FIY Peaches Ridge '07...

[MichaelJ]

Hey all just got back from a 5 day hunt helping some people out.  I didn't manage to connect on a bull this year but got into some action I guess...  Really wasn't what we were expecting, I was hoping to go in and have bulls screaming their heads off and glassing numerous bulls each day.  That wasn't in the cards for me and the rut just wasn't happening...

Took our horses in on the 12th and setup camp and was joined by a good friend Mike from Selah!  He'll chime in here shortly i'm sure...
First morning glassed up an elk or two and saw two small rag horned 3 and 4 points from a WAYS away and they were heading to bed.  Next morning found numerous backpackers hiking the trails and another camp of hunters.  We would on average hear maybe 2-3 bugles each morning and they would shut up at or before 7:15 AM and head to the dark timber.  We would hear about the same in the evening with variances in how many bugles but never managed to get in on a bull until Saturday morning the 15th... Hiked back of camp into a big canyon and heard a big bugle... looked up on the hill and we see a MONSTER 6 point, 60"+ wide and great big whale tails... We guessed a 350ish bull (conservatively).  He was with 2 spikes, and 2 small rag horns and 3 cows, and was harassing a cow while pushing the 'herd' up the hill.

My dad stayed put while me and Mike put the stalk on thinking they would continue up the trail.  We went from 150 yards of them to 40 yards of their last position in 15 minutes.  At the time he was screaming his head off...  Though 10 minutes prior to our arrival he decided to push his 'herd' down into the deep timber way at the bottom and never sounded off again the rest of the day.  He quit singing at 7:15 AM on the dot.  My Dad said he never winded us and wasn't spooked but just headed down slowly but surely.  Never saw him again and came out the next morning. 

The following tuesday I headed back alone and made camp in a new area.  Hunted that evening, all the next day, and the following morning (left the day after for my 5 day high hunt trip for work).  Never saw an elk but got into some bulls, had two singin at me down below a thicket in a clear cut (didn't realize the clearcut was there until later) and one was literally a growl...  very exciting.  I kept cow calling and they quit talking for about 5 minutes, turns out one of them came up and circled downwind of me and I never saw him.  I heard a twig snap so I knocked an arrow, cow called and 10 seconds later he left the country.  I retreated 50 yards sat down and 5 minutes later I let loose with a bugle and 50 yards behind me a bull sounds off!  He I was setup with the wind in my face and we had a big screaming match for 30-35 minutes as I kept shifting positions trying to see him but he also retreated up the hill.  Was VERY exciting.

Following morning I hooked up with another guy from the 'other site' and we tried an area and didn't see an elk, but had a BIG bull run across the highway in front of us right at shooting light but he was gone.

Overall a fun trip but a little dissapointing.  Totally wasn't what I expected though I guess that's hunting.  I noticed at the shell station by the road they had a photo album with previous years bulls and what not, 95% of the bulls in the album were dated from Oct5-Nov5... I guess the elk in that area typically don't start rutting hard until the last week in september or first week in october...

Thanks for all the support and well wishes guys, but now it's on to the deer hunting!

Michael

[Slider]

I totally agree with ya Michael!!! What a tough Hunt!!! Nothing like I expected either. 87 Degree's at 5000 ft? Are you Kiddin me. More Hornets than I've ever seen In my life!!! I bought some Hornet traps for my camp,I camped about 3700ft and caught about 120 Hornets!!!
The Elk only Bugled in the evening twice in a ten day Hunt!!! If you got on the same ridge as the Bulls and Bugled or cow called they clammed up for the whole day!!!
I passed on one spike at 25 yards. I missed a Monster at a Wallow about 6:45 in the evening. Once it cooled down they didn't come in to the wallows until a half hour after dark. I saw NO rutting activity at all. The Elk were in the Timber and Bedded before daylight.
I called one bull into 30 yards the day before I harvested this one. But no shot!!! Good Luck

[Muleyslyr]

That's too bad Michael.  That is a tough hunt and I don't think people realize it until they actually do it.  If you ever look at the success rate for Archery in that unit.....it is not very good.  You think it would be because there are so many Elk, but with those canyons it can make it extremely difficult.

Two years ago when I helped my partner in there the Elk were ruttin' really hard.  Especially that second week.  We also had a little bit of snow the second and third day of the season, than temps went back up.  Maybe had something to do with it.

