Hunt it on public

[Pucky Freak]

Been awhile since I've been out, but made a day of it today in the freezing rain. Sat the marsh for flyby geese, but forgot to take into account where they would be on the water from the wind direction. Watched a gaggle of 6 along the opposite shore for about an hour until they took off. No ducks anywhere - the last of them seem to have already migrated.


Spent the rest of the day kayaking and walking marsh edges for pheasants. Had one rooster jump up from my feet and I biffed the shots due to not aligning the butt stock to my shoulder pocket correctly. By noon I was completely soaked through and cold, then realized my phone was gone. I changed into dry clothes, and spent two hours retracing my steps before finding it, which was lucky since some of the cover is 8' tall. With a few hours left to hunt I went back to walking the marsh and spotted another rooster 200 yards out, but with just 4 minutes of legal shooting left. I hustled over there and flushed him at 4:31, so he gets to live another day.

 

[Pucky Freak]

With fresh snow on the ground, I went after cottontails today. There was more sign than I have ever seen before in my spots, and the population appears to be up.


I spent the first couple hours with my bow, missed one rabbit at 20 yards, and lost the arrow in the snow. Next I switched to shotgun to hunt the thick cover. Deer were still up and feeding until about 9:30.


Besides geese overhead, the only game animal I saw or heard the rest of the day was another rabbit flushed and shot at 4 yards. With my turkey choke its head was vaporized except for detached ears, so no picture.

 

[Pucky Freak]

Pulled stands today. 6 degrees at sunrise and a quiet day in the woods.


Found plenty of deer sign near my first stand


I found what looked like a trail made by a mature buck about 30 yards downhill of the second stand. I watched multiple bucks cruise this trail earlier in the year when I was hunting - I might reposition the stand next year to be a little closer to it with some shooting windows.


It's a little sad to have the season winding down, but I should have a fun next couple weeks. Next Monday is rifle doe/fawn, and then the following weekend I'm off to Wyoming for cow elk!

 

[TheBenHoyle]

Pulled stands today. 6 degrees at sunrise and a quiet day in the woods.
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Found plenty of deer sign near my first stand
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I found what looked like a trail made by a mature buck about 30 yards downhill of the second stand. I watched multiple bucks cruise this trail earlier in the year when I was hunting - I might reposition the stand next year to be a little closer to it with some shooting windows.
View attachment 208553

It's a little sad to have the season winding down, but I should have a fun next couple weeks. Next Monday is rifle doe/fawn, and then the following weekend I'm off to Wyoming for cow elk!

Good luck! Especially on the cow elk tag.

 

[Pucky Freak]

Last chance dance

Up at 2:45 AM today to drive halfway across the state for a late season rifle tag. This was a new area to me, and with just one day to hunt the tag I did what I could to position myself for success through e-scouting. On the way in to my AM ambush I saw little sign and was doubting my set up. I sat for the first hour of shooting light, got restless, and started walking. I bumped a young doe within 100 yards of where I was sitting. She trotted off, turned around, and I passed on a marginal off-hand shot. Had I stayed in my ambush longer she probably would have walked right by me.

Mid-day I still-hunted bluffs and sought out promising sign for the evening ambush. At 2 PM I found a ton of fresh, concentrated sign and knew I had a great spot. Rather than continue moving, I set up early. To my left I had a heavy trail where a group of deer had walked both directions between bedding and feeding over the last 3 days. I figured my best bet was deer walking towards me along that trail, so I set up my tripod in that direction.


To my right was a lesser-used trail where deer could walk into my lap. I set up my trekking pole in the 8" of snow as a monopod in case deer came that way.


At 5 PM two deer read the script perfectly, approaching on the left. The first animal trotted down the embankment past my shooting lane, but the second deer walked, and I put a quartering-to bullet through the shoulder, dropping it in its tracks. A 2-year-old shed-antler buck. From the look of the pedicles the antlers seem to have been gone just a day or two. As he lay.

 

[Pucky Freak]

WY Day 1

Left balmy IA for some warmer weather.


I had Randy’s voice keep me company along the way…


Someone’s creative complaining at the gas station in Omaha.


Frigid cold turned into freezing rain in Ogallala, NE, which slowed me down. Once I got into the panhandle it got up to 45 degrees; 60 degrees warmer from when I left in the morning. With a sunny sky I actually had the A/C running for a while. Arrived after 13 1/2 hours.

