Post by: jadeball1 on November 07, 2008, 08:02:30 AM
Post by: CJ-5 on November 07, 2008, 08:14:26 AM
Post by: TONTO on November 07, 2008, 10:08:51 AM
Opening weekend I turned down shots on two different 3point bulls holding out for something bigger.
I was camped in Kidd Valley asuming I would have acces through the 1900 or 2500 gates,monday morning I was turned around and told the only acces allowed would be through the 2900 gate,10 miles up the hyw from camp.I was also informed by the volunteers maning the gate that I would have to be back out by 5pm each night considering where I was hunting in there that ment I had to end my hunt by 3-3:30 each evening in order to make it back out.I would get on some nice big lone bull tracks but couldn't afford the time to pursue them untill dark,then having to haul ass back the gate to keep from being locked in where I wasn't suposed to be.
Aside from all that,my lifelong hunting partner,my father,passed away the previous summer,so camping all alone sorta put a damper on my mood and depresion was sinking in.
Thursday morning I made the decision that the next legal bull I had a shot at was filling my freezer and I was going home even though I still had 4 more days in my hunt.
Thursday afternoon I ended up taking a measly spike since my tag did read "any bull" and I already convinced myself I was going home.
Although it was "ONLY" a spike it was still one of my most memorable kills and will live in my memory for many years.
Thursday afternoon I decided to get onto a herd that had busted me the day before,knowing there was atleast one bull in the herd, I had heard his antlers ticking the limbs the day before.I started out through the young timber and headed uphill in the direction they had gone on wedsnesday.As I got further up the hill I could hear the cow/calf talk going on so I went into sneak mode,hitting all fours and crawling the last hundred yards or so up hill to keep from being busted again.I crawled over the berm of an old skid road and rolled against an old red rot log.I had a cow grazing infront of me about 30yards out,so I laid in wait as I could hear the rest of the herd just above the skid road in the timber.Wind in my face all conditions perfect,there I lay clad in blaze orange,as more cows/calves moved out to the road to eat.Then I heard the antlers ticking again and thought to myself this is it.After what seemed like an hour,actualy only about 20min,out stepped my monster freezer filler.The source of all the antler noise was a measly 16inch spike.
I laid there and watched as the cows fed towards me getting closer and closer,all the time keeping my eye on the spike,who at this moment I had no plans of taking.The spike wandered about the heard prodding all the cows in the butt with that trophy rack of his,quite the ladies man.The lead cow was in my face by now and looking me in the eye 3ft away.She knew something wasn't right but couldn't figure it out,she would stare me down then go back to munching,I could hear her breath she was so damn close,I could have reached out and slapped her on the nose.All this time the ladies man kept getting closer as well,untill he walked up and around to the other side of the lead cow.At this point he was less than 8ft away and I try'd to keep my rifle pointed at him without alarming the den mother who was breathing in my face.The spike was about to step behind the berm to my left and would have been safe from the big bad hunter.Thats when it happened,I honestly don't even realy remember squeezing it off,the 7mag let out a powerful roar.The lead cow in my face jumped atleast 6ft in the air straight up and managed to do a 180 turn in mid flight,she had no idea what the hell just happened.The herd was gone,all but that spike,he just stood there dumbfounded not knowing what happened.He took one staggered step forward laid down,and drew his last gurgling breath.
He hit the ground precisely at 3:30pm,my designated hang it up and haul ass to the gate time.By the time I had him quarted packed laoded etc. I managed to hit the gate at 8pm all the while thinking oh great now I'm gonna get locked in.I get to the gate and the damn thing is wide open without a soul around >:(.
I broke camp the next morning and was heading home when Mr Foster our local hard assed WDFW officer pulled me over to see what I had in back.His coment "couldn't you find anything bigger ?" kinda pissed me off to say the least.Sure I killed a spike with what should have been a trophy tag,but that little spike euro mounted above my fire place will always be a trophy in my mind.
