BuzzH
Well-known member
Just got back into town and finished hanging elk in the garage...what a great hunt my wife Pat and I just had.
We started the first hunting day in an area I'd scouted and seen some bulls. Apparently I wasnt the only one who saw them, people all over. We ended up seeing 28 bulls in the first 3 hours, nothing that I thought I would go over 310. We saw a pretty cool bull though, he had a clubbed antler on his passenger side with a long point that forked on the top. His drivers side was just a normal average 6 point. Pat had to take a lot of time deciding and I think a couple times she just about talked herself into shooting him. Finally we decided to move on and leave him in the bank just in case.
I was sick of people by then, and on a hunch, after studying maps for months, asked Pat if she was up for a bit of a gamble. I told her about an isolated range of mountains that I'd seen on the map and drove by a few times but had never hunted. Its pretty tough access into the area, but with the help of my GPShunting maps, it wasnt that bad. About 2:00 pm I glass a shady side of a hill and about drop my binoculars...16 bulls all bedded and with the exception of a spike and a 5 point all the rest are 6x6 bulls. It was a tough hike to get to them, and I asked Pat if she was up to it. She told me to go ahead and go as she was afraid they would get up and feed off by the time she could get there. I traveled fast and light and within an hour I was looking at them from 300 yards. I studied them all...and I have to say its flat fun to hunt elk when you're having a tough time deciding between 3-4 bulls that are all outstanding. Several of the 6 points had various broken points so, those were out. I finally had to choose between the bull I shot and another 6 point that had shorter tines, but was heavier. I decided to chase tine length. The wind was blowing pretty good and I could see I had a way to get about 100 yards closer, so I reversed my stalk and came in from a slightly different angle, this time I was only 204 yards. I crept up to a rock and nothing had changed, everyone was accounted for. I looked them over one more time, just to be sure. I cycled a round into the chamber and got a solid rest on a rock. I placed the leupold dot on the point of the shoulder on the best 6 point in the bunch and gently squeezed the trigger. He slumped over in his bed and rolled about 10 feet down hill. About half the bulls in the bunch stood up, the others just layed there as if nothing happened. I watched them as they slowly made their way around the corner of the hill feeding as they went.
Walked up to this guy, and I wasnt disappointed with my decision:
One more look:
With my elk all in quarters, we decided to hunt the next morning for a few hours and then go back and pack my elk. I told Pat that I knew of another area that was similar that could be worth checking. She said why not, lets look and then go get your elk. I pulled up to the spot with just about enough light to glass the distant hillside. Even though there was scarcely a tree, I didnt see anything moving. I looked again, where I'd just looked and there were 3 bulls standing on a small flat spot. I dug out the spotter and put it on the hillside and discovered I had made a mistake...7 bulls, not 3, all 6 points. Six of the seven were unbroken and were again all nice mature bulls. Pat and I made a plan to walk to the base of the mountain they were feeding on and then contour our way over hoping to catch them. It was our only play as the wind wouldnt allow us to head them off. It was nerve racking as we made our way around, there were many folds/small draws that we had to peek into as we worked our way around. Finally, across a deep draw Pat points out a herd of 8 bulls, all 6 points feeding uphill. I stop and get the rangefinder, 521 yards. Dead calm and doable, but we could easily cut 120+ yards very quickly. We dropped downhill and scampered to a small knob. I was about 20 yards ahead of Pat and figured I'd sort out the best bull and have a range by the time she got there. I just happened to glance over to my right, and there were 5 bulls, all 6 points feeding 192 yards away. Good thing they were busy feeding as I was in full sight of them, and quickly dropped down hoping they hadnty busted me. Pat got to me and we decided to take one of the 5 close bulls as there was nothing better across the draw in the other herd of 8. So, she got all set up with a great rest. We watched them as they fed with their butts towards us. Finally the biggest in the group slowly turned broadside. Pat wasted no time and shot...I saw the bull flinch and he just stood there. He slowly turned away from us but I noticed he was already stumbling and piled up not 5 yards from where Pat shot him. Her 7-08 and 140 accubonds performed perfectly.
Before we walked over to Pats bull, the group she shot hers from plus one we hadnt seen, slowly worked their way up the other side of the draw. I'll never forget that sight, Pats first bull laying dead in the shade, and 200 yards behind him, 5 other mature six points. The colors of everything were just exaggerated by the rising sun...beautiful.
Pats first elk:
We got Pats elk to the truck and one quarter of mine. Went back this morning and packed the rest of mine.
I think we'll be hard pressed to ever have a better elk hunt, 58 bulls in 1 day and 2 hours of hunting, most of them 6 points.
