Idaho Elk, Mule Deer and Black Bear Blog

The End of Winter and the beginning of Spring Bear Hunts

Tue, 26 Feb 2019 21:52:10 GMT

Anybody else getting antsy yet? I sure as hell am. Stuck working in the cold and watching the weather roll in everyday, just daydreaming of spring.

Down here in Texas we don't get “spring fever” the same as our friends up north. The grass has been green mostly all year, and we have only had a few days that dropped below 30. But I still get worked up being stuck down here in the mud. I want to be in the mountains.

I spend my days dreaming of riding a horse down the ridge lines and across the creek bottoms. That sweet smell of the pines in the early mountain morning, and the daily rain storms that spit on you for just long enough to make you put a raincoat on, but not enough to really need one. I think of the long horseback ride back to camp in the middle of the night, when the only way to know that you're almost home is the smell of the campfire burning somewhere in the dark ahead of you.

But most of all I miss that moment when a bear creeps out in front of the bait, impossibly silent for a predator of that size. When you somehow forget how breathing works, and you have to stop from shaking. It's buck fever, but with touch of spice. Fear. That's what that pit in your stomach is. Because you’re still hunting, but you’re suddenly aware that you might not be as far above the food chain as you thought.

That's what I'm pining for: Spring Bear Hunts.

Castle Creek Outfitters' First Spring Black Bear Hunt of 2018

Tue, 29 May 2018 19:04:00 GMT

This last week (May 13 - 18) was quite a milestone for us here at Castle Creek Outfitters. It was our first hunt since George, Caleb, and myself bought the business! So naturally we decided to send our undisputed best, most capable, freakishly talented, and unbelievably humble guide in to handle this grand first step. I was honored.

The week started like all others: at The Bent Rod. It's where we grab all of our last second gear and meet the hunters we will be spending the week with. From there it's a short 2-hour drive to the trail head. Then we hop in the 5-ton truck to make it across the river and head into camp. For the next 5 days, it's all bear bait, horses, and beautiful Idaho mountains.

As some of you know, bear hunting over a bait can often involve a lot of sitting around and not a lot of getting bear opportunities, so it takes a level of discipline and patience to make a hunt fun and successful. The hunter had that in abundance. After sitting on bear baits for 4 days without so much as an oversized opossum to get our hearts racing, I never even heard a negative word from him. That's what a truly experienced hunter looks like. It was a wonderful attitude that lent itself to success when finally, on the 4th day, we had a hit on the game camera. It was a massive, beautiful, color phase black bear. And boy was he a looker; a big jug-headed, 6-foot boar! Now we had something to be excited about! But with only one day left, a lot rode on this last hunt. We decided to head out at 1 p.m. with nothing to lose, but a deep-seated, somewhat unjustified, belief that this was going to come together.

First thing we did, when we made it to the bait, was to do our best to throw some scent around like confetti. We figured a few pounds of chocolate coffee creamer, 3 scent sticks, and a great deal of cherry sugar would do the trick. Well sure enough our sent stick sacrifice paid off. Just before 6 p.m. a brown blob started sliding across the sage. The hunter knew what to do. With a perfect shot, he took out both the lungs and sure enough, we found the bear less than 80 yards from the bait. Bear down! I couldn't have planned it better if I was the one making the rules.

The only thing better than getting a big bear is getting to earn him. There's no handouts in this country, and things don't always come together, but when they do it's a thing of beauty. I don’t know if there really is such a thing as a perfect hunt, not in my mind at least. But maybe that's part of what makes it so beautiful. You are always getting better and even when everything is done right, it still may not come together. But I believe success without the possibility of failure is a hollow victory. And it's in those moments of doubt that the best hunters stand out, by mindset alone, and cause a subtle change that often dominoes into a very different end-result. It's how some hunters seem to just “get luckier.” If there was a theme for this last week, I think that would be it. The hunt is what you make it, and I can say with great pride, this hunt was a huge success.

“I'm a DIY hunter for the last 25 years and booked my first guided hunt with Castle Creek. They did a great job having the hunt match what I was looking for and provided access to places I could never reach on my own. Great horses/mules, scenery was amazing, warm tents and food was great, this hunt was just what I needed and look forward to hunting with them again.”

CCO's First ClientMay 2018

A Lifelong Dream Fulfilled

Thu, 03 May 2018 21:43:53 GMT

Hello, past and future Castle Creek hunters! We have a big announcement to share with all of you! Castle Creek Outfitters has come under new ownership! We will be offering quality Elk and Mule Deer, and Spring and Fall Black Bear Hunts, in the Salmon-Challis National Forest in Eastern Idaho. We look forward to getting to know all of you as we begin this new journey! George McQuiston, Caleb Bergeleen, and I (Camden Powell) have come together to fulfill a lifelong dream and we purchased Castle Creek Outfitters from Shane McAfee! We will have many more updates to come and we invite you to contact us with any questions you might have. We look forward to getting to know all of you and showing you what we are all about.