HowaHunter
Active member
This big game season was a blast spent with a few good friends between Wyoming and Idaho. My family and friends are meat hunters so we had a fist full of doe tags minus two either sex deer tags here in Idaho.
In October my wife and I and three friends headed to Wyoming with 10 doe tags. We had a difficult first few days as the antelope were not abundant as in previous years. However on the third day they cooperated and we left Wyoming having filled 6 out of the 10 tags.
The next to open was our deer tags. My wife and I loaded up our kids a few times and hunted a few days. Hunting with your family is always fun and I enjoy having our young girls out with us. On one of our days out my wife had spotted some moose and when I returned from my hike we moved our truck so the girls could sit on the hood and look at the moose through our binoculars. We had just handed them the binoculars when a group of 6 doe mule deer came over the ridge at 65 yards from us and stopped and stared. I was not going to pass up an opportunity like that so my deer tag was notched. Megan did not harvest a deer although she tried her hardest.
Cow Elk hunting came next. Once again we loaded the family up for a couple days in the hills. I had never hunted this unit and asked for some advice and I would like to thank the people that helped me. After 2 days scouting the area with the family we headed home. Megan had to work and the kids had school.
I had the entire week off so I went back up solo. I awoke one morning and turned the truck on and had 2 beautiful bull elk run out of camp. That changed my plans so I waited until light and took off from camp. I eventually ran into the bulls a half mile away but there were not any cows with them. I stood in awe at the size of the 6x6 and forgot to get my camera out for a picture.
I was in the midst of changing areas that morning after a 2.5 mile walk did not produce a cow. On my way to a new area I happened to catch a group of about 70 elk out in a flat. Needless to say I harvested my cow elk. It is actually my first Elk ever. Due to 60 degree weather I could not let the elk hang and had to process it immediately. I live 1.5 hours from elk camp so I took to skinning parts of the elk then headed for home to start cutting.
I took my wife back up the next weekend and we did see some elk but with the supermoon it was very hard to catch them during day light hours. We tried putting a sneak on a herd we saw in the dark but could never catch up.
It was a great season. I punched all of my tags and my wife had some success with antelope. I hunt with a few people but I must say hunting with my wife is the most rewarding. She loves to provide for her family as I do and the quality time we get together out in the mountains can't be beat; even with our loud kids at our side.
Here are some moose near elk camp. May have to put in for a bull tag next year...
In October my wife and I and three friends headed to Wyoming with 10 doe tags. We had a difficult first few days as the antelope were not abundant as in previous years. However on the third day they cooperated and we left Wyoming having filled 6 out of the 10 tags.
The next to open was our deer tags. My wife and I loaded up our kids a few times and hunted a few days. Hunting with your family is always fun and I enjoy having our young girls out with us. On one of our days out my wife had spotted some moose and when I returned from my hike we moved our truck so the girls could sit on the hood and look at the moose through our binoculars. We had just handed them the binoculars when a group of 6 doe mule deer came over the ridge at 65 yards from us and stopped and stared. I was not going to pass up an opportunity like that so my deer tag was notched. Megan did not harvest a deer although she tried her hardest.
Cow Elk hunting came next. Once again we loaded the family up for a couple days in the hills. I had never hunted this unit and asked for some advice and I would like to thank the people that helped me. After 2 days scouting the area with the family we headed home. Megan had to work and the kids had school.
I had the entire week off so I went back up solo. I awoke one morning and turned the truck on and had 2 beautiful bull elk run out of camp. That changed my plans so I waited until light and took off from camp. I eventually ran into the bulls a half mile away but there were not any cows with them. I stood in awe at the size of the 6x6 and forgot to get my camera out for a picture.
I was in the midst of changing areas that morning after a 2.5 mile walk did not produce a cow. On my way to a new area I happened to catch a group of about 70 elk out in a flat. Needless to say I harvested my cow elk. It is actually my first Elk ever. Due to 60 degree weather I could not let the elk hang and had to process it immediately. I live 1.5 hours from elk camp so I took to skinning parts of the elk then headed for home to start cutting.
I took my wife back up the next weekend and we did see some elk but with the supermoon it was very hard to catch them during day light hours. We tried putting a sneak on a herd we saw in the dark but could never catch up.
It was a great season. I punched all of my tags and my wife had some success with antelope. I hunt with a few people but I must say hunting with my wife is the most rewarding. She loves to provide for her family as I do and the quality time we get together out in the mountains can't be beat; even with our loud kids at our side.
Here are some moose near elk camp. May have to put in for a bull tag next year...
