Califelkslayer
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Day 3 started out driving and glassing. At this point, their last day, any legal buck was fair game. After 2 hours of tons of does and no horns, we came to the end of a road on a point. I asked them if they wanted to accompany me as I walked over the edge to glass. They both declined. About 40 yds from the truck I saw a small forked horn about 60 yards down the hill, feeding. I ran back to the truck and got both Eva and Zack. As we approached he was lookin at us. (Probably heard me runnin) Before they could get a shot he ran around the ridge. As I glassed around I spotted another similar sized buck about 240 yds (ranged) away. I tried to get my wife on the buck but she couldn't find him in the scope. I had her turn it down and look over it and just raise the rifle. After several unsuccessful attempts and tons of frustration on her part to see the buck, I gave in to Zack's pleas to shoot. He missed the buck 4 times. And hadn't brought anymore with him. As far as I know that buck is still out there. When we got to camp, my wife repeatedly raised her rifle at distant targets and said she was right on them. My guess is an increased heartbeat led to her problems. 
That afternoon we pushed another canyon and due to my better instructions and their understanding of what we were trying to do, the plan was executed lots better. Problem was although we pushed 30+ does, we never saw a buck. Highlight of that hunt and entire day was the cow and calf moose Zack and I saw and the 40"+ bull moose my wife and I saw at 120 ranged yards. She has photos I'll try to post at the end.
Next morning we broke camp early in a snowstorm, them headed home to Kali and me headed for an elk hunt in NM with my dad. My excitement was a short in my horsetrailer taillights that occurred before I hit the pavement. New fuses would blow. I spent an hour in a rainstorm in Evanston unsuccessfully trying to fix it. I ran with my emergency flashers from SLC to the Helper/Price area. Next day I made it to the trailhead my dad and I planned on packin in from. On Tuesday, October 6th I was setting up the wall tent when a muzzleloader hunter came out of the wilderness with what I guessed as a 330-340 bull on a packhorse. I took this as a good omen. About a half hour later I met Nick from Albercuque. He'd taken a nice 6 point the evenin before and his friend Alex had helped him pack it out. Nick told me about what he'd seen and gave me his ideas of what he'd do if he had the rifle tag I had. I met my dad that evenin and we woke to a snowstorm the next morning. That evening I rode out about an hour and a half and bumped a herd of about 12 elk with a nice 6 point. I also heard bugles. The highlight of that day was riding up on two coyotes who were barking/howling so much they didn't hear the horse coming until we were within 50 yards. Thursday my dad and I rode to where we had planned to pack into. It snowed most of the day and was windy and cold. That evenin my dad suggested we just hunt from the trailhead and stay in the heated walltent. Selfishly I was disappointed but than again, I can't imagine what it's like trying to hunt elk at 10,000 feet when you are 74 years old. So that was the plan. Friday I rode out early to find some elk. As I tied up the horse at daybreak he whinnied 3 times. Each time a bull responded with a bugle. I went over the ridge to start glassing. About thirty minutes into that I heard tink/tink/tink. I looked directly downhill and saw 2 bulls, almost twin 4 points except one had a small 5th on one side, sparring. They were 272 yards away. Over the next 45 minutes they fed under a bench out of sight and came out the other side. One of them grew into a respectible 6 point. J/K!! There were 3 bulls. I backed out after they hit the timber to bed.
OPENING MORNING. I sat my dad in the spot I'd seen the bulls the previous AM, nothing. I didn't see or hear an alk all day either. I pretty much rode a horse out and hour and a half each of the next 4 days and rode back in the dark and never saw or heard an elk. Other than spending quality time with the man that got me started huntin, the excitement of the trip was a bear I called to within 12 yards with my cow call. (Pics to follow) We broke camp on Wednesday October 14th, discouraged. I was pretty excited to get to Nevada and start scoutin for that huge bull I planned to take.
The 2 day horse pull was uneventful for me except for my redneck taillight system I rigged. I duct taped a red lensed headlamp on one side of the trailer and got some taillight repair tape for another headlamp and taped that to the other side.
The Nevada elk hunt was far more exciting for me than the 2 previous hunts. I'll get to it after I pay my bills.
That afternoon we pushed another canyon and due to my better instructions and their understanding of what we were trying to do, the plan was executed lots better. Problem was although we pushed 30+ does, we never saw a buck. Highlight of that hunt and entire day was the cow and calf moose Zack and I saw and the 40"+ bull moose my wife and I saw at 120 ranged yards. She has photos I'll try to post at the end.
Next morning we broke camp early in a snowstorm, them headed home to Kali and me headed for an elk hunt in NM with my dad. My excitement was a short in my horsetrailer taillights that occurred before I hit the pavement. New fuses would blow. I spent an hour in a rainstorm in Evanston unsuccessfully trying to fix it. I ran with my emergency flashers from SLC to the Helper/Price area. Next day I made it to the trailhead my dad and I planned on packin in from. On Tuesday, October 6th I was setting up the wall tent when a muzzleloader hunter came out of the wilderness with what I guessed as a 330-340 bull on a packhorse. I took this as a good omen. About a half hour later I met Nick from Albercuque. He'd taken a nice 6 point the evenin before and his friend Alex had helped him pack it out. Nick told me about what he'd seen and gave me his ideas of what he'd do if he had the rifle tag I had. I met my dad that evenin and we woke to a snowstorm the next morning. That evening I rode out about an hour and a half and bumped a herd of about 12 elk with a nice 6 point. I also heard bugles. The highlight of that day was riding up on two coyotes who were barking/howling so much they didn't hear the horse coming until we were within 50 yards. Thursday my dad and I rode to where we had planned to pack into. It snowed most of the day and was windy and cold. That evenin my dad suggested we just hunt from the trailhead and stay in the heated walltent. Selfishly I was disappointed but than again, I can't imagine what it's like trying to hunt elk at 10,000 feet when you are 74 years old. So that was the plan. Friday I rode out early to find some elk. As I tied up the horse at daybreak he whinnied 3 times. Each time a bull responded with a bugle. I went over the ridge to start glassing. About thirty minutes into that I heard tink/tink/tink. I looked directly downhill and saw 2 bulls, almost twin 4 points except one had a small 5th on one side, sparring. They were 272 yards away. Over the next 45 minutes they fed under a bench out of sight and came out the other side. One of them grew into a respectible 6 point. J/K!! There were 3 bulls. I backed out after they hit the timber to bed.
OPENING MORNING. I sat my dad in the spot I'd seen the bulls the previous AM, nothing. I didn't see or hear an alk all day either. I pretty much rode a horse out and hour and a half each of the next 4 days and rode back in the dark and never saw or heard an elk. Other than spending quality time with the man that got me started huntin, the excitement of the trip was a bear I called to within 12 yards with my cow call. (Pics to follow) We broke camp on Wednesday October 14th, discouraged. I was pretty excited to get to Nevada and start scoutin for that huge bull I planned to take.
The 2 day horse pull was uneventful for me except for my redneck taillight system I rigged. I duct taped a red lensed headlamp on one side of the trailer and got some taillight repair tape for another headlamp and taped that to the other side.
The Nevada elk hunt was far more exciting for me than the 2 previous hunts. I'll get to it after I pay my bills.
