Elk hunt concluded with the success of a great trip - to include filling my General A Elk tag... The story of the trip ~ with pictures to take you along as best able:
Started October 22nd when my wife and I... along with our hound and lab headed out with the camp equipment to set up at our usual spot. We arrived along the road following a truck who just happened (after X miles in) to pull into my private looking (yet publicly located) camp location. He stopped to open the barbed fence to enter and I was pretty bummed. Stepped out and asked him how long they planned to stay - Washington plates and a Rhino in the back. Friendly guy... stated they JUST arrived, first year there and what a great spot they found! Meh, what could I do other than wish them well in their hunt and off to my second "honey hole" camp location some 10 miles away...
So we arrived at #2 camp spot and set up camp. The morning of the 23rd, being opening day, I planned to do an early hunt while my wife stayed at camp with our dogs. Well, that didn't really happen - as expected. I do not get to spend near enough time with my wife due to my employment. We enjoyed our morning having coffee while cooking eggs and "Jimmy Dean" sage sausage around the camp stove I built - (Hobby welding fun!).
This is a newly designed collapsible camp stove on it's maiden voyage - and worked like a champ through out the entire trip. I was very happy with her performance!
Anyhow, about afternoon, we headed back home 2-3 hours away... picked up our friend from Cali, took him out for dinner in Missoula to none other than... Famous Daves. Their beef brisket is worth every penny!!! We dropped my wife at home and off my friend and I headed for camp. We arrived late the 23rd (about 11pm) to find my hunting partner had arrived earlier and way ahead in the "Jim Beam" event... Haha!
The next day we worked the area pretty solid. Friend and I covered about some 10 miles - Bumped a total of 7 cow elk! This is a browtine only area - HOWEVER, I drew an elk B Cow tag. I had a chance shot... though not good at rushing a shot so, watched them pass. VERY NICE light snow - great for cutting tracks!
Next day, my friend headed out with my hunting partner and I went solo. I bumped about 4 cows out of their beds and they were long gone! I am not into arse shooting either so, a cow lived another day. Later I bumped a bull out of his bed - and again, I didn't see him until he was off and running!
Returned to camp and we set up my hunting partners wall tent, in a crude way, attaching it to mine. It worked excellent for 3 guys giving a nice stove sleep area along with a nice cooking / lounging area.
Next day my wife returned to join us for the evening of the 25th leaving the 26th - bringing yet another fantastic dinner for us! The past two evenings we had venison meatloaf and elk tacos that she had prepared for us earlier! Man, does my wife know how to make the guys hunting trip awesome! She brought along with her a chicken, broccoli, rice and good cheese dinner we had a couple days later! That evening is where the fun began!
My hunting partner hiked pretty darn hard earlier and opted to sit out on a short evening venture to a location that presented a decent glassing opportunity on some small parks. My wife, friend and I headed out that evening with about 1 hour of legal shooting light remaining thinking a short jaunt would not result in anything though as they say in fishing, your not going to catch fish unless you wet your line... It was only 3/4 - 1 mile from camp.
We viewed through binoculars as the sun slowly dropped. About 20 minutes until the end of that days hunt, my friend looked bug eyed and called over to me... "Sytes!!! I think I see an elk!" I viewed in the area he was directing... and I responded - "Hell, that is not just an elk, that is a nice bull!"
Quickly, I dropped my shoulder strapped hip pack off, grabbed my rifle and told them I was going to head down to the basin ~ a good 100 x 800 yard (approx) area to set up hopefully in time to get in range for a good shot BEFORE the bull left the opposite hillside park on the other side of the basin re-entering the woods. He was mulling his way along through a park - that had no other open locations after for me to get a later shot.
Off I ran down the hill, making as much time as I could and trying to be as quiet as possible... (oxymoron? - Haha!) I arrived at the basin with about 10 minutes of light left however, the bull had entered the woods beyond the park he was originally in. I was BUMMED! I kept glassing through my rifle scope at the trees hoping to get a slight glimpse - though nope... About 5 minutes later I figured I best pull back quietly and report the deal to my partner in hopes he grazes the same area the next morning. Just as I was about to pull back... I glimpsed a tiny bit of tan somehow within the trees! I put my scope on it and sure as heck, the darn tan adjusted position - just catching a slip of antlers moving!!!
