Well it has probably been about two months since my last post and thats the way it is. Sorry to those who have been anxiously waiting my next master piece but I am sure that the line isn’t that long (or that there is a line for that matter). HUnting season for me has come to an end. The old man tried to get me back east for a whitetail hunt but the time or the wallet would not allow it. Prior to his request I had the crew from back east come west and hunt like men for 5 days.

ELK PARTY –

Everyone arrived in casual style. Rawdog was the first to arrive. Of course it was at midnight on a shuttle bus to a transportation center. I took the next day off and we floated the lower Colorado River and caught a few on streamers. This was the start of the warm weather that would haunt us for the next 4 days. Poppa Mac and Bruce arrived that afternoon. My dad was still pale and slightly trembling from riding over 2 mountain passes with the good DR. The cuz was last to arrive, six pack in hand, alcohol glazed smile and a loud “here I am” as he walked through the door.

CAMP-

We arrived at our cabin friday afternoon and eased into the blue cans around a fire pit. The weather was still warm, sunny and still. Although it felt nice we knew that it would make our elk hunt difficult. Handy Andy busted out some tenderloins off a Cow he shot on a golf course a few days before and tossed them on the fire.

Well the next morning came quick. The good DR was up at 3 tearing into every plastic bag in the kitchen looking for god knows what. We all set out on our chosen area and here were the stories -

Brinkman – Travis Group- ” we walked into this meadow and we could see an Elk about 300 yards away but we couldn’t tell if it was a bull. He then reared his head and we could see its rack, Probably a 6×6 and then it vanished into the forest.”

Bruce (the good DR) – I could see a silhouette through the trees but it was on private land. It was rustling around, making noise and then it let out a bugle. This animal was so pissed off I thought it was going to run me down.

Tommy – Andrew – “We didn’t see shit Cuz.”

Rawdog – “We have to go higher. I saw a ton of mule deer”

Popa Mac – ” hey have any of you guys seen joey?”

The next day we hiked about 5 miles up a mountain to higher elevation. We jumped a big bull. In fact it was a 5×7 bull that some hunters shot right below us. Your welcome. We got to this meadow about 10,000 feet high and just sat in the afternoon sun over looking the Sawatch Range.

After a few days with little elk seen Raw Dog woke up with determination in his eyes. It was Tuesday I had to work so I stuck around camp editing a stream restoration video – thumbs down. The weather that day was 70 degrees sunny and just a bit windy. The plan was for Poppa Mac and Brinkman to pick me up after dropping a car off to luke who was, for all we knew, in another county. Well they never picked me up and when I saw them next there was blood. Elk Blood.

Raw Dog had done it. The Wild Canadian hiked to where “no human wants to go” and killed his first Bull Elk. It was a night of celebratory cocktails, lies and debauchery. Blood had been shed and everyone was in high spirits

Well the trip ended with only one elk taken, another shot at, about 30 tracked onto private land, cases of blue cans brought to the recycle center, a mountain lion sighting and mcuh more. To much to mention. In my eyes the trip was a success. Everyone had a wonderful time out here in the Rockies and will surely be back next season. Thanks a bunch boys see you in the woods. Cheers

It is not too often that we get to float the upper Eagle River in September. Usually at this time it is low enough to cross anywhere on this stretch. But, with a winter that never wanted to end and a summer that has seemed to vanish the water levels in the Eagle and all other Colorado drainage’s have stayed up all season. This video was done a couple weeks ago after it has been raining for a while. I kept checking the graph and watched is hover around 165 CFS then one morning after a big pour in the valley and our first decent snow above 10,000 feet… There it was. The Magic number. Jason Newell (agent) had the day off and my chores were all done so we hopped in his raft “monasita” and went for a streamer run.

