noharleyyet
Well-known member
Don't spare the chapstick & good luck.
Wyoming Elk - I need a lucky break
- Thread starter Big Fin
- Start date
Lawnboy
Well-known member
I wonder how Lee and Tiffany's bus would of handled that creek crossing?
krshunter
Active member
I wonder how Lee and Tiffany's bus would of handled that creek crossing?
That's good stuff.
I wonder how Lee and Tiffany's bus would of handled that creek crossing?
At the super duper private ranch that they would have been hunting at, I'll bet there would have been a bridge over the creek.
Hem
Well-known member
Are you kidding me, lee and Tiff only shoot September bulls tied up under their tree stands.
BiggWimm
New member
- Joined
- Aug 28, 2009
- Messages
- 635
Interesting that the Lee and Tiff thing came up. I happened to watch their elk hunt episode after a few adult beverages which resulted in me sending an email. Long and short of my message was that they were ruining the beauty of elk hunting. The reply that I got back, a very long one, basically stated "that when hunters start fighting amongst themselves, that is when the opposition gets the upper hand." I wasn't fighting with them, just telling them they shouldn't put that crap on television. What a load of nonsense, boo on them.
Got in about an hour ago. Showered, dried some clothes and repacked. A truly memorable day to be elk hunting. The snow was still soft and deep and the winds were tolerable.
Climbed a ridge where I could glass into an area one infamous Hunt Talker had told me about. Nothing there, but did see lots of elk trails going through the snow. up the ridges to the north. Almost where we hunted opening day, only to get stuck and need a pull from Warden Kerr.
Figured I may as well start that way, hoping some of the elk were still lingering. What looked like a mile or two sure took a long time to cover in this rugged broken country. At about eight O'clock, I crossed two elk tracks that looked to be from late last night, or early this morning. Just what I had asked for - fresh tracks in soft snow.
With that, the day was set. We would follow these tracks to the bitter end. Made it easy to plan the day.
Around 11:30, I came upon two beds on a bench above us. They looked to be only an hour or so old. The droppings were not yet firm and the tracks leaving were much fresher than the first trail. I am not sure if I bumped them, or if they just decided to get up and start moving.
I stayed on the track with much vigor. Amazing how much enthusiasm and energy can be generated from following fresh elk tracks in fresh snow. Time was passing fast and the miles were rolling by. The bulls were not really lined out, but moving steadily north to the high ridges.
Around 1:00pm the tracks went into some very thick stuff. The trail meandered and their stride was very short. Classic bedding actions. I told the camera guy to get ready. I crawled over a jungle of deadfall that they somehow negotiated easily. It was a noisy operation.
On the other side, I find two beds that are amazingly fresh. The morning wind had scattered pine needles on top of the snow. The needles were under the bulls when they bedded. When they left, they were making some serious tracks. I never heard or saw them, but the tracks were as fresh as can be.
I put it in high gear, scrambling up these rock piles as fast as I could. The bulls would separate and then rejoin. Both were big tracks, both long and wide. Their gait told me they were mature bulls. All I needed to do is kill one of them.
By 3:30, the bulls has taken me all the way to the top of the mountain and down the other side, where they tracks hit the private boundary. The trip meter on the GPS registered just under eight miles. I was gassed, but had given every effort I could to get one of these bulls before the sun set.
It was another four miles back to the truck. We got there about an hour after dark. On the way back I thought about how much fun it was to do my favorite kind of elk hunting - tracking them in fresh snow. No bull to show for it, but a ton of fun. I doubt the camera guy found it to be too much fun as he tried to keep up with a crazed elk hunter, hell bent on trying to kill a bull before sundown.
Not sure of the morning plan. More wind and colder temps, so I suspect it will be a tough day. Given how much body fuel I burned today, I am thinking of scaling a high ridge with the spotter and spend the day glassing for one unlucky bull.
Late and tired. Hope to have as much fun tomorrow as I had today.
Climbed a ridge where I could glass into an area one infamous Hunt Talker had told me about. Nothing there, but did see lots of elk trails going through the snow. up the ridges to the north. Almost where we hunted opening day, only to get stuck and need a pull from Warden Kerr.
Figured I may as well start that way, hoping some of the elk were still lingering. What looked like a mile or two sure took a long time to cover in this rugged broken country. At about eight O'clock, I crossed two elk tracks that looked to be from late last night, or early this morning. Just what I had asked for - fresh tracks in soft snow.
