elkmuzzleloader
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This years youth elk hunt started off by me getting a phone call that my cousin was in the ER with a broken leg. I got this phone call 1 week prior to the hunt starting. I scrambled for places to hunt and ideas on where to take a 17 year old kid with a broken leg. Thanks for all of your help with that one Paul. As I left my house to get to camp on Friday I got a call from my cousin saying that the ER was wrong as usual and he did not have a broken leg, and was free to do as he wanted.
We decided to go into the same area as we went last year because it was very central and allowed us to get into many different canyons very easily. We set up camp and headed out to look for some bulls.
We stopped on the side of the road and randomly picked a side canyon to go and check out. We were 400 yards into the canyon and were surronded by bulls. I was able to call in a very wide 6x6 for him and we knew the hunt was going to be a good one. Preston told me he wanted that bull, so we backed out and let him be. I wanted to see how many other hunters were in the canyon so we drove to the end. When we reached the end of the road there were a few cows out in the very large meadow. We decided to belly crawl as close as we could get and see what the bulls looked like. Very soon a big 6x6 comes out of the trees with 10 cows and 1 small bull. He is screaming his head off and hearding his cows and running that satelite bull off. Then we start to hear bulls screaming all around us. I count 8 different bulls, and am just in shock as to how many bulls there are in one area. A few minutes later another very large 6x6 comes in with one cow, and the bugling becomes very loud and frequent. Now these two big bulls are circling each other and lunging at one another but they just wont fight. The second bull has a very bad limp and Im thinking he is going to get run off and loose his one cow. However, he wins there little battle and runs the healthy bull off and gains 10 more cows.
I look around after all this excitment and notice that all this bugling has brought in several more bulls in to sight. Preston changes his mind about where he wants to hunt and we sneek out under the cover of darkness.
Next morning we are in the meadow well before light listening for bugling and working our way into the trees. We hear nothing and hunt very hard until we bump a herd of cows but cant seem to find the bull. We dont hear our first bugle till around 1100. These bugles are coming from the same canyon that we killed in last year. We chase the bulls up and down this canyon but he continues to pass on each bull he sees saying there are bigger bulls and he is not going to settle for a small bull this year. After we exhaust all these bulls its back to camp for a quick bite and short rest before the evening hunt.
1.5 hrs later we are back at it in the first canyon we checked from Friday night. I tell preston be very slow and cautious because that bull is probably on the same bench he was on last night. Sure enough as soon as we top out there is that bull and he takes off. I was able to slow him down but not stop him with our cow calls. We followed him up the canyon hoping to get a shot but no such luck. We are now .75miles up the canyon and decide to sit down and figure out our next move as we only have 1 hr left to hunt. I cow call and bugle a few times while waiting but get no response. I remembered that there was a very weak bugle at the mouth of the canyon and we decide to go check it out. We walk about 50 yards up the towards the ridge in about 2 mins. All of a sudden the whole canyon is alive and talking. There are two different herds of elk coming right towards us. One herd is coming down the canyon right where we were sitting and the other is coming over the ridge right towards us. We freeze as we are now surrounded by cows. They are chirping and looking for me as I am quietly cow calling. The bulls are screaming so loud it is echoing off the canyon walls and you can tell they are getting closer and closer. My calling calls in a few cows to within a few yards of us and I am thinking we are going to blow this but they eventually just walk off a ways. We focus on the heard coming over the ridge right to us and play the waiting game for the bull. I see two 6x6s walk within 50 yards of Preston and he doesnt even pay attention to them, and now Im getting upset. Why would he let two bulls wlak right by and not shoot? Just then I see him switching sides of the tree he is leaned against. This goes on several times and I keep thinking all this movement and he is going to get busted. Just then the shot rings out and he yells I got him. He has dropped the herd bull right in his tracks. A perfect heart shot and the bull doesnt take one more step.
