Peaches Ridge Info

[D-Rock425]

Its down to no sleep time...

I don't even have a bull permit and it's down to no sleep.

[Ccortez]

Its down to no sleep time...

been there for a few weeks already lol

[Quackwhacker]

Headed up tonight!

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[X-Force]

Headed up tonight!

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So jealous!!! I may have to skip Friday

[jgeorgio]

Headed up tonight!

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So jealous!!! I may have to skip Friday

Do it!!

[Ccortez]

good luck 

[jgeorgio]

Good luck this weekend! Can't wait to join you next weekend till the end. BBD going to happen!

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[X-Force]

Fun first weekend. Saw a decent bull. Had multiple close encounters (bulls bugling within 100 yards) but no shot opportunities. Lots of thick country.

Heading back Thursday night... this time with a decent caller. Which I'm not!

[Rainier10]

Fun first weekend. Saw a decent bull. Had multiple close encounters (bulls bugling within 100 yards) but no shot opportunities. Lots of thick country.

Heading back Thursday night... this time with a decent caller. Which I'm not!

Not sure it was a calling thing.  They just weren't real responsive. They seem to be staging where they are going to be right now.  Just bugling to let you know "hey I am here".  Soon it will really turn on and they will be responding and wanting to do battle to get more cows or keep their harem in order.  Unfortunately I don't think that will really get going until Tuesday of next week.  When that happens they will sound off if you just whistle at them.

[X-Force]

I sure hope so. Going back Thursday to Thursday.

Cant wait to get back.

[X-Force]

We had a great trip. It would have been better had we tagged out but you cant beat a week in the woods, especially with good friends.

Friday we got to one of our spots and we had 3 or 4 bulls screaming at each other just down the draw. We made a move but the herds seemed to move out and up to their beds early. We followed the biggest sounding bull for an hour or more but he wouldn't come in..

After he went silent we backed out crossed the draw and started cow calling on the other side.

With in seconds a bull was bugling down our throats. We kept working in closer but couldn't find him so after 20 or 30 minutes we backed out and grabbed a bite.

We came up with a game plan to get within 80 yards of where we thought he was bedded and give it another shot.

We had 2 shooters and one caller when we fanned out we didn't give ourselves enough distance between our caller and the bull picked up some movement on his way in... He spun and was gone.

The rest of the day was trying to get the wind right to setup on bulls bugling, it wasn't easy, the wind was the hardest part about this trip.

[X-Force]

We averaged 8.5 miles a day and the vast majority of those miles were off trail. We got in elk every day but the thick vegetation and wind kept throwing us.

On Tuesday night our luck changed. We hit a new area and about an hour before dark the woods were filled with bugles. Our other shooter and caller setup in a clearcut about 1.5 hours before dark they had a 5 point and a group of cows working towards them. At about 100 yards the herd caught wind of them and scooted.

At the same time I was working though a different cut a half mile away. The place was dead but I figured if i didn't stay at it I wouldn't see anything. While sitting looking over a small draw I caught a bugle to my left about 200 yards. The wind was up and to my left, straight at the bugle so I jump down the draw head out about 500 yards and work my way back up to the bugle with the wind in my favor.

As luck would have it the wind within 80 yards of the bugle was exactly opposite of what I had sitting on the draw. The bull rips off another bugle. This time he is about 80 yards in jack pine and the wind is going right to left facing him. I drop my pack and boots and start working through the cut.

He rips off another bugle at 50 or 60 yards this time he is to my left almost to where my wind would hit him. I shuffle back 10 yards and try and get below him. He bugles again at less than 50 yards, I still cant see him through the jack pine and the light is fading fast. I hasten my pace. He either had to have caught my movement or went over the ridge without me seeing him because he was gone in a flash.

[X-Force]

As I was walking to the truck bulls were ripping bugles everywhere, I had to bump a bull out of the road because he thought the place was his.

The other guys were in elk thicker than I was with a lone bull. They had 2 herds descend on the same water hole they were on. 2 6 pt. bulls were screaming back and forth with cows running everywhere. It was chaos. Every time the guys would make a move the cows would catch them or a bull would slip just out of reach.

In order to not spook the herds the guys doubled back and took a mile detour to get back to the truck.

We ended the night with grins on our faces and bull bugles filling the night air.

