Another 166 Bull Down

[SnipeHunter]

Well, I've been waiting to get better pics for this story, and one of my buddies just got back from his Spike camp with some of the pics, so here goes:

Two years ago a buddy of mine (walleyerick) drew the Wenaha tag and I went along as his "Sherpa" / "Mule".  It was an awesome experience and really got my blood flowing to get back into the blues.  I had only tried elk hunting a couple times over the past 15 years up around Sullivan Lake and never saw anything but old sign.  So after our '08 experience, I began putting in for the quality elk in the Wenha and Tucannon.

This past spring, walleyerick e-mails me and asks if I drew anything, he didn't have any luck.  I'm thinking, yah, right, I have 2 points so far....well, guess what, the last item on my print out was for the 166 unit and I got picked!!  I had just hit the jackpot (and I have taken constant verbal abuse about the points situation ever since).

So began an incredible season.  First, the excitement of the draw, then the anticipation of scouting trips from late summer on.  Worst of all (or best) was becoming addicted to this website.  I've been following it for two years, learning as much as I could.  Everyone has such incredible experiences and advice.  And all of the stories just make that elk fever all the worse!  Keep posting them!!

This fall we began exploring the Tuc, with the first scouting trip on the east side, and we saw over 25 bulls in two days, screaming their heads off and moving all over the place.  Most were respectable 6x6's, but there were some dandys mixed in.  I figured this would be easy, and I could pick and choose which bull to harvest.  We went back two weeks later and didn't see or hear anything.  Uh oh, this will be much harder than I thought.

Third, fourth and fifth scouting trips took me to the west side of the unit.  Each trip was promising, and my partner (Tom) and I saw and heard bulls each time, just nothing huge or great numbers.  Then, the deer season opened.  I hadn't planned on going for that weekend, but had to know what the deer hunters would do to the elk (and had a great deal of pressure from my hunting partners to get back down there, thank you).  I was really glad I went back.  Not only did we see what the deer hunting pressure did to the elk, we met and talked to several hunters that offered a lot of good advice. 

So begins the trip;

First delimma, which side of the unit do we set up camp on?  Its an hour and a half drive between East and West sides of the unit.  We knew there were BIG bulls on the East side, but heard and saw more activity on the West.  Ulitmately, I had enough people tell me to hunt the boundary between the Dayton and Tucanon Units that we decide to camp on the West side.  We head down on Saturday the 23rd, three of my hunting buddies (Rick, Tom and Bud) along with a friend of Buds that wanted to film the hunt (John).  Saturday afternoon was high overcast skies with weather coming.  Rick and I check out an area that I had previously been to and we quickly spot a herd of +/- 20 elk, mostly cows with a 6x7 and some spikes.  We watch them until dark and head back to camp (with a little extra pep in our steps). 

The next morning we decide to scout an entirely new area and see several mule deer but no elk.  We get rained, sleeted and snowed on all morning.  That afternoon, we decide to make the trip over to the East side and Bud quickly spots a dandy 7x7.  Unfortunatley, with-in 20 minutes, the snow begins flying and the wind starts whipping.  Visibililty was reduced to 20'.  We headback to camp and I had no idea where to start my opening morning hunt.  We debated it long into the evening (it was at this point that our cameraman began having technical difficulties with his really cool movie camera...too much moisture).  Right before we turned the lights out, we decide to go for the big boy on the East side so we'll need to get up extra early. 

We wake at 4:30 (not that any of us slept that night anyway), and look outside; blowing and snowing to beat hell.  We decide to go back to bed, get up in an hour and work the West side.  Get up, still snowing and blowing.  No visibility.  This is how the first five hours of the opening morning went.  Finally, by 10, we are all stir crazy and decide to head out into the storm and see what happens.  My biggest fear would be to bump the animals out of there and never see them.  We managed aways down a ridge, sat by a clear cut, and I heard the distinct sound of an animal beating feet out of there without ever seeing anything.  Damn!  We head back to camp and play cards and pray for the weather to break (and watch our cameraman burn a whole role of TP trying to dry out his camera).  I know if the sun would break out, the conditions would be awesome, but the weather is socked in for at least another day.

