Post by: nontypical176 on October 16, 2010, 08:35:07 AM
I get home and start throwing my gear in the truck and running around making sure nothing is forgotten, my buddy did a little scouting but we werent sure which gates would be locked and Asshauser(Weyerhauser) didn't change their recording til late in the evening and so it was that our origional walk in plans were out....They were opening the gates to all comers. So we decided not to camp and just face the crowds for the first day and wow were there a ton of people. It was hard to tell who was hunting and who was just out screwing around. We thought about camping on the state land between the South fork of the toutle and the mud flows but there were so many people over there it was crazy. We just did what we could to stay away from the crowds.
The Weather. Dang it was like summertime all the way up to the final day of the season. Should have been out there in a tank top, and shorts. Slept in the back of the truck with one little old blanket on me and was almost too warm. Trying to sneak up on anything was tough and the bulls had the cows well hidden. Nothing wanted to move in this heat. During the week, the gates remained open, but the WDFW had sent us a stupid little piece of pink paper saying we were ok to be in there, but I saw more rigs without than with it. The map they give you was put together by third graders and don't even show the state land. Glad I knew the area, from living farely close. Pretty dissapointed with the WDFW.....again, but I don't want to get into that.
We didn't see many bulls and most of the hunters we talked to hadn't either, I met cow hunters that ate their tags. Day 4 I put a couple guys on a spike I'd sptted off the end of a landing and they shot him. I kept holding out for bigger, but day 5 of 7 rolled around and I was finally hearing some bugling. Got a bull to holler back at me and then here they came. I wasn't ready but 2 cows came over a hill, then 2 more and then 8 cows with a bull centered in the middle of them moving like a school of sardines. The cows were just feeding along but the bull had his head on a swivell looking for his oponent. At one point he was at the back of the heard about 90 yards out broadside and I let him have it. One shot through the shoulder he walked like he wasn't hit about 40 feet and then dropped. Not the Toutle bull I waited all these years for but.......Meat on the table.
Post by: nontypical176 on October 16, 2010, 08:44:40 AM
My house is actually in an either sex unit. Sometimes elk move through there and when I got home from Colorado, my game cam shows pictures of elk about every 4 days. I told a good friend "Go up to my place, sit on the porch, check the cam, I left a key, you know where the whiskey is, shoot an elk." So he did. That Monday of the season he checks my trail cam and this is what he sees.
Post by: nontypical176 on October 16, 2010, 08:47:45 AM
Post by: nontypical176 on October 16, 2010, 08:55:37 AM
There are no pics of people with the elk because I didn't ask my friend for permission on his and nobody was there to snap a photo of me with mine.
Post by: Machias on October 16, 2010, 09:05:53 AM
Post by: scout88 on October 16, 2010, 09:10:27 AM
Post by: archery288 on October 16, 2010, 09:25:39 AM
Post by: Jellymon on October 16, 2010, 10:21:53 AM
Post by: Todd_ID on October 16, 2010, 10:29:26 AM
Post by: BLKBEARKLR on October 16, 2010, 10:35:06 AM
Post by: Alan K on October 16, 2010, 11:12:39 AM
My dad drew the rifle tag a few years back and he passed countless rag horns all season. He ended up just eating his tag because we didn't see anything like he was hoping for. With the rifle tag you wouldn't necessarily expect to see any big bulls with the herd but we hunted hard trying to find one of the big boys broke off from the group after the rut but no dice.
I think the rifle Toutle tag should be in the bull elk category not the quality bull category. :dunno:
Post by: nontypical176 on October 16, 2010, 12:15:45 PM
Big bulls in every unit for sure, especially since they made it 3 point or better in the west(love that rule). This is a bull my toutle partner got last year while we were hunting late muzzle loader in the general unit, me in the picture. We seen 2 bigger than this during the early archery, same location, but didn't know anybody with the bow tag.
Post by: nontypical176 on October 16, 2010, 12:27:41 PM
Post by: bowhunterforever on October 16, 2010, 01:00:37 PM
Post by: nontypical176 on October 16, 2010, 02:27:48 PM
Thankyou HuntingWashington.com and members. Even though some of us don't see eye to eye, most conversations are great. Hope you've liked my pics.....I've certainly enjoyed yours.
Post by: KLRKeith on October 16, 2010, 03:02:07 PM
Post by: dawhunt on October 16, 2010, 05:48:01 PM
Bob
Post by: SkookumHntr on October 17, 2010, 09:35:51 AM
Post by: Sneaky on October 17, 2010, 09:46:10 AM
Post by: banannaclip on October 19, 2010, 04:10:02 PM
Post by: Alan K on October 19, 2010, 04:12:41 PM
Post by: nontypical176 on October 19, 2010, 04:49:13 PM
Post by: BENCHLEG on October 19, 2010, 06:15:05 PM
Post by: Charlie on October 27, 2010, 07:00:07 PM
Quote
it would get boring shoot'in 420 's all the timeOK I'm ready, Bore Me! :chuckle:
Tag soup = Bad...... Meat in the freezer = Good. Congrats on your bull!
Post by: steelhead13 on November 02, 2010, 08:34:41 AM
Post by: nontypical176 on November 02, 2010, 08:57:23 AM
Post by: steelhead13 on November 03, 2010, 08:19:27 AM
Post by: duckmen1 on November 14, 2010, 01:54:14 PM
why shoot it then >:(
when meat is on the table whats there to complain about :dunno:
Post by: nontypical176 on November 17, 2010, 09:27:04 AM
Post by: duckmen1 on November 18, 2010, 07:00:03 PM
congrats on the bull
now i only wish to fill a tag of my own :)
good hunting