With that, the day was set. We would follow these tracks to the bitter end. Made it easy to plan the day.
Around 11:30, I came upon two beds on a bench above us. They looked to be only an hour or so old. The droppings were not yet firm and the tracks leaving were much fresher than the first trail. I am not sure if I bumped them, or if they just decided to get up and start moving.
I stayed on the track with much vigor. Amazing how much enthusiasm and energy can be generated from following fresh elk tracks in fresh snow. Time was passing fast and the miles were rolling by. The bulls were not really lined out, but moving steadily north to the high ridges.
Around 1:00pm the tracks went into some very thick stuff. The trail meandered and their stride was very short. Classic bedding actions. I told the camera guy to get ready. I crawled over a jungle of deadfall that they somehow negotiated easily. It was a noisy operation.
On the other side, I find two beds that are amazingly fresh. The morning wind had scattered pine needles on top of the snow. The needles were under the bulls when they bedded. When they left, they were making some serious tracks. I never heard or saw them, but the tracks were as fresh as can be.
I put it in high gear, scrambling up these rock piles as fast as I could. The bulls would separate and then rejoin. Both were big tracks, both long and wide. Their gait told me they were mature bulls. All I needed to do is kill one of them.
By 3:30, the bulls has taken me all the way to the top of the mountain and down the other side, where they tracks hit the private boundary. The trip meter on the GPS registered just under eight miles. I was gassed, but had given every effort I could to get one of these bulls before the sun set.
It was another four miles back to the truck. We got there about an hour after dark. On the way back I thought about how much fun it was to do my favorite kind of elk hunting - tracking them in fresh snow. No bull to show for it, but a ton of fun. I doubt the camera guy found it to be too much fun as he tried to keep up with a crazed elk hunter, hell bent on trying to kill a bull before sundown.
Not sure of the morning plan. More wind and colder temps, so I suspect it will be a tough day. Given how much body fuel I burned today, I am thinking of scaling a high ridge with the spotter and spend the day glassing for one unlucky bull.
Late and tired. Hope to have as much fun tomorrow as I had today.
2pointslayr
New member
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- Oct 30, 2006
- Messages
- 297
gl tomorrow
gman82001
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- Joined
- Aug 13, 2011
- Messages
- 357
Love elk hunting in the snow . good luck from Cheyenne
Nice to be hunting and not stuck somewhere due to weather or equipment failure. Posing a question.....when tracking and you see they went into a dense patch do you consider the wind and try to go around the thick stuff, catching their tracks on the other side if they went through, or know they are still in the thick stuff?
shoots-straight
Well-known member
Waiting for Tjones to show up. So I thought about you hunting in the Nov snow down in Wyoming. Good luck today, and shoot straight.
DreaminofMT6X6s
Member
- Joined
- Sep 29, 2010
- Messages
- 800
It's awesome you guys are at least exploring a ton of elk country!! Good luck out there man!
Intothewindoutdoors
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- Sep 6, 2011
- Messages
- 104
Good luck Fin! Today is the day!
Brandenbowhunter
Well-known member
Happy Birthday Randy, go get a big bull in WYO crappy weather!
I think the Lee and Tiffanny's hunt would have been "Crushed" long ago...
Soilder on, but don't die!
I think the Lee and Tiffanny's hunt would have been "Crushed" long ago...
Soilder on, but don't die!
Been on a cold windy rock all morning. Just across the basin from where intercepted the two bulls yesterday. Can glass for a couple miles any direction.
The snow warmed and froze a noisy crusty last night. Any hope of still hunting are down the tubes. A big saddle is just below me, where the two biggest drainages join. A great spot. Just missing the elk. Is Lots of guys out today. Hoping that pushes elk from down below, up to this spot.
Storm moving in. Temps are dropping and wind is increasing.
Hope I am tough enough to last up here. Would hate to freeze to death on my birthday.
The snow warmed and froze a noisy crusty last night. Any hope of still hunting are down the tubes. A big saddle is just below me, where the two biggest drainages join. A great spot. Just missing the elk. Is Lots of guys out today. Hoping that pushes elk from down below, up to this spot.
Storm moving in. Temps are dropping and wind is increasing.
Hope I am tough enough to last up here. Would hate to freeze to death on my birthday.
Big Slick
Well-known member
Happy birthday Randy! Hope you get a birthday bull...That would be awesome.
