WI ELK, the story of a once in a lifetime hunt
- Thread starter WinkB
- Start date
I had more than one person see her rifle and tell me that isn't a hunting rifle and "that's a great starter cartridge".
I know it is not traditional, but to her, it's familiar. She has shot PRS over the past few years and chassis are where it's at in that game. So a magazine fed bolt action is something she is very proficient with. I know the scope differs as well. She wanted something quick and simple. Knowing shot distances were under 400, she knew she did need the magnification and if that bull came out at 10 yards the 1x and both eyes open would be very helpful.
I wanted to play to her strengths and I knew she wouldn't have an issue shooting any rifle large or small with precision. If you saw her shoot you would know that in field conditions if a shot was presented within 700 yards she would be good.
When you look at the numbers one could argue that the 7mm-08 could get the job done. With a 140gr bullet traveling at 2,880fps out of the barrel, it still has retained velocity 2,200fps and 1,500ftlb at 400 yards. That was going to be my self imposed limit for this cartridge.
Based on what the internet says is required to kill an elk, I think we checked all the boxes. When the actual hunt comes we will see if it will be enough to get the job done.
It is fun to see what everyone brings to the table in terms of the rifle they choose to hunt with. It goes from mild to wild and everyone likes something a little different.
I know it is not traditional, but to her, it's familiar. She has shot PRS over the past few years and chassis are where it's at in that game. So a magazine fed bolt action is something she is very proficient with. I know the scope differs as well. She wanted something quick and simple. Knowing shot distances were under 400, she knew she did need the magnification and if that bull came out at 10 yards the 1x and both eyes open would be very helpful.
I wanted to play to her strengths and I knew she wouldn't have an issue shooting any rifle large or small with precision. If you saw her shoot you would know that in field conditions if a shot was presented within 700 yards she would be good.
When you look at the numbers one could argue that the 7mm-08 could get the job done. With a 140gr bullet traveling at 2,880fps out of the barrel, it still has retained velocity 2,200fps and 1,500ftlb at 400 yards. That was going to be my self imposed limit for this cartridge.
Based on what the internet says is required to kill an elk, I think we checked all the boxes. When the actual hunt comes we will see if it will be enough to get the job done.
It is fun to see what everyone brings to the table in terms of the rifle they choose to hunt with. It goes from mild to wild and everyone likes something a little different.
sethkuhl
Well-known member
I have seen elk killed with every thing from .243 to 25 06 to 30-378. Dead is dead. Now back to the fun!
kiwi hunter
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jul 21, 2013
- Messages
- 1,187
I'm blown away by your generousity.
Your writing is damn good too.
Your writing is damn good too.
NEWHunter
Well-known member
FIFY
Dougfirtree
Well-known member
Good luck! You certainly have nothing to worry about in terms of the rifle.
Season is getting closer and the sighting are starting to improve. Even this blind squirrel can find a nut from time to time. It is time to start narrowing down the hundreds of pins I have on the map to something actionable.
As the list of areas is getting shorter and shorter. It is starting to happen. A cow, its a start, but if there is one there has to be more I told myself. She and up to 7 of her friends started showing up in this area on a regular basis. The tough part was getting in there due to typical wind conditions and not pushing them out. Timing getting in and out of this area was important factor in determining if I would see them in the area.
She is in there, but you have to look. The tracking collar makes it easier to find in the photo. FYI, if you ask the DNR if they will share tracking info with you, they will laugh at you. It never hurts to ask. I told them it would sure help with my scouting if they could tell me where they were.
Area 2 on the list, a young bull, I start keeping tabs on him and his three cows. They stayed for the most part within about a 4 sq mile area. Any bull with antlers greater than 6" was legal. Where there is a young bull, my hopes were that his more mature friends wouldn't be too far away.
My daughter was able to bugle and cow call to him before the season started and in the above image she brought him in to under 100 yards. For someone who has never touched a mouth call or a bugle tube before in her life, I was impressed. Every time I attempted to make a call I was told I sounded like a sick or injured animal and I was just scaring everything away. Maybe it was better if I left the calls in the truck.
Horrible picture, but when you are laying on the ground trying not to be found, this was all I could get sticking my arm up and trying to get a photo, Area 3.
With this guy, I was walking down a snowmobile trail trying to get into an area that the timber was cut about 3-4 years ago and to determine if the sign I was seeing over the past month would produce any animals. The wind was in my face and just as I crested this little rise I could smell him, then I saw him, he was about 200 yards out. I quickly laid on the ground hoping I wasn't seen. I laid there for a couple min then all of a sudden there he was 30 yards away trying to figure out what I was. I just laid there and he got board with me pretty quick and he went back to feeding and slowly walked away. I snuck out of there and thought to myself, we may have a chance. Please hang around for a couple more weeks, we will be back looking for you.