Sorry I wasn't able to hook up with ya and give you a hand.  Sounds like you needed Mother Natures hand a little more anyway.    Good luck with the rest of your hunts.

[MichaelJ]

No worries guys, I kind of video documented the hunt and it's fun to look back and see where you were at and what was going on...  Had a good time!  I heard that the elk rutting activity is more dependant on the amount of light during the day instead of cold weather... any truth to this?

Michael

[boneaddict]

It sounds like you had a great hunt regardless of the outcome.  Nothing like having a bruiser scream your shorts off.  The archery hunt is the toughest.  I think the muzzeloaders have the best timing.  It has improved.  You should have hunted it when the season was from Sept1-14th.   Anyhow, I thinkin this country weather has most to do with the rut, especially temps.  In most of my bugleing days, bulls just don't bugle when the temps are over 50.  Yes there are exceptions, but not many.  When the lows hit 40, they really start hammering it.   In this country the rut is extended into November.   Now in NM, that was thrown out the window.  I had bulls bugling when it was 80 out.  Go figure!  I think there they bugle more after the rains and are triggered more by the end of the monsoons.

You still have time for the late general don't you, for a spike or cow?

Now you just have to get drawn again before you forget everything you learned.

[Craig]

Sounds like you had a good time even though you came home without a bull. Did you see / here of any bulls taken during your hunt? I was out scouting last weekend and there was no rutting activity that I saw. I talked to a few people that were archery hunting and it was just to hot.

It looks like some cooler weather is coming in this weekend. Snow level down around 4500 foot mark. Might not be a lot but it's just in time for my muzzleloader hunt on the first.

[bowpredator]

Hey Michael this is Rodger. You had me worried, when I cam out in the second clear cut and waited for about 30min. I walked down to the trucks and yours was gone. I didn't see any elk up there either but did find some fresh scrapes. That night I got into a big bull 6x7 down off of the 1906 rd had him at about 125yrds just screaming his head off and playing that back and forth game but he didn't seem interested in my calling. Fri morning I went about half way up Raven roost rd and got into 3 bulls up ont the left. One was a 6pt but the others never showed themselves. He also hung up at about a hundred yrds and would not come in any closer. All in all I had a great time and meet some cool people. It was nice meeting you. I am on this site more than the other ones but i'ts good to check out the others to get more info.

RODGER.

[MichaelJ]

Rodger, you didn't get my note I left on ur windshield?  too bad!

Ya I'm not sure but I must've waited in the wrong clear cut for ya...  Thought we meant the first road we came across not the one on the second clear cut...  Anyways it was great meeting you and hunting with ya!

All in all guys, I had a good time, but nothing gets my heart pumping like a big muley does! 

Michael

[bowpredator]

Yea, I got your note when I got to the truck, I had forgot that you said that you had to cut out early.

good luck on your up coming hunts.

RODGER

[Opportunist]

My partner and I both pulled 6 points out of Peaches Ridge this year. I drew this tag in '02 when there was 120 permits. I would have really liked to check permits on alot of these permit holders. There was hunters all over with 108 permits. The elk were alot more call-shy than 5 years ago. We ran into guys scouting for there later hunts by bugling for the bulls. Quad hunters on this unit are a joke. What I love is I killed my bull 400 yards off a closed to motor vehicle road that quads have built a trail right over the berms, SAD! I saw hunters go by my camp sitting in a lawn chair in the back of their truck. Every morning or evening a group of "quad hunters" would putt by our camp "hunting" on a road that is closed to unlicensed vehicles. I'll post pictures of our bulls when I get them burned to a disc. My home PC and hunting partners are on the fritz. It was a tough hunt but we were into bulls every hunt and between me and my partner we passed up a half dozen bulls we could have shot before we took ours. My partner killed a 5X6 and I got a 6X7. The bulls were screaming their heads off that last week and it seemed alot of hunters quit actually hunting and started road hunting.

[boneaddict]

Good for you oppurtnitst.  I can't wait to see the pics.  I hae those guys that are on closed roads.  As a gentleman on MM always says...nothing like a backcountry tune-up, but some of those guys never turn them off.  They really give the guys a bad name that use them wisely.