Speeddmn
Active member
So the story goes like this.
Hooked up the trailer on Monday, pointed east-ish, well more toward the RV store to get a toilet valve. Working crapper is a binus after all!! Get the valve at an absurd 41 bucks!! Hop back in the pickup and head toward Wyoming, after a very uneventful drive I get to the Ft. bridger exit and turn off headed south through Mountains View and back in Utah.
Get to camping spot A and it's taken...no worries, plenty of camp spots left, just means more walking to were I wanted to hunt. I pull into the spot and find a level-ish area and start setting up camp. All of a sudden hail and rain start...
Well after all of that, the sun comes out and I grab my bow and bag and head off into the deadfall and springs! Not to long after I cross a small river a small spike buck appears. Pretty typical of this area, never not see about 348 million deer every time I come here. Have I mentioned in the roughly 5 years of camping, atv'ing and hunting this area I have never seen an elk! Although I also always see moose also. i got 12 yards from a decent bull before I decided to make a little noise so he wouldn't kill me.
After one hill then another and another, get the drift! Ha! I end up in a area google earth showed as promissing. I set a camera out just for giggles and made a make shift blind of burlap and deadfall. Then headed iff into another area. The second place the old google showed actually was much more swamp like and I didnt like it, so I went else where. Eventually found a place that looked good and made another blind and set another camera. By now I was roughly 1.88 miles as a bird flies from the river I had to cross. As the sun was setting soon I decided to hunt my way back and make a good meal.
My alarm wakes me on Tuesday and I set out for my blinds, I make an on the fly mive to stand 2 and set up. First I checked the camera and had 0 pictures over night...could be a good sign, doubtful! Then I hear a bugle! Then two guys talking...crap. Thought it sounded a little to man made like. I gathed my gear and checked the gps, I took off for a plateau that was just shy of 10k foot mark to give it a look see. That was a bust, but sign for days! To sum up Tuesday I saw no moose, no elk and 500 million squirrels/chipmunks! Plus the dozen or so different deer.
Day 3, Wednesday, I arose to the sound of what sounded kike a construction crew outside my camper. It was just the wind blowing over dead trees...thats good right?! As I ate my cliff bar and pop tart I made the decision that I would actually overcome my ADD of sitting in ine area and just hunker down on a meadow. If I dont see an elk today I would pack up and head more east toward the Sheep Creek area. I strapped my bow to the pack and grabbed my make shift trekking poles, I later burned in spite, and headed back into the thicket of the elk-less mountains! By now I'm pretty sure the squirrels just crap elk size crap! As I walked over the deadfall and under or around more blowdown I was actually thinking of the new spot I would head to. All of a sudden I crested a small hill and saw the un-mistakable sight of an elk's hind end! My heart about leaped out of my chest! Was this a real life Uinta Mountain elk! No way, they are about as abundant as a white tail in Utah! Crap my bow is not in my hand!!! So I had to now quietly back down a bit, drop my bag and un buckle my bow. Did I mention this was ny first archery season ever, first elk Ive ever seen in this area also! Nerves, yep they were telling me to calm down! Haha right. Since I have an OTC any bull tag and I am in an any bull unit, I can shoot any elk, bull or cow. i didnt even look to see what it was!
So bow in hand, range finder in other hand. I re-crested the hill and found my target, the King of the Mountain!!! He is in my sights! Yes a Bull elk is 25 yards frim the tip of my 125 grain G5 broadhead! I double and triple check wind and distance, I draw back. I re-find my 20 and 30 yard pin and set the empty soace on the opposite shoulder. I touched the trigger if my release snd send that arrow toward the greatest quarry I have ever had a chance to chase!
The undeniable sound of a arrow hitting it's mark was heard and he bolted! As typical of what I've read, he ran up hill. As I sat there recalling the details and telling myself it was a good shot. I aslo thought to nyself that I had finally done it. I saw my first elk in this area and I shot him! By now I could hear him gasoing for life and I waited for him to expire. I got a good waypoint for his location and I went over the hill to grab my camera from a spot I was gonna sit.
I retured to find my prize or should I say trophy! Now the work begins right! Well I was in for a chore, I dug down deep and started quarting and deboning the elk of a lifetime! By the time I got the first load back to camp it was 230 in the afternoon. Had a snack, gatoraid and went back for trip 2. Over all I was done packing my elk out by 730 pm and relaxed!! I decided to break camp that night and head west toward ny house and kids! I arrived home to kids asleep and wagging tails of puppies! I left the house 3 days prior as a bow owner, I returned as a bow hunter!
I owe alot of this to you all and I did learn a few things: If you can see it on google earth, so can others! Trekking poles are on the need to buy list. A frame less day pack (badlands superday) is not recommended for carry any weight more then a water bladder and trail camera. I also learned a ton more but thats another story! Hope the pictures work since this is all off my phone!
