J
jgiles
Guest
LAST EDITED ON Nov-04-09 AT 06:18PM (MST)[p]LAST EDITED ON Nov-04-09 AT 06:18?PM (MST)
LAST EDITED ON Nov-04-09 AT 06:16?PM (MST)
Well this was the first year that I took my Grandpa and Uncle up on there offer to go hunt elk with them. They have been going to the same spot for almost 20 years now. They ask me every year and I either have other hunting commitments or not able to go. So I decided that this year I would make time to go with them. I met them up there on the day before the opener and got my stuff situated in camp. They have a nice setup with the wall tent and everything, so it's a lot different then when I usually go and pack a little tent and MRE?s to eat.
Well enough about that. We went out opening morning and hiked up the hill behind camp and started pushing through the trees at the top of the ridge. There was still some snow left from the Wed. before the hunt started and we could tell that there was elk moving in front of us. This seemed to be the case the whole hunt. The wind I don't think ever stopped blowing up there. Well as it turns out we saw one elk the first day and couldn't see if it was a bull or not running through the trees, so of course we didn't shoot at it. The next day we woke up to new snow on the ground and I thought it was going to be a great day for hunting. We took off from camp on the horses and rode up the mountain a couple of miles. We tied up the horses and hiked around for a few hours and then the snow started to come down sideways. We decided to call it good for that day. I guess elk don't like to move around in blizzards, so day two we saw nothing. I had to leave and head back to work and would come back the following Thursday night. While I was gone the other people in camp saw a few cows and calves here and there, but no bulls.
The morning after I got back to camp we took off hiking again and as usual ended up seeing nothing. After hiking around most of the day we ended up back in camp around 3 pm. The wind was swirling in all directions and I think the elk were out of there before we could even see or hear them. Everyone else was pretty set on just hanging in camp for the rest of the day. I told them I wasn?t going to kill an elk in camp so I said I was going to take a hike up above camp a few miles to a clearing and just set there until dark.
I got to the clearing and set on the south side so the sun wasn?t in my eyes. I had been there for about 45 min. or so and I jsut had this weird feeling that if any elk were going to come in it was going to be right behind me. So I got up moved around the edge of the clearing and set up on the north end of the clearing. I just sat down next to a tree and passed the time away. It was crazy setting in this clearing and watching the wind blow the grass to the left, then the right, then towards me and then away. It couldnt make up its mind. After setting there for an hour and a half or so, I was looking across the clearing and through the trees I start to see little black legs comming towards me. I got pumped up and pulled up my binos to watch. Pretty soon here comes a little calf through the trees. I sat and watched it for about 30 sec. then here comes more legs. The next one was a cow. I was thinking great a cow and a calf what luck. Just about that time I started seeing white ivory tips moving through the trees. I didn't care how big he was as long as he had antlers I was going to take him. I set my gun up on a root that was sticking out from the tree I was setting by and picked a spot he would walk through that I could get a shot. As he approached the spot I started watching through my scope and as soon as his shoulder passed the crosshairs I sqeezed the trigger and they were gone.
What I didn't know was there was about 8-10 elk in this group and the just exploded away from the shot. I took a few minutes to gather myself and walked towards where I shot him at. There was still about an inch of snow on the ground. When I got there I found tracks, tracks and more tracks. The thing that I didn't find was blood. I started to think to myself "How could I miss a 75 yd. shot at a broadside bull while laying in the prone with a good rest." Well I follwed the tracks for aways and nothing. I went back to where I shot from and looked across where I shot him at and made sure I was in the right area looking for blood. Still nothing to be found but tracks.
By this time it is about 1 hour until dark and I was pretty upset that I had missed this bull. I decided that I would just follow the tracks for aways and see if I could at least get back on them. I followed the tracks in the snow and got about 200 yds from where I had shot at the bull. I looked up ahead of me and there standing 25yds away looking right at me was the bull I had shot about 30-45 min ago. I didn't think twice and pulled my gun up and he was turned 1/4ing away from me by this time and I put another one in him about mid section. The cows were still right there and took off running at this time but the bull only went about 25yds. and layed down. It was a miracle to me that he was still standing there when I got to him. So I was just going to let him exspire, but he tried to get up again so I put one in his neck. Well it was over I had myself the second elk I have shot in my life and my first branch antlered bull. I now had about 45min to gut him out and get back to camp. It took me all of 45 min. to gut him by myself and then it was a sprint back to camp to tell everyone the good news.
I made it back to camp and everyone was so excited for me. They didn't shoot anyhting the year before so they were happy to get an elk hanging in camp again. The next morning we took the horses up and got the elk out. Sorry about the pics my camera didn't work the night I got him it was too cold and it said the battery was dead. Then it was an after thought when we started cutting him up. The bull is a 5x6 just barely on the 6 part. Its 6th is barely over an inch but I am going to count it. LOL
Me and my Grandpa
Me and my uncle
Just me
I had an awsome hunt with great friends and family and will never forget it. I want to thank them all for inviting me up on the hunt and helping me get the elk out. Also thanks to all of you that post your pics and stories so I can enjoy them.
