I was drawn for either sex elk for the Camp Wainwright base hunt. For elk the licence is good for 3 days of primitive weapons (muzzleloaders / archery) and 12 days of centre fire. There are 50 tags given out and the success rate at best is 20%. There are a number of permanent danger areas(PDA's) that are off-limits to hunting and act as sanctuaries for game once hunting starts.
I knew going in it would be a hard hunt with low success rates. I had set aside 9 days for the hunt and hoped my bad knee would be up to the walking I would have to do. My plan was to treat the muzzleloader season as scouting for rifle. While I am confident with the front stuffer out to 200 yds I was less sure I would run into an elk within the first 3 days. I knew that I should get a chance or two and that I needed to be ready as, in my past hunts on the base I have run into elk at fairly close quarters while still hunting for either deer or moose. So, my thoughts were to still hunt, track if snow was good, watch funnels and travel corridors.
Opening morning I had selected the east side (walk in only - vehicles can be taken in to pick up game - no ATV's) to scout and spent the first couple of hours checking locations for travel routes into the adjacent PDA, marking gps coordinates on crossings, cutlines and trails etc. I found two areas with a number of travel routes into the PDA that I wanted to take a better look at and started walking at about 9:30.
I started out making a big loop to get the wind right for the area I wanted to check out. There was very little snow and what was there was crunchy. There was a fair amount of old sign and a few fresh tracks once a person got away from the road. Spending a few hours walking edges, checking sight lines from a few rises above large basins and funnels a plan was starting to come together. I continued to slowly walk along edges and down cattle trails glassing. Coming to a location where my gps showed that were a few crossing locations on the PDA, I found a saddle on a long ridge coming down into a flat area which was leading east towards three ridges that were in the direction of the crossings into the PDA.
Here are a few pictures taken the second day (snowed overnight) of the country that I was walking through.
As it was 12:30 I thought this is a good spot to stop and watch for a couple of hours. With trees on my left, a saddle on the ridge to my left, on my left front the ridge had a side hill with openings in the brush, three crossing locations into the PDA about 1 km away on my right -- great location to watch for a bit, have some water and lunch. Around 1 pm two big bull moose came out and walked along the side of the ridge to my left headed north. Watching them for a bit, they stopped and turned around looking towards the south. Then they turned and moved north a bit further, turned and looked back south again. I started watching where the saddle started on the ridge (basically a lower area clear of brush) and a bull elk came over the ridge followed by three more bulls headed in my direction.
The four elk came down the funnel and into the basin following a line towards one of the finger ridges on my right. At this time, I was up, behind a few trees and waiting for a shot opportunity. If they went on the north trail they would be out of range, centre trail they would be at about 150 yds, southern trail they would run over me.
One bull started on the north trail and the other three came down the centre trail. I was standing behind some scrub poplars with a crossing wind from the elk to me. The lead bull was the biggest body by far and had what looked like the largest antlers. He was trotting and then suddenly stopped broadside to me and looked my way. I later ranged the location at about 130 yds. I had been watching him and the last bull that was lagging, walking slower, a little closer and more in the open. The lead bull stopping broadside directly in front, made the decision for a shot and I could hear the whoomph. Once the haze cleared the lead bull was walking off slowly with a bad limp from what looked like a broken front shoulder on my side.
My reload cycle is slow and while reloading I watched all four elk walk over a small hill a little over 200 yards away. Reloaded I checked the area where he had been standing -- there was no snow all grass - no blood and no tracks. So, I make a decision to go to the tree that I had marked on small hill that they went over where I had last seen them. By this time about 15 minutes had passed. I thought being quiet and going slow would not push him as he had looked to be hit pretty hard. Reloaded and going over the hill I found this. No blood around him or on the grass -- with a broken front leg, a deep crease across the side of the heart and no exit wound all of the blood was in the chest cavity.
Initially I had a great feeling and then a realization that I was a long way from the truck. Checking the gps there was a cutline within about 500 yds to the north. Tagging, a quick clean up to let him cool down and then I started the long walk back to get the truck. Called the hunter check station desk to let them know I was taking my vehicle down the line to pick up an animal, organize the sled and cutting gear and in for the hard part - fun was over quickly and much sooner than I had planned for. As I could not get the full animal out before dark, I left the ribs and neck to come back to the next morning. Here is a picture from the next morning of the protection on the pieces left behind -- under my sled with rope, jacket on a tree and few hats on small bushes around the pile.
Going in to retrieve the remaining meat there were three hunters walking down the cutline so not being in any hurry I let them get out of sight. Once they were well past the kill site, I walked in to finish the clean up on the carcass and pulled the sled back to the cut line. By this time they had left the area which allowed me to drive down and pick up the gear without disturbing their hunt.
