DIY TN Hillbillies Headed West!

Joe2Kool

Joe2Kool

Very Active Member
Messages
2,744
Truck is packed. Food, wall tent, heater, guns, ammo, binocs, and a Colorado 2nd choice tag. Probably packed about 342 other things we won't need or use!!

For the record, I've been on one guided elk hunt 11 years ago. Rick went on a DIY last year.

Thanks to MM'ers who have chimed in with good advice. Well, I think it has been good! :unsure:
 
It is long haul from Knoxville. Monsters and short naps !! I also head out on the 19th for another 3 1/2 week marathon, three draw tags left ID pronghorn, Co deer then Mt deer. Drive safe and good luck ?.
 
Joe2Kool said:
Truck is packed. Food, wall tent, heater, guns, ammo, binocs, and a Colorado 2nd choice tag. Probably packed about 342 other things we won't need or use!!

For the record, I've been on one guided elk hunt 11 years ago. Rick went on a DIY last year.

Thanks to MM'ers who have chimed in with good advice. Well, I think it has been good! :unsure:
Click to expand...
Where you headed?
 
BTW TNFallGuy, the speedometer on Rick’s truck matches the GPS speed and those little construction speed check signs. ??

Then I realized he traded trucks since we kruised thru Illinois !!
 
Pulling into motel in Salina. Uneventful travel day, which is what you want. Well, uneventful except for navigating the Chick-fil-A parking lot with a trailer! ??
 
I think we’re still in Kansas! Windmills and corn fields!

Something to think about. If energy cannot be created ir destroyed, how many windmills does it take to stop the wind from blowing in Kansas! ??

6C73EEFA-068B-4605-995A-F5CBED26E875.jpeg
 
Had to make the Ranger legal. So first Wal Mart internet link was down. Called #2, and theirs had been down a while. #3 didn’t know what we were talking about.
So, ended up at the CPW office…now the ATV is legal Woo Hoo!

Reminded me of the time the printer in Sanderson TX was out of paper and we had to drive 2 hrs to “the next town” to buy a license!

Or trying to buy a turkey tag in Nebraska on Arbor Day…kept getting the local 4H line asking me to bid on used fishing equipment!

These trips are more about the journey and hunt than pulling the trigger. Although pulling the trigger is fun too. ??
 
Watch out for the heifer killing wolves up there! And for sure, don’t pack out an elk with pack goats. That would for sure call them wolves!

Good luck!
 
Not enough cell signal to post pic, but I’ll try again tomorrow.
Two bull moose just a few hundred yards from kamp!! ??
 
Not sure why, but seems like half the hunters are from Minnesota.
Guy camping across frim us gave us grouse he killed. Said they wouldn’t keep until he got back. I think we can figure out what to do with them??
Headed back to camp now!
 
So I left camp at 3:30 this morning and hiked in 3 miles. It myst have been a good spot because there were two guys there, snd it was 90 min before shooting time! Picked out another spot about a half mile away. Two guys there also. Dang it!! Eventually found a spot. About 15 minutes after shooting light, heard several shot sequences. None after the first

Climbed a little higher. Just sitting here glassing and chilling. I’ll try to post a pic. Little warm now. Maybe 60. IDK.

Oh, Rick hiked about s half mile ftom kamp and killed a 5x6 about 8 am!

I’ll get the story and pic later!
 
Joe2Kool said:
So I left camp at 3:30 this morning and hiked in 3 miles. It myst have been a good spot because there were two guys there, snd it was 90 min before shooting time! Picked out another spot about a half mile away. Two guys there also. Dang it!! Eventually found a spot. About 15 minutes after shooting light, heard several shot sequences. None after the first

Climbed a little higher. Just sitting here glassing and chilling. I’ll try to post a pic. Little warm now. Maybe 60. IDK.

Oh, Rick hiked about s half mile ftom kamp and killed a 5x6 about 8 am!

I’ll get the story and pic later!
Click to expand...
Good for your friend, generally one shot, with a pause, followed by maybe one more shot, tends to mean a kill. Volley shooting 3+ shots the animals are out and running haha
 
Joe2Kool said:
I think we’re still in Kansas! Windmills and corn fields!

Something to think about. If energy cannot be created ir destroyed, how many windmills does it take to stop the wind from blowing in Kansas! ??

View attachment 89837
Click to expand...
If earth is a closed system, you are absolutely correct.

For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.

Nice pics. (y)
 
After 4-1/2 days hunting, packed up and headed back to TN today. Been a fun trip. Rick shot the only elk we saw. Saw lots of hunters though. Also saw mule deer every day. The one below has inspired me! Watched him for about 45 minutes at 125-150 yards one evening. The pics aren’t good, but in the front view you can definitely see the width, and in the side view, tine length. He was a technically a 4x4, but one of the back forks was only a few inches.

Cell signal still iffy so I’ll post mire comments and pics later.

665DBC11-2DC8-4D7D-B289-68259A1929FF.jpeg
 
You know that if you had a deer tag that buck would of never showed himself.
Was hoping after your adventure you would have some grip and grin photos to show us. Now you get to look forward to next year.
 
Good story, I thought after Rick killed his so fast you were sure to get one. Thanks for sharing both story and pictures.
 
Kruising across Missouri now. A few random thoughts, in no particular order.

Lots of hunters. Frustrating to hike 4 miles and get to a spot 90 min before shooting time and someone else be there. Although you could spot someone easily 1-2 miles away.

Lots of cows packed out.

Started out glassing but realized if I spotted it, so did 5 other people, so I switched to picking spots and sitting.

The latter half of the hunt, I felt like I should’ve been looking for elk more than I was hunting for elk. I was feeling like I was hunting for something that wasn’t there. Plenty if posts on here that “elk are where you find them”. Or “hunt high if the weather hasn’t pushed them lower”. Continued on next post
 
So I hunted high - 11,000 ft - as high as I could get. And I hunted low - 9000 ft. And I hunted next to private land.

Lot fewer hunters the last 2 days.

Saw several walking though with guns in packs at sunrise. What’s up with that? I want to be in a good shooting spot an hour before sunrise!!

Heard more shot sequences the first hour of opening day than the other 4 days I hunted.

I hunted morning and evening. Seemed like most people weren’t hunting the evening. Or coming out an hour before sunset. What’s up with that? You’re missing one of the best hours of the day!

Didn’t hear anything I thought was real elk bugling.

Had my calling skills evaluated. One evening, I heard a bugle and cow call about 2-300 yards above me. About 95% sure it was a hunter. If so, he needed to know I was there. Pretty sure he would realize if I called back , he would recognize me as NOT an elk. Or if he was an elk, he would instantly realize i was sick and he could easily kick my butt??. So I bugled back.
When I got back to kamp, the hunter had been thru. Buddies told him I had heard a hunter bugle, so I bugled to let him know I was there. Hunters response”Yea. (Chuckle, chuckle) I heard him”. ??

Thoroughly enjoyed my hunt. Good friends. Good food. Met good people. Beautiful country. Saw game, just not what I was hunting!!

So officially, successful or not, I have joined the ranks of DIY elk hunters, well, at least the ones that don’t bugle well!! ???
 
Good observations, the guys that miss morning and evening… not sure what to tell you? I think some guys are lazy or afraid of the dark, heck I don’t like using a headlamp if I can swing it or if I do I’ll use red light. 1st rifle is tough after that first 3 hours on opening day the elk get scattered to the wind. Sounds like you had fun and got to enjoy some beautiful country.
 

Click-a-Pic ... Details & Bigger Photos

Member Gallery Photos and Videos!

16727.jpeg
Screenshot_20231007-154654_Messages.jpg
20221117_074305.jpg
F3F11D57-F702-4BAF-8DCF-7BBDB2E72836.jpeg
2022 king buck.jpeg
IMG_3850.jpeg
Screenshot_20220704-181259_Gallery.jpg
He's cool
93AC3FC6-C660-4655-BE68-1563F659BCD0.jpeg
8 bachelors.jpg
_AAV1000.jpg
Screenshot_20231013_165128_Gallery.jpg
Back
Top Bottom