Foggy Mountain Elk

R

redrabbit

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LAST EDITED ON Oct-24-10 AT 01:55PM (MST)[p]When the 2010 Arizona elk hunts were published, I noticed that there were a few units that had a rifle bull hunt starting October 22 and running for only four days. Units that had these hunts supposedly have a bull:cow ratio that is above the management objectives. I was going to apply for this hunt anyways in hope that they may be overlooked to some degree, as this was the first year and maybe the last, these hunts were offered. While not trophy rifle hunts about the beginning of October, these had the good chance that they would be right at the peak of second estrus. Most likely the elk would still be bugling, but a question would be if the dominant herd bulls would still be with their harems or would have gone into seclusion. Surprisingly, I drew.

Knowing that the bulls may relocate several miles from their summer area when the rut starts, I made only a few trips during the summer to the unit to look at new areas, but not to locate any specific bull. When I returned from my antelope hunt in Wyoming at the beginning of October, I spent the two weekends before the hunt looking for a good bull. On the first weekend, I glassed up a nice 7x7 and a 350+? 6-point together with a few smaller bulls and many cows. This group was seen from over 2 miles away coming off a small tree-covered rise and into a grassy opening. However, there was also a flock of woolly range maggots (aka sheep) about half a mile away that might eventually alter the elk?s behavior. I did not see the elk the next morning, but I did locate another herd a few miles away in another direction which was moving from a feeding meadow to a bedding ridge covered in cedars.

The following weekend, I went to relocate the larger bulls, but only saw the hundreds of sheep occupying the draw that the elk herd was in the previous weekend. As the sheep and the herd dogs seem to spread out over a quarter mile wide and sweep through the meadow and trees as they bleet, feed and ring their bells, I figured that the elk in that area would may pushed into the canyons and come to the meadows at night to feed. One evening I climbed up a small peak that offered a view into a nearby canyon, but it offered just another nice elkless view.

Trucks were packed with gear and I arrived at hunting camp with friends Ryan and Lindsey Wednesday afternoon for some last day scouting before the hunt began on Friday. Wednesday night, we went to the glassing hill and were only able to locate the second herd of elk, but it only showed spikes and a raghorn. The 7x7 was still invisible.

After a light rain Wednesday night, Thursday morning broke with fog encapsulating our glassing hills.

Fog

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More Fog
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And still more Fog
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After a few hours, the clouds broke enough to reveal the second herd on their bedding ridge, but no sign of the bigger bulls. One solitary spike was also located to the west of the hill moving along a fenceline. Of course, the white range maggots were still present.

Ryan tries glassing through the fog onto the sparsely-treed flats below.
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Thursday afternoon in the drizzle, were went to another area and found a promising ridge and hillside that was glassable. While checking out another draw that the topo map showed having a clearing and tank, a couple of large rubs were seen.
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There were a few elk tracks in the mud, but mostly sheep track again. I checked out another draw but found little sign so I returned a ridge overlooking the other draw with the rubs in hope that a few elk may show at dusk.
Rica looks down into the draw, seeing no game either.
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Ryan and Lindsey went to a different hill to glass for the bigger bulls again. The only things making an appearance that evening was the full moon peeking between the louds and an orange sunset.

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With opening morning a few hours away and the two big bulls not located, I decided that I would be in the second herd?s bedding area for when they arrive in the morning from their feeding meadow. Ryan and Lindsey were going to another hill to glass for bulls.
Dawn of opening morning broke with a fog covering the hill and mountain tops which prevented any serious glassing.

Lindsey waits for the fog to clear.
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I heard a couple of bulls squeal and bugle lightly as the herd approached their bedding area. The singing was coming from a raggy 3-point and a 5x6. The bugling held Rica?s attention while she was leashed to my belt. Oh well, the 7-point was not around.

We then headed to the south side of the canyon where we thought the larger bulls may be in seclusion. Through the light rain, we walked the edge hoping to find an opening that would enable us to see across With more rain and fog coming, we went to camp for a bit to warm up. After the rain stopped, we headed back to the canyon point, but we were going to be optically thwarted by the fog that filled the canyon.