 

[Gellar]

WY Day 1

Left balmy IA for some warmer weather.
View attachment 209908

I had Randy’s voice keep me company along the way…
View attachment 209909

Someone’s creative complaining at the gas station in Omaha.
View attachment 209911

Frigid cold turned into freezing rain in Ogallala, NE, which slowed me down. Once I got into the panhandle it got up to 45 degrees; 60 degrees warmer from when I left in the morning. With a sunny sky I actually had the A/C running for a while. Arrived after 13 1/2 hours.

Travel safe, good luck!

 

[BoulderBulls]

Kee the updates coming way to get it done in the cold and snow

 

[Pucky Freak]

WY Day 2

I knew elk would very likely be visible from the road in the unit, but as a good slave for punishment I thought I’d slog through some terrain looking for elk that might or might not be anywhere nearby.


At one point I glassed a bunch of white rear-ends far up in a basin about 750 yards away. I got so excited, I hiked about 400 ft of vertical, getting close and peeking out around the cliff face. In the process of relocating them in the binos I realized they were mulie does and fawns Fun practice stalk.

By 3:30 I had put 10 miles in, lots of glassing, and I was wore out. Snow was up to my pants zipper in places and I was huffing and puffing having gone from about 600 ft elevation the day prior to 6000-7000 ft. I fell at least a half dozen times stepping in snow-covered holes, and I was sore.

I ended up seeing 30 deer altogether, a couple jackrabbits, and birds, but not an elk track anywhere. I had a couple hours to drive and glass before dark, and I was ready to take a more practical approach. However, a totally flat tire on my truck scrapped that plan

 

[Pucky Freak]

WY Day 3

I got my fun hike in, and I was ready to be more focused on filling a tag. Today’s hunt was with @wyoboypt “WB”. I’ve met up with him a couple times previously, but had no clue he drives, em, with a purpose. Me, I drive like a half-blind 80-year-old man. Sitting in the passenger seat in WB’s truck, I think I saw my life flash before my eyes at least 50 times. He must have noticed my bloodless face and knuckles and shallow breathing, so he reassuringly tells me his driving has toned down considerably over the years . In the face of complete and utter terror, I forced myself to reason that he should have died at least x1000 over by now, but has managed to have no collisions, rollovers, or tumbling down the mountain to his untimely demise, so therefore, we were logically(?) quite safe.

In case anyone ever gets the itch to wait in line to ride a roller coaster, hear me out: do not waste your hard-earned money. Also, what sort of thrill is it, really, as the ride runs on a track and your chances of premature death are infinitesimally slim? Instead, WB might let you ride shotgun, at no cost, as he whips around canyon rims full throttle busting through 4 ft snowdrifts in a healthy 40 mph crosswind. Never hurts to ask.

 

[Pucky Freak]

After failing to smash through a particularly dense snowdrift on the side of a steep hill in the dark, WB explains he is going to back up and get a long running start to hit the drift at a much higher rate of speed so as to punch through to the road on the other side. A film of the truck rolling down the hill into the dark abyss is playing in my mind. As much as I wish this time will be like all the others, it feels like it will be The End. To my great relief, something catches WB’s eye, and we abort the attempt.

Binos on the terrain ahead confirm a large herd of feeding elk. WB: “Shooting light in six minutes.” Somehow I force my brain to make a hard shift into a hunting mindset, and we cook up a plan for an approach.

We miscommunicated about which direction the herd was moving - I thought they were going to cross in front of us, so was looking for a good place to get to in order to wait for a shot, but they were actually walking away from us. We eased over a rim and I expected elk at 30-60 yards, only to see that they were 180 and moving away. I got positioned and looked for a good shot.

As many others have experienced, trying to pick out a single animal out of a herd of hundreds of animals, it’s not easy. First, there are bulls, then elk close together, elk behind elk, moving elk, lack of a good broadside angle, etc, etc. With opportunities waning and the herd about to pass over the crest of the hill, I finally have a solo cow standing still, slightly quartering away, safe backdrop. 200 yards, prone and steady over my pack I am ready to squeeze a round, and I messed up - pulled and didn’t squeeze

The cow trots a few yards, and is still alone, broadside. WB says shoot again. We did not hear a hit, the cow does not look hit, and I am 95% sure I had a clean miss. But, I am not going to chance it. We wait for the elk to feed away, to go look for blood - none. We talk about ways to approach the herd but are hampered by adjacent private land.

We decide to drive many miles and hike about 3 miles which will allow us to approach from downwind to get within about 300 yards of where the elk are feeding, but no longer on the move. WB says it’s worth glassing a few other areas on the drive there, as a 3-mile pack-out is doable but not super fun.

