Idaho hunt

[huntnnw]

Wife and I are back from Idaho for 2 days to take a break, wash clothes and shower after 6 days. We have 2 elk tags , plus 2 wolf and I had a deer tag that I picked up in September on a return sale after sitting at idfg at 5 am to hope to get the 1 tag that was available. Reason for this was a buck I have watched the previous years I learned was alive after a August 19 trail cam check.

Wife and I left with pack goats on Oct 8 to head to basecamp that I setup the week prior. Oct 9 we packed into our spike camp and got everything settled and headed out to glass that evening before opener for the buck I was after. We glassed about a hour and only turned up a 3x4 and small 4.. about 15 min later I glass over in a area we never see much cause it’s just timber with tiny openings. There in the sunlight is a huge body deer, but can’t see head. He finally steps out and yup that’s him! Stoked for the next am we make our way out to glass for elk and listen for bugles on way out. We made it 400 yards and a 310” ish 6x6 walks out screaming ! Needless to say I barely slept that night 

 Opening morning comes and we are going to hike into where elk are and wife is going to sneak over look for them and I will go over ridge to look for muley. Well I made it 400 yards from wife and bull is screaming below! I race back to her we cut across hill side and bull is above us in a very open aspen draw .. we sneak in setup and I call.. bull moved down instead of up and now is in a huge timber bottom and he stopped bugling. We decide to just leave him be and come back that evening and wait for him to move to feed, so we venture over to glass for muley. We glassed 7 hours and weather was deteriorating by the hour and by 3:30 pm it was poring and completely socked in with fog. We baled to camp and started stove to begin drying gear .

[huntnnw]

Buck on Oct 9

[huntnnw]

Second day of season it rained all night into morning and visibility was under 100 yards, but rain ended. We started a campfire and hung out hoping fog would lift. At 2 pm we decided to hike over to our elk spot and just see if it was clearing . It lifts as we hit the open hillside so we continue over. We get settled to glass around 3:30 pm and a bull bugles below us in timber! This is promising! Bugles every 15 min for about hour or so then more fog and then it begins to pore around 5 pm and we are going to just head out as there looked to be no hope. Around 5:20 it starts clearing. I glass this little burn and here comes a 310” 6x6 I move up above to setup rifle and range him. He’s 590. Wife says there’s more elk , but now a small fog cloud has moved right over elk and the only fog for miles  I look at the other elk and almost have a heart attack it’s the giant 6 I had on cam. He moved up broadside and rakes a tree I click safety off and 2 burnt trees cover his shoulder area! The fog gets thicker and he moves and mingles in with other elk and finally can’t see at all! I had some choice words on the mountain 

[huntnnw]

Back to camp that night I was frustrated and hopeful for the 3rd morning. We are going to go back to that area at light . We approach the hillside and I see a lone bull elk feeding . It’s the 310 6x6.. I run across hill to get closer and set up to shoot. The herd is no where to be seen, so I’m going to take him. Got a nice flat rest , rifle level for the 650 yard shot. Boom elk just stands there and then runs off and bugles at me    no clue what happened. We decide to move over to glass for the muley now and return that evening for elk if we don’t see buck. I didn’t have much hope of seeing buck as it was 8 am and missed that early morning window. We make our way over heat up some peak breakfasts and start glassing. It was going to be warm and sunny , I figured a slow day of nothing. I was wrong!

[huntnnw]

We start picking up deer immediately, but no big buck. Everything seemed to of bedded by 10 am and was warm. I was glassing through the timber about 1500 yards away I see a nice 6pt bull trotting down a ridge through timber. Well this bull spooked out some deer and we start seeing quite a few deer moving out in open. I put up spotter and there is a small buck chasing does and I notice a deer lagging behind its the buck I’m after ! He needs to move 400 yards west to get into a position I could possibly stalk in for a shot. I lose sight of him in trees and never saw him again for a hour. Thinking he bedded in there and no way to shoot there. We watch bull as he gets closer, but no way to stalk bull for a shot and he disappears.

[huntnnw]

It’s about 10:30 and sunny and my wife says there’s a buck in the draw.. I said I already saw them it’s the little buck chasing 2 does. She’s says this buck don’t look little  I look over and holy cow it’s him I can’t believe he’s out just walking around in wide open and now he’s in a area I can shoot if he beds. At 11am he walks up to some spruce patch and disappears. He bedded ! I look at maps and figure out range, he’s going to be 335 yards about from a bench if I can get to it. Well getting to this bench was a nightmare trying to cross a creek. 2 hours later we found away across after I almost through in the towel . At 2:30 we get to bench and  I set up rifle on spruce patch. Just as I’m messing with rifle 4 small bucks emerge from patch and begin sparring right where I think buck is. I range they are 431 yards. I’m messing with rifle and my wife is likes he’s up!! And walking to bucks! What ?! I get on rifle and watch him walk broadside and he stops. Boom ! Drops . I was stoked ! A lot went into this and started 5 years ago and several tags ate trying to kill a big mature mountain buck in this area. I have probably 100-150 hours behind the glass and 100 plus miles in there , 20 nights in spike camps or more.

