Drew Observatory bull tag!!!!!!!

[Roperfive88]

I finally drew an elk tag!!!! I drew the Observatory rifle bull tag. I can't wait to get scouting.

[kevinlisa06]

Congratulations!


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[Roperfive88]

Anyone have any advice? Hoping to scout some Sunday?

[kevinlisa06]

Shoot me a message if you’re wanting to hunt 342


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[Lucky Buck]

Pm sent

[hunterofelk]

You'll be surprised where you can find bulls in that unit.  In the low bitterbush and the higher timber. Get a bunch of people scouting for you.

[tallcooljuan]

Sept or late hunt?  I drew Sept two years ago.  It was tough.  You can see elk anywhere in those units any time, but the early and late are much different hunts.  Early season I wouldn't waste any time lower than Manastash Lk. 

[Roperfive88]

Oct. 21 tag bull not quality.

[tallcooljuan]

I saw a herd as low as Durr Rd with a huge bull a few years ago during General Deer.  My son and I saw a big bull mount a cow in North Fork Manastash Canyon near the Robinson Canyon gate during General Elk.  I don't try to make predictions on elk movements in that area, but I would hunt high.  The low land is tempting because of visibility, but the elk density is low.  I got good advice from the game department.  They track collared elk.

[Roperfive88]

I have Made a couple scouting trips now. I haven't seen many elk but have found a few spots that look good.

[MeetEaters]

I drew the same tag but Quality Archery, haven't done any scouting but ill send you a report if I find any good areas.

[mtndew]

I drew this same tag in 2011. General bull. There are some big bulls in there. Good luck!!

[Alchase]

Nice bull Mtndew!

[Roperfive88]

Day 1 and 2 Before the season

Day one started with snow. Scouted some different areas that I had found this summer. One area I saw bugling bulls in at the end of September. Unfortunately there was no elk sign in any of the places I had found  . Driving the roads I didn’t see elk tracks even crossing the road in the snow. So I was on to finding new areas. The next morning we went to where another member here had said they had seen a bull during deer season. At First light I found him and 6 cows heading back in the timber. He was around a 300 in 6pt. We continued on looking for more elk but didn’t find any. That evening I hoped to find him again but we didn’t see him so back to camp and made a plan to go after him the next day.

Day 3 Opening day of the hunt

I started out before daylight getting across from where I had seen him the day before. When I did not locate any elk I moved to the ridge he was on and slowly glassed my way through a bunch of little draws I thought he might be in. Finally at 10:30 I spotted a beaded cow just outside the timber I got to the 375 yds and set up hoping it was the herd with the 6pt in it. Upon further glassing there were 4 cows and a spike in view. I looked at the spike and hoped I would not regret just shooting him but I was not shooting a spike on the first day. I sat on them for a while and the cow in the clearing got up and moved in to the timber and all the elk moved out of view. It was sort of raining and quiet walking so I decided to slip in on them to see if the big bull was with them. I slowly moved down on them and relocated them at under 100 yds. I could see 2 cows but no bulls. So I just sat and waited. I not sure if it was the wind or if i moved too much but they stood up and started moving. I pulled my gun up but no bulls but the spike. Then they bolted to the bottom. Its amazing the sounds of breaking limbs as they left. Thinking I had busted all the elk out of the area, I moved  and kept glassing but didn’t see anything else. At about 3 I decided to head back and find a good place to glass and hopefully find the bull or more elk. I got back to the truck and we looked for a road with a view of the area. We found on with a good view and what do I see 9 cows and the 6pt feeding out of the timber. I had just been glassing in that bowl a few hours before. There was no way to close the distance. The closest I could get was 600 yds but he was moving up and out of range and I had to cover 1000yds to get that close. The other option of getting in front of him was out because there was not enough light. So we watched him tell we ran out of light. I thought I knew where he was for the next morning.