When I started finding trees all tore up like this it made me think I may be in the right location, if not those must be some monster whitetails tearing it up.
In case you are wondering this is not a road or a trail according to the forest service. Even if it is wide enough to drive a full size truck down.
Note to self do not drive on it and do not take an ATV down it.
As the list of areas is getting shorter and shorter. It is starting to happen. A cow, its a start, but if there is one there has to be more I told myself. She and up to 7 of her friends started showing up in this area on a regular basis. The tough part was getting in there due to typical wind conditions and not pushing them out. Timing getting in and out of this area was important factor in determining if I would see them in the area.
She is in there, but you have to look. The tracking collar makes it easier to find in the photo. FYI, if you ask the DNR if they will share tracking info with you, they will laugh at you. It never hurts to ask. I told them it would sure help with my scouting if they could tell me where they were.
Area 2 on the list, a young bull, I start keeping tabs on him and his three cows. They stayed for the most part within about a 4 sq mile area. Any bull with antlers greater than 6" was legal. Where there is a young bull, my hopes were that his more mature friends wouldn't be too far away.
My daughter was able to bugle and cow call to him before the season started and in the above image she brought him in to under 100 yards. For someone who has never touched a mouth call or a bugle tube before in her life, I was impressed. Every time I attempted to make a call I was told I sounded like a sick or injured animal and I was just scaring everything away. Maybe it was better if I left the calls in the truck.
Horrible picture, but when you are laying on the ground trying not to be found, this was all I could get sticking my arm up and trying to get a photo, Area 3.
With this guy, I was walking down a snowmobile trail trying to get into an area that the timber was cut about 3-4 years ago and to determine if the sign I was seeing over the past month would produce any animals. The wind was in my face and just as I crested this little rise I could smell him, then I saw him, he was about 200 yards out. I quickly laid on the ground hoping I wasn't seen. I laid there for a couple min then all of a sudden there he was 30 yards away trying to figure out what I was. I just laid there and he got board with me pretty quick and he went back to feeding and slowly walked away. I snuck out of there and thought to myself, we may have a chance. Please hang around for a couple more weeks, we will be back looking for you.
When I started finding trees all tore up like this it made me think I may be in the right location, if not those must be some monster whitetails tearing it up.
In case you are wondering this is not a road or a trail according to the forest service. Even if it is wide enough to drive a full size truck down.
Note to self do not drive on it and do not take an ATV down it.
Tomorrow we will be laying out the game plan for the final week of scouting and finalizing the plan for the hunt. It is getting down to crunch time. Schools have been put on notice, I am randomly packing random items. The rifle is ready? Check. Hunter is ready? Check. The shooting requirements were to be able to hit a 4" piece of steel at any distance from 50-200 yards 100% of the time from any practical field positing. Check.
A look of confidence on that hunters face. mtmuley
Khunter
Well-known member
Looking forward to the hunt story. Somebody needs some elk hunting boots…
Bc1992
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jul 12, 2020
- Messages
- 182
Which ones are elk hunting boots?
NEWHunter
Well-known member
Well, seeing as how it’s a WI elk, the ones on the left.
Given the weather we had on the weekends leading up to the hunt it was rain, and mud and more rain and more mud. With the constant wet, a rubber type boot was a good option. I am surprised how well muck boots hold up to hours of walking per day. They really are not that bad to walk in for 10-15 miles in a day. I did wear out a pair scouting for this trip. One of the soles finally became delaminated and starting leaking on my. We are not walking on technical terrain so that does make a big difference, This allows you to have more options for your footwear than if you were just hiking in for a week long hunt. We also had the luxury of having a place to dry everything out at night and rest in a bed so that also goes a long ways as well.
I do know that I hate my boots. They are from Lowa and they just killed my feet and if there was any hint of moisture, my feet were wet. I have had them for about 18 months and they are ok on short hikes but his little adventure proved to me that I need to go back to boots I know will work for me. I told my wife that come the first of the year I am buying a new pair of boots, these did not work well for me and I will be happy to get rid of them. These were suppose to be waterproof and comparable to the Kenetrek hardscrable but they are not. I liked my LaSportivia Mukul boots when I had them but they can be a little much for hiking in the woods, just a little to stiff but they are great in the mountains.
I do know that I hate my boots. They are from Lowa and they just killed my feet and if there was any hint of moisture, my feet were wet. I have had them for about 18 months and they are ok on short hikes but his little adventure proved to me that I need to go back to boots I know will work for me. I told my wife that come the first of the year I am buying a new pair of boots, these did not work well for me and I will be happy to get rid of them. These were suppose to be waterproof and comparable to the Kenetrek hardscrable but they are not. I liked my LaSportivia Mukul boots when I had them but they can be a little much for hiking in the woods, just a little to stiff but they are great in the mountains.