LAST EDITED ON Nov-04-09 AT 06:16?PM (MST)
Well this was the first year that I took my Grandpa and Uncle up on there offer to go hunt elk with them. They have been going to the same spot for almost 20 years now. They ask me every year and I either have other hunting commitments or not able to go. So I decided that this year I would make time to go with them. I met them up there on the day before the opener and got my stuff situated in camp. They have a nice setup with the wall tent and everything, so it's a lot different then when I usually go and pack a little tent and MRE?s to eat.
Well enough about that. We went out opening morning and hiked up the hill behind camp and started pushing through the trees at the top of the ridge. There was still some snow left from the Wed. before the hunt started and we could tell that there was elk moving in front of us. This seemed to be the case the whole hunt. The wind I don't think ever stopped blowing up there. Well as it turns out we saw one elk the first day and couldn't see if it was a bull or not running through the trees, so of course we didn't shoot at it. The next day we woke up to new snow on the ground and I thought it was going to be a great day for hunting. We took off from camp on the horses and rode up the mountain a couple of miles. We tied up the horses and hiked around for a few hours and then the snow started to come down sideways. We decided to call it good for that day. I guess elk don't like to move around in blizzards, so day two we saw nothing. I had to leave and head back to work and would come back the following Thursday night. While I was gone the other people in camp saw a few cows and calves here and there, but no bulls.
The morning after I got back to camp we took off hiking again and as usual ended up seeing nothing. After hiking around most of the day we ended up back in camp around 3 pm. The wind was swirling in all directions and I think the elk were out of there before we could even see or hear them. Everyone else was pretty set on just hanging in camp for the rest of the day. I told them I wasn?t going to kill an elk in camp so I said I was going to take a hike up above camp a few miles to a clearing and just set there until dark.
I got to the clearing and set on the south side so the sun wasn?t in my eyes. I had been there for about 45 min. or so and I jsut had this weird feeling that if any elk were going to come in it was going to be right behind me. So I got up moved around the edge of the clearing and set up on the north end of the clearing. I just sat down next to a tree and passed the time away. It was crazy setting in this clearing and watching the wind blow the grass to the left, then the right, then towards me and then away. It couldnt make up its mind. After setting there for an hour and a half or so, I was looking across the clearing and through the trees I start to see little black legs comming towards me. I got pumped up and pulled up my binos to watch. Pretty soon here comes a little calf through the trees. I sat and watched it for about 30 sec. then here comes more legs. The next one was a cow. I was thinking great a cow and a calf what luck. Just about that time I started seeing white ivory tips moving through the trees. I didn't care how big he was as long as he had antlers I was going to take him. I set my gun up on a root that was sticking out from the tree I was setting by and picked a spot he would walk through that I could get a shot. As he approached the spot I started watching through my scope and as soon as his shoulder passed the crosshairs I sqeezed the trigger and they were gone.
What I didn't know was there was about 8-10 elk in this group and the just exploded away from the shot. I took a few minutes to gather myself and walked towards where I shot him at. There was still about an inch of snow on the ground. When I got there I found tracks, tracks and more tracks. The thing that I didn't find was blood. I started to think to myself "How could I miss a 75 yd. shot at a broadside bull while laying in the prone with a good rest." Well I follwed the tracks for aways and nothing. I went back to where I shot from and looked across where I shot him at and made sure I was in the right area looking for blood. Still nothing to be found but tracks.
By this time it is about 1 hour until dark and I was pretty upset that I had missed this bull. I decided that I would just follow the tracks for aways and see if I could at least get back on them. I followed the tracks in the snow and got about 200 yds from where I had shot at the bull. I looked up ahead of me and there standing 25yds away looking right at me was the bull I had shot about 30-45 min ago. I didn't think twice and pulled my gun up and he was turned 1/4ing away from me by this time and I put another one in him about mid section. The cows were still right there and took off running at this time but the bull only went about 25yds. and layed down. It was a miracle to me that he was still standing there when I got to him. So I was just going to let him exspire, but he tried to get up again so I put one in his neck. Well it was over I had myself the second elk I have shot in my life and my first branch antlered bull. I now had about 45min to gut him out and get back to camp. It took me all of 45 min. to gut him by myself and then it was a sprint back to camp to tell everyone the good news.
I made it back to camp and everyone was so excited for me. They didn't shoot anyhting the year before so they were happy to get an elk hanging in camp again. The next morning we took the horses up and got the elk out. Sorry about the pics my camera didn't work the night I got him it was too cold and it said the battery was dead. Then it was an after thought when we started cutting him up. The bull is a 5x6 just barely on the 6 part. Its 6th is barely over an inch but I am going to count it. LOL
I had an awsome hunt with great friends and family and will never forget it. I want to thank them all for inviting me up on the hunt and helping me get the elk out. Also thanks to all of you that post your pics and stories so I can enjoy them.
