Well everybody,
Day 1- I had to work on the opener but at the end of the day they told me it was slow enough that I could start my vacation! DIDN"T HAVE TO TELL ME TWICE
Day 2-I got up with virtually no sleep and no idea where to start, so I picked some land that was bordering winter wheat it was snowing pretty go so I got in the tree line and took off walking slow, watching and listening ( what a beautiful feeling ) I seen lots of deer and turkeys but no elk
I didn't even cut a fresh track, so after 4 hours of this I worked back to the truck, drove around glassing draws and distant fields with no luck! I couldn't find a elk to save my butt! The wind was blowing at least a steady 30 mph all day with snow mixed in so on the afternoon hunt I tried a different area going into the draws and watching the tree lines to try and find where they were bedding at. I hunted all afternoon leaving no rocks unturned but still no elk to be found
Day 3- the wind died down over night so I took off at first light heading over to some winter wheat hoping that they may have came out the draws and cover to feed in the late night, I work my way over to a little stand of trees that gave me a good view of 3 different fields, with a light breeze blowing into my face if I saw anything in these fields I could put a good stalk on them with no problem! but as the day before went my thoughts on where the elk would be was wrong, but I know they're in this area due to talking with land owners and this is where almost all the elk had been killed this year, so after watching the fields for a couple hours I got up and started walking along the edges of the canyon and fingers glassing into the bottoms hoping to catch a glimpse of some elk, this lead into climbing down to the bottom to check a water hole for sign of elk but nothing had been there
so I climbed up the other side and worked down a spine crossing into another guys land continuously glassing where I was going, where I had been and then go 10 yards and check those spots again, Finally a hear a elk in the trees across the draw from me I hit the ground threw my glasses to my head and didn't make a noise for at least 45 minutes
I kept hearing a cow call then some limbs breaking but never could see a elk don't know why
kind of funny the tricks your eyes and ears will play on you in these situations
I thought that if I slowly continued down the ridge I might push what ever I had heard into a opening but this never happened, as I got to the end of this ridge I started to cut fresh tracks
lots of cows then finally a bull the tracks weren't more than 3 hrs old
I'm on them now!! I started tracking this bull down the bottom of the draw it was a nice quiet place to walk wind was in my face so I thought if I take it easy I could sneak right into this guys bedroom! But as luck would have it about 300 yards down the trail he cut up into a thick finger
There was no way I could get into there without chasing him out the top and I would never see him, So I elected to go down the canyon and come up the otherside maybe spot him in the draw bedded as I worked toward the truck but I never could find him! When I got on top I spotted some cows across the canyon bedded in a tree line! Finally I see some elk!!! I watched them for a few minutes and thought I will go back have some lunch and work into them after a good snack.
When I headed back out I started on the other side of the canyon if I got out on the face I could see into the trees they were bedded in and still see the winter wheat that was on top of the draw that I think the bull I had followed that morning was bedded in, I started walking out the canyon wall just below the top as I get to where I wanted to be for the evening I realize that the wind was perfect but I hadn't taken the sun into account, right in my face!
I got right to where I wanted to be as I was watching to the left at the trees I had saw the elk in earlier in the day I forgot to watch the hillside in front of me! I am standing there like a giant orange spot on a open brown hill I see elk bedded about half way down to the bottom in some buck brush! I sit down and start glassing cow cow cow cow HOLY CHIT THERE'S A BULL and they're all looking right at me
I look this bull over real good I can see that he is bedded facing straight my way I can count 5 on each side he has good mas and he's real dark with the most beautiful tip! It was breath taking! He finally turned a bit so I could see the 6the!
I sat there trying to figure out what to do! they had me pinned my options were to try and get back to my truck and drive around walk down the spine above them (which I figure will take at least 1 hr) and hope that they don't spook while I'm getting out, or try to walk straight at them and close the distance at this point I am about 450 yards away with a steady side wind ( A shot I 'm not taking!) I ponder it it for about 5 min and decided to go straight at him I got to about 300 and he got nervous! I could see a rock and said to myself "I need to make it there" as luck would have it I got to just that point took off my pack, ranged him one more time 268 yards flipped out the bi pod and got comfortable found him in the scope but he was going to move directly away from me and he had a cow on both sides and thank god the cows came my way and as he started to turn to fallow the cows I put it right at the base of his neck with the wind blowing I wanted to make sure I didn't hit to far back! at this point it's 4:00 on the nose and the 300 WSM barked! BOOM.. THWAP when I got him back in my scope he started to run down but this only last a few steps then he was end over end into the brush! BULL DOWN I HAD DONE IT
I walked back to my truck drove around and did the adrenaline walk to him he was down and down good! Lots of yelling and congrats to myself then I gutted him out and knew that I was going to have to leave him overnight so I hung my undershirt on the tree next to him and went back to camp to call a pack team! and everyone else and break open the crown royal ( that I have had for the last 3 months waiting for this day)
Day 4- the team is on the way up Hoyt2002 ( Scott ) , another friend of ours and cx2vandine ( my cousin chad )right before 9am we take off packs on our back! of course of all the land that I have permission on this one spot is the only one without a road
we had a lot of fun capping and quartering, the pack wasn't as much fun but we got it done! I have a lot more pictures that cx2vandine took I have to go get from him then I will share with you all!
I have to say without a doubt this would not have happened without this site and the great people on here! Thanks to Boomwhop,Jackelope,ToddID,MichealID,and especially my pack team named above you guys are all the best and I owe you BIG!! Thanks I couldn't be happier