Day4

Thinking they would be headed back to the timber at first light I wanted to get on top of the ridge just before light to hopefully see him in the open. So I went to the opposite end of the ridge that I saw him on before daylight and headed to a tree patch on top.  Half way up and 20 min before shooting light. Walking 40 yds in front of me is 3 cows skylined 50 yds in front of me  I pulled up my binos and saw  4 more cows ears. I had the wind so I just watched them walk off. I didn't see the bull but heard more elk just out of sight so I assumed it was the same herd. After they got out of sight I hustled to the top. Talk about the longest 20 min of my life. I thought I knew where they headed so I went to get ahead of them. I never saw them again. They had 2 ways to go and I chose wrong. After finding tracks head into thicker timber. I headed back to the truck and checked out some other areas before I had to make the drive home to go back to work. I'm a teacher and the school scheduled conferences for Wednesday and Thursday of my hunt and I can’t miss them.

Day 5

Conferences got over at 7:30pm so I headed home and my wife gave me a ride to my buddies that took Friday off to come hunt with me. We got there at about 10pm, after stopping to get something to eat. My wife dropped me off and headed home. I'm pretty lucky that she offered and was willing to take me. We went to bed for a couple hours and got up at 3 and headed to hunt. We hunted the whole day and saw one cow right at dark in the howling wind. The thought of tag soup started creeping into my mind. With General spike season the next day.

Day 6
I went to the well again in hopes of finding the 6pt. We get to our glassing spot and sit and watch all the headlights light up the ridges in the area. At light we see no elk movement and hunter hunting through the area I had been seeing the bull. With all the pressure we still didn’t see any elk anywhere. Tag soup had fully creeped into my mind. We checked other areas only to find rigs and hunters at every turn. My buddy had a friend tell him of a bull in an unlikely area so we took a shot. So we headed there to check it out. We get there and there are more people so we think maybe there are elk here. As we were driving up my buddy spots some hunters. He pulls up the Binos and yells elk those aren’t hunters they are elk. It was 2 cows so we decide to drop in the draw and get to the ridge they are on in case a bull is over the ridge. The draw was steep and nastier than we expected but we made it to the top of the other ridge but only see some deer. Instead of going back through the nasty draw we head up the ridge we are on towards a road on showing on my OnX Map. 1000 Vertical feet later we get to the road and it's not an open road to drive on. So we head up it to get to the driveable road for my dad to pick us up. At the head of the nasty draw was a cluster of pine tree so we went over to glass in it to see if we could find any thing. 50 yds later I spot 4 cows and a branched bull. We get down and crawl closer  so we could see them. My buddy ranges the bull at 400 yds but the cows are covering him up but they are heading up and getting closer. At 350 yds he clears, I squeeze the trigger, and I hit him. Now they are on the move. I hit him again at 300 yds. I reach into my pocket for more ammo and my buddy shouts he is down. I lookup and he is piled up on top of the ridge next to the road we were hiking up. I knew he was a 5 on the one side but when we walked up we found he was a 5x6.The whole time my dad is at the top of the ridge watching the whole thing through his binos. Two other hunters where up with him watching as well and offered to come down with their packs and help us out. We packed 3 quarters and all the loose meat out while my buddy stayed with one quarter and skinned out the head. I dropped my quarter and headed back for the other. From the truck down loading up and back. The pack was about an hour round trip and another 300 vertical feet. He is not the biggest bull in the unit but I’m happy. Glad I didn’t shoot the spike opening day lol.

A huge thanks to the help that I got off here especially form kevinlisa06 and oneshotkill

[redi]

Congrats and way to stick with it

[gaddy]

Congrats ! Id be happy with that one 

[TheStovePipeKid]

Great hunt. It's nice to have folks to help pack out.

[HUNTINCOUPLE]

 

[kevinlisa06]

Congratulations to ya Brett! I’m so glad you filled the tag!


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[Bowhunter3]

Thanks for the story, nice work!

[hunting4sanity]

Nice bull, congratulations!

[one shot kill]

That was one of the craziest hunts I have been on. Thanks for the invite.

[Gentrys]

Congrats and thanks for the write up

[C-Money]

Congrats on your bull!