During the summer of 1978, we had our usual meeting of the hunting Crew, which consisted of Harry, Bud, Monty, and me. We liked the area of Swamp Creek, not that there were so many elk, but the area was just one of a kind for beauty. The mountains were so high with a purple hue, the trees were extremely green, and the October air was clear and crisp. We decided we should give it another try. This year we would be going later in the season for elk with rifles. There was always a good chance of getting some wintry weather and maybe some snow. We would take our chances, but we were always prepared for anything that came up. We have camped out in the worst conditions that nature could throw at us. The area would open for elk around the fifteenth of October; therefore, we Planned on being there as near the opening as possible depending on everyone’s vacation schedule. This year we would be a day or two late for opening day. There was not much hunting Pressure in that area anyway, so a day or so, would not make any difference in finding an elk.
The night before leaving we loaded the trailer house with the usual camping gear and both trucks with motorcycles, extra gas, water generators and anything else we think we might need. This was done so we could get an early start the next morning. We would have about a four-hour drive, longer, if there was snow on the high hills. There were not any problems on the way there′ the weather was clear but cold. The aspen trees were Starting to take on their autumn colors and the tamaracks were turning yellow. In a few days, the bushes would be dropping their leaves giving away the elk’s hiding Places. We camped at a different place than last year. We had the pick of the campsites. There were a couple of camps in the area near the main road. One camp turned out to be Uncle Charlie, and his family. He heard us talk about going back to Swamp Creek again so here he was. He had a large group of people with him, but they had their own camp and would hunt by themselves. We parked the trailer house in a grove of pine trees with the lean-to put up in front to use for the cooking area. It does not take long to put up a comfortable camp and with everything under cover in case of rain or snow. We usually take all the time we need to set up the camp the way we want it, so that the day was about gone when we were done. Nothing else to do but get up a Pinochle game and just waste the rest of the day. We fixed an early supper of hamburgers, hash browns, and a can of pork and beans. Some meals, we make gravy for the hash browns. Cookies and milk were on the menu before turning in for the night.
The next morning, we were up before daylight as planned, so we could have breakfast and be out on the mountain at first light. Breakfast consisted of bacon and eggs, with toast and jelly. We never take the time to do any dishes. Everyone started out in different directions to cover as much ground as possible. Each of us took along a sandwich and some candy bars along with a canteen of water. We have a rule in our group, everyone must have a flashlight, matches, and a canteen of water. No one drinks the mountain water because of the bad bugs in it.
We covered a great deal of the area on the first day. There just were not any animals around at all. The tracks were rare. When we were all back at camp′ We pooled our findings that the elk must have all moved out for some reason.
After two more days of hunting, finding nothing, Mother Nature finally told us why the elk were gone. That night it clouded up and started snowing. By morning there was about eight inches on the ground and still snowing. Elk and deer can sense a bad storm coming in and away they head for the lower elevations. We tried to make the best of the tough situation for a couple more days. The motorcycles were next to useless in that much snow. All we could do was walk to hunt but since there were not any animals around, we loaded up camp and headed for home before more snow fell on us. Uncle Charlie had already packed up his camp and was gone. We still think the area had good possibilities of being a prime hunting spot. We planned to try it one more time next year if all goes Well.