Thinking about my hunting resume and all the years that I have contemplated keeping a record of my successes and failures, I realized very recently that I should make an attempt to learn from my experiences and keep a running log. Recording this season's pursuits in writing here will provide me opportunity to reminisce, analyze my methods, and get perspective from this community to add to my experiences. Additionally, I figure that I should try to remember what hunting is like in the future as my wife and I will be having our fourth child this spring...I doubt my hunting time is ample coming up. So, I will lay it all bare. I am blessed to live in a place that gives me incredibly good opportunities for a wide range of pursuits and table fare. This season I have a reservation elk tag (I am a tribal member), tribal bull buffalo tag, antelope tag, tribal deer tag, 2 state deer tags, dove hunts, pheasant hunts, duck hunts, and hopefully some winter goose hunts. This may be my wife's nightmare and my last hurrah. It all begins this Friday morning with reservation elk on the Pine Ridge Reservation. I will check in with what I hope to be a good report later this week. Sling 'em straight.
The Generalist Hunter-2018
- Thread starter dcreiss
- Start date
Northwoods Labs
Well-known member
Will be following along. Good luck
Crossbowguy
Well-known member
I will be following along too!
Bwana
Well-known member
Looking forward to hearing about your season.
Sure a young family can reduce the amount of time spent hunting for a few years, but take it from a guy whose kids are mostly grown now, there are still lots of cool memories to be made taking them with you on a few hunts, and in a few years you might have your own, self-grown hunting partners.
Sure a young family can reduce the amount of time spent hunting for a few years, but take it from a guy whose kids are mostly grown now, there are still lots of cool memories to be made taking them with you on a few hunts, and in a few years you might have your own, self-grown hunting partners.
dirtclod Az.
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jan 24, 2018
- Messages
- 2,776
Good luck following along also.
At daybreak on Friday morning I watched this bull and 5 cows work through timber from a vantage of about 3 miles away. After watching him work his cows into private deeded land, I made a move to a grazing unit south of the private land and walked all the way to the south side of the parcel to circle north into the wind. After hiking about 2 miles to from east to south west I began moving north with a plan of trying to sit near water in the hope of him dropping in for a quick drink mid-day. For giggles I blew a locate bugle and I heard him answer aggressively about 500 to 600 yards out. I began to close the distance and when I stopped to check the wind a very obviously human primos bugle rang out with also obvious hoochie mama cow calls in successive order. A couple of young hunters heard our exchange and literally ran through the timber with a bad wind at their back towards the herd, cutting me off. I waited a few moments and sure enough two younger hunters were hoofing it quick towards the bull, blowing their calls in the same repetitive fashion 2 additional times. Discouraged, I let them pass figuring the herd would blow back towards private land and blow the hunt and then began my long walk back towards my rig.
About a mile away from my truck, I heard them bugle twice again far up the ridge. On a hunch, I climbed the last ridge to peak up north and see if anything could be spotted heading onto the private. Just as I got to the top, 4 cows bust out of the timber about 600 yards away heading straight east into open prairie canyons. I figured I had nothing to lose and pulled my rifle out of the scabbard and tucked my bugle away and tried to quick step down the ridge and across the draw towards the canyon. About 3 steps down I lost my footing and slid on my rear down the ridge through a cactus...fun. As I sat there uncomfortably, I watched another cow slowly head out from the same area with a bull in tow. He could care less that they got busted out by the hunters in the timber, he was going to dog that cow and follow her anywhere. She slowly led him across the valley in the same direction as the other cows, but he persistently chased her haphazardly which gave me time to remove a couple of cactus thorns and get resituated. After they crossed the open ridge on the opposite side of the valley I got running. I ran across the valley and up the next ridge until I got just under some ponderosas and was going to get ready to glass. But before I could get situated the cow came jogging back over the ridge towards the timber with the bull bugling his head off at her. I sat down, chambered a round and brought out my rangefinder. I ranged down the ridge and across the valley to where the cow was crossing. 434 yards. As expected, he followed her on a jog across the drainage and crossed at the same spot as the cow 15 yards in front of him. I let out a mew and he stopped and turned broadside...I did not hesitate. He took 3 total rounds before expiring and I spend the rest of the afternoon caring for the meat and hauling it back out to my truck. Yesterday was spend processing elk pretty much until the sun went down and I am taking some time away from grad school studying to reminisce. It was a very good weekend.
bowhuntmontana
Well-known member
Glad it worked out. Congrats on a nice bull.
Hunting Wife
Well-known member
Nicely done! Other hunters can be frustrating, but I’ve also learned not to give up too quickly. They’ve helped me fill more than a couple of tags as well. Way to stick with it!
Elkhunter24
Well-known member
congrats!
Crossbowguy
Well-known member
Congrats on your successful elk hunt!
Bwana
Well-known member
Way to go!
publichunter1
Well-known member
Congrats and thanks for sharing.
After some time away from hunting to tend to work, family, and school commitments, today marks the start to my 2018 bird hunting. My yellow lab Winnie and I will be out chasing pheasants, ducks, and grouse on the Lower Brule Reservation of central SD. I am looking forward to a really fun bird hunting year with early winter storms pushing ducks and geese south from Canada this weekend....it is shaping up to be a really exciting fall migration! Deer and bison hunts to follow in November. Good luck to all!
Addicting
Well-known member
Congrats!
Addicting
Well-known member
Congrats!