To top things off as well as holding a Margaret rifle bull tag last year,I also had a multiple season elk tag,I notched the whole damn season on that lil spike.Late muzzle loader season rolls around,last day,and who shows up in my back yard but a nice 4point bull I had been watching early muzzle season,but passed on because I had a margaret tag burning a hole in my pocket. :bash:
Post by: TheHunt on November 07, 2008, 11:00:47 AM
Post by: Jeremiah P on November 07, 2008, 02:55:52 PM
Post by: jadeball1 on November 07, 2008, 03:22:09 PM
Post by: goodtime on November 08, 2008, 02:43:31 PM
Post by: julzzz on November 10, 2008, 08:05:30 PM
Post by: julzzz on November 10, 2008, 08:13:46 PM
Post by: finnman on November 10, 2008, 08:26:31 PM
Post by: fc2038 on November 10, 2008, 09:22:43 PM
Post by: Screaminreelz on November 11, 2008, 08:15:27 AM
Post by: bucklucky on November 11, 2008, 08:19:54 AM
A buddy of mine had a muzzleloader tag and shot a nice 6x6 3rd day, he had scouted and found 3 bulls over 300 he says. He's an accomplished hunter so I believe him but with the crappy weather during his season wasn't able to do a lot of glassing. His bull ended up scoring 297 and he said the others were much bigger, and he also said he never saw another hunter.
Got any pics of that bull Jeramiah? Id like to see it :)
Post by: bowsandhose on November 11, 2008, 08:36:00 AM
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Got any pics of that bull Jeramiah? Id like to see it:yeah:
Post by: Jeremiah P on November 11, 2008, 01:41:40 PM
Post by: Huntbear on November 12, 2008, 07:27:20 AM
According to the regulations, I believe you are allowed 1 non hunter with every tag in the Margaret. So if guys had 4 buddies in there with them, they were breaking rules, and should have been reported.
I can not stress enough, read the rules, all of them. I turned 4 guys in to Weyerhauser for tresspassing during elk season. :IBCOOL: Driving on roads that were closed during the week. I know at least 2 got trespass tickets from the gameys. I watched them written thru the binos. :chuckle: :chuckle:
Post by: wapitislayer on November 12, 2008, 06:54:28 PM
Post by: Goldeneye on November 23, 2008, 12:13:53 AM
Post by: HntnFsh on November 23, 2008, 08:08:01 AM
Tonto,
According to the regulations, I believe you are allowed 1 non hunter with every tag in the Margaret. So if guys had 4 buddies in there with them, they were breaking rules, and should have been reported.
I can not stress enough, read the rules, all of them. I turned 4 guys in to Weyerhauser for tresspassing during elk season. :IBCOOL: Driving on roads that were closed during the week. I know at least 2 got trespass tickets from the gameys. I watched them written thru the binos. :chuckle: :chuckle:
I think your mistaken.I have never seen that reg.Could you please put up a link.
There is supposed to be another unit up that way that has that reg.But not the Margaret.
The Margaret is also open to general deer season.So why would they put that limit on during elk season?
Post by: fc2038 on November 23, 2008, 05:43:13 PM
Post by: hornhunter on November 23, 2008, 06:24:00 PM
Post by: tntklundt on November 23, 2008, 07:46:16 PM
Here's a picture of my bull from the Margaret Modern permit hunt (If I attached the picture correctly). It's not a wall hanger, but it is better than tag soup. I did not hear of too many bulls being taken while I was in the unit. I suppose that could've changed towards the end of the season. The bulls I do know of that were taken were not big ones. I did see some better than average bulls up there during my preseason scouts. When the opener came so did a good number of the permit holders. Guys were coming from a lot of directions. The Elk got twitchy real fast. The bigger bulls in the area I was in seemed to have went back into the dog hair timber and were staying put. I had heard that they were pushed pretty hard the week before the season by guys scouting as the gates were open all week. I ended up finding this guy and decided he would do. Beautiful country up there.
Goldeneye,
I think your Elk looks great. I would hang it on my wall. Actually I will probably be hanging it's brother up. ;)
Post by: WDFW Hates ME!!! on November 23, 2008, 08:15:45 PM
Post by: Opportunist on November 26, 2008, 04:07:42 AM
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) and the United States Forest Service (USFS) have worked cooperatively to develop the Pumice Plain, Mount Whittier, and Upper Smith Creek elk areas and corresponding special permit hunts. These hunts are part of the implementation of the Mount St. Helens Elk Herd Plan, which calls for a general reduction in elk numbers.
