Wow...where do I begin...
Basically the hunt was really a bust. I wouldnt recommend this unit to anyone! Very few elk in the unit and they are scattered out over a very large area. During the period of time tagholders were allowed to scout I never saw a bull. I did, however, run into a survey crew for the timber company that told me of a bull they had seen several days prior. Since this was the only positive lead I had I decided to concentrate my efforts on the clear cuts located in that area. Opening moning came and went with nothing spotted. I was really beginnig to wonder if there even were elk in this unit!
Mid day we took a long walk 3-5 mile loop. We stopped and cow called several times with no response. I was starting to realize that this was going to be a long hard hunt!
Prior to arriving at the grounds, I contacted Warden Rick Banko who had intimate knowledge of the whereabouts of the elk. All the spots he told me about seemed to be barren..no tracks, poop, etc...He did tell me that this was a hard hunt with low probability of success. In fact, he said I would be lucky to see an elk during the hunt! He wasnt kidding either!
Anyways, with all this weighing on me, we rounded a bend no more than 1/4 mile from the truck after our big mid-day walk and there he was! Standing no more than 100 yards off the road on the edge of a small meadow stood a bull. Nothing big...just a 4x5. we watched him for quite some time to see if any other bulls (a herd?) were with him. No luck, he was it. After much contemplation and badgeing from my two partners I reluctantly decided to take him. He dropped after 1 shot from the 300 win mag....but got up and several other shots anchored him just before he went over an embankment and into a swampy area. Whew! That was lucky!
After the hunt I was told by Warden Banko that my bull was one of only 3 taken on the hunt by the 12 tagholders. I guess I made the right decision...still, I wish I had shot a bigger one! I may never have another chance to hunt Rosies..unless I move to Oregon, Washington (Canada is out of the question!) or get rich!
Final Word:
DONT APPLY FOR THIS HUNT!!! If you want a CA Rosie, the Del Norte hunt is soooooo much better. I have accompanied a friend on his Rosie hunt on the Del Norte unit and we saw numerous bulls every day. He ended up shooting a great mature bull (I'll see if I can get him to send me some copies of the pictures) after passing on quite a few.
Good luck to all of you in this year's draw!