Let’s not get side tracked from a great story by some clowns “idea” of what ya gotta wear, what truck ya driving, what camo ya wearing, you get the picture. I just love tuff guys and gals getting it done with what they have, like, and what works for them. Guess that’s why I love Chuck Adam’s, jeans old azz bow, aluminum arrows last I seen what a role model, sorry for the rant now please carry on sir….
We are now a week out from the hunt, and I think we have a plan.
You have to remember I have never hunted elk before, I don’t know what I am doing and I am second guessing every decision I am electing to make. I am going to go scout as if we were hunting starting on the Wednesday before the hunt. I was out in the woods hours before day break trying to find them but not get in closer. I hoped to observe not impact, then stay late, put them to bed then find them the next morning. My wife and daughter would meet me up there on Sunday and hunt would begin. We had several limiting factors going into this so we were nervous, anxious and excited to get started. The local school district has truancy policy where the kids are only allowed 5 parent request days off a semester. I had already talked to the school principal and my daughter has talked to all her teachers, we have a plan, and we are going to see if we can get it done in the first week, if not all we have are weekends. The pressure is on. Due to my wife’s job she needs to request vacation time almost a year in advance and if she misses work it impacts others so getting days off last minute is not an easy task. She was able to get a couple nights off and I was very excited that all of us would be able to share in this event.
My plan was to hunt in three primary areas, a morning area, an evening zone, then a backup. Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday mornings I was seeing a bull and various cows in one location and I was thinking to myself maybe, just maybe, this will work. Additionally my evening spot was producing a bull and 4 cows every night. The approach into these areas was going to be wind dependent and based on pressure from other folks just using the public lands. Like they say you can have the greatest plan in the world until the first punch is thrown.
The official season opener was set for Saturday Oct 14th.
Around noon on Sunday they roll into camp and my daughter asks when are we starting? I said when are you ready? Now was her replay, OK, go change and lets go.
Given the environment we had to work in and the current rules, my plan was to take my truck with a 2 place snowmobile trailer and an ATV on it. Stage it somewhere and if needed we have all the tools we need to get an elk out of the woods. I got winches on the truck and in the headache rack so that may help, maybe? I got the ATV and if given permission from the DNR, pending location I can take the ATV and trailer down a trail and possibly get it out that way. Finally have an otter sled that we could try and skid it out on and get it to a location where we can access it by ATV or vehicle. The plan also had us using a second vehicle to get around in that was little more nimble and quieter than a 1 ton diesel.
You may ask why all the stuff, just pack it out like everyone does out west. The way the laws are written you can’t do that. You are only able to break the animal down into no more than 5 pieces and it must be fully removed from the field. The only items you may leave in the field are the guts. Everything else must come out. So how do you get that big of an animal potentially out of the woods when you could be miles from a trail? Knowing this, it may help explain why I put in so much time trying to figure out where every road, trail obstacle may be in the event we get an elk and have to drag it cross country. Imagine what it would take to drag a full elk in a sled across potentially a timber cut that was clear cut and all the tops are down where it is 1-3 years old and stuff everywhere. How do you do it and who do you call? We all know how hunting go you could get it on the first few min of the hunt or a month in as night is approaching. It is pretty difficult to get folks on standby to help out when you don’t know when or where it may happen.
I hop in the truck and my wife and daughter grab the other vehicle and we are off. All I could think was, I had 4 days of sightings in all weather conditions, please elk, show up and give her the opportunity.
You have to remember I have never hunted elk before, I don’t know what I am doing and I am second guessing every decision I am electing to make. I am going to go scout as if we were hunting starting on the Wednesday before the hunt. I was out in the woods hours before day break trying to find them but not get in closer. I hoped to observe not impact, then stay late, put them to bed then find them the next morning. My wife and daughter would meet me up there on Sunday and hunt would begin. We had several limiting factors going into this so we were nervous, anxious and excited to get started. The local school district has truancy policy where the kids are only allowed 5 parent request days off a semester. I had already talked to the school principal and my daughter has talked to all her teachers, we have a plan, and we are going to see if we can get it done in the first week, if not all we have are weekends. The pressure is on. Due to my wife’s job she needs to request vacation time almost a year in advance and if she misses work it impacts others so getting days off last minute is not an easy task. She was able to get a couple nights off and I was very excited that all of us would be able to share in this event.
My plan was to hunt in three primary areas, a morning area, an evening zone, then a backup. Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday mornings I was seeing a bull and various cows in one location and I was thinking to myself maybe, just maybe, this will work. Additionally my evening spot was producing a bull and 4 cows every night. The approach into these areas was going to be wind dependent and based on pressure from other folks just using the public lands. Like they say you can have the greatest plan in the world until the first punch is thrown.
The official season opener was set for Saturday Oct 14th.
