Hello EV1, hope I am welcome to this nice WA hunting site.
Thought my first post would be about my recently completed 2008 elk season. I have hunted elk in this GMU for over 39 years, deer too sometimes but hasn't been good for bucks since winter kill '96. Here ya go...
well the dry weather, with no snow forecast for the high country was going to make for a tough 2008 elk season....and I drew the Bethel A bull tag! This with 5 points accumulated, similar to my 2000 draw with 6 pts accumlated then. Took a mature 5x6 in 2000, 4 spikes since.
Great-what timing for this year to get the big bull tag; no snow forecast for the William O. Douglas Wilderness and me with a big bull tag in my pocket. Tally ho, let the elk huntin begin!
Set up camp, cut wood for the stove all that good camp stuff prior to season. Opening day (early for me than general season, Oct 20) dawns red rising sun on the horizon. What's that down in the ravine? A big 6x7 bull elk and moving my way. couldn't get the crosshairs steady for a good shot at 350+ yards (later lasered at 377yds) as the bull was moving fast thru the pines. But the bull was headed for a group of cows below me, the elk being pushed by other people, hunting I assume. As the big bull nears the opening at 200 yards, it pauses and bugles 3x. Oh, what a neck tingling sound in the cold morning air. Ah, my trigger finger is ready, just step out from behind the tamaracks & pines. Then, all of a sudden, noise and rocks roll 80' (30 yds<) below me. It is another guy, dressed in red hat and blue jacket & jeans-no rifle just binocs, running towards the big bulls location as he appears in my scope. Rifle immediately put down, my heart beating, that was close! Anyways, Off the big bull thunders down the ravine, out of my vision. The Guy sees me after I give a cough and climbs up to my position; Guy:"Wow, did you hear that big bull bugle. I had my binocs on him as he took off down hill". About this time he notices me in my hunting garb and the rifle now leaned against a ponderosa tree. Guy:"oh no, you are hunting. Must have the big bull tag..." And realizing what he really just did to my hunt <fubar>. Guy:"oh, I'm so very sorry. I am just out from the town of Naches scouting for general opening weekend, heard the bull bugle and ran over here to get a look. I'm so sorry to have messed up your chance at that big bull....". yes the Guy was apologetic but Kay sara, sara as they say.
DANG
, I was mad, didn't say a word and the guy backed out and disappeared over my finger ridge line. Must have been the intense look in my eyes as I could not share the guy's exhuberance for
HIM seeing what was doing the bugling in the pines 200 yards below my position!! I saw the big bull depart but couldn't shoot with the GUY in my vision of the bull.
For the next 3 days, saw over 40 elk, 11 bulls, mostly spikes and thought to myself; wow, general opener is going to be a shootout around these parts. Never saw a good branched bull again but not surprised as my area needs snow in the high country to push the really big bulls (aside from a few local branched bulls, which other than my opening morning, avoided me) within huntable reach of hunters on foot like me.
Opening day general season and it's Saturday with the accompanying crowds of hunters, most just driving the roads far below me. I pass on 2 spikes running by me prior to 11am (one downhill and one uphill-an actual 1x2) and bunch of cows. Some of the poor cows had their tongues hanging out and breathing heavily, they were really spooked and had been running some distance. Staying out in the woods all day & prepared for it; Around 6pm, a 3x3 is sneaking along a brushy rim area. With any snow in the forecast b4 Wednesday last week I might have waited on this 3x3 but bluebird weather being what it was and 4 days hard dawn2dusk hunting already completed, a quick decision was made.
A steady off hand aim and at 235 yards, I gently squeeze the trigger of the Browning 300 Win Mag. The Federal Premium, 200 gr Nosler flies true and the bull goes down hard...and then starts rolling-sliding-rolling down hill, thru the bursh & small fir trees onto a rock slide and down the slide for tumbling-sliding for 55 yards. By the time I reach him on the treacherous rockslide it is darn near dark. My partner joins me and snaps a quick pic and the work starts. I've taken many bulls in this GMU & skinned many on the ground with the use of my 6'x8' blue tarp but the downed location of this one is treacherous to say the least. In the photo, you can see how delicately balanced I am being on a severe downslope...and the gutting, skinning, quartering wasn't much easier on those rocks. Moved quartered elk from rockslide to treed slope over 130 yards away to begin the pack out the next morning. Nice 3x3 rack but 2 points broken on the right antler side as you look at the elk head nose on. Looked next day on the rocks but couldn't find the broken off points, darn.
Monday of general season, my partner tags his spike bull, at 40 yards in the deep timber. Needless to say, we hunt a couple miles from the roads and without horses, we pack the bulls out -the elk meat out on frames & meat bags; hind-quarters & head-antlers go first and we bone out the front half of the elk. Quite a chore and then there is the walk-hike-excursion out! Sometimes uphill to the ridge line from the canyon bottom! And down into the next canyon to the road-trailhead where our trucks are parked!!!!!!!!!!
We hunt and camp thru Friday as to assist other partners in camp yet to tag a bull. Us two guys with elk in camp sure did a lot of the cooking, camp cleaning, camp chores etc. The overnight temps warmed up from low 30's to high-low 40's on this last Thursday night so Friday am Oct 31, the 2 of us pack up and get the meat (hind qtrs, boned meat on ice in coolers) out.
But after Tuesday, Oct 28, the woods get pretty quiet, the local elk make the adjustment to pressure and become less visible during legal shooting hours and with no snow forecast in the high county, the outlook for the other partners got pretty bleak. But they are still there thru Sunday to give it a go, best wishes at least they have some rain to settle the dust out there.
A few pics, enjoy.
