Base Camp Legends

03/30/2020

09/16/2017

This is the second video of our Pack Trip. Day three Seth Forsyth and Todd decided to hike cross country into He Devil Lake. It would be a tough hike so we told the kids that if they stayed with Grandpa and Grandma we'd stay on the trail and it would be an easy day!... a long hot day and 8 miles later we made it back to camp. It ended up being a tougher hike than the backpack in! The boys did great... it was the old folks who seemed a little done in after the long hike! Benji stayed with us and it looked like he was the leader of a boy scout troop with a couple of seniors thrown in! He had a busy day going back and forth making sure all his charges were OK! The beautiful scenery made the effort worth it.
Todd and Seth had adventures of their own hiking into He Devil.The country they hiked through was more suited for Mountain Goats than humans! But the fishing was fantastic and they brought some nice fat trout back to camp for supper. Todd wrapped the fish in foil and baked them in the coals for a supper fit for a king!
https://vimeo.com/234093714

Part two of our pack trip in the Seven Devils Wilderness. Day two Todd and Seth hiked into He Devil Lake across country as the trail was blocked by lots of deadfalls.…

09/09/2017

The end of July we took a pack trip into the Sevin Devils Wilderness with our sons, Benji and Todd, Grandsons Keaton, Camden and Kason and friend Seth Forsyth. For Kason and Camden this was their first backpack trip. It was a pretty impressive hike for these two 8 year olds! The rugged peaks, sparkling alpine lakes, colorful sprinklings of wildflowers, and kids enthusiasim made for a wonderful trip in the high country of Idaho! This is the first of 4 videos of the trip.
https://vimeo.com/233060208

This is part one of four videos of our Backpack trip in the Seven Devils Wilderness this summer. We had three of our grandsons along. For two of the boys it was…

08/14/2017

07/21/2017

I'ts been a long absence from posting! Summer always gets crazy busy with gardening and all the other family activities, but we did manage to sneak away this week for a little scouting and setting up a trail camera. The trip had a two fold purpose.We are planning a backpacking trip into the Seven Devils Wilderness next week. It will be a nine mile backpack, and Gary thought it would be a good idea to take a little test run to make sure these two old people can still hike that far! So we headed up our favorite little canyon where we elk hunt in September. We hiked about 5 miles in and then back to the trailhead. Perhaps not the smoothest and prettiest sight to watch as we made our way up the trail... but we made it without any major collapse!😀
On our way out Gary saw a little bird fly out from the grassy bank along the trail. When we checked it out there was a little nest tucked up in the grass and two little eggs nestled there. Amazing how these vulnerable little creatures manage to survive!

https://vimeo.com/226401352

Summer scouting trips in the mountains! Love to get out and explore!!

05/04/2017

Took a trip this Spring to the Salmon River country. The raw beauty of this place never grows old! We took a side trip up Slate Creek and then hiked 4 miles up Little Van BuerenTrail. When I say up, I mean UP! We gained about 2,000 feet of elevation in the 4 miles... making for some pretty amazing views.
Slate Creek and Van Bueren Creek are an added bonus for scenery... not to mention the Salmon river it's self! Love this great country we live in!
We enjoy staying at the Steelhead Inn right along the river. Turkey, elk and whitetail deer can be viewed on the mountain across the river from the Inn. The turkey flock has some of the biggest Toms I've ever seen, with long thick beards. When I mentioned it to the folks who run the Inn they laughed and told us the people who own that property don't allow any hunting... guess those big ol' longbeards will just die of old age!

Here's a little video of our trip...

https://vimeo.com/215994355

This is "Trip to Riggins 2017- Hiking Little Van Buren Trail" by Sue Sorenson on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.

04/29/2017

It has been a crazy Spring, no Bear or Turkey hunting... not even any shed horns to show! Someone decided it was a good time to get cataract surgery... had no idea it took so long for the restrictions to be lifted! First it was the left eye... two weeks of no lifting anything heavier than 20 # and no dirty work... no cleaning out the barn, mucking out the chicken pen, all those fun spring activities!... and I discovered there're not many things that are under 20 #! Then it was the right eye this week... 2 more weeks of being hog tied! But on the bright side... I can SEE!! No excuses anymore for missing the target!
So to pass the time I've been sitting around dreaming about hunting! Watching some old videos, I came to realize the amazing country we have had the privelege to behold... I think that is one of the perks of hunting that I love the most...
Here's a short little video of some of the wild places we've roamed...
https://vimeo.com/215289066

One of the greatest perks of Hunting is the country we find ourselves surrounded by. Here is a tribute to the amazing wild places we love to roam!

03/23/2017

Here is Part II of the tribute to the Steens Mountain in Eastern Oregon. If you ever get a chance to go there, do it! A very spacial place indeed!
https://vimeo.com/209773059

This is the second part to a tribute to one of the most amazing places on earth! This mountain rises from the desert floor to a towering height of 9,000 ft. If you…

03/15/2017

I have been looking back at some old footage from Gary's Deer Hunt in 2007 in the Steens Mountain. This special place has a lot of memories for our family. My dad and Grandpa started hunting there in the late 50's. It had always been a productive hunting ground. So when Gary drew a deer tag in 2007 we were so excited to get back to this unique amazing country after a long absence.
We discovered the deer population has declined drastically. We only saw a few does the entire hunt. Later we talked with a wildlife biologist about this and he said the increased predator pressure, in particular cougars, had taken a real toll on the deer. We also found out that if you hunt the Steens now you need to stay lower, out of the rim rocks. The high rim rocks is where we hunted primarily, because that is where the nice bucks always were, but not the case now. Even though the deer were not what we had expected, the country never disappointed!
I decided some of the footage I took while we were on this hunt was worth sharing, even though there is no wildlife on it. This mountain is truly a special one of a kind place! The landscape goes from desert floor to high mountain, and the weather can change from nice shirt sleeve to nasty blowing cold in a very short time! We experienced two storms while we were there, both rolled in fast with little warning. We knew this was a very regular occurrence in the Steens, so we were prepared, but our tent didn't hold up in that extreme wind and the fly blew off during the night!
Here is Part I of a video tribute to the Steens Mountain.

