MONROE ELK HUNT

CAelknuts

CAelknuts

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This is very cool. I'm sitting here in camp, and I have internet service via a Sprint cellular connection! It is 9:20, we got camp set up around 5:00 and then went for a bit of a look before dark, not much around, though we saw some deer.

As I'm typing this, there is a bull bugling, grunting and carrying on about 200 yards from camp. They may not be that far as I can hear an occasional cow chirp, but the wind is blowing directly from them toward us and it is black dark out, so who knows?

On our way up onto the mountain today, we passed under Monroe Mountain around 3:30, at 3:50 I pulled over while we were on some private ground, shut the truck off and got out my computer. My buddy, Nick, asked me what the heck I was doing. I told him that one of my fantasy football leagues has our live draft at 4:00, and I didn't want to miss it. He thought I was off my freaking rocker! So, while we're sitting there and I'm doing the draft, a bull lights up bugling about 150 yards from the truck, and over the next half hour we saw perhaps 5-6 elk, with the big bull being a 6 pt. but couldn't tell how big since he was walking through the trees while I was drafting my team. I got a heck of a good team, too. Peyton Manning, Brian Westbrook, Ryan Grant, Dallas Clark, Mason Crosby, New England defense, Plaxico Burress, and several other good players who don't come to mind at the moment. It was kinda cool doing the draft and telling the other guys who were online that I was doing it from a 10,000 foot mountain while elk were bugling right outside my pickup. I got some puzzled responses, as you can imagine.

I'm going to try to post updates at least every other day, hopefully more often. It should be fun. While we were in Richfield today, buying some last minute groceries at Wal-Mart, I got in the checkout line, and the guy in front of me looked familiar, so I walked right up to him and asked "Are you Doyle Moss?" It was, never met him before and I have to say that he was very friendly and outgoing. He took time to talk for about five minutes about the hunt and then he and his lovely wife headed out to their pickup. They're camped a couple miles away. For all the bad things some people say about him, I have to say that he was pretty straight up and willing to talk about the hunt, even though he knew I had a tag for the hunt he's guiding on. He made a good first impression on me, I have to give him that.

Well, I have to get to bed now, it's getting late and there is NO OXYGEN up here, so I'm going to turn in. I hope I can fall asleep if this darn bull will quit bugling and grunting. I'll check back tomorrow or Tuesday with an update.
 
Yay! Thanks for the update! I've been wondering about you. Snuggle up...big cold front a' comin'!

GOOD LUCK!
 
Good luck, I hope you get a giant. Domestic responsibilities kept me home for Labor Day Weekend for the first time in 21 years and I've got to tell you, your post killed me, sitting at home on my computer isn't near as fun as being on the mountain listening to bugling elk! Looking forward to your story, good luck!

Dub
 
Yeah, I know it's supposed to get colder. Doyle Moss told me the most recent weather forecast he heard called for SNOW up here tomorrow, then clearing and getting nice.

There are elk right outside of camp right now. Just heard one kick a log and lots of mewing and some bugling every now and then....

going to bed now.
 
Go get her done.

Sitting her with wife next to me and she drew a bull tag here in Idaho and she wishes she could take her laptop. LOL
I was laughing at her.

Good luck on your hunt.
 
An internet feed from the elk hunt! Keep us posted! They do that when climbing Mt. Everest too.

If you met Doyle, the spider bull has to be close! Keep your eyes open!:)

Good luck Dan!

Eel
 
Dang, now all we need is a live feed so we can watch your burn your marshmellows over the fire!!

Who needs to leave the house anymore, we have "cyber camping"!!!







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LAST EDITED ON Sep-01-08 AT 09:56AM (MST)[p]It is hailing here in SLC with 60 mile per hour winds and I can see snow on Lone Peak. I hope you guys on Monroe are snug as a bug in a tent playing cards.

"One nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."
 
LAST EDITED ON Sep-01-08 AT 11:16AM (MST)[p]Good Luck.

It's good to see I'm not the only one "obsessed" with fantasy football. LOL
 
"Dang, now all we need is a live feed so we can watch your burn your marshmellows over the fire!!"

LMAO!

Eel
 
Good Heavens, CA...that ain't elk huntin!!! i'll have to send over my camp jack (yah, as if) to bring you a cappucino in the mornings, and you can loan me some Grey Poupon, ok? LOL

Come on over to my camp this week, I have NO cell service, NO internet anything, NO TV, etc.

So if you want to still meet in Richfield sometime the next couple weeks, let me know or coordinate with Rick. I'm back briefly this weekend, then back down until I stick a darn bull or break a leg tryin!!
 
