Elk .... Let's see them!!!

Fields2211 said:
My buddies elk this year. Found him alone on scouting day and planned on going after him on opener. Ended up finding a herd of 50 with 2 large mature bulls and decided to go after them in hopes of doubling down. Well after a failed attempt we decided to see if he was still in the location we left him. Day 2 came around and it wasn't looking good until 2 other hunters walked between us making a bunch of noise and ended up pushing him straight to my buddy. He ended up getting a shot of at 40 feet on a dead sprint. Needless to say it was good timing and location.
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beauty!
 
RMLloyd said:
I was not raised hunting but I did do a fair amount of fishing when I was younger. I’m late in life to the world of big game. I haven’t been very successful on my own. Through my many mistakes I’ve learned a lot about what not to do. This hunt was a big one for me and I don’t know many folks who were willing or who were able to help out. With the COVID nonsense and just getting back from a deployment there was no way I could possibly scout the area. I hired a guide and have zero regrets about paying someone for help. The things I learned and the experience I had was worth way more than what I paid. A great dude and a good group of folks who really enjoy hunting and helping guys like me.

This was by no means an easy hunt at all. We glassed and glassed, hiked and got into several situations where I just couldn’t get a good lane to shoot. On day 4 my guided glassed up 6 or 7 bulls from a long ways off, drove over and hiked about a mile to get into them. My first shot at 210 yards looked perfect through my scope and my guide’s binoculars (I zeroed in at 200). I reloaded but he was out of sight before I got a follow up. We gave him 30 or 40 minutes before we moved in. We found blood and tracks but no bull. We kept looking until dark and had to call it off. First light we were back at it (last day of the hunt) hoping to find an expired bull. Instead we picked up more blood and tracks. We followed them for almost 2 miles and finally saw him on a ridge about 500 yards away. I took several shots and narrowly missed then he took off. Away we went up the mountain following his blood and tracks. On top we lost his tacks and could not pick them up. My guide said we may have to call it. He and the other guide walked away and had a discussion as I sat on a rock, took off my hat and looked at the valley below. The feeling of wounding an animal and not being able to recover it made me sick. Physical knots in my stomach.

We grounded our packs for a break. I listened as the two guides discussed the situation and the lead guide had an idea about which way we should go. A few minutes later we were off and picked up his tracks again. We followed them down into a forested valley and saw him again through the trees but I was again not able to get a clear shot. Up out of a valley and into a flat we saw him again going up another mountain, again unable to get a shot. Up another mountain and this time, the blood trail was very pronounced and tracks very heavy. On top of this ridge one guide saw him dash to one side and lost sight of him. One guide went left, the other right, while I took the middle and none of us saw the bull. As we regrouped to discuss our next move, there he was under a tree 30 yards from all of us! So close it took me about 10 seconds (seemed like a lifetime) to spot him after they pointed him out. I fired 2 rounds into him and he dropped. Examining the bull, we found my first shot from the day before was 3 or 4 inches off his heart and shattered his shoulder. 3 or 4 inches is the difference between a 1-shot kill and a 6-mile chase through the mountains. To say I have a new-found respect for these creatures is an understatement. Not a day will go by were I wish my shot was 3 or 4 inches to the right. The work that these guys did to help me recover this animal and to ensure he was put down as ethically as possible was amazing.

This may not be the biggest bull in the world but it means the world to me. I bought my first rifle about 10 years ago and dreamed of shooting an elk or moose. I shot my first rabbit just last year. I was reminded yesterday by Facebook of a post of Randy’s I shared last year. Hunting is like a lot of life goals, we will never achieve them if we are not actively doing something to make it happen. I sat on my butt for 10 years before I finally did it and man did it feel good. I'm thankful for guys like Randy and others who share their love for hunting and the outdoors that motivated me to get living life to its fullest.


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Great story and nice bull. Man, they are tougher than tough!! Congrats!
 
Big Fin said:
Here's the deal. Since the "Let's see them" pronghorn thread is one of the most viewed on this site, and most viewed by lurkers, I am thinking we should do the same with elk and show how many elk guys on this site take.

This thread will be a "sticky thread" and be at the top of the Elk Forum, from here on out. It doesn't matter when you shot it, how you shot it, or if you were just the person helping, this is the thread to post elk pictures. No need to post a long story, just a pic and a few notes about the hunt.

Be as specific or vague as you want, as far as location.

Here goes.

2005 - Missouri River Breaks rifle tag. My son's first elk. Most fun I ever had on an elk hunt. We were joined by my brother, Logdawg.

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Thanks for doing this. I hope this thread becomes as popular as the pronghorn thread. I know you guys have shot a lot of elk, so post 'em up right here, even if they have previsouly been posted on another thread.
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Really like this bull!
 
2rocky said:
Best Bull 2008 Wyoming with my dad.

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This looks like a really nice bull!
 
Big Fin said:
2005 - Arizona Unit 10, early rifle. Again assisted by NVLongbow, Jereep, and along with Uncle Larry. Some good locations provided by AZ402, even though he could not join us.

Saw a true giant two nights before season opened. Hunted for him pretty much every day, passing some really good bulls in the process. Passed this one earlier in the hunt before he lost his fifth point on the passenger side.

Ended up rolling the dice and lost, but would probably do the same thing all over if I had the same chance, given how big that pre-scouted bull was. Sometimes finding a big one before season can be a curse, causing you to foresake all others. In Unit 10, some of those you foresake would be lunkers on any other hunt.

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Nice bull no matter how many others you passed on.
 
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