Opening Day started well, was in elk first thing in the morning, and was 50 yards broadside of a nice velvet spike, but he didnt have any sisters with him. Went to another ridge and was walking a trail, and had bulls bugling above and below me, and I didnt even have a bugle with me, they were going crazy to just cow/calf calls. It was pretty cool, I have never really hunted during the rut before. I got into another herd that afternoon, but no real good shot opportunities, mostly moving animals.
Day two, sneaking through a creek bottom, I get to within 25 yards of a cow before she busts me and runs to about seventy yards, stops and looks back. I slowly squeeze one off, a cloud of smoke belches from the gun and I follow up on the shot....no blood, no thwack, and I look down to where I shot from and realize the angle was quite steeper than I had accounted for...I shot over her. I follow the tracks up the ridge a couple hundred yards and see an elk feeding about 60 yards away...it lifts its head and its a dandy 5x5 bull. I slowly scan to the right and all hell breaks loose. Cows jump and start running in different directions. One stops at about 70 yards away, I touch one off, it feels good, but no thwack, no nothing. No blood, no sign of a hit at all. i follow track for several hours for several hundred yards, do circles, return to the original spot and follow up, and no sign of anything. Really discouraged, can't believe I missed that one too.
Day 3, was in elk first thing, had a big cow run by at 40 yards, she never stopped so I didnt shoot. Had another walk by at about 80, but it was quick and no good shot opportunity. Later that day after finishing a hike, I am driving up a road and notice a vehicle half parked in the road...I'm thinking "that looks kind of weird, I bet they saw elk and just jumped out". I drive a couple hundred yards further down the road, look to my left into a big clearcut, and right on the edge of the timber, about 6 elk are feeding. I pull over, get my glass, and start to watch the show. I see the cows feeding in and out of the timber, than a huge bull comes out of the timber, and I am thinking to myself, those guys are on these elk. I just keep watching, the bull was huge, a good 5 or 6 with three point crowns on top of the antlers. A couple minutes go by, the cows start getting nervous, the bull turns broadside, and I hear the Kaboom!!The bull whirls and disappears into the timber, the lead cow barks and the herd takes off. To the dudes in the white Suzuki Grand Vitara, I feel your pain!! That was a dandy bull to miss!!!
Day 4 was warm and sunny, jumped a couple deer and only saw 1 elk all day, , put a stalk on but she made me really quick and took off.
Took day 5 off, too hot and no wind, went home and got rested and geared back up.
Day 6, made some hikes first thing in the morning, nothing moving. Weather changed around 9, wind started blowing, grouse on the road, saw a big coyote, started getting "that feeling" that something good was going to happen. Went and hiked a knob that I had seen a bunch of sign on earlier in the week. Bumped some elk, they didnt seem to spooked, so I held back, got on another elk trail and followed it down cross wind to where I knew of an old skid road. Was sneaking along the skid road, look down and 50 yards away an elk feeding broadside. I get my aim, and rememer telling myself aim low aim low aim low... which I did. Touched her off, the smoke billows, and the elk take off. I immediately hear a crash, I run down and my elk is dead, centered through both lungs. Then the labor of love begins!!
It was the perfect hunt for me. Saw lots of elk, heard lots of bugling, and got to experience a much needed week in the woods. Legs and back are sore, but it is a good pain. My first elk, and first animal with a muzzleloader. Sorry no pics, camera was at home, it usually works that way when I am succesful!!