LAST EDITED ON Sep-01-08 AT 03:19PM (MST)[p]First off, Pred, don't say anything about breaking a leg. Larry and Bo told me that you have a special knack for that type of thing, so you probably shouldn't joke about it.

It was windy as heck this morning, probably 25-30 steady with gusts over 50 up on top. Also, it rained a lot on the north end of the unit this morning, enough that my pickup slid off the edge of the road just above Manning Meadows Res. Just as I was getting out of the pickup to look at my dilemna, who drives up but the Forest Service biologist, who offered assistance but we didn't need any, fortunately. I just drove down off the edge of the road, went bouncing out through some sage brush and back up onto the road. We then had a good laugh watching him fishtail down the road in front of us, as it was slicker than owl sh*t (however slick that might be?!) After it quit raining, it dried out quickly with all the wind and the fact that everything was pretty dry before it started coming down.

We finished setting camp up, and then the other non-resident tag holder pulled into camp to introduce himself. He's camped only about 500 yards down the road from us. He's hunting alone and has seen about 100 bulls in eight days, but nothing that he's wanted and has had a chance to shoot yet. He's coming over in a few days for a salmon BBQ, for some of the fish I caught in Alaska last week. Good guy, I've known him from Bowsite for a while, so it was nice to meet.

We mostly just drove around, windshield scouting this morning since we're not used to the altitude yet and I wasn't going to get soaking wet on September 1st with dry weather forecast the rest of the way. We drove clear to the south end of the unit, amost to Forshea Mtn, eliminated a bunch of country. We did find one interesting spot this morning. We were driving down a road through some very thickly forested country when we came upon a tree felled across the road. It was pretty obvious that someone doesn't want anyone hunting in there, so I'm curious to see what kind of bull motivated someone to do that. Time will tell, as that's where I'll probably hunt this evening.

Balz, thanks for the tips, I plan on checking those spots out on our way back up this mountain in an hour or so. Predator, I'll leave you a PM with information on how we might be able to connect after you get your monster bull.

Out for now.
 
Gee Thanks CAelknutz!
Reading your "play by play" is just like being there, i don't think i'll even leave the house this year, feels like i'm already there, minus the $500 in gasoline!!Lol

Check my tinfoil dinner, i think i can hear it sizzling!!

Keep us updated!! :7







48288e6577d023b6.jpg
 
LAST EDITED ON Sep-01-08 AT 06:41PM (MST)[p]LAST EDITED ON Sep-01-08 AT 06:40?PM (MST)

CAelknuts,
WOW, Ok this is better than a video,keep us posted !!

I will be there in 12 days !!!!

Bullmania
 
We ended up only seeing the one bull today, the one in the rain up on Monroe Peak. We did see about 5,000 quads and pickups full of 'sportsmen' (I use that term VERY loosly). We'd pass these trucks where I think the whole family must have been in the truck, with benches in the bed, and people facing outward in every direction with nocked arrows! YIKES!!!!

Now that most of the campers and such pulled off the mountain at dark, perhaps the elk will get back to normal. It really seems like all the activity pushed the elk back into the thickets today, as we didn't hear a single bugle or see a single elk after about 8:00 this morning.

Tomorrow is a new day, it's clear and starry. Colder too, about 35 degrees at 9:30 still some wind. Gotta run now, have to head off to bed.
 
Good Luck down there this week! Looking forward to reading and seeing all the pics :)

Cheers,
Pete
 
Hey Dan,
Glad to hear you made it up ok. That slime around Manning Meadows is unreal.. Like you said, slicker than hell!
That is pretty wild that you can keep in touch from the mountain! Did you bring your webcam? then we can watch you toast mellows like Slam said.
I'll slip up one of these evening and take ya up on the fish fry. PM me with your camp location. I left my wife up on the Fishlake so I can slip up and visit.
Keep in touch and keep us all posted as to how the hunt is going. Once all the weekend warriors get off the hill tonight things should start picking up.
Later
Rick
 
CAelknuts,

Thanks for the updates, like others have said, its almost like being there! Hope you have a great hunt and connect on a great bull.
 
Dan,

Glad that you finally made it up here! Just like Rick said, things will get MUCH better now that the HOLIDAY folks are off the Mountain! It is cooling off too!!!! There was frost on my lawn here in Monroe this morning!!!!! The bulls should really start to heat up now!

I am headed to Salt Lake City for a couple days to work, then I will be back down, I will try to make it up and see you guys. Maybe Rick and I can take a ride up and see how things are going!
 
KEEP THE INFO COMING. PRETTY COOL TO HAVE THE INFO THIS FRESH. BEST OF LUCK AND KILL A BIG ONE!!!!
 