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[Boss .300 winmag]

Nicely done.👍

Now get that big bull.

[fowl smacker]

Awesome buck man, way to persevere!

[Buckhunter24]

Awesome buck!

[wadu1]

Well done 

[redi]

Nice buck

[2MANY]

Happy for you guys but I gotta say I love the chainsaw.
Life is good.
Congrats!!!!

[ganghis]

Wow, great buck!  You definitely deserved that one

[Boss .300 winmag]

Happy for you guys but I gotta say I love the chainsaw.
Life is good.
Congrats!!!!

Is it a battery one?

[High Climber]

Awesome congrats!  How many goats are you using?

[2MANY]

Happy for you guys but I gotta say I love the chainsaw.
Life is good.
Congrats!!!!

Is it a battery one?

In my experience it doesn't matter.
The Animals do know what a saw is and have you ever heard a moose sound like a chainsaw?

Same as shooting at the elk.
Thunder?

[huntnnw]

Awesome congrats!  How many goats are you using?

We have 3 that are ready. We have 3 more that need 1 more year. Our black lamancha packed 62 lbs of meat out .

[huntnnw]

Happy for you guys but I gotta say I love the chainsaw.
Life is good.
Congrats!!!!

It’s a 20” gas stihl. Having firewood and a stove is a luxury. It’s hard to not have once having it. Warm dry hunts I don’t care, but being in there it gets nasty wet and cold more times than not. Coming back at night knowing you have a 90 deg tent is nice 

[High Climber]

Awesome congrats!  How many goats are you using?

We have 3 that are ready. We have 3 more that need 1 more year. Our black lamancha packed 62 lbs of meat out .

Wow what a beast! Makes for a nice backcountry camp, congrats on your deer and good luck on the bulls   

[Alchase]

Nicely done, beautiful buck!

[BUTTER]

Nice write up, congrats on the buck and good luck with the rest of your tags

[HUNTINCOUPLE]

 

[Naches Sportsman]

You make this country look flat. 

[huntnnw]

You make this country look flat. 

Pics never do it justice how steep it is and what looks open hillside is brush so thick you cannot walk thru it

[Machias]

AWESOME write up and photos!!  Thanks for sharing!  Your wife is a rock star!!!

[kellama2001]

Incredible buck! Thanks for the story and great photos, looking forward to hearing about your elk hunt!

[WapitiTalk1]

Boom! Dandy buck. Thanks for sharing the story and great pics.

[andrew_in_idaho]

Happy for you guys but I gotta say I love the chainsaw.
Life is good.
Congrats!!!!

Is it a battery one?

In my experience it doesn't matter.
The Animals do know what a saw is and have you ever heard a moose sound like a chainsaw?

Same as shooting at the elk.
Thunder?

Huge difference in the sound level between a gas saw and electric. Gas saw can be heard for a long way off


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[C-Money]

Great buck! Good luck on the elk tags!

[bearhunter99]

Great write up and brute of a buck!   Congrats!   Best of luck for the remaining tags!


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[Gentrys]

Great story.  Thanks for sharing and congrats!  Great Buck!

[Ironhead]

Thats a beautiful buck, congrats once again. Something about those old mountain bucks, maybe mass and trash.

[sjhgraysage]

Congrats on a great deer!

[Karl Blanchard]

Solid work man congrats!

[Rugsnfeathers]

Congratulations!  You got rewarded for all the hard work you put in.

[huntnnw]

Well we returned a day early from hunt as it was very slow! Weather is horrible for finding bulls in late October when your in a T-shirt at 4am and 0 bugling. We heard nothing and final night glassed up a herd in a area that was impossible to shoot or really get into them. I was able to check a new cam I placed in august in a saddle and had lots of activity and the herd we glassed was on cam. I have gotten pretty good at finding bucks in here turned up another good one and a possible another down the road if he gets bigger , both in a brand new area. Second to last night around midnight a cougar came near our spike camp chirping and sounded like she had a baby or 2. They hung around till 4:30 am needless to say I was awake all night hoping they left goats alone. Some trail cam pics I got in there and the buck we watched.

[huntnnw]

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[huntnnw]

Love the color of the antlers of these bucks

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[ShaneTyTrey]

Great buck, congrats!

[idaho guy]

wow thats a great buck! Seems like those big Idaho mountain mulies are always hard earned. Thanks for the write up your posts are always good