Camdu7
Active member
Our annual Montana general elk hunt was a success again. The drive went well except for hitting a whitetail doe near Whitehall. The deer was not salvageable but the truck was drivable. We arrived at sunrise on the morning of the 19th and glassed up a couple of bulls on the drive into the mountains. Got camp set up in the sunshine and enjoyed the warm day glassing up some more elk.
Friday brought a change in weather but we were still glassing elk.
Opening morning! I moved over on the mountain road to let another hunter by and buried my truck in a snowbank. Oh well, I grabbed my gear and took off. I got to my glassing point right at first light. I located a nice bull and gave chase. He was moving down mountain. I got to about 600 yards and he crossed onto private. I climbed back up and got to shoveling out my truck. I got back to camp at dark and one of my buddies had shot a cow. So we packed out her in the snow and wind.
Sunday was windy! Like 40-50 mph. I hunted the timber all day and had a couple of close calls with some cows. My other hunting partner shot a cow right at dark.
Monday: I dropped of the mountain from camp and the plan was to have the guys pick me up at the bottom then pack out the cow. On the way down I glassed up over camp and noticed 4 elk just going into the timber. I kept going down finding nothing. We packed out the cow and the guys informed me that watched the 4 elk and though they were bedded up there.
So after some lunch I headed up the mountain taking the long way around through the timber to keep out of sight and stay good with the wind. I got to where I thought should be and cut some fresh tracks. I could catch elk smell in the wind. I'm close! Two shot ring out close! Really close. I stay put for a bit hoping one of the elk would flee my way. Nothing. I move out to the edge of the sage to get more visibility and cut the hunters tracks. He had come up in the open and passed me on the way up. I'm sure he had no clue I was there. Feeling a little frustrated I sidehilled towards a water tank and small meadow I have bowhunted before.
OMG I'm the luckiest guy on the Mountain:
Sidehilling along on this steep hill sucks but it is the only way to glass this spot without walking all they way over there. I get to where I can see in the meadow and I spot an elk. Pull up the nocs and he is a dandy! Just over and hour till dark gotta hurry. I slid down elevation to get some cover from the timber and work my way up canyon about 3/4 mile cross over and back down the other side to where he is. The snow is loud, so loud I keep thinking this is not going to work. I get to the spring above the water tank in the meadow. I slid along the wooded fence around the spring. I catch some movement and there he is standing facing me at 50-60 yards. I'm sitting down with the gun on him he is looking right at me. I'm not a fan of a facing shot but at that range I felt ok with it. I shot and he went down then got back up and ran. I took a second shot as he was moving past some spruces and lost sight of him. I didn't hear a crash or anymore running. I slowly moved down and found him just past where I last saw a big old beam sticking out of the sage! He is my biggest bull by far and nice 6 with an extra point on his right browtine.
We cut him up and packed out three loads that night and came back for the rest in the morning.
Three elk in three days. We were tired. Spend the rest of the day sitting around the campfire and headed home snowy Minnesota the next day.
Friday brought a change in weather but we were still glassing elk.
Opening morning! I moved over on the mountain road to let another hunter by and buried my truck in a snowbank. Oh well, I grabbed my gear and took off. I got to my glassing point right at first light. I located a nice bull and gave chase. He was moving down mountain. I got to about 600 yards and he crossed onto private. I climbed back up and got to shoveling out my truck. I got back to camp at dark and one of my buddies had shot a cow. So we packed out her in the snow and wind.
Sunday was windy! Like 40-50 mph. I hunted the timber all day and had a couple of close calls with some cows. My other hunting partner shot a cow right at dark.
Monday: I dropped of the mountain from camp and the plan was to have the guys pick me up at the bottom then pack out the cow. On the way down I glassed up over camp and noticed 4 elk just going into the timber. I kept going down finding nothing. We packed out the cow and the guys informed me that watched the 4 elk and though they were bedded up there.
So after some lunch I headed up the mountain taking the long way around through the timber to keep out of sight and stay good with the wind. I got to where I thought should be and cut some fresh tracks. I could catch elk smell in the wind. I'm close! Two shot ring out close! Really close. I stay put for a bit hoping one of the elk would flee my way. Nothing. I move out to the edge of the sage to get more visibility and cut the hunters tracks. He had come up in the open and passed me on the way up. I'm sure he had no clue I was there. Feeling a little frustrated I sidehilled towards a water tank and small meadow I have bowhunted before.
OMG I'm the luckiest guy on the Mountain:
Sidehilling along on this steep hill sucks but it is the only way to glass this spot without walking all they way over there. I get to where I can see in the meadow and I spot an elk. Pull up the nocs and he is a dandy! Just over and hour till dark gotta hurry. I slid down elevation to get some cover from the timber and work my way up canyon about 3/4 mile cross over and back down the other side to where he is. The snow is loud, so loud I keep thinking this is not going to work. I get to the spring above the water tank in the meadow. I slid along the wooded fence around the spring. I catch some movement and there he is standing facing me at 50-60 yards. I'm sitting down with the gun on him he is looking right at me. I'm not a fan of a facing shot but at that range I felt ok with it. I shot and he went down then got back up and ran. I took a second shot as he was moving past some spruces and lost sight of him. I didn't hear a crash or anymore running. I slowly moved down and found him just past where I last saw a big old beam sticking out of the sage! He is my biggest bull by far and nice 6 with an extra point on his right browtine.
We cut him up and packed out three loads that night and came back for the rest in the morning.
Three elk in three days. We were tired. Spend the rest of the day sitting around the campfire and headed home snowy Minnesota the next day.
. Nice work!