Yeah, keep posting, its cool to hear the stories. And to think you could come upon "the" elk of the year any hour of any day there. Wow. I want to hear that you laid eyes on him, or whacked him!!!
 
No service tonight? Or Bull Down and your packing him out...? Enjoy the music tonight. I hope you brought some ear plugs so that those elk don't keep you up all night. Thanks for sharing.

CS

"Helping turn good tags, into great ones." - www.vipoptics.com
 
You mentioned a tree that fell across the road. We'll who would have done that? One of the oldest tricks in the book and someone who's hunting in your area has been busted for doing that before. Sounds like Spider could be in the area. Good Luck.
 
a felled tree in the road? I'm sure it wasn't moss covered! Watch out for the broken down truck in the road that just happens to break down at an impassable spot and the truck just mysteriously turned sideways!
 
RE: We had an awesome evening

Last night, it cleared off and got cold. When I went to bed, I couldn't help but take a few moments to enjoy one of the most star filled skies I've ever seen, and the Milky Way was very bright directly overhead. It is great how bright and abundant the stars are from up here at nearly 9,600 feet.

When we left the pickup this morning, it was 24 degrees and we expected to hear lots of elk music. Long story short, we saw a few cow elk, heard little bit of subdued bugling and saw two guys on motorcycles, plus some guys on quads. Morning was basiclly a bust, other than enjoying a doe deer that spent about 10 minutes feeding right around us in archery range. We had the wind, and even though she saw us, she wasn't spooky and she made the morning.

The afternoon was another story. We went to town for dry ice, gas and showers, then headed back up the mountain. I wanted to check out a spot that a couple people had told me about, where they'd seen a nice bull hanging about a week ago. We got there around 4:00, after negotiating a very rough and rocky road that is better suited to a quad than my pickup. Anyway, we parked the truck up on a knoll where we had a 360 degree view and I set up my 15 power Swarovskis on a tripod. We glassed a while, then I decided it was nap time. After I woke up around 5:00, here comes a quad. The guy was obviously scouting as he had no bow, and he drove past us heading right up where we expected to see elk. A minute later, back he came and stopped to visit for a moment. He was trying to find a certain trail, so I got out my maps and showed him how to get where he wanted to go. He then introduced himself as Kalen Lemon, and asked how my hunt had been so far. When I told him it had started slowly, he gave me a spot to check out where some of the other guides he's working with have been seeing some nice bulls, though not the certain one they're looking for, our buddy Spider. After that, he took off.

About five minutes later, a bunch of elk started coming out of the aspens right up where he'd been headed when he first passed us. Pretty soon, a nice 6 pt. bull came out following the cows and calves, and then more cows and finally another nice 6 point. They traveled down below us, so we gathered up our gear and took off to get in front of them. It worked pretty well, as they passed by us at just under 100 yards. The whole time we were doing this, there was a guy in a pickup way up higher on the mountain who was watching us, plus a guy on a quad. I'm guessing the bigger bull would score somewhere in the 330s, a very nice bull but not what I want this early in my hunt. The second bull was a bit smaller and had a broken left G5. We could have had some fun with these bulls, as the herd bull chased the sattellite to 86 yards of us, and we had a Montana decoy, but I didn't want to educate them, so we just watched them till they went out of sight. Here is where the evening got special.....

We then headed back to my pickup, which was only a few hundred yards away. We stayed there for a while glassing with the big glasses, and just before we were going to head out, we heard the damndest loud screeching about 400 yards to the south, up in the aspens. Pretty soon, I saw two cows and three calves and they were acting very skittish. They kept running up and then down the hill and always watching down below. I thought there might be another bull coming so I kept my Swarovskis pointed that way. Just a few minutes later, Nick started heading back toward me from where he was glassing about 50 yards to the south of me. As he approached, I pointed to where the elk were and said they're might be a bull as they're acting real skittish. He looks that way and exclaims "There's a lion!" I looked up on the slope, and he quickly said "No, right there by the quad trail." I took my eyes off the binoculars and HOLY COW!!! 93 yards away (I measured it with my rangefinder after he snuck off) there is this large mountain lion facing us, staring right at us. I quickly trained my big binoculars on him, and we stared at each other for a good five minutes, with him not moving a muscle. The lighting was prefect, as the setting sun was behind and over my right shoulder and the lion just shined in that rich light. Through the big Swarovskis, I could count the individual whiskers on his cheeks and see not only his pink nose and golden eyes, but also the black pupils. I don't think he blinked once and he didn't move a muscle for the entire time we stared at each other. That was about the most intenst stare I've ever seen from any animal. We kept saying how great it would be to get a picture, but the camera was in the pickup and we didn't want to spook him by walking around, so we just watched and enjoyed the sight very much.

