Elk 2024 Pack Goat Trip

[Duck-Slayer]

This particular hunt I wasn't sure it would happen. My injuries from my car wreck back in 2007 have been flaring up on a regular basis since I have turned the big 4-0 lol. Luckily the VA fast tracked a SI injection at the beginning of Sept. Wish I could have gotten it a bit sooner to have a chance at my Deer tag and Antelope tag, it was not meant to be I suppose. Fast forward to Sept. 11th, a last minute change of plans from leaving the morning of the 12th to leaving right before supper on the 11th. Which put us at the trailhead at just about dark. We arouse to another pickup pulling up about 4a.m., day hiker, wasn't to worried about it, we had planned on about 5 miles deep before we were going to setup camp.
I didn't roll out of the truck till the sun came up. A quick unloading of the 6 goats I brought and tacking them up we were ready to roll in a pretty short order. Had a funny encounter on the way up the trail, just over 9,000 ft along the tiny creek, I came across a funny looking animal traveling down the creek bank. A River Otter!, just odd for it to be in this particular spot and the direction it was coming from is all small creeks and giant drainages that is not suitable habitat.
Matt

 

[duckhunt]

Looking forward to this one.

 

[coleslaw]

 

[BackofBeyond]

View attachment 344368

Glad I wasn’t the only one that thought of this.

 

[Duck-Slayer]

It was a great hike in, minus someone was camped in the spot I had planned to camp. I figured they were there for the weekend with no pack stock around. Talked to them later that evening and my hunch was correct. A Quick Look at OnX showed a nice bench about 400 yards down the mountain to the south-ish. Turns out it’s a better camp that the one up top.
Matt

 

[SwaggyD]

Heck yeah. Following along.

 

[F250]

Following this one !

 

[Duck-Slayer]

the first evening was fairly demoralizing, it was a Dad and young son that had camped where I wanted too, they came out of the bottom about the time we got done with setting up camp. They had been hunting the area the past few days. Oh well I guess. That first evening did not produce a sound or sighting.
It has been unseasonably warm this past Aug/Sept, the nights were warm and the days were extra warm, 80 degrees almost everyday. Water was super important on this hunt, find water you found elk. It was an early night this evening, with nothing talking and the smoke was still fairly thick.
Matt

 

[Duck-Slayer]

My buddy brought his 2 horses, let’s just say it reaffirms I will not get horses anytime soon . Between the 2 wrecks on the way in and this nasty injury coming back from watering them, I’d say horses are not in my future.
Matt

 

[cahunter805]

Following along. Always enjoy your write ups.
That’s a nasty injury to the horse. What happened?

 

[elkhuntinfool78]

Following

 

[Pahoundsman]

My buddy brought his 2 horses, let’s just say it reaffirms I will not get horses anytime soon . Between the 2 wrecks on the way in and this nasty injury coming back from watering them, I’d say horses are not in my future.
Matt

View attachment 344521

Horses are a lot of work and money

 

[Gr8bawana]

We found out when we had 4 horses for about 5 years that they can find ways to hurt themselves you would never imagine.

 

[Duck-Slayer]

Following along. Always enjoy your write ups.
That’s a nasty injury to the horse. What happened?

Not entirely sure as I was not with (my goats don’t have that maintenance) he was riding his other horse as that one was following, he heard it fall looked back and was rolling down the mountain , we figured he tripped then took a stick in the leg and came back out when he was rolling. FYI he is doing great now, vet said about 6-8 months of recovery time.
Matt

 

[Brittany Chukarman]

Good luck Matt, always enjoy reading your adventures. Been missing your fishing reports.

 

[elkhuntinfool78]

Not to derail your thread but I'd love to hear more about your pack goats as I've been considering getting some
One question in particular, are you able to leave them unattended in camp for the day while out hunting or do you keep them with you all the time?

Anxious to hear the rest of your story!

 

[Duck-Slayer]

Not to derail your thread but I'd love to hear more about your pack goats as I've been considering getting some
One question in particular, are you able to leave them unattended in camp for the day while out hunting or do you keep them with you all the time?

Anxious to hear the rest of your story!

They roll everywhere with me, do not leave unattended at camp! PM me with specifics.
Matt

 

[Duck-Slayer]

The first morning of hunting was a little bit of a slow start, rolled out of bed about the time it was getting light, as I like to glass and bugle from camp just in case. And this morning I’m glad I did, had a bull coming up the opposite finger ridge from where I was camped. So I glassed and let him work his own way up that finger ridge, about the time he got to me the wind was switching up hill, perfect! So I proceeded to play games with him for the next hour until he decided to lay down for a nap. Oh well back to brunch and some coffee.
Matt

 

[Duck-Slayer]

So that afternoon around 5:30 or so that bull across the way started bugling on his own. Time to saddle up and get it done! I grabbed the Bino harness and bow, I started paralleling him down the ridge, I gave out maybe 2 bucks and he was in his way, I may have pissed him off a bit lol, as soon as I knew he was coming I ran down about 50-60 yards from the last place I bugled knowing that elk like to stop at about 100 yards out. I barely got to the spot and I saw him walking left to right about 50 yards out. Thermals were going left to right, same direction he was traveling, so I knew he was circling, I quickly glanced to my right and ranged a stand of small pine trees, 32 yards, perfect place to stop him. He followed the scripted to a T, he went behind some small pines and I raised my bow. Of course they were thin enough where he was able to catch my movement. Luckily, he just stared at me for about 15 seconds then continued walking. He stopped perfectly in the first opening. I was already at full draw and settling my pin. Unfortunately, right as I was wanting to release the arrow, he started walking again. I don’t generally get flustered, but I got flustered. I’m not gonna lie. I was scrambling trying to figure out where to stop him before he winded me I stopped him in a fairly tight opening in the small pines with a light cow mouth call. Without even thinking, I put my pin on them and released, so I did not level my bow. I did not reranged where he had moved to. And the arrow sales right under his brisket. He whirls and runs down to the exact spot. I ranged at 52 yards. By then I had knocked another arrow and dialed my site to 50 yards. Total here, his entire head was obstructed by a giant pine tree. so he could not see me moving or ranging him or any of that movement. I did have to take a large step to the right because of two small pine trees covering his vitals but this time I drew, I leveled, settled my pin center mass and released . And he took off like a bolt of lightning with a beautiful red mark on the ten ring. Let’s just say I was hooping and hollering right after the shot, it had been a long four years since I filled an archery tag. Of course, my buddy was sitting in camp listening and he couldn’t quite see what was going on, but he knew that we would be packing meat later that night.
Matt

I shot from where the arrow is pointing next to that tree.

 

[Duck-Slayer]

Onto the tracking job…. Found that arrow right away, soaked in blood. We then proceeded to track him, this is the first elk out of 14 that I have not seen fall within sight of the shot, which I was immediately shocked about… so weird, we followed blood for 100 yards then I got fairly nervous, was I seeing things where I thought I hit . My buddy and I sat down and had a prayer moment. Followed for another 100 yards, dropping down to a spring that was in some awesome dark timber and blowdowns, I can see why this bull was living there now. Anyway I was almost to the spring when the bull jumped up and took off, right before this I almost said to my buddy (do you hear gurgling) I should have because he was about to say he heard something also. A nice blood pile where the bull was laying. Definitely a dead bull running….. followed another 100 yards with sporadic blood. At this point I’m all sorts of messed up, like what the hell is going on…. I couldn’t take it anymore, called it and went back to camp for the night. Talk about a sleepless night…. Thank god for stoves and coffee, this was my routine all night to not completely lose it
Matt