High Country 204

[Rick in Oregon]

This time of year, it's good to hike around the high country with an accurate varmint rifle for marmots (rock chucks) while scouting for high country mule deer later in the year. Great excercise, scenery, and if you get to pop a chuck, so much the better. A guy can sit and glass for hours from here, and the amount of game seen amazes me still after all this time.



There's some knarley country around the old volcano caldera; lots of hiding places for the big boys, and the place for flat shooting rifles. Gads, I love it here! Just wanted to share the view.

[giterdone]

Rick......Fantastic view, im curious at the elevation the picture was taken from? When you speak of flat shooting rifles you were not kidding. I dont think my old bones could carry me that high up.

"Wife and dog missing.....Reward for dog"

[Ray P]

Rick ...Is that still snow in the volcano?? Is this an early spring pic or later? Hi country and definitely long long range. Thanks for sharing ...Great pic........wish I was there to enjoy!
Later thanks!
Ray P

[Glen]

That sure is a purdy place Rick!!

[Rick in Oregon]

The picture was taken from the summit of South Sister at 10,358' elevation looking almost due west; the craggy bugger is Broken Top at 9,175'. Yep that's snow alright, Ray.....a glacier, so it's a permenant fixture there, as the photo was taken in September. I would not have wanted to been around when that baby blew up. There's rocks from that thing way out in the desert, over 60 miles away! All of the mountains around here are all old volcanoes, so they tend to be steep. Elk love it.

Funny over the years how those mountains have actually somehow gotten steeper. Must be some sort of geological thing, right?

[Bayou City Boy]

Rick:

Is that in the Three Sisters Wilderness Area? IIRC, the volcanic peak you are showing is south of the Three Sisters? And in ways it looks like the Middle Sister...

Its been a few years ago, but that is indeed some beautiful country and some good hunting country. I have some scenery pics of that area maybe 20 years ago, but its on 35 MM film and not on digital.

-BCB

[Rick in Oregon]

BCB: I see geography is also one of your strong suits. You are very close...Broken Top is just WSW of the Three Sisters, and is indeed part of the Three Sisters Wilderness Area, and due west of the southern most sister, the South Sister, where the photo was taken. Like you, I shot this on 35mm slide film and scanned it into digital. Mt. Washington is in the left background.

This is the country I just like to grab a pack and a rifle and spend the day just poking about these high alpine places. When you get back, you really feel like you accomplished something grand. My Kimber 84M in 204R has become the rifle of choice for such outings where the occasional varmint could be encountered. I've even been known to go without a rifle ......but a belt gun is always there.

Spectacular country to be sure; I wish I could share it with you all. (Hey, I can.......HERE!)

[bullfrog]

Rick,
Great pic of some familiar country. sometimes when I get frustrated that I can't find the quarry I'm after, I find a vantage point such as yours, although not always as high as the south sister , and take a look around at all the little crevices an elk or deer could be hiding. Even with all the hunting pressure that area gets, there are plenty of escape routes to let them antlers get plenty big!

[Rick in Oregon]

Hey bullfrog, I wondered if you'd jump in, figuring you'd recognize that country for sure. I don't hunt from the summit of South Sister either...never seen an elk above timberline! But like you said, even with alot of rifles in the woods, there's still some big boy racks that live and hide up in that high country. It's great for a day of timberline marmots with a 204, but like you already know, if you want to hunt antlers up there, you have to spend a few days living with them up there....rugged stuff. Eastman's has a great book about high country mule deer hunting.

Us old guys are better suited to the high country marmot walkabout with our 204's though these days. Those mountains even look steeper now than they did 30 years ago!

[Ray P]

Rick.......Looking at my topo map of the three sisters area there are quite a few glaciers in that area. How accessable is it to drive before your start your walk about............ever get lost? Haha I doubt you! From up in the deeper north of the border country.
Neat looking at the mountains and glaciers on topo map.
Thanks again for letting us enjoy a small piece of your backyard.
later
Ray P

[kenbrofox]

Rick, Thats fantastic...you said you like to share! from where i'm looking it'just breeding JEALOUSY. enjoy the day. Cheers, Ken.

[glenn asher]

When I got back from the Teton trip in late June, I printed up some pictures of the snow-capped peaks and tacked them up at work, so I could look at them during the miserable, humid heat of the day (no A/C in the shop ) and think about how nice and cool it was out in Wyoming. It doesn't help MUCH, but it helps a little . There was snow on Rendezvous Mountain (ski slope at Teton Village), and I got to stand in a little of it at the top of the mountain. NICE for June, anyway.
It made it almost impossible for me to return to the Ohio Valley. I still daydream half the workday away, thinking of those mountains. Luckily, my job doesn't suffer much doing so. It's pretty much drone work after you know it.

[Paul]

Anytime your looking to have some company please feel free to contact me, that is if this economy improves and I can hire some good help to get away from work. Love the view and being there would be alot better. Never hunted any type of chucks but would love to have a lesson from a pro.

[Guy M]

Rick, that is some great looking country!

I managed to squeak in a pre-season scouting trip to Wyoming a couple of weeks ago. Cleverly disguised it as a family vacation to Yellowstone and the Cody area. Love that country!

By the way.... "My" mountains seem to have gotten steeper and taller too. Weird...

[Sidewinderwa]

Rick, very pretty country you spend time in. Did you get any critters on your scouting trip? Be sure to keep that camera with you.