Late Muzzleloader 55&57 bull elk

sray

Active Member
Messages
129
Hello everyone, I got lucky this year and drew a 55&57 bull elk muzzleloader tag in November. I've hunted 55 for deer many times but never went after elk and really haven't spend any time in 57. I really don't know what to expect on this hunt and just thought I'd ask to get other thought on what to expect on this hunt? What class of bull to expect? And see if there were anyone else out there that has done this hunt that would be willing to share a little info on there experience. Thanks,
 
I have seen a few elk, I would hunt the borders of 56 and 54 black pine should have a few as well, I just think it is a herd that is not established in great numbers. Some in Jim sage mts of 55 and south of Almo in narrows, just not alot but been a few years since I was down that way.


89864ralphie.jpg
RIP Lil Bro' "Huntnfever"
 
>I have seen a few elk,
>I would hunt the borders
>of 56 and 54 black
>pine should have a few
>as well, I just think
>it is a herd that
>is not established in great
>numbers. Some in Jim sage
>mts of 55 and south
>of Almo in narrows, just
>not alot but been a
>few years since I was
>down that way.
>
>
>
89864ralphie.jpg

>
>
>
>
> RIP Lil
>Bro' "Huntnfever"

Thanks for the reply I'll definitely take a look at the places you mentioned I was for sure going to check out black pine and Jim sage but wasn't sure where else to go check out.
 
Well this is going to be a hard post for me but definitely wanted to give a report on this hunt. The elk in these units are few and far between this time of year but once you find them and stay with them the hunt is a blast.even tho there is only 10 elk tags it seems like the hunter pressure in more because they also have 25 deer tags in 57 at the same time and everyone that does have a tag seemed like they had three people helping them. So that being said I hunted 1st-11th out of the 14 day hunt. Saw elk about 5 of the 11 days I hunted. I was after a nice 6x6 and couldn't shake the thought of shooting a different bull. Finally on the 6th day of the hunt I was able to stay on the elk and put them to bed for the day. I stayed out hoping they would travel in the same direction they came to bed back to there feeding grounds. That evening at 4:30 I was able to sneak in at 125 yards from the big six point I was after and get a shot off. Instantly I saw him struggling. I'm watching him as the rest of the elk run away thinking he's going to fall any minute, At the same time trying to reload I finally decide I gotta get another bullet in him. So I focus on reloading more then watching the bull get my gun reloaded and look back up and hes over the little hill out of sight.(I didn't have anyone with me to watch while I reloaded my gun) I run over the hill and see the elk feeding again keep in mind there is other bulls in the herd so I'm looking through my binoculars looking for my bull but can't find him. So I start glassing the tall grass looking for a elk that had tipped over but nothing. At this point it's 4:40 ish and I really don't have much day light left so I instantly start looking for blood. Then it got dark on me trying to stay positive after not finding any blood I decided I'll pull out and come back where I left off in the morning. The next morning I had my uncle help me track we ended up finding blood and tracked it till it went dry about 12:30 I had a buddy come and my uncle leave we started where me and my uncle left off but never could move forward with the search I then started to grid the area back and forth for hours. Finally at 4:30 again walking down a ridge I look to my left and see a bull bedded we saw each other at the same time as the bull started getting up I through my binoculars up to make sure it was the same bull I had shot and sure enough it was I ranged it quickly 135 yards pulled my gun up aimed and shot. The bull ran over the ridge from where he was laying out of sight. I quickly marked my spot where I had shot and ran to where the bull was standing when I had shot. Sure enough great blood trail. By the time my buddy made it to me it was starting to get dark again and I again decided not to trail him and take the chance at bumping him.another sleepless night. Now it's Wednesday made the first shot Monday night. We got to the blood trail at first light excited to get my hands on this bull and ready to pack it out. We started following the blood for about 100 not even having to look down. Then to a empty bed!!! "What where's the bull"!! I thought for sure with all the blood he'd be at the bottom of the ravine we had followed the trail to. He had gotten up during the night. So we got back on the blood from that bed and started following it. At this time the blood had definitely slowed down compared to what we were following before. Again another bed with no elk about 75 yards from the first and again less blood. So we started following again to the blood trail going dry. I started to get nervous how could this happen? We tried following tracked but it was just to tracked up so again we started griding the area. I did that until Friday night Saturday I decided he must have made it out of the canyon so I got on some mules and unfortunately started the search for bird thinking there is no way the elk is alive but still no sigh of the bull I didn't stop searching for the bull till Sunday night because I had to go back to work. On the 14 my uncle search one more day but couldn't turn him up I found a lot of blood and bone but no elk it makes me sick but I shot this bull and wasn't going to shot another. I did everything I could. I put in Countless hours and miles with others helping me but finally had to call it an elk season. I'll be going over there looking for the bull here and there to maybe see if its alive or not I just don't like the unknown and definitely don't like the fact that I didn't recover the elk.
 
