Goose Prairie Bull tag MF

[Colville]

Hey all.  I wish it weren’t so, but Bull hunts in the cascades have become de facto OIL tags.  I’ve drawn the Goose Prairie Modern Firearm tag with 18 points and I suspect I won’t ever again, I’m 52.  This is the “bull” tag, not quality.

I’ve not been a consistent elk hunter because of the spike only reg.  That and the fact that I saw a series of guys nearly kill each other and then fight over a cow that crossed the road.  3 guys, jumping from trucks and shooting at this cow on the run.  10 shots at least and one guy getting to the cow first and staking his claim, leading to a bruha.  This drove me out of elk hunting without a pack in and I just wasn’t going to make the time consistently for that kind of hunt, to hunt only spikes.  In the last bunch of years, there’s no real cow opportunity either.

I have a fair knowledge of the southern half of the bumping unit.  I have a friend with some experience on the Bumping lake side.  Zero in the Nile.  I’d love to have some conversation about approach.  Especially now that such a large swath of the area is torched.  Where one might have started in the past may not be good now.   The mosquito plains weren’t burnt.  I have no idea if the drainages coming south out of Bumping lake have real regrowth and if they represent habitat.  Any intel on how the elk might be utilizing the units is much appreciated.  The hunt is Bumping and Nile units.  I guess the good thing about burns is that it’s easy to see animals in them.

There are just 9 tags for this hunt.   Prior to this opener, there’s ML spike only and deer.  Deer camps are nowhere near the head count of elk camps.  The hunt is from Oct 23 to Nov 5.  I’ll likely be out upwards of 5 days ahead of the opener, maybe more.  The population is way down so that’s not news. 

Obviously, I’m not a newbie to Huntwa, nor to hunting. I’ve never come to ask for real help on a location because I’ve never had a big ticket tag in my pocket.  I have offered help to others and hope I can receive some here.  I do plan to post my travails (I’m a cynic) as I have access to cell service when the hunt arrives.  I’m fully mobile and will move well off any road system and camp and move again.  I have a couple friends who will attempt to provide some scouting assistance as well.   I’m NOT the kind of guy who is going to hold out.  I’m not going to shoot a rag 4 on the opener, but I’m not going to pass on anything approaching a mature animal at any point.  I’ll be reading all the past threads, noting that the fire change isn’t contemplated in the past hunts.

Happy to take info off line (DM).  Happy to do it here.  Like I said before, these hunts are really oil hunts now.  I could hunt deer again in the Bumping, but I suspect this is the last Elk hunt here, and likely only and last elk hunt in WA for bulls.  Thank you in advance gentlemen and ladies.

[Ridgerunner]

Yeah bull tags turning into OIL tags, such is the sad state of hunting in WA in 2023.  I've got a few ideas that you might find valuable.  I think hitting it early will be key.  You'll probably still catch some bulls with herds of cows.  Flying over that country this past June was eye opening just how devastating that fire was, so much country has burned. 

[lee]

Private message sent

[Fletch]

inbox is full just FYI

[Colville]

I have freed up space in my inbox!  Thanks for that.

Thanks for the DM's that have come.  There's a lot of country in this combined unit.  I appreciate the help and I'm sure there's someone out there who'll piggy back this as a lurker.

[Limhangerslayer]

It’ll be a great hunt, don’t believe them as much as you think on population being down.  Lots of elk in there.  My buddy has the only muzzy quality tag in there this year.  Needless to say I switched gears and am taking that week too we’ll hunt with him instead of deer hunt for myself.  I’ll pm you after the seasons over

[snake]

plenty of elk in there, dont fall for their scam about numbers way down.

[Nash]

I think that’s early enough that I would have a bugle tube with me still.

[Transka]

A buddy and myself also drew this tag been up a dozen times so far mostly familiar with the wildcat area

[baker5150]

A buddy and myself also drew this tag been up a dozen times so far mostly familiar with the wildcat area

Is the road fixed?

[Transka]

Is the road fixed?
[/quote]

No I don’t see them fixing the wildcat rd at all

[MAVsled]

that's a great tag to draw. Probability of high success....IF YOU KNOW THE UNIT!

Been hunting 360-356 for over 50 years. Yet know very little about 352, other than a couple late archery hunts.
Still trying to figure out the elk patterns after the big fire throughout 356, parts of 360 during 2021.

good luck, I'll be following for your pic of a big bull.

