Just like the other rifle tag holders for this unit, I was starting to feel pretty bummed out that I wasn't going to get to hunt because of the fires. Fortunately, the week before, word came down it would be opening back up and then it was game on. This was only the 3rd time I have went elk hunting with all my experience being flatlander deer hunting. I knew this unit was going to challenge me more than I have ever been before but I felt it was time I needed to break out of my comfort zone. We backpacked in Sunday morning, settled into camp, got a snack to eat and then headed up a ridge to glass that afternoon. That evening, we saw a couple smaller bulls and some cows. Nothing special. The next morning, we woke up to some off and on rain and wind as we left camp in the dark with the headlamps. We were heading for a canyon where we had spotted a really great bull the day before. After a few hours glassing on the ridge we never saw him appear so decided to move on to another spot where we had a pretty good bull located. Around 3:30 that afternoon , I spotted my bull across the canyon. We got the spotting scope up to get a better look and make sure he was the one I wanted. 623 yards away, he was feeding and not paying any attention to anything going on around him. We got set up into shooting position, and had to patiently wait for him to give a clear shooting lane. Finally, the bull stepped into a small clearing between two trees and I pulled the trigger BOOM, my spotter says, "too high, over top of him". I jack another round in, the bull seems unaware of what was going on and slowly walks back into the timber. Luckily, he was not spooked and we continued to glass him and patiently wait for him to step out again. About 20 min goes by and he gives me another shooting lane at 600 yards. We make a small adjustment to the scope, and I squeeze of another round from the 300 WIN Mag and the spotter says, "Good hit, bulls down" I look through the scope and the bull is lying on his back. In hindsight, I should have put another one into him because a few seconds later he gets to his feet and hobbles into the trees again. We know he is mortally wounded and give him time watching him through the spotting scope. After about 30 min we decided that we were losing light and we should go in for a finishing shot. We bust down the canyon and back up the canyon he was on and slowly creep up over a rock ledge to see him laying in his bed. He stands up and I put another one into him and he goes down for the count. Having never killed an elk before I was in awe of the sheer size these animals get to be. From there it was high fives, plenty of photos, and then the real work began. We caped and quarter him that night with the head lamps and prepped the quarters to be packed out the next morning. Getting back to camp that night, I was physically and mentally DONE! A quick Mountain house by the fire and I was in the tent for a nights sleep. The next morning we headed out to gather the quarters and begin the packout from Hell to get meat to the trail. Let me tell you, my first experience with packing an elk quarter out of a canyon in the country we were in was as miserable as I could have imagined, but I was able to get er done and man, what a rewarding experience. Could not have made this trip happen without the help of some amazing guys that were able to join me on this hunt also. I am forever in debt to them.