We spent the rest of the night capping and packing out. The weather was very cold and the fog set in so we could not see very well. 3AM rolled around and we made it back to camp. A few hrs of sleep and back up to get the rest.
What an awesome hunt and one that will be remembered for a long time. Not only for the success but for the time spent and being able to share those sights that most will never see in there life.
We decided to go into the same area as we went last year because it was very central and allowed us to get into many different canyons very easily. We set up camp and headed out to look for some bulls.
We stopped on the side of the road and randomly picked a side canyon to go and check out. We were 400 yards into the canyon and were surronded by bulls. I was able to call in a very wide 6x6 for him and we knew the hunt was going to be a good one. Preston told me he wanted that bull, so we backed out and let him be. I wanted to see how many other hunters were in the canyon so we drove to the end. When we reached the end of the road there were a few cows out in the very large meadow. We decided to belly crawl as close as we could get and see what the bulls looked like. Very soon a big 6x6 comes out of the trees with 10 cows and 1 small bull. He is screaming his head off and hearding his cows and running that satelite bull off. Then we start to hear bulls screaming all around us. I count 8 different bulls, and am just in shock as to how many bulls there are in one area. A few minutes later another very large 6x6 comes in with one cow, and the bugling becomes very loud and frequent. Now these two big bulls are circling each other and lunging at one another but they just wont fight. The second bull has a very bad limp and Im thinking he is going to get run off and loose his one cow. However, he wins there little battle and runs the healthy bull off and gains 10 more cows.
I look around after all this excitment and notice that all this bugling has brought in several more bulls in to sight. Preston changes his mind about where he wants to hunt and we sneek out under the cover of darkness.
Next morning we are in the meadow well before light listening for bugling and working our way into the trees. We hear nothing and hunt very hard until we bump a herd of cows but cant seem to find the bull. We dont hear our first bugle till around 1100. These bugles are coming from the same canyon that we killed in last year. We chase the bulls up and down this canyon but he continues to pass on each bull he sees saying there are bigger bulls and he is not going to settle for a small bull this year. After we exhaust all these bulls its back to camp for a quick bite and short rest before the evening hunt.
1.5 hrs later we are back at it in the first canyon we checked from Friday night. I tell preston be very slow and cautious because that bull is probably on the same bench he was on last night. Sure enough as soon as we top out there is that bull and he takes off. I was able to slow him down but not stop him with our cow calls. We followed him up the canyon hoping to get a shot but no such luck. We are now .75miles up the canyon and decide to sit down and figure out our next move as we only have 1 hr left to hunt. I cow call and bugle a few times while waiting but get no response. I remembered that there was a very weak bugle at the mouth of the canyon and we decide to go check it out. We walk about 50 yards up the towards the ridge in about 2 mins. All of a sudden the whole canyon is alive and talking. There are two different herds of elk coming right towards us. One herd is coming down the canyon right where we were sitting and the other is coming over the ridge right towards us. We freeze as we are now surrounded by cows. They are chirping and looking for me as I am quietly cow calling. The bulls are screaming so loud it is echoing off the canyon walls and you can tell they are getting closer and closer. My calling calls in a few cows to within a few yards of us and I am thinking we are going to blow this but they eventually just walk off a ways. We focus on the heard coming over the ridge right to us and play the waiting game for the bull. I see two 6x6s walk within 50 yards of Preston and he doesnt even pay attention to them, and now Im getting upset. Why would he let two bulls wlak right by and not shoot? Just then I see him switching sides of the tree he is leaned against. This goes on several times and I keep thinking all this movement and he is going to get busted. Just then the shot rings out and he yells I got him. He has dropped the herd bull right in his tracks. A perfect heart shot and the bull doesnt take one more step.
We spent the rest of the night capping and packing out. The weather was very cold and the fog set in so we could not see very well. 3AM rolled around and we made it back to camp. A few hrs of sleep and back up to get the rest.
What an awesome hunt and one that will be remembered for a long time. Not only for the success but for the time spent and being able to share those sights that most will never see in there life.
