Flatbrimmer
Well-known member
Dammit dude I waited like 29 minutes for that one little update
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Wow, you’re an elk killing machine, my man!!! Big congrats on another sweet bull!Some of the puddles had already frozen by our drive back but the weather was finally looking up!
View attachment 346598
We drove about half way back to camp and then hiked in about half a mile on relatively flat ground before dropping some elevation. We were working across for a while with no fresh sign what so ever when I noticed a bench had appeared above us that wasn’t the ridge. I told Troy I wanted to check out that bench because I had a good feeling about it. There were multiple cuts creating small valleys and ridges on the bench. It had the makings for a great little elk hidey hole where they would only be visible from close up.
View attachment 346599
As I cleared the first roll I noticed some elk poop that had been pre hail, 12 hours earlier but then melted the hail that fell on top of it. Then another pile. At this point I am creeping. Troy is in the cut below and behind me. I’m glassing every couple steps and then see what looks like a wet towel about 60 yards through a little hole in the timber. I pull up my binos and instantly could tell it wasn’t a rock but wasn’t sure what it was. With all the moisture and dirt it was a dull yellow, wet towel looking egg shape. I turned the focus knob a bit on my nl 12s and then I saw the hairs.
I looked back at Troy and motioned elk. Racked a round into the gun and pulled up my binos to look at the elk. As I slowly shifted to see its head I saw an antler tip. And then it picked its head up from its nap. Spike…. Not legal on my mature bull only tag. He went back to bed and I continued to glass but couldn’t turn anything else up. I backed down the cut and shifted over about 20 feet and then crawled back up to where I could see that spot again. I couldn’t see the strike but started to tear the trees apart again and then saw hair again. Vitals. I got down prone because that’s really the only place I could see the elk. There was a tree in front of its head and butt. 62 yards and a bush where the antlers would be. And then I got lucky, the bull turned its head and part of his left antler came through the bush. I saw four points and knew this was my shot. I needed to be on the road within 30 hours if I was going to make my flight to Georgia for the ITCC. I lined up my shot and took my shot. The bull I shot did not budge at first but the spike and a likely not legal 3x3 popped up. Troy made a cow call and the spike froze but the 3x came at me. At that moment it felt like there were elk everywhere and through the small hole I saw my elk struggle to get up and then he was gone. To much in the way. I popped up, racked another round, and started side stepping while aiming to his left where it looked like he was going. Then he came into a clearing. I had moved about ten feet to the right, he had moved 30 feet to the left before a clearing appeared. I was standing and took another shot free hand. He dropped instantly and kicked a couple times before the movement stopped. I was over the moon to have it all come together the way it did after such a rough couple of days.
View attachment 346600View attachment 346601View attachment 346602View attachment 346603
A very unique and interesting, almost stag like right side. Technically he’s a 5x6, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it! We shuttled all the meat out of the hole and then started taking trips to the road. We made it to the road with half the elk and Troy went and got the jeep while I ran back and grabbed a three quarter. I shot the bull at 11:15 in its bed and by 2pm we had all the meat out of the hole and only had one trip left. We loaded up the jeep and ran back to camp so Troy could get packed up.
View attachment 346605
While he was getting packed I took my truck back up and grabbed the last load. When I got back I said my thank you’s and Troy got on the road. I finished up with some food and packing by 4:30 and decided I would try to go find some real food.
View attachment 346606
The photo below is the first shot I made on the elk. There is a pink hat in the center of the photo where the bull vitals were. Look closely. First shot would have killed him but a hair back on the entrance. Exit was good. Second was a heart shot. View attachment 346604
Nope.Sweet story! Semi-legit question (with a side of smart-a): do you have any gears between 110% full throttle and dead stop? I swear I missed it somewhere if it does exist...
Yeah something like that.So @Dsnow9 now that you know, there are no elk in NM right? Just plain boring desert right?
He means south eastern Montana. Region 7 area.UPDATE: Slight change of plans. Need to push back my landing in North Central Montana so swaggyD can take care of some important family matters.
Probably going to start the drive early on 11/14 and meet him the afternoon/evening of 11/15. If anyone lives between North Central MT and Denver and wants to do a waterfowl hunt, upland hunt, or something else I don’t know about let me know.
Or if you have something I should check out on the way since it is my first time to MT, I’m all ears.
Go buy a goat from @brockelUPDATE: Slight change of plans. Need to push back my landing in North Central Montana so swaggyD can take care of some important family matters.