(click on the link below to watch video)
https://vimeo.com/207986180

03/01/2017

Ready to see some green slopes and spring wildflowers! Turkey and Bear hunting is just around the corner! The hills look so lush in the spring, it is a great time to get out there, whether you are hunting or not!

02/02/2017

This has been a winter that won't soon be forgotten! it has been hard on humans as well as wildlife. Many businesses in our little town have lost their buildings from roofs collapsing under the extreme wieght of snow. It has been devastating for many. Thankfully no one has been seriously injured.
These elk have been coming into our back yard and feasting on our pine trees and my lilac bushes! They look in pretty good shape so far... but sure hope that winter ends soon! For their sake and my shrubery!!
This little spike has been fun to watch. He has a little swagger to him and if he keeps up the attitude and grows them antlers a lot bigger he'll make a good herd bull!

https://vimeo.com/202133787

This winter has not only been hard on the wildlife but on humans as well. These elk have been coming into our back yard and eating the pine trees and my lilac bushes!…

01/19/2017

We are fortunate to have this hunting heritage. Pass it on down to the next generation!

01/10/2017

During these winter months some people pour over seed catalogs, and some of us pour over the MRS section of their favorite hunting magazine! It's that time of year again for filling out your controlled hunt applications!
Spring Bear application dates in Idaho are January 15 - February 15
Moose, Big Horn Sheep, and Mountain Goat is April 1- 30
Deer, Elk, Pronghorn and Fall Black Bear is May 1- June 5
You won't draw if you don't apply!! Good luck and hope you draw that once in a lifetime dream hunt!

01/04/2017

The last week in 2016 we spent along the Salmon River hunting coyotes. We saw just about everything except coyotes! We would have liked to help out the deer and elk with a more successful predator control, but in spite of the lack of success we spent our days drinking in the sights of mountains, rivers, and the amazing creatures that live there. Looking forward to going back next year!

https://vimeo.com/197971899

We spent the last week of 2016 along the Salmon River, and were treated to spectacular mountains and abundant wildlife! We saw just about everything, except what…

12/28/2016

Aloha from the glistening white beaches of Challis Idaho! We love coming to this special place in December. This year neither one of us has a deer tag, but we are hoping to call in a few coyotes, or perhaps even a wolf! Yesterday was pristine clear blue sky and we took our annual walk in the foothills just above the town. Last year we saw a small herd of elk and numerous deer, but this year there were lots of tracks but no elk or deer. When we got back to town we were greeted by deer on every street corner! It is amazing how they seem perfectly at home with all the town residents, even the barking dogs!

12/13/2016

Been going back over old pictures and came across this hunt from 2010. It is a late season archery hunt in December. My Dad went along with us and I was so amazed at how tough he was. It got down to -7 and he was sitting in a blind! He never complained and was so optimistic that a deer would come by! He never filled his tag but seemed to completely enjoy his time! Our son Todd came along also and I love the three generation picture.

11/28/2016

Tomorrow is my Dad's birthday. He would have been 87. We lost him in the spring of 2015. So thankful for all the wonderful years we had with him. There are so many hunts I remember with him, but this one is one of my favorite.
He had been feeling poorly and couldn't walk far without a lot of pain, but he still burned with the desire to be on the mountain hunting elk. We got this brainstorm to use our old mare and cart as an ATV. We called Idaho Fish and Game to make sure it would be legal.Once we got the OK we wasted no time in hitching the horse to the cart and heading up the mountain. When we reached the spot where Dad wanted to hunt, the fog had rolled in and you couldn't see 60 yards. So Dad just made a fire, whittled a stick and raosted his ham sandwich over the fire. I treasure that afternoon spent on the mountainside with him, listening to him talk about life and giving me sound advice. He was always so grateful just to be out on the mountain...

11/14/2016

We missed our Whitetail hunt in Newsome Creek last year, so it was great to get back and enjoy that special place again. This year Gary was the only one with a tag, so I enjoyed concentrating on filming. These little whitetail are so quick and quiet and the country so heavily timbered that it is hard to get them on camera. Even when all I was doing was filming I still almost missed getting this on camera!
There are so many precious memories of time spent with my Dad in this place. One year dad and I spent 54 hours total in a blind without seeing anything except birds and squirrels, but he still was optimistic and cheerful! We went back to that spot where we sat and I could just see and hear him keeping my spirits up!

https://vimeo.com/191289232

We missed our annual hunt here last year, so it was great to be back! It has a lot of special memories for us as this is one of the last places we took my dad hunting.…

11/11/2016

We just got home from our Whitetail hunt in Newsome Creek and our first outing with our new "trailer"! It worked out better than we could have ever hoped for!
https://www.instagram.com/p/BMrcBHgDLHz/?taken-by=basecamplegends

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