At 2:00, Walleyerick comes back into the trailer (from a nature call) and says he can see across the canyon, lets go!  So, Rick, John (with his trusty back up digital) and I head out for the draw we last saw the elk herd hanging out in.  Within 20 minutes, we start spotting elk about 1200 yards down and across from us; 2, 4, 10, 15, 29 cows in all, 4 spikes, a 5x5 and the 6x7 we had seen two days earlier.  We sat in the snow for about an hour watching and trying to figure out how we could put a stock on them with out one of those cows winding us or seeing us first.  The wind was whipping in every direction and it didn't seem like there was any way to get to them.

We called Bud and Tom to come out and check out the situation with us.  After a lot of debate, Rick, John and I decided we would work our way down the "spine" / ridge and try to come over it where we thought they would be.  If the animals got nervous, Bud would call us off.  So, off we go, the further down the spine we got, the more the wind worked in our favor.  We hiked all the way down with the wind in our faces.  Once we hit the right elevation, I belly crawled over the ridge and down the basin were they had been feeding, sleeping and playing.  There was just enough boulders, trees and tall grass to really conceal my movements.  Once I got to a good vantage point and began to spot some cows, Rick and John came down beside me.  I leaned up against a dead tree, and began picking through all of the animals while Rick searched for the bull.  We had 8 cows, 2 spikes and the 5x5 walk right below us at 100 yards.  Then Rick spots the bull! 

He explains to me were the 6x is, that he is behind some tree branches and Rick can only see his back.  For the next 20 minutes, I agonizingly try to find him in my scope with no luck.  It was "suggested" that I put my gun down and look through my binos.  Ahh, there he is!  (note to self, don't leave scope on 9x when looking at animals that are only 100 - 200 yards out).  It's 5:00 and getting dark as the weather is coming back in.  I line up my 30-06 on him, watch his body through the tree branches while he leisurely rakes his rack on a helpless scrub tree, lets out a bugle, and scarfs on the tall grasses.  My legs are starting to ache and shake from the awkward rest I have chosen.  Rick and John are starting to ask when am I going to shoot....I explain that I don't have a good shot yet....Rick states that he would have taken him right there through that little opening in the trees....I have a minor panick attack thinking I missed my opportunity, fatigue hits (its now been another 20 minutes)...my rifle jerks to the right and I see a perfect opening if he would just step out into it....I take a deep breath, collect my thoughts, ask Rick to range find him for me....163 yards....he steps into the opening and I drop the pin on him.  One shot, at the base of the neck.  I jack in another round and prepare to shoot again (I've heard for two years how tough these beasts are) and hear Bud on the radio "You got him, he dropped like a rock!"

I think that most all of you know what the next hour felt like, I practically floated down to him, wanting to make sure he was truly down, and he was.  The next thing I remember is John coming down the hill shouting that he got the whole thing on his digital camera!  Then he slips on the steep hillside and went down with a thud!  We took some pictures, had a brief celebration and began the process of gutting him in the dark.  At 6:30 he is gutted and cooling, the snow is falling again, and we climb our way back to camp.  20 minutes into the climb, the adrenaline ran out (whats up with that??) making the rest of the climb up into the fresh snow something to remember.  We return the next morning, bone him out and pack him out by late afternoon.  Having four and a half strong backs was extremely helpful and got us off the hill in a hurry!  I can't thank you guys enough.

That night, we polished off the whiskey, recounted the whole event and hit the rack.  I was sure that it would be the first restful night that I would have since drawing this tag, but every time I closed my eyes, all I could see was that beautiful bull stepping out into the clearing and letting out his last bugle!  What an awesome experience. 

[SnipeHunter]

here are some pictures

[saylean]

Boy, that looks like a wonderful bull! Way to use the tag to the full potential! Congrats guys.

[SnipeHunter]

on the way out and all but the camera man

[carpsniperg2]

sweet! thanks for sharing and congrats on a nice bull

[C-Money]

Great Bull! Congrats! Huge!

[quadrafire]

What a great story!

[EDT]

Amazing bull.  Good friends you got there.

[jackelope]

Real nice bull there, congrats!!

[bowsandhose]

grats

[Michelle_Nelson]

That is a super nice bull!  Congrats!

[BoomWhop]

Nice Bull. Great Color on him and a good write up to go with it....Congrats.

[mtncook]

Nice job guys, I recognize your faces from 2008.   Rick had trouble with his camcorder too!!


mtncook

[runningboard]

very good story, and a nice bull too, thanks for sharing!

[bucklucky]

Nice job, congrats !