We started the first hunting day in an area I'd scouted and seen some bulls. Apparently I wasnt the only one who saw them, people all over. We ended up seeing 28 bulls in the first 3 hours, nothing that I thought I would go over 310. We saw a pretty cool bull though, he had a clubbed antler on his passenger side with a long point that forked on the top. His drivers side was just a normal average 6 point. Pat had to take a lot of time deciding and I think a couple times she just about talked herself into shooting him. Finally we decided to move on and leave him in the bank just in case.
I was sick of people by then, and on a hunch, after studying maps for months, asked Pat if she was up for a bit of a gamble. I told her about an isolated range of mountains that I'd seen on the map and drove by a few times but had never hunted. Its pretty tough access into the area, but with the help of my GPShunting maps, it wasnt that bad. About 2:00 pm I glass a shady side of a hill and about drop my binoculars...16 bulls all bedded and with the exception of a spike and a 5 point all the rest are 6x6 bulls. It was a tough hike to get to them, and I asked Pat if she was up to it. She told me to go ahead and go as she was afraid they would get up and feed off by the time she could get there. I traveled fast and light and within an hour I was looking at them from 300 yards. I studied them all...and I have to say its flat fun to hunt elk when you're having a tough time deciding between 3-4 bulls that are all outstanding. Several of the 6 points had various broken points so, those were out. I finally had to choose between the bull I shot and another 6 point that had shorter tines, but was heavier. I decided to chase tine length. The wind was blowing pretty good and I could see I had a way to get about 100 yards closer, so I reversed my stalk and came in from a slightly different angle, this time I was only 204 yards. I crept up to a rock and nothing had changed, everyone was accounted for. I looked them over one more time, just to be sure. I cycled a round into the chamber and got a solid rest on a rock. I placed the leupold dot on the point of the shoulder on the best 6 point in the bunch and gently squeezed the trigger. He slumped over in his bed and rolled about 10 feet down hill. About half the bulls in the bunch stood up, the others just layed there as if nothing happened. I watched them as they slowly made their way around the corner of the hill feeding as they went.
Walked up to this guy, and I wasnt disappointed with my decision:
One more look:
With my elk all in quarters, we decided to hunt the next morning for a few hours and then go back and pack my elk. I told Pat that I knew of another area that was similar that could be worth checking. She said why not, lets look and then go get your elk. I pulled up to the spot with just about enough light to glass the distant hillside. Even though there was scarcely a tree, I didnt see anything moving. I looked again, where I'd just looked and there were 3 bulls standing on a small flat spot. I dug out the spotter and put it on the hillside and discovered I had made a mistake...7 bulls, not 3, all 6 points. Six of the seven were unbroken and were again all nice mature bulls. Pat and I made a plan to walk to the base of the mountain they were feeding on and then contour our way over hoping to catch them. It was our only play as the wind wouldnt allow us to head them off. It was nerve racking as we made our way around, there were many folds/small draws that we had to peek into as we worked our way around. Finally, across a deep draw Pat points out a herd of 8 bulls, all 6 points feeding uphill. I stop and get the rangefinder, 521 yards. Dead calm and doable, but we could easily cut 120+ yards very quickly. We dropped downhill and scampered to a small knob. I was about 20 yards ahead of Pat and figured I'd sort out the best bull and have a range by the time she got there. I just happened to glance over to my right, and there were 5 bulls, all 6 points feeding 192 yards away. Good thing they were busy feeding as I was in full sight of them, and quickly dropped down hoping they hadnty busted me. Pat got to me and we decided to take one of the 5 close bulls as there was nothing better across the draw in the other herd of 8. So, she got all set up with a great rest. We watched them as they fed with their butts towards us. Finally the biggest in the group slowly turned broadside. Pat wasted no time and shot...I saw the bull flinch and he just stood there. He slowly turned away from us but I noticed he was already stumbling and piled up not 5 yards from where Pat shot him. Her 7-08 and 140 accubonds performed perfectly.
Before we walked over to Pats bull, the group she shot hers from plus one we hadnt seen, slowly worked their way up the other side of the draw. I'll never forget that sight, Pats first bull laying dead in the shade, and 200 yards behind him, 5 other mature six points. The colors of everything were just exaggerated by the rising sun...beautiful.
Pats first elk:
We got Pats elk to the truck and one quarter of mine. Went back this morning and packed the rest of mine.
I think we'll be hard pressed to ever have a better elk hunt, 58 bulls in 1 day and 2 hours of hunting, most of them 6 points.
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