Finally, he crouched down like he was going to sneek, and we thought we were going to get to see him up close. Instead, he turned to his left and snuck toward where the 2 cows and 3 calves had gone. About a minute later, all hell broke loose down below us. There was big time crashing sounds and then all was quiet. I commented to Nick that he must have put a sneak on those elk. We snuck over to the edge of the hill but it was too steep and brushy to see anything. Back at the truck, we glassed for a couple minutes and pretty soon we saw the elk heading up a hill about 500 yards away, and one calf was missing. With that we decided to head out as it was getting toward dark and the road was very bad and I didn't want to damage a tire crawling out of there.

On the way home, I decided to go over to the Mossback camp, as I knew that Kalen and Wade Lemon are lion hunters. He was very friendly when he stopped at my pickup a few hours ealier, so I figured that telling him where he might find a big lion on a fresh kill would be a nice thing to share. Those kind of opportunities don't come along often, so I thought it would be appreciated. When I got there, Doyle Moss came out to see who was coming into his camp. It was kinda dark, I told him it was the guy he met at Walmart on Sunday. Immediately, he warmed up and asked how my hunt was going and if he could help me. I asked if Kalen was back and related the story about the lion and how I thought he might want to get after it tomorrow. Doyle told me that lion season is open and he has a tag himself. Just about then, Kalen pulled up on his quad, so the story got repeated. He thanked me and then said that there are only two units where lion season isn't open now, and Monroe is one of them. He said this unit is on a draw, as they're doing a lot of research of lions up here, so Doyle was out of luck. He wanted to know if the lion was collared, and when I indicated it was not, Kalen said that he was going to try to reach the hunter who has been catching and collaring lions up here, in the hope that they can catch him tomorrow and put a radio collar on him.

I am completely confident that nobody knows where the spider bull is. I've seen these guys going all over looking for him, and where I saw them tonight convinces me that nobody knows where he's gone to. While we were talking, Doyle asked why I didn't shoot that 330 class bull this evening. I thought that was funny as I didn't menion the elk to him. He then told me that he was the guy on the quad who was up the mountain watching the show down below. He could see the elk, me and my pickup and he thought I was going to shoot the bull. I told him I'm hoping to kill a bigger bull, so left him alone when I realized he wasn't what I wanted. I then mentioned where I might hunt in the morning, and he said I should give it a good effort in there, as there is a good bull that is really wide and would score higher than I'm looking for. He said they've seen it a number of times, and what he told me confirmed what a buddy of mine said about this bull before I left home to come back here. I'm not going to make any comments about how these guys are hunting, other than to say that they've been very gracious towards me and haven't interfered with my hunting at all. In fact, Doyle asked where I was camping so he could give me some intel later in the week if I still haven't got a bull. They've been pretty darned friendly each time I've come across them. I don't think any of us can say that about all the people we come across out on the forest.

Gotta get to bed now, getting an early start to go look for this bull. He's supposed to be 350s-360s class and if I get a chance, I'll shoot him.
 
RE: We had an awesome evening

Dan.................WOW is all I can say....GREAT STORY!!

I love that you are keeping us up to date on all the happenings! It is killing me that I am not up there! I need to start looking for our Muzzy tag.

I hope to make it up there on Friday if you are still around...I will try and find you.
 
RE: We had an awesome evening

Dan, Your story so far, just couldn't be any better. Much appreciated and please keep up the good work! This is stuff of great campfire stories to be repeated for a long, long time.

Joey
 
RE: We had an awesome evening

LAST EDITED ON Sep-03-08 AT 02:23AM (MST)[p]Dan,

I have to say this is almost as exciting as being there. I love hunting...it is like christmas, new years, and my birthday wrapped into one. This is the first year that I haven't been able to hunt....It has been tough for me, but for a good reason. My wife is about to give birth to our third child..literally any day. I look every night for a new post and enjoy reading. You do a great job of describing the hunt so that I can picture it. Thanks for sharing...helps me through the season!!!! Good luck and I'm pulling for you....can't wait to see the PIC's.

Inmysights
 
RE: We had an awesome evening

This is better then Penthouse readers Forum!! Thanks for the play by play. Good luck!
 
LOVE IT! Play-by-play semi live, way too cool! Thanks for your time in doing this! Best of luck, I cant wait to check back in sunday after my own elk excursion that starts this afternoon.
 
Dan,

I cant wait till tomorrow morning so that I can read todays adventures. It has been a great story so far, and the only thing that will make it better is me reading about your kill and seeing the pics of your great bull tomorrow morning.

