Hairy Beasts and Smell Korns

[Jbotto]

If I was the one writing this story, it would be the longest post in the history of HuntTalk to let you all know I didn’t fill the tag. I’d have all you fooled.

I’m full captivated though and throughly enjoying this great off season hunting story!

 

[Gerald Martin]

If I was the one writing this story, it would be the longest post in the history of HuntTalk to let you all know I didn’t fill the tag. I’d have all you fooled.

I’m full captivated though and throughly enjoying this great off season hunting story!

With that much time invested I would want the reader to experience as much disappointment over an unfilled tag as I would have.

 

[BAKPAKR]

My guess is that @Stone_Ice_1 is actually Casey Brooks and he got a 400+ bull with his bow on the last day of rifle season, and then he headed to Washington to finish off the year.

 

[Stone_Ice_1]

Day 32 - SNOW! Finally! It snowed in the afternoon while I was at work. I was super excited to have some tracking snow. After work I grabbed my youngest and we headed out to the private ranch I had access to. We parked in the usual spot that the landowner had requested and headed down to the creek bottom, which is the direction I had seen a sizable herd during archery. It was still snowing some, so any tracks would be extremely fresh. By this time of year there isn't a whole lot of light or time after work to hunt so it would be a short hike. We made it all the way down to the creek without any sign of elk, we did spot a couple of mule deer.

The creek at the bottom is near the property boundary and I didn't have access for the other side. We followed the creek a bit upstream and started heading a slightly uphill and before long I saw tracks up ahead. They were smoking fresh and it looked like about 5 or 6 elk had just come through here. Looking at the tracks I was surprised we didn't see them. Unfortunately they were heading downhill and across the stream. We followed them for a bit and one track was quite a bit bigger than the others. We walked down to the creek and I could see where they crossed and headed back up the other side. No good for us. I am guessing they smelled us at some point. They were not running or anything but they weren't feeding or anything and were headed out of that spot. We headed back to the truck from here as it was already starting to get dark.

Day 33 - The next day I took off from work. This was a thursday and we had a good 6 inches of snow even in the valley so I wasn't going to miss this opportunity. I planned an all day hunt that would have me walking all the way around the private sections we hiked around during archery when we had lots of action. At first light I spotted a big herd way up the mountain, I would guess about 70-80 elk. After the snow yesterday it was a sunny day and you could probably see this herd from space. They were too far off at the moment to see about any bulls but I was eventually headed around to them and they looked in no hurry to leave.

In the foothills I ran into another small herd. At first it was just a cow and a calf. I sat down and ranged them at just over 450 yards from me. They didn't know I was there and slowly fed up the hill. I kept watching and was able to locate 3 more, one being a spike. The fed up and over the hill so I continued up the mountain towards the big herd. I came up over the next hill and spotted elk below me. After a little evaluation I deduced that this was the same 5, with a spike, from earlier. They were closer this time and I watched them feed up a drainage into the trees, most likely to bed down for the day.

I spent all morning hiking around and the only tracks I saw was the herd of 5. Finally just after noon I was getting closer to the big herd. I had been keeping an eye on them all day to make sure they were still there. This hike took me in and out of the trees and around several valley's so I would lose sight of them and then locate them again as I came out of the next valley. My plan was to get to a big rock outcropping that I had been on during archery. I knew from there I could get a good view of this herd. I eventually got to the outcropping in mid afternoon and the elk were still there, scattered all across the opening and bedded down. I could only see about 30 of them as I figured some had fed and bedded in the trees next to that. It was about 550 yards (farther than I am willing to shoot) off and I could see there were only a couple of small bulls of the elk I could see. The biggest being a small raghorn. As I was trying to figure out what to do next I spotted a cow coming up over the hill, and then another, and another... I kept expecting a bull but after 12 cows/calves came over the hill there were no more.

So I would need to get closer to locate the rest. The only way to get closer is to go into the next valley (completely covered in trees) and try and spot them first as I get closer to the edge of the opening. As soon as I got off the rock outcropping and headed to them, there was tracks everywhere. They were obviously in this area. I went super slow. Checking my steps every step of the way. I should mention this hike was mostly sidehilling on very steep and wet snow. It was a bitch and I fell down several times.

Eventually I was getting close to the opening and I looked in between the trees and could see a bull standing there looking at me from about 120 yards off. CRAP! It was a small raghorn and he took off taking the whole herd with him. The hillside came alive and they were all gone in no time. I didn't see every single elk but the biggest bull I saw was the small raghorn that I spotted in between the trees. I actually wasn't surprised as usually this late in the year the bigger bulls aren't with the big herds.

Later in the day as I was making my way around the private I stopped for a sandwich about dinner time. I could hear something below me and couldn't figure out what it was. Then a mule deer popped out below me and bounded off in the way that only mule deer do. I couldn't figure out what spooked it. After I finished my sandwhich and walked down there a big mountain lion came screaming out of a tree when he saw me and ran off. He was following the deer.

Later that evening I got around the private and had a little time left. I finally found another set of tracks and decided to sit down and wait with a nice opening in front of me. It wasn't long and I could hear something coming as it was super loud in the rocks. A cow and calf came up the hill and walked by me at about 30 yards. They never saw me or spooked until they got past me and I moved trying to get a better look at them. I had seen 2 hunters on the hill above me and the elk headed that way and I heard a shot, pretty sure the cow got killed.

It was a long day of hunting but it was nice to finally get to hunt in the snow. As a bonus I saw all the elk I saw tracks off. There wasn't any random tracks during the day that I didn't lay eyes on the elk.

 

[cgasner1]

I’m waiting for you to pull a @Zim and just disappear

 

[mtmuley]

I’m waiting for you to pull a @Zim and just disappear

I think @Zim is in China. Big time dust up on MM. Pretty stupid. mtmuley

 

[Oak]

I think a spike is going down on Nov. 30.

 

[Gulf of America]

The last guy I know who had the tag shot a cow half an hour before last light on the last day of the season.

 

[Addicting]

I think @Zim is in China. Big time dust up on MM. Pretty stupid. mtmuley

Don’t hang out there. Details?

 

[Hem]

Finding a good bull not so hard. Finding a great bull harder than many think.

 

[Oak]

I think a spike is going down on Nov. 30.

All in good fun. Enjoying the story.

 

[cgasner1]

I think @Zim is in China. Big time dust up on MM. Pretty stupid. mtmuley

He commented on the social security thread the other day also said he was moving to china.

 

[rjthehunter]

Great story so far! I'm glad I waited until now to start reading it!