Mid October 2010 I picked my best buddy up from San Diego Airport and drove straight through 18 hours to GETSUM elk camp. I was as sick as I had ever been in my life, Some kind of Sinus Infection that had put me on the couch the previous three days.
It took me all day to load all my gear into a half ton pick up. we are talking about 10 hours (Man I was sick). But there was no way in hell I was going to miss my Washington hunting trip of over three weeks! I would of died trying.... Thats how much I love to hunt.
Anyways I picked up RYAN at 2200 hours (thats 10:00 PM for you civilians) at the Airport and jumped on I-5 headed North. 18 hours later we are approaching camp and I am realizing that my buddy has never been Elk Hunting in his life!! I was stoked to say the least. I **** you not, right as we pull into camp, Exactly where the 14X16 davis tent goes there is a Spike ELk standing in this exact spot! My buddy just about crapped himself and I am sure he pee"d a little. HA HA
This spike was a standout, he was a spike but really wide and easily picked out amongst other elk! At that exact moment he made the RTSPRING hit list. (not a list most elk want to get on) I made up my mind I was gonna hunt for this spike and no others. To me it was a challenge to see if I could outsmart him on his own turf.
We deer hunted for the whole deer season, but mostly scouted for elk. I love deer but they are just a bonus when I have time to look over elk country! I hunted hard for deer and seen several shooters but passed for numerous reasons.
On one of the last days of deer season down the road from my camp we were driving my truck back to camp and not 20 feet off the road I spotted a 6X6 bull elk standing in dark blowdowns with about 50 cows and this unique spike! I told my buddy Ryan to get out and look at this bull. It is absolutely incredible to watch people who have never seen an elk ,let alone big bull up so close! Let's just say he was in AWE.
opening morning of elk season came and just about daybreak Ryan started out of camp, I caught him and said , "hey bud, wait about ten more mins before heading out". Man he was not happy, I simply stated well if you wanna go, go but I'm telling you to wait ten mins and you can see better walking up the trail I told him to hunt. So after being called sever names that are banned on here he decided to wait ten mins. The time passed and he headed out, my plan was to parallel the trail via the road into camp. (LET THE ROOKIE CHASE ELK TO ME!!) That was wishful thinking I had not gone 100 yards from my camp and BOOOOOOOMMMMMMMM came a shot off to my left. I was like WTH, who is that? I looked at my watch and it was exactly 1 minute after legal shooting time. Then I dang near get run over my two cows running like they were headed to Canada! Then I hear the most amazing sounds a ELK HUNTER in my camp can hear, BANG,BANG,BANG. NO doubt these were the three .40 caliber pistol shots from Ryan's pistol! They only mean one thing ELK DOWN BABY!!. I jumped on the radio, "RYAN IS THAT YOU?" Finally I get a response from him, YOU GOD**** right that is me!! I think I shouted as loud as ever knowing my ROOKIE buddy just shot his first elk! Lucky SOB......
Anyways back to the real story, after dragging his elk back to camp and getting it hung up and skinned and such. I decided to go elk hunting!! Back down the road!! I have a spot not 562 yards from my camp that holds elk at all times of the day. ( i ranged it, it is exactly 562 yards! Just in case the 300 RUM is ever needed to extract an elk while sitting at camp.. Ha Ha
Soup to this spot I go knowing that one 300 Weatherby has went off and three small caliber pistol shots in the area earlier.
I slowly start up the hill and really not expecting to see anything. ( COACH, YOU ARE RIGHT ABOUT THE UNEXPECTED) low and behold this UNIQUE spike jumps up and is making time in a hurry to get out of dodge. By the time I got the gun up all I could see was that Yellow Mushroom we like to call an elks butt!! I hunted all day for this elk and could not find him.
Next morning I head back to the same spot, exactly 562 yds away from camp. I took a different route with the winds being crazy. I am literally sneaking like a predator looking for his evening meal. when all of a sudden there goes Mr. Spike again on a road trip!!! I was pissed to say the least. This went on for 4 mornings in a row!!!! same game same outcome. I was literally at a loss on how to get this elk. I knew exactly where he would be and what time he would be there. SImple you might thin but this elk was smart as a whip for being a spike.
Day 5 rolls around. I had not told anyone in camp about this nightmare spike I had been chasing around camp! One I would of been black balled by all my buddy's, and BIG SHOT RYAN would of been the first in line of giving me crap. SO day 5 morning comes around and off I go. This time I walked the road until I knew I was exactly below this spike, I would head up the hill towards him and even if I jumped him I would maybe get a shot as he went about his road trip. I am walking ten feet in about 20 mins, a snails pace... I got about 100 yds from where I know he will be when all hell breaks loose and Mr. Spike is on his normal morning escape RTSPRING jaunt...
Well he made one final mistake, actually two!! When he ran this time he ran in a direction where he had to go through a small opening to get to the big timber. I simply put my crosshairs on that opening and waited for his head to show! ( I was taught at a young age to shoot animals in the head by my father) so always my first instinct is to scope their head. LOw and behold this elk is on a dead run and I see his spikes and his whole head. BOOOOOOOMMMM the 300 RUM reports and to my utterly amazement this spike comes to a complete stop and stares at me and did not fall over!!!! ( I don't miss, maybe thats cocky but I have shot enough in my life to know that when I squeeze the trigger stuff tends to go nite nite. So here I am 100 yds from this elk and he is staring me down, and I am in shock. I yelled out loud WTF?
I jacked another shell and by this time he had taken another step and was just giving me a boiler room shot. I decided enough is enough with this elk!!! I put the crosshairs on his spine and let another 180 grain Scirocco go at 3100 FPS. He dropped like a mack truck hit him doing a 100mph.....
Sure it was just some spike but persistence paid off just like I put in my Elk hunting tips topic. You have to keep trying, NO MATTER WHAT they throw at you. Ekl are creatures of habit and this one proved to me that he was gonna keep returning to this bedding area no matter how many times I jumped him up....
This spike is at the top of my lists of memorable hunts! Why? Because I beat him at his own game on his terms.
And just for the record Ryan, I bet you are glad you waited that ten minutes to leave camp that morning, like I told you to do buddy!!! Your welcome.............
RTSPRING