Please be advised that these hunts will be very strenuous and only hunters prepared for such a challenge should apply. You are strongly encouraged to scout options for accessing the areas before the hunts begin.
Restrictions:
All hunters must wear hunter orange, regardless of weapon type.
In all three Elk Areas, permit holders will be required to hunt and remove their kill by non-motorized, non-hoofstock means. In addition, no wheeled vehicles (carts, bicycles, etc.) will be allowed.
Camping on the National Volcanic Monument will only be allowed in designated areas.
Permit holders can have up to 3 helpers assist them in removing their kill. Helpers can be present during the hunt and must wear hunter orange.
Hunters may only use existing trails while scouting the Pumice Plain Elk Area prior to the hunt.
Hunters and helpers participating in the Pumice Plain hunt will be required to carry an off-trail permit issued by the Forest Service while hunting, and abide by restrictions for entry into the area. Successful special permit applicants will receive a letter from the USFS describing the restrictions for entry onto the Pumice Plain. You must sign and return the letter to receive your off-trail permit.
I new I had read something about the number of helpers on some new washington elk hunt. This is the only hunt I know of with these kinds of restrictions in the state.
Post by: shag on November 26, 2008, 06:35:27 AM
Post by: .54 THUNDERHAWK on November 26, 2008, 08:34:40 AM
Post by: jadeball1 on November 26, 2008, 09:07:52 AM
Post by: Charlie on November 28, 2008, 03:28:50 PM
Post by: WDFW Hates ME!!! on November 28, 2008, 08:25:27 PM
Post by: Goldeneye on December 01, 2008, 08:16:57 PM
I think your Elk looks great. I would hang it on my wall. Actually I will probably be hanging it's brother up. ;)
[/quote]
tntklundt,
Thanks, I did rethink things a bit on him. I don't currently have a European mount in the house. He will be my first.
Post by: Goldeneye on December 01, 2008, 08:38:46 PM
Congrats! And I agree. Much better than tag soup! The Margret and the toutle aren't the units they once were as far as "Trophy Bulls" goes. Good job. Tell us about the shot and rifle! Details man! :)
Shag,
Thanks!
Here's the details you were asking for. The shot was a steep down angle, quartering slightly to the left. Rangefinder had the distance at 384 yards. What you see in the picture is the entry hole. It exited through the lower front of the chest. Blew the bottom 3rd of the heart away. The hit was about a fists width lower than I would have liked. It did the job nicely though. It was instantly obvious that a 2nd shot was not needed. The rifle used was a Rem 700 XCR in .300 WM with a 180 grain Barnes X bullet. These hand loads have always performed well for me. The animals definitely know they've been punched hard when hit.
Sorry for the late response, I've been down on the southern Oregon coast trying to get my 82 year father on a bull. He busted a nice 5x5 on Friday. Made more work for me, but worth every bit. It'll probably be his last bull as he's getting to the point physically he won't be able to get out on much more than flat ground any more.
Post by: chad s. on December 17, 2008, 06:27:25 AM
Post by: backwoods_boy on December 17, 2008, 07:47:00 AM
:-)
Post by: Charlie on December 18, 2008, 06:08:28 PM
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Charlie the thing that sucks is that you can shoot a 3 or 4 point that eats just as good in a general season. It sucks to waste a ton of points on a spike...
True! I was running late a few years ago and I didn't double check the hunt numbers from the previous year. I just thought the numbers would be the same and plugged them into my application and submitted it online. That worked for all of the areas but one :bash:. Ya, you guessed it, that number changed to a cow only permit. That cost me 10 points. :bash: :bash:
Post by: BENCHLEG on December 18, 2008, 08:06:30 PM
Post by: chad s. on December 19, 2008, 06:26:28 AM
Post by: Roger on December 19, 2008, 07:00:36 PM
Post by: Goldeneye on December 19, 2008, 10:21:00 PM
Something just doesn't look right about this latest picture. Maybe someone has been messing with it. Can't believe anything you see anymore.
It's a picture of my bull used by another poster. The poster tried to cover up the blood from the entry shot. If you would like to see it as originally shown see the previous page. Sorry if it concerned you.
Post by: Roger on December 20, 2008, 05:56:09 PM