Thanks for taking the time.


Jeff
 
RE: We had an awesome evening

I'm loving these updates, Dan! This thread is going down in history as "Best Elk Hunting Posts of 2008" for sure.

Now go kill a big one, man!!

Jenn
 
LAST EDITED ON Sep-03-08 AT 08:59AM (MST)[p]check out the Cove Mt. area near the burn-- there is a 6x7 that would score around 370. I don't dare get more specific than that. It might ruin someones plans.
 
RE: We had an awesome evening

Great stories, are you a writer? j/k Your stories are making me anxious to get back down there, my uncle is down there with a tag, I'm planning on coming down this weekend, maybe I'll stop by, I'm assuming you're near Barney?
 
After reading all this, I decided to reply to this thread so I could get automatic emails telling me when a new post comes up on this thread. This is really neat, and You've pretty much confirmed what I've always thought about Doyle, and his guides. They work hard, and really cover the country.
 
Awesome story. I am headed out in less than 2 weeks for my hunt. This is keeping me all fired up. Good luck and stick a great bull. I look forward to reading more. Tell Predator I said hello. She is a great friend of mine.

Dave
 
RE: We had an awesome evening

Hey awesome story. Can't wait to see the pictures and read the story of you getting Spidey;) Good luck.


Curt Mayer
Laramie, WY
Kaycee, WY
 
Omegaman i"m jealous, being able to check out MM at work reminds me of the good old days of web surfing.MM has been web sensed at my work for about 3 years now.
 
I think a lot of us here are waiting on your every word CAelknuts. Great story and keep workin' hard. We'll stay tuned.
 
I'm hooked! I can't wait for the next installment!

Good luck!!

Aim Center Mass
rifleman.gif
 
This is fun to read. I keep waiting to read about your kill and it will be exciting for all when we can. Thanks for the updates.
 
Its getting late. Where is the post?? Maybe your hands are to bloody to get on the keyboard.

Great play by play. Glad your having a great hunt. You got the right idea. Cant kill the big one if shoot the small ones.

Hope you make a post tonight.
 
Pretty cool thread!!! Kinda like those 'live hunts' they post over on bowsite front page! ;-)

Go CAelknuts!!! We're all pulling for you!

S.

:)
 
Yea it is late and no word. MAYBE SOME EXCITING NEWS!!! Way to pull a crowd in and keep us all at home on the edge of our seats. You are probably the one hunter that has so many other hunter pulling for you and wishing you good luck!!! You make us almost fill that we are right there with you. Keep the updates coming and BEST OF LUCK TO YOU!!!
 
Well, it's now 10:23 and we just got back to camp and had a quick gourmet dinner of Cup of Noodles and getting ready to head off to bed. I have to be brief tonight, as I'm just about out of battery life, and have to charge my computer up tomorrow.

This morning, we found a nice 6 pt bull with about a dozen cows. They, and we, were pretty high up when it got light. Pretty soon, I can hear "BBRRRRR" and the quads are heading our way. The first guy drives right past us, and I don't think he even saw us, even though I was laying against a log not 10 feet from the trail. The second guy waved as he went by, and then we went back to watching the elk till they fed over the top when the sun hit them. We then continued our hike toward the top. We met the quad warriors headed back down and the first guy blew right past me again, only this time he saw me since I was standing next to the trail. His buddy was a ways behind, and he stopped and shut his quad down. My highlight of the day was asking him "Do you guys ever actually hunt, or just ride these things around all day?" I then told him that they'd driven within 300 yards of a nice herd bull, but never knew it since they were too busy four wheeling. We hiked up to the crest at 10,713 feet and man was that high. Feeling a lot better now, but was still a little light headed up there. In all, we hiked about 5 miles today.

The evening was a bust. We hunted over in the Cove Mountain region, in a nice looking area, but saw no elk and never heard a peep. Tomorrow, we're heading to some thick country where I'm told some bulls are hanging out. It's really steep and thick, so if I kill a bull in there, he'll have to be very big.

I'll try to respond to those who've sent private messages, but I just don't have enough battery left right now. Also, thanks for the tip about the burn, we'll try to check it out.

Good night.
 
Good luck. I have to agree with many others. This is a pretty dang cool post.
 
"Tomorrow, we're heading to some thick country where I'm told some bulls are hanging out. It's really steep and thick, so if I kill a bull in there, he'll have to be very big."

Who's ready to go hunting?! Enjoying the updates.
 