I set the hairs and boom! My heart was thumping - I was excited as heck though worried I may have missed as he took off running (This was about 200-250 yards away - up hill and through some trees). I heard crashing coming down the hill and immediately jacked another round - went to a prone position and prepared for where I thought he was going to run down and into the basin I was in! Very shortly after three muleys came crashing out into the open - I instantly had a hesitant feeling that my bull may have run elsewhere! A sinking feeling hit me and just as quickly - all hell excitement burst as I heard further crashing of an animal running out into the basin following the muleys! There he was! Running about 80 yards from my prone location - as soon as he cleared a tree - BOOM! I spine tapped him and crash! down he went! Suddenly he started getting back up - though appeared to have a problem doing such. I feared he may get back up and continue - and quickly jacked another round - and BOOM! into his neck area - that led to him flat out dropping to the ground! Out for the count - he was DOWN!
Talk about a wreck of thoughts with an exciting result! A very nice - approx 4.5 yr old bull decent symetrical 5x with long brows! It turned out - I lung punched him on my first shot, and as stated above, second shot was in the spine area with the third in the neck.
An exciting event to say the least! Hearing the shots, my friend headed down to join me in the basin and snapped the above picture with his cell phone. We were jacked! He had never hunted other than birds and felt fully involved being the one who spotted the bull! We started a fire as my wife headed back to get my partner, backpacks and sled - further help for packing this boy out!
The next day, we did a second round of packing the meat and antlers out - I did the "gutless" method the evening before - a first for me and it worked FANTASTIC! Game bags filled - it concluded the bull elk for my 2010 Elk hunt as I highly doubt I plan to use my B tag. 1 elk works in my book.
End of the story? Not close!!!
The unexpected results of my cargo trailer with the additional 300+ lbs in her -
This is how one tows a trailer - is it not??? Haha! Thought I would add this in for the laughs! Thankfully Chevy's can take a beating - we unloaded the trailer, flipped her upside down and slid the trailer in with the tongue pointing over the cab of the truck with the top of the trailer sitting in the bed!!! What next but to open the back again - reload her upside down - close her up and - off we went! Haha!
Oh here is a pic of my Cali friend fishing a close by lake - he paid some $26 or so bucks for a 2 day fishing license - he would have been damned had he not made some use of the license!
Here is one last pic - a bit better of the rack.
We gave it a few more days trying to land my partner an elk though no success - However, splitting the meat 3 ways - the hunt was not a loss. The time spent around camp, drinkin, chewin, laughing - story tellin, fun camp fires and great food made for an outstanding time!
Started October 22nd when my wife and I... along with our hound and lab headed out with the camp equipment to set up at our usual spot. We arrived along the road following a truck who just happened (after X miles in) to pull into my private looking (yet publicly located) camp location. He stopped to open the barbed fence to enter and I was pretty bummed. Stepped out and asked him how long they planned to stay - Washington plates and a Rhino in the back. Friendly guy... stated they JUST arrived, first year there and what a great spot they found! Meh, what could I do other than wish them well in their hunt and off to my second "honey hole" camp location some 10 miles away...
So we arrived at #2 camp spot and set up camp. The morning of the 23rd, being opening day, I planned to do an early hunt while my wife stayed at camp with our dogs. Well, that didn't really happen - as expected. I do not get to spend near enough time with my wife due to my employment. We enjoyed our morning having coffee while cooking eggs and "Jimmy Dean" sage sausage around the camp stove I built - (Hobby welding fun!).
This is a newly designed collapsible camp stove on it's maiden voyage - and worked like a champ through out the entire trip. I was very happy with her performance!
Anyhow, about afternoon, we headed back home 2-3 hours away... picked up our friend from Cali, took him out for dinner in Missoula to none other than... Famous Daves. Their beef brisket is worth every penny!!! We dropped my wife at home and off my friend and I headed for camp. We arrived late the 23rd (about 11pm) to find my hunting partner had arrived earlier and way ahead in the "Jim Beam" event... Haha!
The next day we worked the area pretty solid. Friend and I covered about some 10 miles - Bumped a total of 7 cow elk! This is a browtine only area - HOWEVER, I drew an elk B Cow tag. I had a chance shot... though not good at rushing a shot so, watched them pass. VERY NICE light snow - great for cutting tracks!
Next day, my friend headed out with my hunting partner and I went solo. I bumped about 4 cows out of their beds and they were long gone! I am not into arse shooting either so, a cow lived another day. Later I bumped a bull out of his bed - and again, I didn't see him until he was off and running!
Returned to camp and we set up my hunting partners wall tent, in a crude way, attaching it to mine. It worked excellent for 3 guys giving a nice stove sleep area along with a nice cooking / lounging area.
