2011 Montana elk hunt

[littlemac]

Up early and out the door for the drive to Deer Lodge, MT. 

No trip east would be complete without a stop in Post Falls at Cabelas.  I had left my skinning knife in New Mexico a week ago and needed a new one.  Found the Buck knife Alaska series for Cabelas to be a good option with the SV30 steel, said to be as sharp as ceramic but not brittle like ceramic for bone work etc.  I picked up a folding traditional style and a skinning knife with a gut hook.

Back on the road and into Deer Lodge around 4pm, met my friend on the range and confirmed my 340 Weatherby mag made the flight home from New Mexico in good shape, zeroed at 300 yds.

Met our outfitter and got an overview for our hunt.  Shooting light is going to be just after 7:30am, quick breakfast at 5:45 and were out of camp.

First morning has us hoping to find the herd where they have been bedding up on a bench near the base of the mountain at the back of the property we are hunting.  waiting with first morning anticipation we glass and glass and finally see them moving, far end of the field and nearly a mile off in the distance.  No way to get there with the wind without blowing them out.  Not wanting to take a chance we back out and leave them alone.

Back to camp around 11 and a quick nap.  Around three we leave camp and head to higher ground to glass.  We get to our jumping off point and hike in to a high point they simply call the rock, it overlooks a couple of draws that hold a lot of elk.  At around 5 we see our first elk, a cow and calf feeding out of the pines into the grass field, eventually we are watching three different small groups, no good bulls but some raghorns and a pretty good 5X5 along with a couple of spikes.  At dark we walk out and back to the truck.

[littlemac]

Day two:  Out of camp and back to the first days field with a new plan.  We glass the bench from well back and spot the elk herd.  Not wanting to chance buggering the herd we get within a mile and side hill our way along the draw to get into position.

We have the wind we need and work our way toward the herd across the field of mown alfalfa.  When we are within 600 yards my friend and guide belly crawl to close the distance on the herd.  From our position we can make out a good 6X6 bedded and some cows that are at the extreme right of the herd.  I have no clue how many head are in front of us.

Just about when they are within range the wind switches.  It wasn't long and the bull was up and grazing out of view.  My guide says "watch this, their moving", within a couple of minutes the herd has crossed the far draw and I see a few cows working up the other side that is in view, maybe 10 or 15 of them.  I said I didn't think there were that many with the bull, wait another minute he says the herd is getting there.  Within a minute the hill is crawling with elk, holy crap, I quit counting at a hundred and concentrate on counting bulls.  Three shooters at least and a collection on spikes and raghorns.  Some of them jump a five wire fence that was there to hold buffalo the ranch used to have others seem content to hold on the ridge.

We back out again and make the hike back to the truck, I am beginning to think open field hunting is a lot of hiking and little opportunity to close on the elk.  On the way back to camp we see that the elk that moved over the fence line are now heading north and have come a mile or so already.

Our guide thinks they will come off the bench and move to the pines on the other side but first they have alot of ground to cover.  We move to get in position to cut them off.  Unfortunately the only two other hunters on the property have the same idea and were glassing from the north, when we get to the place to park one of them is already on a near dead run across the bench to get into position.  Our outfitter/guide is upset and wheels the truck around explaining where the elk most likely will move up the hill to the bench. 

what if they don't I said, maybe we can go higher and farther across the bench if the other guys push the elk.  Good idea he says and swings back around.  We get up the hill and bail out, crossing mostly open land we cover 6 or 700 yards and get set up, my friend is the agreed shooter.

Within ten minutes we have cows coming our way.  We're not in a very concealed location as there are none, if the cows come closer to us we will be pinned, fortunately they move across the bench a couple hundred yards in front of us.  bulls start arriving and there appears to be the best one coming in range, my buddy gets set, OK this is the one, you'll see him in a second says the glassing guide.  Get ready now.

Wait, don't shoot, here comes a better bull....patience, don't move  a cow has us and looking straight at us.  The bull is almost here as most of the herd is moving, OK, you have to take a knee and be ready this is going to be quick.  OK now, get up and get the bull in your scope, his head is down feeding....have him, the one on the right....got him....take the shot when you are ready, his 300 Weatherby barks and thwap, you hit him...get another round in him, miss, reload get another one in him.
The first shot was at just over 250 yards and had broken his back but the elk wouldn't quit until he had gotten to 390 yards, my friend and guide made their way closer and got a kill shot off.  His first elk and first hunt of any kind. 

We made our way down the hill to congratulate him and get to work.

when we finished we got back to camp and found that the other hunter had taken a great five by five out of the same group but nothing like my friends 6X6 below.  The outfitter and guide are in the pics.

[luv2hunt]

Great read... Congrats to your friend on a nice bull.

