BlakeA
Well-known member
First off I want to say this site is by far the best out there for public land DIYers like myself. It's the people that make it so great and I have met some great guys on here. I am fairly new as far as posting but I have enjoyed reading about hunts and looking at pictures of the hunts for a few years now. I love photography and I love adventure, and that is what this place is all about! Thanks to those of you who share your stories!
I am from the plains of ND and a LONG ways from Elk country. Sure, we have a few elk in the badlands but I mean classic elk country. The kind you dream about as a kid. Tall, deep timbered.. MOUNTAINS! I do not have any family members or friends that have ever elk hunted so learning about it was all up to me. I think I spent more time reading on elk hunting my last year of college than I did any of my overpriced textbooks. The problem is that it is just like anything else, you read and watch dvds until you are blue in the face and cross eyed but until you actually step into the timber, you don't quite understand what they are talking about. For me anyways, I have always learned better by just throwing myself into something and understanding that it may take some time and some painful expiriences but you WILL gradually get better. I like all types of hunting but archery is by far my favorite. So I was determined to make my dream become a reality and that was to stick a bull elk on public ground in the backcountry with my bow. Well............
2 years later and many, MANY (I don't have time or energy to explain them all and quite frankly some are quite embarassing) painful "learning" expiriences later, I found myself with my general MT elk tag still in my pocket after 10 days of hunting. My final evening of the hunt I found myself in deep on top of a steep drainage around 8,000 ft up teary eyed, blistered, burning legs, and feeling completely defeated after watching my arrow land 6 inches low of a beautiful 6 pt. herd bull. As he and his cows disappeared up and over the ridge and out of my life forever, I wanted to throw my bow and my pack down the mountain. It was a shot that I pride myself in making 99/100 times. It seems that every so often life has a way of bringing you to your knees and humbling you. I was given one shot opportunity the entire season and completely blew it. I was sick about it. It's those times that you either give up or keep hammering!! And I chose the latter.
I knew there were things I could have done better and weaknesses I could work on to become a better mountain hunter for the next year so I worked my tail off and was bound and determined to shoot my first elk this year. I was fueled by that nightmares of the past 2 seasons and I couldn't wait to get back after them.
On the third morning of my hunt this year I located a bull in the timber across a ravine from me. I couldn't tell how big he was, all I knew was that he had a rack and was a bull which meant he was eligible for my muzzy trocar
. It was just starting to sprinkle rain and there was very little wind so I slipped my boots off and made it as close as I could get to an opening where I could have a shot. The country is like dog hair timber so finding shooting lanes is not easy. He took a couple steps out of the timber on the trail he was on and into a shooting lane for me at 52 yards. It was a perfect standing broadside shot and he had NO idea I was there. I watched my arrow land exactly where my pin was aimed. I won't forget that feeling. Ever.
I gave him about an hour before I walked over to we he stood. I followed the blood trail for 40 yards until I saw the blond hide right off the trail. It's always a happy/sad feeling for me because I respect them so much. I could care less about inches or score. This was my first elk and it was 100% DIY public land wilderness. The struggle is worth every minute of it! To top it off, I had my dad with me on this hunt and in camp which makes it that much more better!!............... Is it September yet?!?!?!!?!
http://onyourownadventures.com/hunttalk/attachment.php?attachmentid=38950&stc=1&d=1386865361
http://onyourownadventures.com/hunttalk/attachment.php?attachmentid=38951&stc=1&d=1386865361
http://onyourownadventures.com/hunttalk/attachment.php?attachmentid=38952&stc=1&d=1386865361
http://onyourownadventures.com/hunttalk/attachment.php?attachmentid=38953&stc=1&d=1386865361
http://onyourownadventures.com/hunttalk/attachment.php?attachmentid=38954&stc=1&d=1386865361
Here are some other pics from my hunts and hunts I helped with this year. All DIY public land:
-My Wyoming Antelope: (Thank you fellow hunttalkers for the tips and you know who you are!!!!)
