Well, it was a great start to the year drew a cow tag and had some areas planned out to hunt. Fast forward from June to November and head out to find an Elk maps, GPS and other knowledge in hand.
Day one was a bust no Elk or Elk sign one Doe and rolled my left ankle in the doggone ferns Ouch! As everyone else has mentioned lots of people on the road.
Day two got to a gate before daylight first ones there and started to walk in the dark to a unit we wanted to hunt. Got set up and ended up talking to four other people that were in there from different directions. Met up with my hunting partner and his son decided on a new plan. We split I went to the top of the unit and he went across the bottom.
About an hour later I came across fresh rubs and slowed to a crawl just felt there had to be Elk close. Suddenly an Elk materialized about 60 yards through the alder growing in the old road bed. Head down could not tell what it was so watched with my Stieners to try and tell if it was a cow.
As I stood there all was calm, so I very quietly uncovered my scope and turned the safety off while still cradling my rifle. Movement to the right! A good size cow came in from the right. I could already taste the summer sausage and steaks. Binos down very slowly ahhh sheet busted! The cow looks at me very intently wind is in my favor though blowing from my left so she cannot not smell me yet.
There are numerous two to four inch alders between us and I have to move slightly to the left. The cow is not nervous but she has had a good enough look at me she decides to walk towards the thick cover. All I have to do is wait for her take one more step and she is in the freezer.
Step BOOM! My .300 win mag roars the cow ducks and runs into the thick and the 10 AM freight train to Mossyrock takes off through the reprod! I could not count but there had to be at least 10 Elk in the thick.
I calmly waited about 5 min and picked my way through the Alders and radioed my hunting partner. No blood. No hair. No sign she was even hit. We searched for nearly two hours going over where I shot where she was standing walked all the escape trails we could find. In the end the mystery was solved. Lining up the shot one more time I looked up and saw and still cannot believe it. I hit the only branch I did not see with either bino or scope
There is always next year