Dan, put on your bigboy pants in the morn, go it that thick,steep,nasty stuff,..and put a big one down!! Were all pull'n for you, and thank's for the updates.
Mike
 
Dan,
Sorry I didn't catch up with you tonight. I got to your camp about 15 minutes before dark and stayed until after 9:15. I was really hoping you were tracking or draggin out a big stinky. I had left my big coat in town and decided to head down before it got "really" cold on the atv. I'll try to get up again later.
Good luck tomorrow on killing that big one in the nasty stuff.
Rick
 
About the guys on the wheelers, I'd bet they are content to cruise. Nothing wrong with that. Now if they complain about not seeing any critters, that's another story. I'm just glad you didn't jump their case for messing up your hunt. Nothing erks me more than when someone whines that a atv screwed up the hunt for them. If a guy hunts that close to a road or trail, that's factor you may have to deal with.

Thanks for the interesting updates. I hope drill a good one soon. The suspense is killing me.
 
What a post!!!! Great read and I of course am like everyone else and lovin' it. I can't wait to hit the hills again this weekend. Thanks CAELK for reminding us what we live for.
redelkarcher>>>------------------>
 
CA
I believe you have captured the true purpose of this forum! Reading this post is like sitting at your campfire every night and hearing your stories of the day. It is the next best thing to being there with you. I can't wait for your post tomorrow. Thanks for sharing and good luck! We are all pulling for you!
 
CAelknutsd,
I have a LE Dutton Muzzy tag and the only thing that is keeping my sanity right now is your post everyday. Thanks and good luck.
OMB


There's room for all of God's creatures, right next to the mashed taters and gravy.
 
Great post, I had my once in a lifetime
Utah tag last year, you are reminding
me of all the fun, memories, and
frustration I had last year.

Good luck and HUNT HARD!
 
This is by far the best thread I have ever read. As someone said earlier, keep em coming. You are making my wait much easier. Leave for unit 27, AZ bull on Wednesday.

Smoke a toad CAELKNUTS.
 
LAST EDITED ON Sep-04-08 AT 02:53PM (MST)[p]

I've got a bit of time to update everyone, as I'm sitting here at a cabin, charging up my computer battery.

This morning, we decided to check out a steep and thick area that I thought would hold some elk, it did. We no sooner got 100 yards from the truck, then we heard a muted bugle off in the timber. We worked around with that bull for about 1 1/2 hours, and he'd grunt every now and then, but that was about it. He was within 100 yards of us, it seemed, for most of that time. If he'd have come in, the farthest shot I'd have been able to take would have been about 25-30 yards, it was that thick. Anyway, he finally wsent silent and last we heard was a stick break that was getting toward being upwind of us. With that, we decided to head back to the truck to check out some other spots.

As soon as we reached the small meadow where I'd parked in the dark, we found a wallow, then another and another and so on. I think there are five or six wallows right there within 100 yards of each other. We walked around and checked for places I could hang a treee stand, but finally decided that the best opportunity would be on the ground, since it was so thick and would allow me to play the wind better.

Just as we were putting our stuff in the pickup, I glanced across the park to my left and I couldn't believe what I was looking at.....

This big 6x6 bull is strolling by at 75 yards, and seems oblivious to us. We were already at the pickup when he came out, and we weren't moving around much, so he must have just thought we were no big deal. He was covered with mud, and proceeded to walk over to the largest of the wallows and kneel down to freshen up a bit. He then bugled right at us a few times and I guess he finally thought better of what he was doing, as he got up and walked off into the trees. No, there was no opportunity to shoot him, but if I see him again, he's definitely the class of bull I'm hoping to take. I'd guess his spread to be in excess of 40" and main beams are over 50", I'm sure. His tine lenght is good, but not overly long, and his mass is average for a bull that size. I have a pretty good idea of what I think he'll score, but will hold my guess for now. I've been known to misjudge a bull a time or two. Suffice it to say, that if this bull presents a shot opportunity, I won't be hunting any longer unless I miss. He is one of those I'd have shot the first morning size.

I have to go now, my battery is just about charged and I have a wallow to sit over this evening. I'll check in again late tonight to let you all know if I see anything. Of course, if you don't hear from me, I might be breaking down a bull under hte stars....

Rick, sorry I missed you. You were welcomed to more than you took.
 
Great stories!! Although I have found a bit of mis-truth in one of them. I simply cannot believe that you had a run in with Doyle and his crew and are still alive to tell about it. I'm pretty sure if you had been that close to him, he would have tried to kill you, and then close off the roads, and then hunt some posted property!! Other than that, great stories!!







(I feel the need to let people know that I was joking, since many people like to jump to conclusions. I've hunted with Kalan before, and was very impressed)
 
been loving this from the start and so glad you have kept after it. we all thank god for your updates. any way get in there. you know he is using it and around what time. wait for him or better if it comes. but dont setle for less than him now. luck is for wussys. fate is for men.
 