Thanks for the update. It's tough losing them. Sounds like you did what you could to find him.
 
Power belts never fail to disappoint. Sorry you lost the bull but Power belts are poor deer bullets and even worse elk bullets.
 
Thanks everyone. Yes loosing the animal is by far the worse thing that I could imagine happening it's very unfortunate I'm going to try and make a few more trips over there to possibly get some closer rather it's finding him dead or alive hopefully he's alive and well but I really would like the closure if I can find it.
 
>Power belts never fail to disappoint.
>Sorry you lost the bull
>but Power belts are poor
>deer bullets and even worse
>elk bullets.


I killed a buck last year with the power belt and was very pleased with it's results didn't go 10 yards. Shot him at 150 yards. If not power belts what would you recommend?
 
That piece of bone you found looks like a leg bone fragment to me. If so that bull is likely still alive and could recover. Did you notice while you were trailing him if he was putting down all four hooves or not?
 
>That piece of bone you found
>looks like a leg bone
>fragment to me. If so
>that bull is likely still
>alive and could recover. Did
>you notice while you were
>trailing him if he was
>putting down all four hooves
>or not?


Yes all four was being put down. I did notice he was hugging the right side around all trees. The right side was the opposite side of both shots. I also didn't see any blood in his track and that's what makes me think it wasn't a shoulder or leg hit but I could be wrong.
 
LAST EDITED ON Dec-03-18 AT 11:56AM (MST)[p]>i shot a bull a few
>years back with the powerbelts
>n he dropped in his
>tracks so...?


I agree with ya I've never had a problem with the power belts I think shot placement is key and I must have been off a little on both shots.
 
>Power belts never fail to disappoint.
>Sorry you lost the bull
>but Power belts are poor
>deer bullets and even worse
>elk bullets.

Idahoron,
Would love to hear your thoughts on bullets, as I've heard the same thing about PBs. They load and shoot really nice out of my T/C Black Diamond, but have not had enough "field testing" (ie shot and hit/missed") to have an informed opinion on effectiveness. On the other hand, they don't shoot well out of my Hawken (which I usually carry) so I stick with tried and true (for me) T/C conicals. Have killed many critters with.
Have a box of No Excuses bullets but have not worked them up yet. Got any suggestions? Thanks in advance!
Powder
 
I have shot several deer and antelope with a muzzy all with powerbelts and for the most part they have all worked really well.

I did have a bad experience on my last antelope though. I hit a little forward and hit front shoulder at 70 yards and it didn't get past the shoulder. You could see the bullet hole on his shoulder as he was standing out there at a few hundred yards clear as day. I searched for that buck for a week and never found him. I had shot an antelope buck at 50 yards or so through both shoulders with the same bullet a couple years before so, I'm not sure which experience was the fluke?

I personally think the powerbelts are too soft and when I draw another muzzy tag I will be looking for something a little more solid. Maybe the no excuses or Hornadys great plains bullet? I think an all lead bullet should still be able to punch through an antelope shoulder at 70 yards and one bad experience is enough to steer me away from them. I definitely wouldn't have the confidence to use them on an elk. Heck, a big bulls ribs are almost as thick as an antelope shoulder bone! I always did like how easy they loaded and accurately they shot, but just not worth it.

That's just my personal experience with them, so no hard feelings if you use them and like them. They killed 5 out of the 6 animals I shot them with. That just wasn't good enough for me.

Personally I think Idaho should allow copper plated bullets. They don't increase a person's range, but they sure do help a bullet hold together when it impacts. "Technology" like that only increases recoveries without harming the tradition of the sport.
 
I would encourage you to look at the barnes all copper bullets 250 grain TMZ. I had a complete pass through on a bull elk at 290 yards. I also use 777, yet the 150 grains of powder is the biggest difference in not only drop but in penetration on large animals. The bullet retention on my elk was at 100% just as they advertise from barnes.
 
>I would encourage you to look
>at the barnes all copper
>bullets 250 grain TMZ. I
>had a complete pass through
>on a bull elk at
>290 yards. I also use
>777, yet the 150 grains
>of powder is the biggest
>difference in not only drop
>but in penetration on large
>animals. The bullet retention on
>my elk was at 100%
>just as they advertise from
>barnes.


I wish I could but Idaho law makes us use lead bullets only.
 

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