Without a doubt Wednesday was going to be a boom day.

[X-Force]

Wednesday was a bust. Hardly any elk talking and we couldn't locate the herds from the night before. We spent much of the day out in the sun with the anticipation of the evening.

With about an hour left of light the bulls started sounding off again. I worked my way into a timber draw and had elk all around me. I kept working my way towards the nearest bugle but with so many eyes I didn't close the distance before light ran out.

[X-Force]

Thursdays plan was basically the same as Wednesday except to be more aggressive.

We got into the area well before first light and the woods were basically silent.

I caught a bull moving through a clear cut and I ran to get above him before he got to the timber. I moved to slowly and found him cutting into the timber out of range.

After a couple hours of nothing the guys and I met up and decided to go pull cameras. Maybe we would find something decent for the last evening.

At our first stop close to noon we huffed it down the trail towards our camera. I didn't think anything of flying down the trail because it was so late in the morning and there was almost no pressure in the woods. As I cam around a corner I looked up to see a decent 7 pt bearing down on me. He was maybe 50 yards away and moving fast towards me. I didn't see where i could get off the trail so I tried to pull and knock an arrow. My buddies said it looked like i was trying to fight the bushes around me because i was shaking so bad... Needless to say the bull got to about 25 yards looked up and spun out of there.

We did get a photo of him from a couple days before on the game cam but didn't see any point I chasing an elk who knew we were there.

We decided to go grab our last cam and on our way back we heard a bugle 300 or so yards from the truck. I opted to go find him while the guys checked the camera photos.

Checking the wind and as usual it was all wrong. The bull was directly up hill and the only way to him that I saw was up wind and around the hill. As I closed the distance he bugled again, he was probably 100 yards or so down hill and in a deep ravine. I picked my way down into the ravine skirting jack pines, crossing deadfalls, etc. I dropped about 60 yards and waited. After about 10 minutes I see a piece of elk and it was almost impossible to pull a range... finally 34 yards. Then 5 minutes later I spot a piece of elk at 15 yards, then another at 10 yards. I had to cows feeding from my left to my right, the same way the wind was blowing. They would wind me soon.

Without any sight of the bull I could only assume he was behind the cows. I could either back out and try from another angle or wait for the cows to wind me and see what happens.

After another minute or 2 the cows bust. The ravine was thick and they didn't bark, instead they backed out to 40 yards and started side hilling in the wide open. I set my pin to 40 and wait.

I hear the bull moving through the ravine... Im hoping for a 4 or 5 point... I cant see him but he keeps coming. Then I see white, ivory, and one of the biggest bulls on the hoof that I have ever seen. Looking back and my initial impression are the same... 350" but I am no elk score expert.

This dream bull is walking right towards the 40 yard trail and an easy shot.. Then he hesitates turns left and takes a distant 60 yard trail.

Im ranging him through the trees setting my pin to 65 and waiting for a shot opportunity. He walks up the trail hits the bench and walks back an forth on the rim trying to figure out what happened. I range again, the closest tree was 65 and I set my pin to 67 and wait... He finally turns broadside then quarter away. I draw, anchor my pin and have a good window. The shot felt great. After my earlier encounter in the day the nerves melted away and all i could do was focus on the shot. The arrow fell short. way short. What the heck!

(my best guess is that while on the bench he walked quarter away and was no as close to the tree as I thought)

The bull didn't know what was going on but he turned from the rim and walked away on the bench.

With only 2 hours left of light on the last day there was no hesitation. I take the same trail the cows were on and crest the bench only to see him slip into a cut on the far side. I keep working through the timber, sure the bull would want to meet up with his girls.

He was right on cue and walked back into the timber. I ranged the trail he was on, 50 yards, set my pin and drew back. He had no idea i was there. He didn't see or hear me. As he walked down the trail my only shooting lane was directly in front of me and he was moving left to right. Right before my shooting lane was a clump of trees to thick to see through and the bull stopped. He hung up there for what seemed to be an eternity. I wasn't about to let my draw down but i had to lower my bow arm. He was still hung up. I catch movement, bring my site picture into the shooting lane only to catch him turning 180 degrees and walking right back into the cut.

The cut was to think to see into 10-20 trees and stacked in like cord wood. He bugled a couple times but the gig was up.