Have to admit CAnuts .. this is one of the neatest ideas I have seen in along time. A blow by blow blog of a great hunt!

Sincerly hope you poke a big one. Waiting with bait breath.

RUS
 
This is AWESOME, I hope some magazine is taking note and is ready to put this guy on as a writer. Forget the negative crap that has been going on with this hunting season so far, this guy has made it fun to go out and hunt again.

Keep up the great work. I'm sure you're wiped out when you get back each night, but keep us informed!!!

May all the Hunting Gods be looking down in favor on you and your group. May you find success whether you slay the beast or enjoy every minute trying!!!
 
CAelknuts, Thanks for the updates. Don't have an elk tag here in Oregon or any where else for that matter. It is nice to live it vicariously through you. JB
 
: MONROE ELK HUNT

Dan,
That's exciting you found some good wallows with some good bulls around. I should have come up again tonight and watched ya stick one of those ol' stinkys. I'm wishing I was heading your way this weekend, but going to go see if I can help Predator find her a bull. I'm on for next week though. I'd love to come up and give you a hand and call for you.
I'm thinking you may thump one before then as things are starting to heat up and the better bulls are starting to show.
Keep us all posted.
It's fun to know what is going on...
Rick
 
RE: : MONROE ELK HUNT

Rick, You should have come up!!! It is midnight and I just got back from Dans camp! He did not stick a bull tonight.....just small ones came in. But I think things will start to heat up for him. His neighbor up there killed a 330 bull tonight and came over and showed us pictures though, then went back to pack him out. Pretty bull!

You should have came up. Dan and Nick cook some AWESOME salmon and halibut for dinner!!!

Thanks guys!!!!!! It was good to meet you. Hope you get your bull soon!!!! May be back up tomorrow night....then off to the Fishlake for the weekend to help Josh stick his bull up there.

Rick.....stop by camp while you are up there.
 
RE: : MONROE ELK HUNT

If I would have known you were going up, I'd have rode up with ya. I figured he must have had some luck tonight where he hadn't posted yet.
I hope that he can hold off until next week.
 
Awesome elknuts, One bit of advice,
sit tight all day at the wallows, I
have always noticed big bulls will
bed there cows then head to wallow
during the middle of the day.

Stick a big one, and good luck!
 
LAST EDITED ON Sep-05-08 AT 02:21PM (MST)[p]Well, by now you all know that it's FLEH's fault that I didn't give an update last evening. I actually got in early, just after 9:00 and had a great time visiting with Jason, and yes, Nick did a great job of Bar-Q-Queing up that fish. That was the first good dinner we've had this week. Every other night, it's been Cup of Noodles and off to bed. Jason, thanks for coming up, we enjoyed having your company.

Didn't have any luck this morning, but did find a great looking spot a few miles to the northeast of that place you suggested we check out, FLEH. I mean the spot over on the east side. We found an area with lots of fresh elk sign, and not a single bit of human sign, and are going to keep that in the back pocket as plan B is things fall apart here. Otherwise, it is too far of a drive over there unless we're there for other reasons, like taking a shower.


Congratulations to Wayne Stephenson, the other non-resident hunter. As FLEH mentioned, he came in to camp last evening to tell us of his success. After we finished this morning, we visited his camp and he got one heck of a great bull! They were just about packed up, in fact he drove by 30 minutes ago on the start of his drive home, and he said it was OK to note his success on the web. I'd guess that his bull is in the 7-9 year old range, and it is bigger than Wayne thought. It has nice long main beams that are probably 48"+, great mass, 18" G3s, 20" G4s. He's been rubbing the heck out of his horns, as they're very brown and have a lot of green aspen bark worked into them as well. They really have a lot of character! He's an outstanding bull for a guy who worked pretty darn hard at it to get him. Wayne has been here nearly the whole season, and would have had to leave on Sunday regardless of killing an elk or not, so I'm just very happy for him that he ended up with such a great bull.