Might be a little blurry chances are if you occasionally read this blog you are my bud on FB. If so watch it there it is probably a bit better quality. Cheers

Well summer seems to have left without staying too long. I am awful sad to see it go but I do love that cool fall air. In fact I would have to admit it is my favorite time of year. I don’t think I am alone there. Anyway in between weddings, work, trying to buy a house and other life wildness there have not too many updates on the old blog.For that I apologize. My sister got married last weekend at Sugarloaf Mountain in Maine so I am now on a serious water diet and giving my liver a fighting chance. But, that is another post all together. Before the wedding I headed Northwest with Brinkman and Cuz Andrew (the heeb) in search for the elusive Dusky Grouse (formerly know as the Blue Grouse). I don’t know how it happened but we managed to successfully harvest 6 birds in an afternoon.

We here is the glory shot, feel free to click on the image to enlarge. I was too lazy to edit them into proper size.

We got into a game of poker after the hunt. I still owe Brinkman $40.00 but I figured I am even since I cleaned up the camp after he head butted the tent after over serving himself. After losing my second buy back I picked up the pistol laying on the table and fired about 10 rounds into a harmless Miller Lite Can. Here is The Heeb pictured doing the same.


Overall it was a great time and a successful hunt. We ate 2 of the birds that night. No marinade on salt and pepper…nothing. They were very good a little tougher than chicken, but that is only because they actually use there legs, wings..etc. We have a big elk hunt coming up here in about 4 weeks. The crew from back east is making the trek for some big game. Until then I am going to try to find me some big Colorado River Brown Trout to eat streamers.

Oh Yeah It is That time of year again. We are thinking about Steelhead. It might seem a little early but believe it or not the summer run has started to trickle in to the Colombia River Tributaries and we have been getting calls to hold spots for our annual Spring trip to the Olympic Peninsula. Here is a short video from last years trip. Hope you can make it up with us this year.

Boom Boom Boom….” If you get your shit together you might make the next ferry!” This is how we awoke the final day in Bimini, Bahamas. The beetle and I were asked to do a lifestyle shoot for Marlin University and Hatteras Yachts in February of 2011. It has been a while since that trip but I was just watching the video again and laughing under my breath while the chicken pot pie cooks in the oven. I will give you a quick recap of possible the scariest and funniest trip I have yet to be a part of.

After Dodging a lady with blue hair holding the steering wheel of a grand marquis above her head coming into on coming traffic we made it to the hangar.

A cloud blacker than the devils dick was slowly encroaching the runway and let all hell loose tipping over one plane while we waited to take off. (the storm was moving west to east!!)

The plane takes off- yippie

Pilot – “It will be about a 20 minute flight over to Bimini”

We caught up to the storm… in the air.

The plane was shaking, in the black as the devils dick cloud, for what seemed like forever. It was like a roller coaster ride. The plane would go up really fast leaving your stomach near the tops of your thighs and then wait a minute before dropping like a stone. The vodka, that was heavily consumed the night before, was slowly sweating out of my pale skin. RA was holding so on to the arm rest so tight his fingers were blue. I was afraid the plastic lady in front of us, you know the one with big tits and no expression due to Botox, was going to puke on her husband with a fake tan and a gold braided chain. But it all passed and soon we could see out the windows and stare at the beautiful water below.

Plane Landed -

The storm, The one with the cloud blacker than a bums ass, catches us and drop a funnel cloud in the channel next to our water taxi.

Untitled from RA Beattie on Vimeo.

The night after our first day of work found us pushing a golf cart with some kids from NJ down the dirt streets of Bimini. These guys were trying to get us to steam from NJ to the Bahamas and do a documentary on fishing. No luck.

The final night found us hanging with some guy we ended up calling the polar bear. His goddam goatee was longer than my hair and he too was on a video mission. We decided to cast our fly rods to some 100+ lb tarpon on the docks around million dollar yachts….read more

Anyway when the video was done and submitted to the company that hired us…their response was ” I don’t know how you guys do it”

Quote of the trip was from RA – ” I am afraid that if I throw up I might shit my pants”