Around noon on Sunday they roll into camp and my daughter asks when are we starting? I said when are you ready? Now was her replay, OK, go change and lets go.
Given the environment we had to work in and the current rules, my plan was to take my truck with a 2 place snowmobile trailer and an ATV on it. Stage it somewhere and if needed we have all the tools we need to get an elk out of the woods. I got winches on the truck and in the headache rack so that may help, maybe? I got the ATV and if given permission from the DNR, pending location I can take the ATV and trailer down a trail and possibly get it out that way. Finally have an otter sled that we could try and skid it out on and get it to a location where we can access it by ATV or vehicle. The plan also had us using a second vehicle to get around in that was little more nimble and quieter than a 1 ton diesel.
You may ask why all the stuff, just pack it out like everyone does out west. The way the laws are written you can’t do that. You are only able to break the animal down into no more than 5 pieces and it must be fully removed from the field. The only items you may leave in the field are the guts. Everything else must come out. So how do you get that big of an animal potentially out of the woods when you could be miles from a trail? Knowing this, it may help explain why I put in so much time trying to figure out where every road, trail obstacle may be in the event we get an elk and have to drag it cross country. Imagine what it would take to drag a full elk in a sled across potentially a timber cut that was clear cut and all the tops are down where it is 1-3 years old and stuff everywhere. How do you do it and who do you call? We all know how hunting go you could get it on the first few min of the hunt or a month in as night is approaching. It is pretty difficult to get folks on standby to help out when you don’t know when or where it may happen.
I hop in the truck and my wife and daughter grab the other vehicle and we are off. All I could think was, I had 4 days of sightings in all weather conditions, please elk, show up and give her the opportunity.
One of the dumbest rules in the DNR regulations. I spoke with a deer program specialist or something of the like this summer as I plan to hunt Wisconsin this fall for whitetails.
It was explained to me it is actually because of an old littering law that doesn’t allow bones/hide to be left on the landscape. Seems they are very against moving CWD, but also encouraging hunters drag the infected parts all over the landscape. He was explaining that there was a great deal of concern that the 100K+ carcasses left on the landscape every fall would become an eyesore with the amount of land available for others recreating on the land. He didn’t seem super interested in my experience with how hard it is to go back and find bones from last years kills, or that it wasn’t realistic that every single hunter would leave the bones from their deer on the forest floor.
Sask hunter
Well-known member
- Joined
- Sep 20, 2016
- Messages
- 3,294
You needed this for behind your quad. Makes packing a breeze lol
We started off about a half mile from where we wanted to hunt in the afternoon. From there it would be about a five mile loop. I didn't want to drive and potentially push anything or put them on alert. The wind was not in our favor for the first mile but from there the rest of the hike, it would be to our advantage that afternoon. We were planning on taking it slow and seeing where the afternoon would take us. A little random calling, and a cow call from time to time, we were hoping maybe someone would be interested in coming and taking a look.
We stopped at a couple spots along the way where have had been seeing regular sign and animals this time of day, but there was nothing to be found.
As we reached the end of this hike, here we see a group of bird hunters out driving around on the snowmobile trails. Well, I guess that explains why we didn't see anything. It surely couldn't be due to my lack of skills.
It was now time to head back and try out my evening spot. With the wind was out of the north, I drove the long way around and accessed the area from the south and parked about a mile and a half short so that we could slowly walk up and have the wind in our favor and if there were hanging out in the mixed forest along the way it would give us a chance to spot them before it was too late.
We setup within a couple hundred yards of where I had been seeing this bull and his four cows for the past several days. I was hoping that the pattern would continue and they would come out of the woods to feed tonight possibly giving us a shot opportunity.
We stayed out till dark and there was no movement, silence the woods was quite and the wind had completely died down. I can't complain it is just the first day, and really just a half day at that. I am sure things will get better tomorrow.
We stopped at a couple spots along the way where have had been seeing regular sign and animals this time of day, but there was nothing to be found.
As we reached the end of this hike, here we see a group of bird hunters out driving around on the snowmobile trails. Well, I guess that explains why we didn't see anything. It surely couldn't be due to my lack of skills.
It was now time to head back and try out my evening spot. With the wind was out of the north, I drove the long way around and accessed the area from the south and parked about a mile and a half short so that we could slowly walk up and have the wind in our favor and if there were hanging out in the mixed forest along the way it would give us a chance to spot them before it was too late.
We setup within a couple hundred yards of where I had been seeing this bull and his four cows for the past several days. I was hoping that the pattern would continue and they would come out of the woods to feed tonight possibly giving us a shot opportunity.
We stayed out till dark and there was no movement, silence the woods was quite and the wind had completely died down. I can't complain it is just the first day, and really just a half day at that. I am sure things will get better tomorrow.
Missed it, are you camping or do you live nearby?