Next day my wife returned to join us for the evening of the 25th leaving the 26th - bringing yet another fantastic dinner for us! The past two evenings we had venison meatloaf and elk tacos that she had prepared for us earlier! Man, does my wife know how to make the guys hunting trip awesome! She brought along with her a chicken, broccoli, rice and good cheese dinner we had a couple days later! That evening is where the fun began!
My hunting partner hiked pretty darn hard earlier and opted to sit out on a short evening venture to a location that presented a decent glassing opportunity on some small parks. My wife, friend and I headed out that evening with about 1 hour of legal shooting light remaining thinking a short jaunt would not result in anything though as they say in fishing, your not going to catch fish unless you wet your line... It was only 3/4 - 1 mile from camp.
We viewed through binoculars as the sun slowly dropped. About 20 minutes until the end of that days hunt, my friend looked bug eyed and called over to me... "Sytes!!! I think I see an elk!" I viewed in the area he was directing... and I responded - "Hell, that is not just an elk, that is a nice bull!"
Quickly, I dropped my shoulder strapped hip pack off, grabbed my rifle and told them I was going to head down to the basin ~ a good 100 x 800 yard (approx) area to set up hopefully in time to get in range for a good shot BEFORE the bull left the opposite hillside park on the other side of the basin re-entering the woods. He was mulling his way along through a park - that had no other open locations after for me to get a later shot.
Off I ran down the hill, making as much time as I could and trying to be as quiet as possible... (oxymoron? - Haha!) I arrived at the basin with about 10 minutes of light left however, the bull had entered the woods beyond the park he was originally in. I was BUMMED! I kept glassing through my rifle scope at the trees hoping to get a slight glimpse - though nope... About 5 minutes later I figured I best pull back quietly and report the deal to my partner in hopes he grazes the same area the next morning. Just as I was about to pull back... I glimpsed a tiny bit of tan somehow within the trees! I put my scope on it and sure as heck, the darn tan adjusted position - just catching a slip of antlers moving!!!
I set the hairs and boom! My heart was thumping - I was excited as heck though worried I may have missed as he took off running (This was about 200-250 yards away - up hill and through some trees). I heard crashing coming down the hill and immediately jacked another round - went to a prone position and prepared for where I thought he was going to run down and into the basin I was in! Very shortly after three muleys came crashing out into the open - I instantly had a hesitant feeling that my bull may have run elsewhere! A sinking feeling hit me and just as quickly - all hell excitement burst as I heard further crashing of an animal running out into the basin following the muleys! There he was! Running about 80 yards from my prone location - as soon as he cleared a tree - BOOM! I spine tapped him and crash! down he went! Suddenly he started getting back up - though appeared to have a problem doing such. I feared he may get back up and continue - and quickly jacked another round - and BOOM! into his neck area - that led to him flat out dropping to the ground! Out for the count - he was DOWN!
Talk about a wreck of thoughts with an exciting result! A very nice - approx 4.5 yr old bull decent symetrical 5x with long brows! It turned out - I lung punched him on my first shot, and as stated above, second shot was in the spine area with the third in the neck.
An exciting event to say the least! Hearing the shots, my friend headed down to join me in the basin and snapped the above picture with his cell phone. We were jacked! He had never hunted other than birds and felt fully involved being the one who spotted the bull! We started a fire as my wife headed back to get my partner, backpacks and sled - further help for packing this boy out!
The next day, we did a second round of packing the meat and antlers out - I did the "gutless" method the evening before - a first for me and it worked FANTASTIC! Game bags filled - it concluded the bull elk for my 2010 Elk hunt as I highly doubt I plan to use my B tag. 1 elk works in my book.
End of the story? Not close!!!
The unexpected results of my cargo trailer with the additional 300+ lbs in her -
This is how one tows a trailer - is it not??? Haha! Thought I would add this in for the laughs! Thankfully Chevy's can take a beating - we unloaded the trailer, flipped her upside down and slid the trailer in with the tongue pointing over the cab of the truck with the top of the trailer sitting in the bed!!! What next but to open the back again - reload her upside down - close her up and - off we went! Haha!
Oh here is a pic of my Cali friend fishing a close by lake - he paid some $26 or so bucks for a 2 day fishing license - he would have been damned had he not made some use of the license!
Here is one last pic - a bit better of the rack.
We gave it a few more days trying to land my partner an elk though no success - However, splitting the meat 3 ways - the hunt was not a loss. The time spent around camp, drinkin, chewin, laughing - story tellin, fun camp fires and great food made for an outstanding time!