[Colville]

Thank you to all the help in the PM's.  There were very good bits and pieces in there.  I have long since provided PM help to deer hunters headed into areas where I have some experience.  You never know what you'll get though.  Some of these calls for an assist are overflowing with help and some are treated as lepers, LOL.  If you were willing and shared, my sincere thanks to you.

With all the bumping and nile to hunt, there was no end to the number of places a guy could start. Eventually, I received a lead that was very specific.  Like this specific  "I saw these bulls on this mountain from this glassing point" a few days ago.  Well, that's pretty actionable!

I went a couple days early to set up and start to look around.  Whatcha know, the aforementioned bulls were still in the location described. But I'm a couple days from the season... then... they disappeared.  Multiple long sessions first and last light with no sight of them.  That was depressing.  Predators maybe pushed em, unlikely it was people, I didn't see any in their area.  There was one pretty good bull in the group with some otherwise young 3/4 pt raghorns.

Bummer for sure.  But, doesn't mean they are gone, Could be back any day.  Night before the opener and I make a judgement call to hike to a place i had a lead on and appealed to me on the map.  I drove out in the AM away from base to get to the leap off point.  My buddy having showed up the night before would stay and glass to see if those bulls show up and make a change for the evening or tomorrow.

This is all made worse by the fact that the weather is coming in.  I'll have to move camp very soon as I don't like at all where I'm camped if there's a foot of snow, and it's coming.  The elk might like it, and it may be good for the hunt but my truck and the road disagree.

I'm out before light.  Every one of you has been there.  I get where I'm going, it looks like it should and... I'm sitting there wondering, how big of an idiot am I?  I took a spot where I had seen bulls and walked away from that for someplace I've never stood and that has a lot less to observe when looking for elk.  It's the kind of location you ambush, not glass vast land.  Now I'm playing with the wind trying to decide what's the right place to be as it moves around.  It's anything but clear.  I'm standing there pack on and rifle at low. Do I sit? Stand? Where?  What the hell am I doing in this spot???  There won't be anything here and if there is, I'll get winded.

I'm just in my head and looking at my rifle and the ground.  I look up and he's there.  there's a tree line about 100 yard out and he's already 20 yards closer than that to me and walking dead on.  The place I had decided to stand was behind a 20 footish fir and had a gap in the bows I could see through. He's dead head on to me and stops.  I don't move. He turns  his head and neck 90 degrees to his left.  That let me pull up the rifle. He comes back to head on, I don't shoot.  He takes two steps then turns to look again to his left. His right shoulder turns slightly to me (barely quartering) and I shoot mid mass front of his shoulder.  The point of impact is hits no shoulder blade, going just ahead if it and through chest.

He fell straight down in his shoes with hardly a flinch on the ground.  This is the first bull I've ever seen on the ground.  Including the ones I had seen the prior day, I think I've seen a total of 30 bulls ever, most of those immature.  I'm sharing the photos from after my buddy arriving hours later.  I was pretty much wrapped up with boning at that point.  He got there to take some hero shots.  I was in a real hurry as I wanted to get this bull out by that night and be ready to get off the mountain ASAP.  The "my truck" from before isn't. It's borrowed from a friend!

Anyhow, probably the only bull I'll ever shoot in WA.  All comes together in an instant and without a grand arduous story of miles and miles of hiking and some endless cat and mouse with the game. 72 yard freehand shot.  The story is vanilla, but the bull isn't.

Yes the shot on the ground is favorably famed, but he's on my back too and there's no staging that

Thank god for great hunting friends who'll support you when there's nothing in it for them but the ride.  You know who you are and have my gratitude.

[Ridgerunner]

Sounds like the right place at the right now.  Nothing wrong with that. 

[powderbounder]

That’s awesome! Great job. It’s nice to hear the great news. You will cherish this hunt of a lifetime.

[Fletch]

That is great! Congrats on a successful hunt and thanks for sharing.

[Colville]

My pics didn't work!  Try again.

[Caseknife]

Way to go, doesn't get any better than that.  Stop in the right place, wonder why, look up, and know why, boom.

[jae]

Hell Ya! Congratulations!

[Sandberm]

Good times. Thanks for the write up.

I like that area of the world, wish i had the time to go up there all the time.

[rosscrazyelk]

Nice bull. Congrats

[dvolmer]

Great job!!!  Way to get it done!!

[Falcon]

Beautiful heavy mature bull

Congrats 

[tgomez]

Congratulations on a gorgeous bull.