The veil has been opened! 1/11

[perma]

Well I'm not sure how, but I missed out on the HMA access. So as of right now, it's a public land elk hunt!.....

Got some family obligations this weekend and one more day off for the year, so i'll be a weekend warrior until the week of Christmas. I'll probably hit the range today to put a few shots through but otherwise, I'll be good to go. Here's to the weather doing what I need it to do.

 

[perma]

I knew it was going to be tough, and it’s turning out to be that way.

The HMA was missed again so I’m stuck with public land hunting. Not that big of a deal; I took a deeper dove at a map and decided that this weekend will be a scouting trip. I learned of a roadway that gets me to a point I can glass. The odd thing about this place is that it’s easy to glass from the road. There’s only maybe 2-3 places worth getting out and walking to glass. Otherwise, it’s a drive and glass hunt. Kind of weird for elk hunting.

Anyway, no sign at all. Snow is here but it’s marginal. Mid December and little snow translate to poor elk hunting. We still got time, just not much left.

Anyway, enjoy the view.

 

[perma]

In an odd turn of events, I magically stumbled upon a 5-day elk hunt. Gotta love it when New Years Day plans fall through the floor, and you're the beneficiary.

One last chance!

 

[Wyhunter]

Good luck man!

 

[perma]

2023 has come to a close. Unfortunately, with 3 elk tags in hand, none were filled.

I wasn’t short on too much opportunity. I did find elk within 3 hours on the first day. I even made a stalk. The issue I had was distant judging. I thought they were within hiking distance, but I got to the edge of the unit boundary with another mile to go. Something I need to work on.

Unfortunately, my last 2 days have been with me bed ridden due to migraines and stomach aches. All my doing, due to stupid bad habits.

While disappointed, I can’t help but to reflect on what it took to put the pieces together. The tags I drew on first choice were all filled. The elk tags I drew were hard second choice tags that I knew would be tough. I found elk on every hunt, multiple times. I just couldn’t put it together due to my adolescence or because they were not within reach. I did the hard part, finding them.

In 2024, I feel comfort knowing the pressure is off to be amongst peers and forum members, knowing that I’m on this side of the fence. It’s a liberating feeling. I have 3 bucks in the freezer, I’m back in the west and Wyoming is my back yard. There will be a dead elk in my freezer next year, and maybe some deer and pronghorn and a turkey in the mix.

Thanks for all of you following me on this experience. I’m humbled to know that there are some good people on here that walked with me to get this done. Shoutout to @Wyhunter for the deer hunt. I fell short of his advice because I can’t kill animals at point blank range.

Next year’s journal will be different. No more score keeping for me, just sharing my 100 day challenge goal.

Also, I heard my first wolf in the wild! That was cool to hear, just couldn’t locate it.

 

[Wyhunter]

Congrats on a great season man. Next year will be even better! Enjoy the meat, holidays, and most importantly, time with your family!