***off to dinner, I'll try to get more pics later***
Hooked up the trailer on Monday, pointed east-ish, well more toward the RV store to get a toilet valve. Working crapper is a binus after all!! Get the valve at an absurd 41 bucks!! Hop back in the pickup and head toward Wyoming, after a very uneventful drive I get to the Ft. bridger exit and turn off headed south through Mountains View and back in Utah.
Get to camping spot A and it's taken...no worries, plenty of camp spots left, just means more walking to were I wanted to hunt. I pull into the spot and find a level-ish area and start setting up camp. All of a sudden hail and rain start...
Well after all of that, the sun comes out and I grab my bow and bag and head off into the deadfall and springs! Not to long after I cross a small river a small spike buck appears. Pretty typical of this area, never not see about 348 million deer every time I come here. Have I mentioned in the roughly 5 years of camping, atv'ing and hunting this area I have never seen an elk! Although I also always see moose also. i got 12 yards from a decent bull before I decided to make a little noise so he wouldn't kill me.
After one hill then another and another, get the drift! Ha! I end up in a area google earth showed as promissing. I set a camera out just for giggles and made a make shift blind of burlap and deadfall. Then headed iff into another area. The second place the old google showed actually was much more swamp like and I didnt like it, so I went else where. Eventually found a place that looked good and made another blind and set another camera. By now I was roughly 1.88 miles as a bird flies from the river I had to cross. As the sun was setting soon I decided to hunt my way back and make a good meal.
My alarm wakes me on Tuesday and I set out for my blinds, I make an on the fly mive to stand 2 and set up. First I checked the camera and had 0 pictures over night...could be a good sign, doubtful! Then I hear a bugle! Then two guys talking...crap. Thought it sounded a little to man made like. I gathed my gear and checked the gps, I took off for a plateau that was just shy of 10k foot mark to give it a look see. That was a bust, but sign for days! To sum up Tuesday I saw no moose, no elk and 500 million squirrels/chipmunks! Plus the dozen or so different deer.
Day 3, Wednesday, I arose to the sound of what sounded kike a construction crew outside my camper. It was just the wind blowing over dead trees...thats good right?! As I ate my cliff bar and pop tart I made the decision that I would actually overcome my ADD of sitting in ine area and just hunker down on a meadow. If I dont see an elk today I would pack up and head more east toward the Sheep Creek area. I strapped my bow to the pack and grabbed my make shift trekking poles, I later burned in spite, and headed back into the thicket of the elk-less mountains! By now I'm pretty sure the squirrels just crap elk size crap! As I walked over the deadfall and under or around more blowdown I was actually thinking of the new spot I would head to. All of a sudden I crested a small hill and saw the un-mistakable sight of an elk's hind end! My heart about leaped out of my chest! Was this a real life Uinta Mountain elk! No way, they are about as abundant as a white tail in Utah! Crap my bow is not in my hand!!! So I had to now quietly back down a bit, drop my bag and un buckle my bow. Did I mention this was ny first archery season ever, first elk Ive ever seen in this area also! Nerves, yep they were telling me to calm down! Haha right. Since I have an OTC any bull tag and I am in an any bull unit, I can shoot any elk, bull or cow. i didnt even look to see what it was!
So bow in hand, range finder in other hand. I re-crested the hill and found my target, the King of the Mountain!!! He is in my sights! Yes a Bull elk is 25 yards frim the tip of my 125 grain G5 broadhead! I double and triple check wind and distance, I draw back. I re-find my 20 and 30 yard pin and set the empty soace on the opposite shoulder. I touched the trigger if my release snd send that arrow toward the greatest quarry I have ever had a chance to chase!
The undeniable sound of a arrow hitting it's mark was heard and he bolted! As typical of what I've read, he ran up hill. As I sat there recalling the details and telling myself it was a good shot. I aslo thought to nyself that I had finally done it. I saw my first elk in this area and I shot him! By now I could hear him gasoing for life and I waited for him to expire. I got a good waypoint for his location and I went over the hill to grab my camera from a spot I was gonna sit.
I retured to find my prize or should I say trophy! Now the work begins right! Well I was in for a chore, I dug down deep and started quarting and deboning the elk of a lifetime! By the time I got the first load back to camp it was 230 in the afternoon. Had a snack, gatoraid and went back for trip 2. Over all I was done packing my elk out by 730 pm and relaxed!! I decided to break camp that night and head west toward ny house and kids! I arrived home to kids asleep and wagging tails of puppies! I left the house 3 days prior as a bow owner, I returned as a bow hunter!
I owe alot of this to you all and I did learn a few things: If you can see it on google earth, so can others! Trekking poles are on the need to buy list. A frame less day pack (badlands superday) is not recommended for carry any weight more then a water bladder and trail camera. I also learned a ton more but thats another story! Hope the pictures work since this is all off my phone!
***off to dinner, I'll try to get more pics later***