Probably going to start the drive early on 11/14 and meet him the afternoon/evening of 11/15. If anyone lives between North Central MT and Denver and wants to do a waterfowl hunt, upland hunt, or something else I don’t know about let me know.
Or if you have something I should check out on the way since it is my first time to MT, I’m all ears.
Fortunately Billings still has Planet Lockwood if you’re interested in drunk parking lot fights and herpes. And probably meth.Go buy a goat from @brockel
I was recently informed that Shotgun Willie’s in Laurel closed (RIP) so that’s the only suggestion I have.
Way back in the day I went there with a couple buddies and the black lights were not kind to one of my buddy's shorts.Fortunately Billings still has Planet Lockwood if you’re interested in drunk parking lot fights and herpes. And probably meth.
On the bucket list now. Thank you.Fortunately Billings still has Planet Lockwood if you’re interested in drunk parking lot fights and herpes. And probably meth.
Good spot and good shot, my kind of hunting, cool bull.Some of the puddles had already frozen by our drive back but the weather was finally looking up!
View attachment 346598
We drove about half way back to camp and then hiked in about half a mile on relatively flat ground before dropping some elevation. We were working across for a while with no fresh sign what so ever when I noticed a bench had appeared above us that wasn’t the ridge. I told Troy I wanted to check out that bench because I had a good feeling about it. There were multiple cuts creating small valleys and ridges on the bench. It had the makings for a great little elk hidey hole where they would only be visible from close up.
View attachment 346599
As I cleared the first roll I noticed some elk poop that had been pre hail, 12 hours earlier but then melted the hail that fell on top of it. Then another pile. At this point I am creeping. Troy is in the cut below and behind me. I’m glassing every couple steps and then see what looks like a wet towel about 60 yards through a little hole in the timber. I pull up my binos and instantly could tell it wasn’t a rock but wasn’t sure what it was. With all the moisture and dirt it was a dull yellow, wet towel looking egg shape. I turned the focus knob a bit on my nl 12s and then I saw the hairs.
I looked back at Troy and motioned elk. Racked a round into the gun and pulled up my binos to look at the elk. As I slowly shifted to see its head I saw an antler tip. And then it picked its head up from its nap. Spike…. Not legal on my mature bull only tag. He went back to bed and I continued to glass but couldn’t turn anything else up. I backed down the cut and shifted over about 20 feet and then crawled back up to where I could see that spot again. I couldn’t see the strike but started to tear the trees apart again and then saw hair again. Vitals. I got down prone because that’s really the only place I could see the elk. There was a tree in front of its head and butt. 62 yards and a bush where the antlers would be. And then I got lucky, the bull turned its head and part of his left antler came through the bush. I saw four points and knew this was my shot. I needed to be on the road within 30 hours if I was going to make my flight to Georgia for the ITCC. I lined up my shot and took my shot. The bull I shot did not budge at first but the spike and a likely not legal 3x3 popped up. Troy made a cow call and the spike froze but the 3x came at me. At that moment it felt like there were elk everywhere and through the small hole I saw my elk struggle to get up and then he was gone. To much in the way. I popped up, racked another round, and started side stepping while aiming to his left where it looked like he was going. Then he came into a clearing. I had moved about ten feet to the right, he had moved 30 feet to the left before a clearing appeared. I was standing and took another shot free hand. He dropped instantly and kicked a couple times before the movement stopped. I was over the moon to have it all come together the way it did after such a rough couple of days.
View attachment 346600View attachment 346601View attachment 346602View attachment 346603
A very unique and interesting, almost stag like right side. Technically he’s a 5x6, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it! We shuttled all the meat out of the hole and then started taking trips to the road. We made it to the road with half the elk and Troy went and got the jeep while I ran back and grabbed a three quarter. I shot the bull at 11:15 in its bed and by 2pm we had all the meat out of the hole and only had one trip left. We loaded up the jeep and ran back to camp so Troy could get packed up.
View attachment 346605
While he was getting packed I took my truck back up and grabbed the last load. When I got back I said my thank you’s and Troy got on the road. I finished up with some food and packing by 4:30 and decided I would try to go find some real food.
View attachment 346606
The photo below is the first shot I made on the elk. There is a pink hat in the center of the photo where the bull vitals were. Look closely. First shot would have killed him but a hair back on the entrance. Exit was good. Second was a heart shot. View attachment 346604