WYelker
Well-known member
- Joined
- Feb 1, 2021
- Messages
- 487
Yesterday my daughter and I wrapped up her quest for a late season WY cow tag. The weather just did not cooperate. We had wind but no real snow. The elk that usually migrate into the area were still stuck up high, the few local herds of cows were already hunted hard and holed up in private. But it was still a blast.
First morning at first light we we spot an elk.. Get excited and it was a bull, good bull in the low 300s. We then covered a ton of ground seeing deer and lopes. She sleeps a bunch as I glass and glass and glass some more… The wind was screaming all. On one side of the area they recorded 111 mph wind and on the other end it was 65…. I am certain the one gust we had was well over 80…
That afternoon the wind dies a bit (only running 30-40) we found a couple holes out of the wind and worked. We get into one hole and look below and get excited to see a grip of elk. The wind is perfect and they are under 200 yards and have no clue we are there. We put up the glass, bull, bull, bull, bull…. This was how her season would go. Long periods of nothing then flashes of excitement only to be crushed by antlers or…
Opening day we saw 9 bulls total no cows and good deer and a couple decent bucks…
We went out a couple evening after school and both Saturday and Sunday. The season would end much like it began.
On Sunday we spotted one cow elk mid day. She was on private had a broken leg and was not going to be able to jump the fence onto public. That was a bummer the only cow we saw…
That afternoon we tried a new area. We found a few tracks and started looking in holes.
The first hole we head towards, we get just about to the look out and we spot an elk laying down in the road we are driving. It was about 80 yards ahead of us. We scramble and soon realize it was another bull. It takes a bit, but eventually stands and heads out with another bull in tow. Just like the bulls last week both would have been easy to kill.
The bulls gave my daughter hope. So we head into a will covered creek bottom. Go to look over the edge and immediately see an elk laying in the willows. She gets ready again and it was a bull. Then when it stands and goes to leave another bull, followed by another, followed by… That group had 9 bulls in it… The 2 biggest were 330-340…
Again they were well within 200 yards and gave ample shot opportunity… but all were bulls…
The next hole we checked we sneak over and see 3 elk in the trees set up and wait for them to get into the opening. Bull, bull, bull… of course…
The last place we were going to check before calling it quits. We are driving along in the sage above a creek. About 80 yards on the driver side there is a little rise. I look over and see a pair of dark ears leaning over the ridge and no antlers. I get excited and tell Emma cow… We have a split second of hope only to be crushed as the cow moose steps up allowing us to see the entire head. She spooks and from behind her came the largest bull moose I have seen in person. He was a stud. They run off…
The final count for our:
We saw like 19 bull elk, a crap ton of antelope (1 herd was well over 100),
We saw a bunch of mule deer a few white tails. 4 shooter mule deer and one shooter white tail buck, we saw a badger, a beaver, a cow moose, a bull moose, bald eagles, golden eagles, osprey, about everything we could imagine except a cow elk on public land…
Oh and we found a weather balloon and since it was a throw away we gutted it…
First morning at first light we we spot an elk.. Get excited and it was a bull, good bull in the low 300s. We then covered a ton of ground seeing deer and lopes. She sleeps a bunch as I glass and glass and glass some more… The wind was screaming all. On one side of the area they recorded 111 mph wind and on the other end it was 65…. I am certain the one gust we had was well over 80…
That afternoon the wind dies a bit (only running 30-40) we found a couple holes out of the wind and worked. We get into one hole and look below and get excited to see a grip of elk. The wind is perfect and they are under 200 yards and have no clue we are there. We put up the glass, bull, bull, bull, bull…. This was how her season would go. Long periods of nothing then flashes of excitement only to be crushed by antlers or…
Opening day we saw 9 bulls total no cows and good deer and a couple decent bucks…
We went out a couple evening after school and both Saturday and Sunday. The season would end much like it began.
On Sunday we spotted one cow elk mid day. She was on private had a broken leg and was not going to be able to jump the fence onto public. That was a bummer the only cow we saw…
That afternoon we tried a new area. We found a few tracks and started looking in holes.
The first hole we head towards, we get just about to the look out and we spot an elk laying down in the road we are driving. It was about 80 yards ahead of us. We scramble and soon realize it was another bull. It takes a bit, but eventually stands and heads out with another bull in tow. Just like the bulls last week both would have been easy to kill.
The bulls gave my daughter hope. So we head into a will covered creek bottom. Go to look over the edge and immediately see an elk laying in the willows. She gets ready again and it was a bull. Then when it stands and goes to leave another bull, followed by another, followed by… That group had 9 bulls in it… The 2 biggest were 330-340…
Again they were well within 200 yards and gave ample shot opportunity… but all were bulls…
The next hole we checked we sneak over and see 3 elk in the trees set up and wait for them to get into the opening. Bull, bull, bull… of course…
The last place we were going to check before calling it quits. We are driving along in the sage above a creek. About 80 yards on the driver side there is a little rise. I look over and see a pair of dark ears leaning over the ridge and no antlers. I get excited and tell Emma cow… We have a split second of hope only to be crushed as the cow moose steps up allowing us to see the entire head. She spooks and from behind her came the largest bull moose I have seen in person. He was a stud. They run off…
The final count for our:
We saw like 19 bull elk, a crap ton of antelope (1 herd was well over 100),
We saw a bunch of mule deer a few white tails. 4 shooter mule deer and one shooter white tail buck, we saw a badger, a beaver, a cow moose, a bull moose, bald eagles, golden eagles, osprey, about everything we could imagine except a cow elk on public land…
Oh and we found a weather balloon and since it was a throw away we gutted it…