Oh yeah, I hunted last night as well. As mentioned, I did not shoot a bull, but it wasn't for lack of opportunity. I had a nice evening with several deer, including a forked horn buck that fed within 15 yards of me, to keep me entertained until the bulls decided to show up. First, I had a 6x6 come in around 6:30 and he fed off to my left for about 20 minutes. He was never more than 100 yards away and came as close as 35 yards. He was a young bull that I doubt would weigh 600 pounds, and probably scores in the 280-290 range. He was fun to watch for so long. At about 7:10, the bull from the morning came in and walked past me at a little over 30 yards. He wallowed for a bit, then headed off into the timber from where we saw him come out in the morning. Here is where having a chance to really evaluate a bull while calm and focused is so important. When we saw him in the morning, we were loading our gear into the truck and he surprised us. It was truly a "Holy Sh*t" kinda moment when he showed up. While he wasn't far, he was in shadows and walking and we were not as level headed as we should be since we were caught with our pants down, so to speak. That's a long winded way of saying the bull isn't as big as I originally thought. He is a nice bull, and in a year or two he's going to be a really big bull, but he's not what I'm looking for at this point. Besides, if I would have shot him, I'd be done hunting and it does seem to be getting better now. I'm worried about how this ATV jamboree is going to affect the hunting for the next few days, as I've had probably more than 75 ATVs drive past camp within the last 30 minutes. We've found some nice places to hunt where they dont' ride, but I do wonder what all the motorized activity is going to do about pushing the elk even farther into the timber and keeping them quiet. About the only thing missing at this point is the sheriff's patrol (yes, they're up here. We had a nice visit with them in camp two days ago) and life flight. I give it even odds that by the time the weekend is over, somebody will get a ride off this mountain in a helicopter. There are just too many older people riding up here, for someone to not have a serious accident. In fact, I've never been on any elk hunt, or any hunt for that matter, with more human activity where we're hunting.

And with all that in mind, there are still elk around. I saw three bulls yesterday, all were 6 point bulls within 100 yards. I'm looking forward to heading out shortly for this evening's hunt at the wallows. Time will tell....
 
CAnuts,

I am pulling for you. It is time to get bloody and stinky! Good luck and get Rick's hinder up there. He always came and seen me? WTF Rick?;-)

Good luck! Pretty cool you are taking time out to entertain this bunch.
 
CA
Enjoying the heck out of this post every day. good luck out there, but until then keep stringing us along.
 
CAelnuts, I look forward to your updates every night. Before I go to bed I always check MM for updates from Monroe. If I don't see one I check it first thing in the morning. I agree with what a lot of others have said, this is one of the best threads I have ever read on MM. Good luck finding the big boys tonight, I'll check in on your update after my sons football game.
 
Hey ktc...give me a break man!..
I've been up there, just can't seem to catch Dan...
I just got a call from Lisa and she is headed home so my weekend plans to help her just went down the tube. I'll probably head up and see Dan tomorrow and see what I can do to confuse him more! LOL... He is having a great time and I hate to interfere, but I just have to go help (bother) somebody this weekend!
I think you have the right idea of what is going on Dan. Things will really change over the next week. I don't think the ATV's will bother you a lot unless you are hunting around the main roads. They usually buzz thru during the day and then you don't see them again until the next day. Some of the riders don't take the rides and will wander all over, but I don't see them as a big issue. They didn't bother me in the least when I was hunting.
Will more than likely catch you tomorrow!
Rick
 
This is way too cool! Nothing like an imbedded reporter calling out the action in a war zone!

Go get him Dan!

UTROY
Proverbs 21:19 (why I hunt!)
 
im realy hoping you get to keep at it till the last day. lol with the perfect end to your hunt.
 
Great post, sounds like plenty of action. Only thing better would be if you had a good digital camera and could upload some pics. Good luck!
 
CAelknuts,

I can't remeber another story that has captivated so many and had everyone at the edge of their seats like your writings each night. I think it is safe to say we are all rooting for you to stick a big one.

I have been a little down after stiking out on two good archery hunts so far this year but your story has me pumped again. Wish you the very best on this hunt and keep up the great writing. Can't wait for tonights news.

JR
 
LAST EDITED ON Sep-05-08 AT 06:20PM (MST)[p]Hey CAelknuts,

Sounds Like you are having a GREAT TIME!!!!, just thought I would let you know, Wayne is a cousin of mine, I am sure it is a bitter sweet day for him, you see, Waynes brother GLEN , was a government trapper out of Monroe, he new the Mountain like the back of his hand, last summer Glen was killed in an airplane crash on duty gunning coyotes. A real sad day for the family, Wayne is originally from utah county but has moved up to Boise for employment, I am sure there were more than one special moments on that mountain for Wayne, and I am sure his brother was helpin just a bit. Thanks for letting us know about him. I will have to call and congradulate him. I hope you kill a big one, but more than that I hope it is a hunt of a lifetime, sometimes we put to much on the "kill". Look forward to hearing from you. Good luck
 
CAelknuts,
Thanks again, only 15 more days until I head for Mt. Dutton.
OMB


There's room for all of God's creatures, right next to the mashed taters and gravy.
 

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