Bill's Nevada Hunt
Page Three
First posted October 25, 2010 Last edited November 2, 2010

Tuesday Oct 26 Sixth Day of Deer Season

I have a bit of a cold, so I woke up during the night. Nothing else to do, so I checked the temperature in Ely. 24° at 2 am, 21° at 6 am. According to the US Weather Bureau, there is a 3.5° drop in temperature for each 1000 feet elevation change. So if Ely is 21°, Bill is about 14°.

Weather report for our hero is sunny with clear to light high overcast skies, no precipitation until Saturday, with winds 7-16 mph. High today (adjusted for elevation) is 39°, low tonight 7°

My best guess is that Bill does not have one down and will be moving to a new area. Hopefully he does not have to break camp, but most likely will just drive to the new area. Can't wait until he gets back with his story.

Update 6:30 pm: No word from our hero, hit a high of 41° today (34° at Bill's elevation), got a little cloudy but no precipitation, mostly sunny, wind mild at 5 mph. Should have been good hunting weather. Tonight is now predicted to be 16° (9° at elevation). Tomorrow is about the same, so it should also be good weather for hunting. Since the snow got called off, I doubt Bill will come in just yet. We may not hear from him for a while.

 

Wednesday Oct 27 Seventh Day of Deer Season

Was 16 degrees in Ely this morning...wind of 8 mph, feels like 5 degrees with wind chill. Probably colder at 8,000 feet...Brrrrr.
 

Ted Eyre  


The forecast is for mostly sunny and a high of 47° at 6000 (about 40° at 8000), so it should be cold but good hunting. Bill is hunting game management unit 111, the season is from Oct 21 to Nov 5, so he has plenty of time. I anticipate we will hear from him when he takes a rest day sometime soon.

4pm update: No word from our hero. The weather stayed great today, with clear skies. Temp is 40° if you include the 10 mph windchill factor, at elevation the temp may well be below 33 if the wind is higher there. Right now the forecast is for cold but clear, so hopefully the hunting will be good. We await Bill's report, to see how close these predictions are, based on the Internet.

Thursday, Oct 28 Eighth Day of Deer Season

We are now into the second week of hunting, with the weather turning downright balmy: today's high might be 57 and tomorrow 63. Tonight's low barely goes below freezing (28). The wind will be mild at 8 mph, the sun is out, so the hunting should be good. Right now, because Bill has not checked in, we are left guessing if he is butchering a buck and putting it into plastic bags, snug in his tent; or if he has seen lots of smaller ones and is waiting for Mr Big; or if he is driving to another remote area of the Schell Range in hopes of seeing any antlers at all. The season extends to Nov 6, so he is in no rush to take a small one. Mom has promised to call right after he checks in, and I will post it to this site.

5 pm: Bill called Mom while she was sleeping, left a brief message. No deer down, slim pickin's, will be moving to Horse Canyon on the east side of Becky (see maps here). Just one teaser: a cougar came into camp! (Boys: keep your sidearm handy!) He is in good spirits, the weather is not getting him down, Mom said he sounded happy. Good news! More when he checks in again.

Friday, October 29  Ninth day of deer season

No further word from Bill, so he must have just nipped into town for steaks and coffee (no need for a bath, he has only been in the field for 11 days) and a fast call to Mom, and then headed back out into the field. After all, this is the deer season, there are no deer in town, so where else should you be?

Weather is rather warm for late October in Nevada, high of 58° and a low of 36°. However, the forecast is ominous: 70% chance of precip tomorrow (should have stayed in town!), with a high of 45°.

While we are waiting for an update from our hero, here is another cartoon, based on Craig's and my misadvantures in Wyoming last year: http://www.davidlnelson.md/Wyoming/Buckminster_Antler/Cartoon_35.htm

Saturday, October 30   Tenth day of deer season

Sunday, October 31   Eleventh day of deer season

Monday, November 1   Twelveth day of deer season

No word from Bill over the weekend. Saturday around 10 am was 44, with a high predicted of 46 and a low of 26. It was supposed to be sunny all day. Sunday was about the same. Now the prediction is for the week to be sunny with a high of 70 on Thursday, with temps still hovering around freezing every night. Bill should be doing well. 

He has been on Becky Peak before, but this is still mostly a new area. This takes a new set of hunting skills. Unlike the Ranch, where we all have hunted for years and know likely places and unlikely places, Nevada is forcing Bill to size up the place mostly on his first visit there. His skills as a hunter are really being tested.

 All of this is speculation, and I am dying to see how close I am when he returns to tell his tale. Until then, here is another Wyoming Funny for you:  http://www.davidlnelson.md/Wyoming/Buckminster_Antler/Cartoon_37.htm

Tuesday, November 2   Thirteenth day of deer season

The Giants won the World Series, and I bet Bill was listening in on his radio. He keeps one with him mostly for the weather report, but I have heard him listening to baseball in the past, so hopefully he was able to share in this World Series game.  (I have been at kids' concerts for two of the games, but the audience was kept abreast of the score and the inning by the stage manager!)

No word from Bill, but the weather is so good right now he has no reason to come into town if he does not have one down. Highs have zoomed up to 75° for Thursday and may hit a balmy 35 degrees at night (have to throw off that comforter). Three days left in the season.

It is no substitute for a tale from Bill, but lacking that, it is the best I can do is offer you another edition of the Wyoming Funnies. This is the last one that I have done, so enjoy it. (These take about 12 hours to do, what with my poor drawing skill, and coloring adds a lot to the impact and the enjoyment, but it sure adds to the time. Doing Bill's camo is the worst when it comes to time; note the pants and shirts are always different patterns).

http://www.davidlnelson.md/Wyoming/Buckminster_Antler/Cartoon_38.htm

Note that the brand of fan is Acme; Bucky gets his supplies from the same place that Wile E Coyote, of Road Runner fame, gets his. I am also trying to put a bit of motion into each figure, even if they are standing still. For a hand surgeon, however, I still have a long way to go for drawing hands.

Wednesday, November 3   Fourtheenth day of deer season

The weather has chilled a mite, down to daily highs of 65° and nights the same, around freezing. Still supposed to be sunny. Thinking each day about Bill, hope he is OK and that he is having a good time hunting. Can't wait for the stories.

Weather today is predicted to have a high of 65 degrees and sunny, with clouds moving in for Fri-Sun and snow 50% chance by Monday. Elk season will be snow!

Thursday, November 4   Fifteenth day of deer season

Second to last day of the season today, so the pressure is on.  We did not hear from Bill overnight, so he is still out in the field. He might have one down and be butchering it right now, but that is like hoping in the bottom of the ninth that your team can overcome a 4-2 deficit (think second game of the World Series).

Friday, November 5   Sixteenth day of deer season

This is the last day of the deer season, hopefully our hero has got one down. No word. 

Next: Elk Season!

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