With fresh snow I cut 2 elk tracks within 100 yds of the remains and a small group of 3 /4 crossing the cutline. Would have be a great day for quiet tracking but I was done.
Here is a picture of the antlers --- funny looking rack with the bent fronts, curves and the right side.
I knew going in it would be a hard hunt with low success rates. I had set aside 9 days for the hunt and hoped my bad knee would be up to the walking I would have to do. My plan was to treat the muzzleloader season as scouting for rifle. While I am confident with the front stuffer out to 200 yds I was less sure I would run into an elk within the first 3 days. I knew that I should get a chance or two and that I needed to be ready as, in my past hunts on the base I have run into elk at fairly close quarters while still hunting for either deer or moose. So, my thoughts were to still hunt, track if snow was good, watch funnels and travel corridors.
Opening morning I had selected the east side (walk in only - vehicles can be taken in to pick up game - no ATV's) to scout and spent the first couple of hours checking locations for travel routes into the adjacent PDA, marking gps coordinates on crossings, cutlines and trails etc. I found two areas with a number of travel routes into the PDA that I wanted to take a better look at and started walking at about 9:30.
I started out making a big loop to get the wind right for the area I wanted to check out. There was very little snow and what was there was crunchy. There was a fair amount of old sign and a few fresh tracks once a person got away from the road. Spending a few hours walking edges, checking sight lines from a few rises above large basins and funnels a plan was starting to come together. I continued to slowly walk along edges and down cattle trails glassing. Coming to a location where my gps showed that were a few crossing locations on the PDA, I found a saddle on a long ridge coming down into a flat area which was leading east towards three ridges that were in the direction of the crossings into the PDA.
Here are a few pictures taken the second day (snowed overnight) of the country that I was walking through.
As it was 12:30 I thought this is a good spot to stop and watch for a couple of hours. With trees on my left, a saddle on the ridge to my left, on my left front the ridge had a side hill with openings in the brush, three crossing locations into the PDA about 1 km away on my right -- great location to watch for a bit, have some water and lunch. Around 1 pm two big bull moose came out and walked along the side of the ridge to my left headed north. Watching them for a bit, they stopped and turned around looking towards the south. Then they turned and moved north a bit further, turned and looked back south again. I started watching where the saddle started on the ridge (basically a lower area clear of brush) and a bull elk came over the ridge followed by three more bulls headed in my direction.
The four elk came down the funnel and into the basin following a line towards one of the finger ridges on my right. At this time, I was up, behind a few trees and waiting for a shot opportunity. If they went on the north trail they would be out of range, centre trail they would be at about 150 yds, southern trail they would run over me.
One bull started on the north trail and the other three came down the centre trail. I was standing behind some scrub poplars with a crossing wind from the elk to me. The lead bull was the biggest body by far and had what looked like the largest antlers. He was trotting and then suddenly stopped broadside to me and looked my way. I later ranged the location at about 130 yds. I had been watching him and the last bull that was lagging, walking slower, a little closer and more in the open. The lead bull stopping broadside directly in front, made the decision for a shot and I could hear the whoomph. Once the haze cleared the lead bull was walking off slowly with a bad limp from what looked like a broken front shoulder on my side.
My reload cycle is slow and while reloading I watched all four elk walk over a small hill a little over 200 yards away. Reloaded I checked the area where he had been standing -- there was no snow all grass - no blood and no tracks. So, I make a decision to go to the tree that I had marked on small hill that they went over where I had last seen them. By this time about 15 minutes had passed. I thought being quiet and going slow would not push him as he had looked to be hit pretty hard. Reloaded and going over the hill I found this. No blood around him or on the grass -- with a broken front leg, a deep crease across the side of the heart and no exit wound all of the blood was in the chest cavity.
Initially I had a great feeling and then a realization that I was a long way from the truck. Checking the gps there was a cutline within about 500 yds to the north. Tagging, a quick clean up to let him cool down and then I started the long walk back to get the truck. Called the hunter check station desk to let them know I was taking my vehicle down the line to pick up an animal, organize the sled and cutting gear and in for the hard part - fun was over quickly and much sooner than I had planned for. As I could not get the full animal out before dark, I left the ribs and neck to come back to the next morning. Here is a picture from the next morning of the protection on the pieces left behind -- under my sled with rope, jacket on a tree and few hats on small bushes around the pile.
Going in to retrieve the remaining meat there were three hunters walking down the cutline so not being in any hurry I let them get out of sight. Once they were well past the kill site, I walked in to finish the clean up on the carcass and pulled the sled back to the cut line. By this time they had left the area which allowed me to drive down and pick up the gear without disturbing their hunt.
With fresh snow I cut 2 elk tracks within 100 yds of the remains and a small group of 3 /4 crossing the cutline. Would have be a great day for quiet tracking but I was done.
Here is a picture of the antlers --- funny looking rack with the bent fronts, curves and the right side.
