Post by: saudog on November 19, 2009, 08:06:54 PM
IT was a great season. I'll keep the story short but there was snow on the ground the day before the opener and every day after that at our camp, and since we hunt up from there it got real deap at times. It's just my dad and I but we prefer keeping a small camp for efficiancy and less complications.
Anyways I take off opening morning up the hill and whether we are the first guys into our area or not, doesn't really matter. We know it well. Once we split up I had four sets of man tracks ahead of me and I figured they were well up the trail since they had came from a small spike camp halfway up from where I camp. I then came around the corner and saw all four looking up the hill with their bino's. Well, with all of them locked in on something but none of them having a rifle out, I figure they're looking up at some elk but it's too far for them to shoot. I then put it in high gear and marched right towards them. They saw me and immiately took off. I'm pretty adept at storming up hills and they were all pretty heavy footed, so I went right past them and on up the trail. It seems to me though that they must have decided after a short while not to follow at all, because I stopped seeing the back behind hind me all together.
A this point things get real elky as I start to see tracks cutting my trail and I could assume they were real fresh based on the snow. I didn't take off after them because I new it could have been over an hour old and i would be better off too hang in the area that was funneling these different sets of tracks. Eventually I got to the top of a canyon and could see a good distance up the ridge and over. Well coming down the trail into the canyon I'll be damned if I don't see a smaller group of elk with 5 or 6 racks in it!!! This just doesn't happen to guys in this area, or any area very often this late in the season!
Now I haven't been in the position to pop big rack bulls very often if at all, because up to this point my elk killing has included rag horns and spikes, and not always being the only shooter. This was something special. I didn't freak out, knowing they had no idea i was looking up at them with the trees I had in my way and the pretty heavy snow fall keeping me hidin. I got down on my butt and put my elbow up on my knee, which I have always loved and it was perfect with the hill behind me sloped up. I figure it was 100 yards. They start moving out of the opening they were in towards the top of my ridge. They were going in and out of some humps in the terrain so getting a beed on one was a challenge. they got backed up behind a big hump and I couldn't see them at all. Then the cows start jumping up the hump, pausing to gather them selves, and moving on. I knew the next bull to jump up there was the one. Didn't care about getting the biggest at that point, just knew I had to get one. Sure enough this guy jumps up onto the hump and pauses....BANG!
It was as calm and cool as I could ever hope for, not being in that position very often. You question if you have what it takes until you continue to get in the position consistantly and do the right thing. I know this will add to my development as a good hunter.
Camp was great and my dad and I got to chase them around all week in this stuff. We saw a lot of elk and could have probably pulled the trigger on one or two more, but we didn't really need two. These are long packs we're dealing with and we only need so much meat. Hope you enjoy the story.
p.s. - I had a chance to take of photo of the rest of that herd after I shot.
Post by: Crunchy on November 19, 2009, 08:15:20 PM
Post by: Elkslayer on November 19, 2009, 08:18:15 PM
Post by: saudog on November 19, 2009, 08:34:19 PM
Post by: carpsniperg2 on November 19, 2009, 08:48:05 PM
Post by: go4itlab on November 19, 2009, 08:59:18 PM
Post by: strutnrut1984 on November 19, 2009, 09:10:18 PM
Post by: washelkhntr on November 19, 2009, 09:11:27 PM
Post by: WAcoueshunter on November 19, 2009, 10:21:55 PM
Post by: saylean on November 19, 2009, 10:24:37 PM
Grats on the big ole bull!
Post by: rosscrazyelk on November 20, 2009, 02:06:40 PM
Post by: saudog on November 20, 2009, 03:34:52 PM
Congrats, Where were you?
You'll have to find me there in person before you will ever know that. Too few places like this exists anymore. I'll add a couple more pics though.
Post by: halflife65 on November 20, 2009, 03:47:50 PM
Nice job and congratulations!
Post by: Broken Arrow on November 20, 2009, 03:48:25 PM
Post by: bow4elk on November 20, 2009, 03:57:28 PM
Post by: IronMike on November 20, 2009, 04:11:08 PM
Post by: MHWASH on November 20, 2009, 05:57:45 PM
Post by: KillerMiller on November 20, 2009, 06:00:02 PM
Post by: Huntbear on November 20, 2009, 06:06:14 PM
Post by: saudog on November 21, 2009, 12:28:55 PM
I thought you were way out in the boonies, until I saw your tent under the power lines. :chuckle:
Uh, no power lines. That's a center line that holds the tarps over our cooking shack and standing around area. This is the only picture I have of the rest of camp. We invite the women up for the last night each year, which is a lot of fun.
Post by: eastside boy on November 21, 2009, 06:26:34 PM
Post by: WDFW Hates ME!!! on November 22, 2009, 05:18:30 PM
Post by: Wenatcheejay on November 22, 2009, 05:39:45 PM
Post by: beave on November 22, 2009, 07:40:23 PM
Post by: saudog on November 23, 2009, 01:59:08 PM
Congrats on getting a bull, that is a nice 5. Now this is only my opinion, so take it for what it is worth. I think it is chicken *censored* to run past someone to get to elk. If you are on elk i will let you hunt them as i don't want to ruin your hunt. If i am on elk i would expect the same. Maybe i look at things different as i want to enjoy my days in the field.
Well, they were two miles from where I shot the elk. I didn't run past them, I out worked them. They weren't on the elk, they were looking at them from a very far distance drooling, instead of closing the distance. It was most likely different elk that they were looking at anyways because I doubt the elk I got on were standing in the middle of this opening for the hour it took me to get up the mountain. I hear what you are saying, but in this case it doesn't apply.
Post by: WDFW Hates ME!!! on November 23, 2009, 07:03:54 PM
Post by: Machias on November 23, 2009, 09:39:44 PM
Post by: steen on November 28, 2009, 12:44:07 PM
Post by: fishcrazy on November 28, 2009, 01:30:22 PM
Congrats on the hunt. I love hunting in the snow!!
Kris
Post by: elkhuntindad on October 12, 2010, 04:19:56 PM
Post by: h2ofowlr on October 12, 2010, 07:48:12 PM
Post by: PacificNWhunter on October 12, 2010, 08:41:45 PM
Post by: Charlie on October 12, 2010, 09:17:47 PM
Post by: Lightning_Rider on October 13, 2010, 11:29:42 AM