3 GOOD BULLS IN MONTANA

[LittleJohn]

We have been fishing buddies sense high school and it was great to hunt with someone as crazy about elk as I am. WE had some serious work ahead of ourselves. We were about 5 1/2 miles from the truck and a lot of vertical to drop.

We made quick work of quartering and caping. It was really warm out 80+ degrees. We hung the meat in the shade and headed for the truck.

[LittleJohn]

I took some of Jason gear so he could get the head and cape out. Jason's feet were really jacked up from the previous 6 days of hunting. I mean REALLY jacked up. He had them taped up with athletic wrap trying to keep some gauze on the blisters. We couldn't get mole skin or duck tape to stick to him, I think he is part seal and slimy 

We made it the the truck at about 11:30 pm and we were both as tired as you can get. I had hiked in after working all night and am not really sure how long I had been up (TOO LONG)

We pounded some Power aid and headed for home.

We hit the rack about 2am after doctoring Jasons feet.

[boneaddict]

Chapter 1 done.  Excellent write up.  Fantastic story Great bull.   Now back up to read chapter 2.

[LittleJohn]

We slept in the next morning and then saddled up the horse and mule and headed in to get the meat. We got the ponies within a mile of the meat and started packing the rest. We made two trips each. It sucked pretty bad, STEAP and TONES of blow down.

WE got to the ponies with the last of the meat right at dark, and made it to the truck just before midnight. Long days of fun

WE slept in the next day and doctored on Jason's feet some more. The blisters had got infected and his feet where all swelled up like he was pregnant 

Good thing we were done hunting.

I forgot to mention that Jason hit the bull right in the heart, arrow shaft was still in the heart when we found it

[Wanttohuntmore]

Awesome pics and nice bulls!  Now tagging so I can read later, thanks for the write up!

[LittleJohn]

 
We got a big greasy burger and spend the rat of the day at the taxidermist and limping around in our flip-flops

[LittleJohn]

 

[LittleJohn]

I had to go back to work for a couple weeks and then it was off to the Bob Marshall Wilderness. I've been guiding for an outfitter in my spare time the last 6 seasons. Its a blast and some amazing country.

I touched base with one of the other guides that had been in on the previous hunt. He said the wolves had moved into the valley where our base camp is, I was going to have to spike out and find the animals because they had left with the wolf pressure.

I had a couple buddies from Wet WA that I was going to be guiding. They are tough as nails and good hunters. I knew it was going to be tough, but was confident we would find some animals.

We met in Kalispell and geared up for the 30 mile ride the next morning. We were all pretty excited. They had booked the hunt 9 months prior and we had been talking and planning ever sense. The 30 mile ride the next morning was uneventful which is always a bonus when your dealing with horses and mules.

We arrived at base camp in the evening and quickly geared up for spiking out the next day. We packed light so we could stay mobile and cover the country. We left early the next morning with one horse and 4 mules,

We hunted our way to spike camp and got into some elk sign.

[LittleJohn]

This is one of the prettiest spots in the Bob to camp as far as I am concerned

[LittleJohn]

We spent 3 days glassing and hiking all over the surrounding area, we managed to see a few mule deer and jumped a bull, but never got a look.

The weather was hot and sunny during the day. The moon was a bright as I have ver seen it. I woke up a couple times during the night thinking I had over slept because the moon was so bright

[LittleJohn]

We deciswed to move spike camp and stay on the move till we found the animals, I had the guys hunt back to base camp while I tore down and packed back to camp with the stock to reload on food.

I grabbed enough food to last us the rest of the hunt, so we didn't have to waste time at base camp or travel to refuel.

We headed south about ten miles and arrived at spike camp right at dark. We make quick work of camp and hit the rack in preparation for the 4am alarm clock.

We headed up the ridge 2 hours before daylight to one of my favorite spots. We managed to find 4 small whitetail bucks that were passed on. It was nice to finally see some horns though.

We made it to the look out point and immediately spotted some muley does.

I had been randomly bugling trying to locate some elk on the way up the ridge. As we were glassing the ridge I let out a bugle and got a response from a bull. We quickly repositioned and spotted the 4 cows moving down a ridge at 700 yds.

We set up for the shot but the bull never showed himself, he was just out of sight over the ridge. He bugled 4 or 5 times as he pushed his cows into the timber.

We made our way over to the ridge with the wind in our favor. I thought the bull had already made it to the timber. I let out a few soft cow/calf calls to try and relocate hime.

Right after I called we headed the sound of hooves on the hollow ground coming fast down the hill. We quickly set up as best we could. I caught a glimpse of a cow at 50 yds coming fast. Right behind her was the bull on a dead run right at us. He came through an opening at 40 yds, but my hunters couldn't see him. HE stopped at 30 yards right in the middle of a horribly thick brushy mess. We could hear him walking and hear him breathing, but not shot. 

He must have snuck off straight away from us because we never saw him or heard him leave. He was a solid 370" type of bull. A real pig for the Bob.
We figured we would hunt him in the evening and the next few days, but never heard or saw him again. 

[LittleJohn]

The next few days were tough as they get, The elk where held up in the timber due to the heat and full moon. We were forced to still hunt them in the timber, it was way to dry and calm to hunt the timber, but we had no choice. We got a few looks at elk hide flashing through the timber as we jumped them, but that was it. lots of rubs and sign, but they where held up tight in the timber waiting for the weather to change.

We spotted a few nice bulls in small opening from a long way off and tried to hunt them with not luck.

The evening before the last day we hiked out to a ridge and decided to glass true same ridge we had been hunting the last 3 days. To our surprise as the evening shadows stated to block out the sun we started spotting elk, lots of elk. Over the next hour we had 70+ elk spotted and a few bulls. It was tough to size them up from 2 miles away. I could see good main beams on one of them and new he was a shooter.

We rode back to camp excited for the morning hunt. The moon was going to be full again, we hoped they would bed down on the big oven ridge for the night and be there in the am. It was our last day to hunt.

We were up at 4am, broke camp, and got our loads really in hopes we would be too busy packing meat the rest of the day. We tied the horses up and headed up the timbered ridge in the dark. We arrived at the edge of the timber just before daylight. We waited in the timber until it was plenty light enough to shoot, as we eased to the edge of the timber I started glassing the ridge where we last saw the bull. I spotted the old dead snag he was standing next to night before and there he was not 50 yds from where he was 10 hours before.

We quickly set up for the shot, Cody was shooting a 300 weatherby topped with a 5-25 power ziess. I know he is a shooter and was confident he could make the shot. I ranged the bull at 600 yds. Cody proved out with his bipod shooting slightly uphill. The bull was quarter to us and had not idea we where there. The 60+ other elk would make it impossible to get any closer.

The rumble of the shot was followed by the distinct "WHAOP". The bull stumbled about 20 yards and fell down. Cody hit the bull right in front of the shoulder. We found the bullet in the hide on the off side last rib.

[LittleJohn]

I headed back down to get the horses while they headed for the bull. They had it mostly quarter and caped by the time I got up to them. Get bull and on the last day of a TOUGH hunt.

They worked hard enough to earn ten bulls, but thats how hunting goes some times. We loaded the head and meat and started the long walk back to camp

[LittleJohn]

We didn't put a tape on it, but am guessing he is right at 300" + -

WE got back to camp late afternoon and hung the meat. We had a long ride back to base camp.

We arrived at base camp right at dark. I turned around and headed back to get the meat and camping gear.

I arrived back around 10pm

We were up early at 3am to start the long ride back to the trailhead

[LittleJohn]

It was a great hunt, Would like to have gotten for animals, but we did pretty well considering the tough conditions