But on the edge of a clearing only a hundred yards away stood three bulls in a clump. When they separated and the chosen bull stood broadside, the rifle barked once. As they ran into the fog, I thought I saw him make a teetering run. A few moments later we could hear his last moaning breaths.

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So ended the elk hunt on Foggy Mountain
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This bull had ivories that are much darker than those I am used to seeing from most bulls in northern Arizona.
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Ballistic note: The 300 WSM was handloaded with 180 grain Swift Scirocco II bullets. The bullet entered about 6? behind the near shoulder, passed though the offside shoulder and was found right underneath the hide. Retained weight was 163 grains with a nice mushroom.


You are welcome to visit my Photo Gallery here http://dougkoepsel.smugmug.com/
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Doug, awesome pics as usual. :) Congrats, and you are making me really get excited to go to 8.

Pred
 
Very nice, love the pictures too.

"I have found if you go the extra mile it's Never crowded".
 
Way to do your homework, and then get the job done!
Great bull and a heck of a good story.
Love the photos
 
>Nice bull, story & photos. Sounds like you had a great hunt.

What he said. Thanks for sharing.

That bull looked like he was quite the fighter!
 
Great story, and pics. Thanks for taking time to share with us. Love those ivories. They indicare, he was an older bull.
 
LAST EDITED ON Oct-26-10 AT 06:50PM (MST)[p]That's awesome Doug!
Doug is a great guy, he helped me out on an AZ hunt a number of years back.
Good you you, you deserve it.
BTW, Thomas & I drove past the RV dealer's place in Belemont right after that tornado hit...HOLY COW!

Hope that thing didn't getcha.

Anyways, good job, you're one of the good guys!
HH
 
Thank you BB.

Harry, I think about 8 tornadoes touched down that day in northern AZ, the closest being about 10 miles south of the house. An archer friend works next door to Camping World, and they were untouched. The worst injury that day from the Bellemont tornado was a broken arm.

You are welcome to visit my Photo Gallery here http://dougkoepsel.smugmug.com/
The-Wave-9-15-10edited_210.jpg
 
Nice pics and nice story Doug! Congrats on your fine bull looks like you had a great trip and made the most of it in spite of BAAAAAAAAA & weather! Nice job!
 
Beautiful pics, makes up for your dog being ugly. Kidding.

Is that a wire hair or one of those poodle crosses?
 
LAST EDITED ON Oct-30-10 AT 11:10AM (MST)[p]>Beautiful pics, makes up for your
>dog being ugly. Kidding.
>
>Is that a wire hair or
>one of those poodle crosses?

Rica is a GWP.
Funny it that when I first got her and went to my sister's house, my sister's very first comment was "She's Ugly!" Of course, my sister has a tiny white foofoo Maltese.

Dirtygrass, your buddy looks to have a pretty slick coat. Much better in the stickers and burrs.

Doug~RR

You are welcome to visit my Photo Gallery here http://dougkoepsel.smugmug.com/
The-Wave-9-15-10edited_210.jpg
 
Redrabbit, I brought Buddy with me deer scouting and found out he likes to chase deer. We were walking up a ridge and he smelled something and took off down a hill into some tall pinion. When he came out into a clearing he was 5 yards behind a small buck so I called him back. The next couple times we went scoting I kept him closer to me and when his ears perked up and looked up wind there was always deer. Kind of cool, I know the DOW doesn't like it but.....
 
Rica is usually on a short retractable leash attached to my hipbelt. That way I do not have to keep track of her whereabouts and call out loud to bring her back.

On this elk hunt, we had about 6 cow elk pass in front of us at 20 yards. Rica stood motionless and quiet. We got some stares, but they did not bolt or give an alarm bark.

You are welcome to visit my Photo Gallery here http://dougkoepsel.smugmug.com/
The-Wave-9-15-10edited_210.jpg
 

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