[littlemac]

The afternoon of day two I was back out and overlooking new territory on the west side of the property on top of one on the highest points.  Again the elk were moving around 5 and we spotted four bulls and some cows right below us as the worked from the pines, one was a 6X6 that will be great in a couple of years if he makes it.

If I hadn't already had my New Mexico elk in the freezer I wouldn't have hesitated...for the next two days I will wonder if I shouldn't have taken him.

Back in camp we found out the other hunter had fired twice and missed on an elk that evening.

Day three:  With the other group getting an elk and my friend bagging his it left two of us to hunt and we made a plan to hunt the same area, we would go high and the other hunter would hunt lower in the pines this morning.  As the rain poured down on us and the wind whipped our position I was wondering if I had made the correct choice in layers.  It wasn't long before my mind was occupied with elk and the rain had stopped.

A good size herd was working from the pines and heading up the draw toward us.  We watched for ten minutes knowing the other hunter was below us.  Then the cows in front got jumpy and reversed their direction.  We spotted our other hunter and guide below us and he fired at the largest bull in the herd.  Clean miss, the next half hour was making sure there was no blood, tough in the wet grass but no blood.  That was his last shot as he had to leave camp for work.

We were back at the rock from the first day for the evening hunt and while we did have some raghorns in range no sight of the big bull until late evening when the herd moved out of the pines at the other end of the draw 800 yards or more off and no light left. (The rock center and the pine and field below)

[littlemac]

Day 4: The morning again found us on the rock with the territorial view just before sunrise.  We had elk all over us mostly cows but one decent 5X5, still waiting for the big boy.  We glassed from the rock until around ten o'clock when the elk worked back into the pines.

Afternoon had us back on the field the elk had been feeding to in the evening.  We worked into a position midway up the field near the pines.  The herd had grown to 100 or so head.  I hate so many sets of eyes.  We didn't have great wind and moved to get a better position. When the herd winded us and made its move, we tried to get a shot on the big bull, he looked to be a good 6X6 and with great mass.  I had three opportunities to get a shot, one with four cows standing right in front of him except for a couple of seconds before he moved, run to a new postiion for an angle past some scrub pine, gone again, re-range him, 450 yards and in an opening in the pines, no shot....to risky and at my most extreme range (and not that comfortable) especially with two more sessions to go.  We left them, hoping to have another opportunity tomorrow.

Day 5:  Its go time now for sure.  We decide to work the field at the base of the draw again but get there earlier and go higher for a better angle, its cold this morning, in the mid teens.

We move into position and have good fortune as the herd is below us feeding.  As night moves into dawn we can just make out a bull in the back of the group and he's bugling and moving some of the cows away from the herd.  All we could do is hope he was the big bull until we had better light.  Just at 7:45 there is enough light to confirm it is.

The smaller group works directly below us and we need to move to get a better wind advantage, we make the move undetected and set back up.  The bull really wants to get back with the larger herd now and they are 500 yards to the right and he'll have to move into range at about 250 yards below us if he goes right. 

Their moving but angling away, now or never and we move to get a shot, 75 yards in the open, no choice, naturally they see us but don't take off until we are set.  Cow call, they slow, the bull stops the 340 Weatherby barks, not sure if a hit, he stands, another round.....he's moving no apparent hit...cow call, cow call, he stops now at about 350 yards another shot the cows take off left now and he turns but doesn't follow, he has to be hit, steady the sticks, breath, hold, squeeze....he hunches and steps, drops his head left and stumbles down.

The last shot broke his left shoulder and finished him, as we dress him out we find three more hits, not a perfect kill but we got the job done.  He's a 7X7 with a broken fifth on his right side.

I rough scored him at 352 as his fifth is broken off and lost about 9 inches, his sevens are just scoreable at two inches, rough net with deduction 338.  A great hunt and fun to have hunted a specific bull for a few days for the first time.

[bucklucky]

You guys have had a fun elk hunting year, nice job!

[littlemac]

You guys have had a fun elk hunting year, nice job!

It was a great year with New Mexico and Montana, just can't make a habit of it.

Now off to the Naneum for a spike.....well off to theee but most likely not shooting, lots  of meat already.

[HUNT]

Way to get it done!  Great story and even greater bull!  Congrats!

[brianmtsinc]

Sweet success!!  Great job!

[AKBowman]

Great story and thanks for the write up. Sounds like you had good guides and you got what you paid for. Nice bull.

[littlemac]

Guides were great, they do pack hunts in the Bob Marshall in the early season and the Scapegoat area later.

My guide and I worked hard to get the set up right and it worked out after three days on the same elk.

[NWBREW]

very nice. congrats.

[Wtrfowlr62]

headed over to MT this weekend cant wait, wont be to far from you guys location  . killer bulls congrats guys!

[Fullabull]

Nice story...thanks for sharing!

[SniperDanWA]

Well said, nice bull!