-Montana Mule Deer:
-My Dad's ND Mule Deer
-ND Whitetail
-My Bro-in-laws ND Whitetail
I am from the plains of ND and a LONG ways from Elk country. Sure, we have a few elk in the badlands but I mean classic elk country. The kind you dream about as a kid. Tall, deep timbered.. MOUNTAINS! I do not have any family members or friends that have ever elk hunted so learning about it was all up to me. I think I spent more time reading on elk hunting my last year of college than I did any of my overpriced textbooks. The problem is that it is just like anything else, you read and watch dvds until you are blue in the face and cross eyed but until you actually step into the timber, you don't quite understand what they are talking about. For me anyways, I have always learned better by just throwing myself into something and understanding that it may take some time and some painful expiriences but you WILL gradually get better. I like all types of hunting but archery is by far my favorite. So I was determined to make my dream become a reality and that was to stick a bull elk on public ground in the backcountry with my bow. Well............
2 years later and many, MANY (I don't have time or energy to explain them all and quite frankly some are quite embarassing) painful "learning" expiriences later, I found myself with my general MT elk tag still in my pocket after 10 days of hunting. My final evening of the hunt I found myself in deep on top of a steep drainage around 8,000 ft up teary eyed, blistered, burning legs, and feeling completely defeated after watching my arrow land 6 inches low of a beautiful 6 pt. herd bull. As he and his cows disappeared up and over the ridge and out of my life forever, I wanted to throw my bow and my pack down the mountain. It was a shot that I pride myself in making 99/100 times. It seems that every so often life has a way of bringing you to your knees and humbling you. I was given one shot opportunity the entire season and completely blew it. I was sick about it. It's those times that you either give up or keep hammering!! And I chose the latter.
I knew there were things I could have done better and weaknesses I could work on to become a better mountain hunter for the next year so I worked my tail off and was bound and determined to shoot my first elk this year. I was fueled by that nightmares of the past 2 seasons and I couldn't wait to get back after them.
On the third morning of my hunt this year I located a bull in the timber across a ravine from me. I couldn't tell how big he was, all I knew was that he had a rack and was a bull which meant he was eligible for my muzzy trocar
. It was just starting to sprinkle rain and there was very little wind so I slipped my boots off and made it as close as I could get to an opening where I could have a shot. The country is like dog hair timber so finding shooting lanes is not easy. He took a couple steps out of the timber on the trail he was on and into a shooting lane for me at 52 yards. It was a perfect standing broadside shot and he had NO idea I was there. I watched my arrow land exactly where my pin was aimed. I won't forget that feeling. Ever.I gave him about an hour before I walked over to we he stood. I followed the blood trail for 40 yards until I saw the blond hide right off the trail. It's always a happy/sad feeling for me because I respect them so much. I could care less about inches or score. This was my first elk and it was 100% DIY public land wilderness. The struggle is worth every minute of it! To top it off, I had my dad with me on this hunt and in camp which makes it that much more better!!............... Is it September yet?!?!?!!?!
http://onyourownadventures.com/hunttalk/attachment.php?attachmentid=38950&stc=1&d=1386865361
http://onyourownadventures.com/hunttalk/attachment.php?attachmentid=38951&stc=1&d=1386865361
http://onyourownadventures.com/hunttalk/attachment.php?attachmentid=38952&stc=1&d=1386865361
http://onyourownadventures.com/hunttalk/attachment.php?attachmentid=38953&stc=1&d=1386865361
http://onyourownadventures.com/hunttalk/attachment.php?attachmentid=38954&stc=1&d=1386865361
Here are some other pics from my hunts and hunts I helped with this year. All DIY public land:
-My Wyoming Antelope: (Thank you fellow hunttalkers for the tips and you know who you are
!!!!)-Montana Mule Deer:
-My Dad's ND Mule Deer
-ND Whitetail
-My Bro-in-laws ND Whitetail
Attachments
Last edited:
