Elk unit45 Type 9 dates

[270Whatelse]

Hey guys drew this tag and was wondering what week you would hunt. The 7-15 or 14-21? Go early and avoid the type 1 crossover guys or later with better rut activity but more hunters....?

 

[TOPGUN]

The later the better!

 

[elkhuntn247]

I killed my bull in there on the 9th and the rut was on fire

 

[TOPGUN]

>I killed my bull in there
>on the 9th and the
>rut was on fire

***Was that just last season because last year it seemed that the rut was all screwed up where we were. My friend in Sheridan had a tag and was there the opening weekend and the following weekend and never saw any real activity. I got out there for the last half of September on through October and the bulls were not bugling much and most were in bunches apart from the cows. Maybe it was real early last year and we missed it. We're hunting at a lot lower elevation than most of 45 and usually see the good action the last half of September. I know a lot of times it does get going earlier up higher in the forest than down where we hunt.

 

[CCMuleyHunter]

Scout early,Hunt early, and kill early. There are so many elk in the Bighorns, the hunting is crazy. We hunted this unit in 2012 and were in elk every day, but targeting a monster. I passed on numerous bulls in the 300-340 range from the first day of the season until the big boy finally made a mistake. I took a 377 4/8 bull on the 18th of September. We had the biggest bull we could find back in Utah before the guys that said to hunt late ever hit the woods.

 

[PleaseDear]

Ya can't leave us hanging like that CC....

Come on and show us that huge bull...

congrats

Robb

 

[CCMuleyHunter]

Sorry about that. Guess I didn't think that one all the way through. I did a full feature article on the hunt. Here is a link if anyone wants to see the photos and read it.

http://sportsmansnews.com/2012/10/the-best-wyoming-has-to-offer/#.UXPg5EpW9GE

 

[TOPGUN]

Very nicely written CCMH! Isn't that some fantastic country up there with quite a mix of nice animals! I just love the BigHorns and will hunt them until the body gives it up and I can't do it any more.

 

[elkhuntn247]

>>I killed my bull in there
>>on the 9th and the
>>rut was on fire
>
>***Was that just last season because
>last year it seemed that
>the rut was all screwed
>up where we were. My
>friend in Sheridan had a
>tag and was there the
>opening weekend and the following
>weekend and never saw any
>real activity. I got
>out there for the last
>half of September on through
>October and the bulls were
>not bugling much and most
>were in bunches apart from
>the cows. Maybe it
>was real early last year
>and we missed it.
>We're hunting at a lot
>lower elevation than most of
>45 and usually see the
>good action the last half
>of September. I know
>a lot of times it
>does get going earlier up
>higher in the forest than
>down where we hunt

2010 season. I was hunting high wilderness near timberline

 

[TOPGUN]

elkhuntn247---That makes sense, as the GW we know is always telling us about how the rut is really going fullbore early in September up in the high country most years compared to where we are down around 6000'.

 

[CCMuleyHunter]

My hunt was in 2012. Doesn't usually matter where I hunt, I can find elk rutting and sounding off except where the wolf is prevalent. I don't get too hung up on one spot and cover tons of ground until I found out where the elk a ripping and that is where I focus my hunting efforts. I find that most people like to hunt a specific basin or drainage and don't want to move. If that is your scenario, you will find years that they bugle and some years that they don't, but rest assured, they are ripping somewhere.

 

[TOPGUN]

CCMH---That may well be the case as we only have the same couple thousand acres to hunt every year and that's the only area I have to base my comments on.

 

[PleaseDear]

Hey thanks CC....

Damn nice read.

congrats

Robb

 

[270Whatelse]

Thanks for the replys guys think i will stick with the earlier week. CC nice bull and info. How did the Rourke sons end up doing and were the elk vocal during the week of there hunt?

 

[CCMuleyHunter]

The boys both wounded good bulls during the week which were never recovered. We had 18 different bulls in one basin screaming bloody murder on the 3rd day of the hunt. I played the aggressor from a ridge top rock pile while the other guides had all 3 hunters in the old burn. I was able to sit up top with a spotter and focus on all the elk and give hand signals to the guides. Unfortunately nobody got a shot that night, but elk were everywhere. I had to hide on the rock pile on two different occasions because a 2 year old five point and a 280 class 6 point were sure that I had cows on top of a rock that was about 10'x10' and fifty feet above them. It was truly an epic evening.

 

[440sixpack]

Nice bull CC, I agree with you Rusty and his crew are top notch you can't do better.

I saw some good bulls in there but nothing in that class. I think 45 is going to be one of the top elk hunts in WY if it already isn't.

When my wife had her moose tag in there a few years back the elk were rutting hard right up until the 2nd of October , it ended like you flipped a switch with a snowstorm. the bow hunters were about all gone by the last of the bow season from what I saw. I wouldn't be afraid to hunt late if I only had a certain amount of time anyway.




Stay thirsty my friends

 

[270Whatelse]

Wow maybe i shouldn't have asked......like i wasn't exicted enough! Lol! Only my second archery elk hunt so we'll see what happens. Good luck to everyone else this fall

 

[frogman43]

Good info...I drew my 45 type 1 tag for this year.


"Lead, follow, or get the hell out of the way!"