Post by: cmiller85 on October 05, 2011, 11:31:07 AM
We didn’t have a lot of time to scout due to work issues but on the days we did go up we saw quite a bit of elk so it looked to be a pretty good area.
My little sister was in an AAU volleyball tournament on Saturday so we finally got up in the woods on Sunday morning and saw a nice little group of cows feeding just off the road in a draw about 300 yards away. So we parked the truck and decided to put a stalk on them and see if there was a bull in the area. We got to within about 100 yards or so and started cow calling. Within a few minutes this 4x2 bull came in and bugled at about 20 yards! It was so cool! With a 20 yard shot and about 80 yards from the road we just couldn’t pass him up. Dad was super excited. First elk and first time hunting! :IBCOOL:
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Post by: NWWABOWHNTR on October 05, 2011, 11:44:54 AM
Post by: 6x6in6 on October 05, 2011, 11:45:56 AM
Check your PM's cmiller.
Post by: Bigtine96 on October 05, 2011, 12:04:38 PM
Post by: wastickslinger on October 05, 2011, 12:10:30 PM
Post by: blackveltbowhunter on October 05, 2011, 12:23:52 PM
Post by: 724wd on October 05, 2011, 12:40:01 PM
Post by: bucklucky on October 05, 2011, 12:41:43 PM
Post by: firefighter4607 on October 05, 2011, 12:42:23 PM
Post by: Huntboy on October 05, 2011, 12:58:11 PM
Post by: SniperDanWA on October 05, 2011, 06:28:24 PM
Post by: SkookumHntr on October 05, 2011, 06:49:21 PM
Post by: 50CalJim on October 05, 2011, 07:01:11 PM
Post by: 400out on October 05, 2011, 07:06:51 PM
Post by: muzzlebuck on October 05, 2011, 07:14:53 PM
Post by: WapitiChaser on October 05, 2011, 07:32:59 PM
Post by: Elkrunner on October 05, 2011, 08:13:54 PM
Post by: cmiller85 on October 05, 2011, 08:31:53 PM
Anyhow, that whole story is made up. We didn't waste a Colockum tag on that little guy. He is actually from the NE corner from a couple years ago.
I'll post the TRUE story and pics of the actual bull we got, but I must warn you, I did a loooong write up! I didn't proof read it so I apologize in advance.
Post by: 6x6in6 on October 05, 2011, 08:33:11 PM
Post by: cmiller85 on October 05, 2011, 08:37:40 PM
My Dad and I drew this tag back in ’98, when I was 13, just after the point system began. We got a couple 6 points in the 260-280 range, but shortly after Dad got his that year we saw 2 bulls that made our bulls look like glorified spikes. Even though these were our first 6 point bulls, we quickly realized that we had screwed up!
Ever since that year it had been our dream to get back up there and redeem ourselves on a true monster bull. Well, that dream quickly became a possible reality back in June when we found out that Dad had drawn the only Colockum Muzzleloader Bull Tag. We were stunned.
After several scouting trips, opening day found us back in the area that we had spotted those monster bulls so many years ago. We knew the quality of this permit so our goal this time was to really do this tag justice. We wanted to get a Boone and Crockett bull. In looking for a bull to net 360 + inches we set the “Shooter” bar at 375+ to allow for the deductions that were to be a guarantee.
DAY 1:
At around 6:15 A.M, we heard our first bugle of the hunting season and we were pumped. The elk were in a draw below the road we were parked on. After the bull bugled they quickly crossed and headed up the hill before shooting light. As we trailed the heard we could hear several different bulls screaming at each other throughout the valley so we focused on the closest bull to us. We wanted to try and get a glimpse of him to determine if he was a shooter or not and then move on up the valley.
Getting a glimpse of the bulls proved more difficult than what we had expected. Closing that last hundred yards was extremely challenging as each bull had about 50+ cows in which he managed to conveniently have disbursed around him at all times. The elk, however, were not too spooky which gave us a good amount of room for error.
After a few hours we finally crept in on the first bull who was a nice 6 point but he had broken tines. So we decided to back out and get a look at a bull behind us whose bugle sounded like he was part domestic cow. We caught a glimpse of him about 100 yards back down the valley as he crossed a clear cut headed into some timber. He was a decent 6 point but not a shooter either.
We heard a couple more bulls up farther on a ridge so we headed in their direction. Once we got to the top of the ridge we could tell that they were headed back down the other side so we started hoofing it to try and catch up to the herd.
After about a half a mile we came upon a bull grazing through the trees at about 150 yards away. He had no cows around him so our first thought was that he was a satellite bull but on second glance through the binos, he was actually a 7x7 and a nice one at that! After sneaking in to about 80 yards, we realized that this bull was a borderline shooter. A quick guesstimate put him in the 350+ range but he just didn’t have that “Wow” factor that we were looking for. We told ourselves that if we had to think about it for more than 5 seconds, he was not big enough.
Being that it was about 11 A.M. on opening morning with elk running and bugling everywhere, we decided to pass on him. He was right near a herd of elk that had a nice sounding bull in it and since this bull was surprisingly acting more like a satellite bull, we wanted to get a look at the other bull.
Well, the 7x7 wandered off and we could see the herd bedded down so we decided to back out and wait for the evening to try and slip back when they started moving again. We had already been busted a couple times that day by cows that we just didn’t see until it was too late. We tried to play it safe this time.
