above, I'M JUST DONE!






​
The rest of the morning was just driving around and taking pictures.






​​




​​




​
Friday afternoon I spent relaxing at the motel and packing up for the trip home Saturday morning, God knows the weekend WILL really bring out the sightseers.
Saturday morning before heading home I decided to take in a couple of the local sites in and around La Junta. Pictures below:






​​




​​




​​




​​




​​




​​




​​
Bent's Fort is truly a spot to visit if you're ever in southeastern Colorado.


----------



## 220swift (Mar 2, 2011)

catcapper, I've already started working on the Pinion Canyon and Ft Carson Army land hunting access, I've got the needed permit purchased and just waiting on a time when I came get to one of the classes. Maybe I will be able to get away from the masses..........


----------



## youngdon (Mar 10, 2010)

Good read Mike. Sorry to hear you didn't get a chance to see some action.


----------



## 220swift (Mar 2, 2011)

Well Don we got some snow yesterday and I just check and the area I was hunting is getting snow right now. Seems I was off by one week. Just my luck.


----------



## glenway (Mar 27, 2011)

That's why I like bad weather: Fair-weather "Friends of Animals" are hard to find but the critters are still there.

Bet the BMW "protesters" were surrounded by leather, too.


----------



## hassell (Feb 9, 2010)

Great read and pic's, thanks for sharing. A little too much people action for sure,it's bad enough dealing with some hunters crowding your picked out areas never mind the huggers protecting the landscape.


----------



## prairiewolf (Feb 19, 2012)

Mike, great write up. To bad you didnt connect on any predators. Nice pics also !!


----------



## 220swift (Mar 2, 2011)

Thanks guys!


----------



## Ruger (Jan 22, 2011)

Great write up, wish you had better luck with the critters.


----------



## knapper (Feb 5, 2010)

my guess BMW season was closed?


----------



## 220swift (Mar 2, 2011)

knapper said:


> my guess BMW season was closed?


never closed, just was not in the mood to clean it after shooting it............


----------



## 220swift (Mar 2, 2011)

Ruger said:


> Great write up, wish you had better luck with the critters.


Thanks Ruger!


----------



## Bigdrowdy1 (Jan 29, 2010)

Sorry to hear about a trip like that Mike. Its disappointing as all get up. Hopefully your next outing will make up for it.

I went to Oklahoma this weekend and got the boat running for Dad so he can do some spring fishing. It hasn't been started or cleaned since 2014 when mom had her bout with cancer. Surprisingly I had it cleaned and running by late Saturday. For a little fun we were on the front porch and I got a couple howlers out and showed dad. Sounded off and the whole surrounding area came to life. Best we could tell we had aleast 5 groups going off. I got up early today and went out for a little ride and testing. Lots of response. I didn't take any hunting gear or stuff but had fun anyway.


----------

