Worst early Toutle season ever!

[RadSav]

Well, we are back at the office shipping peeps and washing clothes.  The squaw and I held out and gave it every day of the early season in the Toutle trying to get her a good bull.  First morning we hiked into a spot about three miles from any open road access.  There we saw the only good bull of the season a real heavy non typical about 1/4 mile away.  The wind was changing all different directions so we decided to back out and try that evening.  Never saw him again.  Lorraine passed up one small 4X5 and a spike within 35 yards and that was the only bone she/we saw.  We had about a dozen bulls that would return a single bugle then go silent or give their cows a round-up call and head out.  Aggressive bugle, timid bugle, small bull, medium bull, big bull, estrus cow, leasure cow made no difference.  I tried two external reed bull calls, four external reed cow calls and every diaphragm in my pack totaling about 21 calls.  Nothing would get 'em hot.  Even tried to coax a spike up the hill by walking a decoy across the tree line while cow talkin'.  I think he just laid down and took a nap!

The first four days we had hunters crawling out of the bush like fleas.  Never seen so many Toutle hunters in nine years.  Every one I talked to had been scouting at least one of the areas we hunt.  All talking about how much bugling they tried while scouting.  Not sure how much that effected their talking, but I'm sure it didn't help much.  Still with all the walking we were doing, up to six miles beyond gates, one would have thought we would have found at least one good bull with a bug up his rear.

For of the last nine years I have taken friends into the Toutle to take bulls.  Each of those times we took very nice Toutle bulls within three days.  Once calling three good bulls that came in at the same time.  Gave us real high hopes when Lorraine finally got drawn this year.  Today she is depressed, sore and in a darned poor mood.  Not at all what I expected she'd be after her first experience in the Toutle.

Haven't heard from anyone that took a good bull in there this year.  Would sure like to hear some stories if someone got it done right.

Cancel my Chiwawa late deer hunt!  Guess we're hunting the late season Toutle instead .

[TwistedTree]

Well, I can't say it was the worst early Toutle ever cause I've never hunted in the Toutle before, but my first experience in there wasn't what I expected.  I don't know if it was the weather or what, but I didn't see all that many elk and the bulls I saw were not impressive - and I only put eyes on 2 bulls.  I see better bulls in my regular non special permit westside unit.  I had exactly one bull that came in with a purpose - and I managed to screw that one up.  We heard very little bugling at night and nothing from about 10am to 7pm.  When we did get a bugle back they were very skittish and stayed way out.  All the cool, dark, thick timber where I expected to find 'em in the heat...we found nothing.  By the time we left, I would have shot any spike I could find.

I guess I have to figure out how to hunt bulls in early December.  Anybody got advice on that?

[RadSav]

The ones we did see seemed to be exhausted after a full night playing in the full moon light.  I woke up every night around 2:30 thinking we had slept in too late.  Goodness that moon was bright.

[firedog]

Sounds a lot like my season in the Coweeman as far as the bulls behavior. We could get them to bugle either with a cow call or a bugle but they would not come in and after a couple bugles they would shut up and sneaking in was prety much impossible anywhere there were alder leaves. Was like walking on potato chips until the monsoon the last weekend. Walked an average of 10 miles a day, and saw very few elk, like I said we did get some bugles though. We were working one bull and while watching down into where he was a 4 point walked out from the other direction and looked at us and just kept walking. Last day of season I finally got a bull to come in with some cow calls but unfortunately after all the timid bulls for the past 11 days I got aggressive and started in after him since it was wet enough to do so and he was coming in fast and busted me. He hung out for a little bit looking for the cow, he was out far enough that I didn't want to guess at the range. Range finder was fogged up and wouldn't range let alone could I see through it, by the time  finally got it clear he was closer at 43 yards. Just as I was getting ready to draw he decided he had enough and left. If I would have been patient he would have come in great. I screwed my only good chance up. Saw another smaller bull a little later that day that just walked across a road in front of me as I was  walking to a different area, couldn't get him to do anything and he walked into a patch of vine maple that I  still don't know how I couldn't hear him moving through. Was a wierd season with the high heat and full moon early, fire closure and then the monsoon last weekend.

[kabusroe]

Not that I'm happy you didn't get anything, but now I don't feel so bad about not making the early hunt in the Toutle. I'm in the same boat as you, I'll be down their in December.