 

[Pucky Freak]

We DID find another herd of elk on the drive, miles away, out in the open, but they are not in a great place for a stalk. The wind is whipping hard too. A short pack out, though, if we can pull it off. We cook up another plan and make our approach.

Here is where my thread really goes off the rails - the elk are NOT on public, but rather on private land open to public hunting. Had I shot the first elk I’d be true to my thread title, so, full disclosure, this is a detour.

As we are walking in we confirm up close what we expected from afar - the elk are not close to stalk-able terrain, and worse, we have to approach from upwind. Our scent cone will be a stone’s throw from the edge of the elk herd. On the bright side, elk are bedded. We debate giving up, thinking of another idea, or making a low-probability approach.

I opt for the last option. Terrain is flat, very short vegetation, and we have hundreds of yards to gain. We find the tiniest undulations in the landscape, creep walk, then crawl. We can approach no further without detection. Range turns up 480, ugh. We shed our packs and army crawl closer.

WB: “I’m so glad we didn’t have to crawl through any prickly pear!”

Me: “I caught one in the scrotum”

I can cry later - it’s go time! We get another range: 400. At this point we cannot move another yard without elk seeing us, and there are about 200 of them. A cow lifts her nose, and takes a big sniff - she has caught a tiny whiff of our scent. I want to get to 350. WB says we can likely keep crawling and get even closer.

20 more yards. We are really exposed now. We discuss options. WB says we can just keep crawling until the elk notice us. I cannot imagine this will work - what I didn’t understand until he explained to me later is huge groups of elk are usually slow to spook. A few animals sense danger, but they don’t communicate it well to the rest, so there is a window you can take advantage of once you are busted to set up and shoot.

 

[Pucky Freak]

I decide I want to take a shot from our position. There are 2 solo cows and one calf away from the big group who will present good targets when they stand. WB and I finalize holdover and windage calculations. There is nothing to shoot from, so WB lays on his belly perpendicular in front of me and I rest the stock on his shoulder blades.

I am working on getting a rock-solid rest when 2 coyotes come trotting across from our right at 100 yards. WB, possessing a wealth of hunting knowledge, knows what will happen next. He quickly explains that the coyotes will wind us in about 5 seconds, spook, and then all the elk will stand up. He says get ready this is your chance.

Everything happens exactly as foretold. The small group of elk on the far right stand up, and I am still not totally solid. The herd is starting to get restless. I tuck my right elbow in a little tighter, and I’m perfect. Between the adrenaline and the gusting wind reticle is maybe bouncing in about a 3” circle at 380. One cow is perfectly broadside. I notice the reticle is moving up and down slowly and realize it is WB breathing.

Me:”Hey, could you stop breathing?”

WB: “Yeah, sure.”

I realized he needed to breathe to say that so I waited for him to take another breath and hold. And he actually did stop breathing! Everything was set.

 

[duckhunt]

WY Day 1

Left balmy IA for some warmer weather.
View attachment 209908

I had Randy’s voice keep me company along the way…
View attachment 209909

Someone’s creative complaining at the gas station in Omaha.
View attachment 209911

Frigid cold turned into freezing rain in Ogallala, NE, which slowed me down. Once I got into the panhandle it got up to 45 degrees; 60 degrees warmer from when I left in the morning. With a sunny sky I actually had the A/C running for a while. Arrived after 13 1/2 hours.

I see those Biden stickers at all the gas stations in cedarfalls.

 

[Pucky Freak]

I squeeze the trigger this time and the cow’s reaction indicates a good hit. I start to celebrate and WB says put another round in. The herd has trotted away, leaving the doomed cow alone.


I put two more rounds in, and her head hits the ground. I am elated and thankful.

When we walk up on the animal I am floored by just how big it is. My respect for backcountry solo bull hunters goes up several notches. Some of her molars are ground flat, and WB says the meat may be tough. I am thinking that even if it’s like shoe leather I will be so thrilled to be eating an elk that I killed no matter how tough the meat is!

My first elk


A special thanks to WB for his very generous help and hospitality on this hunt. I might have pulled it off solo, but I had such a great time (even with the truck ride ), I have many great memories to hold forever.

Thanks, everyone, for following along!

 

[Pahoundsman]

Congrats on your first elk,it sounds like you enjoyed your trip as much as I did. Thanks for sharing

 

[CouesKelly]

Congrats on your Elk and your adventure. Lots of good eating in your future!

 

[fulldraw]

Congrats on your first elk, it sounds like you had a great time.

 

[duckhunt]

Great adventure for your first elk.

 

[Dougfirtree]

Congrats on the elk!