That afternoon as we sneaked back into the area we caught the herd on the move with two bulls bugling. We tried to close the distance but as is always the case, the bull is just out of sight around the next corner or behind the next cluster of trees. The herd moved down into a draw that was full of elk. There were so many elk that we could not keep track of each herd or bull. They just all seemed to melt together. We couldn’t move without running into elk. With all the bugling from so many bulls going on nearly all day long it got hard distinguishing each bulls bugle unless it was very unique.
After several hours we got back in on a bull and it happened to be the broken tined 6 point again. There was another bull down below us going off so we tried to move towards him but got about 30 yards and ran into cows coming up the draw. We were pinned down again with about and hour left of shooting light.
After a few minutes the cows moved off into the timber and we headed down the draw. About a 100 yards away was a clear cut with more elk! Of course the bull is on the other side and there is no time left in the day to make a move on him so we just sit there filming about 100 head of elk walk past us up the draw about 90 yards away. Suddenly that’s when we heard it. We had been hoping to avoid it but that was not going to happen.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! There it was, about ½ mile away up the ridge we hear large caliber rifle fire followed by 15-20 rounds of a smaller caliber semi-auto; then a few more shots. Being the optimists we are (not) we simply assume that some weekend campers are just target shooting right at dusk next to a large herd of elk.
That was the end of our first day. As we walked out after dark, all we could hear for a quarter of a mile off on our left were bugling bulls and cows chirping. They weren’t as bothered by the gunfire as we were. The elk were all over up there all the way to the top of the ridge, and at the top of the ridge we heard a bugle we hadn’t heard before. We could tell because it had a very unique, deep growl at the end. He sounded big! We couldn’t wait to get back in there.
DAY 2:
The 4:30 A.M wakeup call from the alarm wasn’t dreaded in the least as we got up and ready to hit up the place we had been the night before. We parked at the top of the ridge and began the trek down into the valley where we heard that bull the night before.
Not too far down the valley, about a half hour before daylight, the bulls lit up and there was one about 150 yards up the hill from us so we decided to see if we could get a look at him before we continued heading down. We knew we were close because we could hear cows chirping. A short distance later we realized that they were on the move. They had went to the top of the ridge, crossed the road and went down the other side a few hundred yards.
We heard the bull just down over the hill and were trying to work in on him when we spotted another guy, all camo’ed out, coming up through the trees. At about 25 yards he finally sees us and immediately turns around and heads down the hill in the opposite direction. Hmm, guess he’s not friendly; oh well. We continue heading towards the bull. We can see the guy walking down in the bottom of the bowl away from us still at this point.
Then all of a sudden, as this bull is bugling just a few hundred yards away, we heard someone talking. We stopped to listen and heard the back half of, “…You’re A$$ you stupid fu*king white boys.” Now, keep in mind that this is the same approximate area that we heard gunshots the night before. So we stand there and look at each other and laugh as it took at least 350 yards of distance before this guy felt safe enough to yell out threats at us.
Needless to say, at this point the bull (for some unknown reason) starts getting farther and farther away from us. So, we head on down the road to try and play catch up. A few hundred yards down the road are the elk; bedded next to the road! They see us coming and off they go. We weren’t expecting that. We give them a few minutes and take off after them.
They strolled along at a good pace for about a mile and finally dove down into a steep, steep canyon. We caught a glimpse of the herd bull going over the other side; not a shooter. So we turn around and head back. There were 3 bugling bulls on this ridge. One was farther up in that steep canyon about a mile away and he sounded ok but we never saw him. The other was back the way we came and he sounded smaller. We confirmed him as not being a shooter as we ran into him and his herd on the way back out.
10:00 A.M. Back up at the draw with all the elk we had left to get a glimpse at the bull who led us on a wild goose chase, all was quiet. This, obviously, was unlike the day before. After about an hour or two and disgusted with the occurrences of the morning we decided to go catch up on some much needed sleep and hit up the valley in the afternoon.
That afternoon we went back in, from the bottom of the ridge this time. After about a half a mile in, we finally hear a bugle. There did not seem to be as many elk in there as the evening before, or even that morning. Hmm, perhaps they just aren’t moving and talking yet; so we head towards the one bugle we did hear.
Working our way up a small hill toward the bull I hear a loud CRACK! We’re getting close I’m thinking. We start sneaking further up the hill and we hear CRACK, POP, POW! Stop! Something is coming I whisper to Dad. We get ready and that’s when I catch movement off to my right coming through the trees on the clear cut about 80 yards away. It’s Big! It’s Brown! It’s a….Chevy blazer! Here it comes off-roading right up through all the elk about a half a mile from the nearest legal road. Well I wasn’t expecting this. So I just start filming these guys mobbing up through the trees on up toward the top of the ridge. (Which coincidentally was in the same general vicinity of some of the gunshots we heard, and which, we found out later, was an area that had attracted about 50 ravens and magpies. They were everywhere.)
Well, we just stayed put in disbelief, but there were now two bulls bugling up behind us some 200 yards so we decided to check them out. We stalked on up the ridge and there they were. There was a nice five point running some cows and a scraggly 6x6 came in and ran him off. We watched them both bugle and run around for about a half hour before heading back out at dark.
On the way back to camp we stopped to listen for some bugles to try and relocate the elk for the next mornings hunt. We found them. About a mile down from where they had been, we heard 5 or 6 bugles. Spirits went back up! It was game on!
Day 3:
We got within a few hundred yards of the elk well before daylight and decided to sit and wait for them as we assumed that they would be heading back up toward where they had been the day before.
Sure enough, right at daylight the cows started crossing a large clear cut headed back up.
There were two bugling bulls on the other side and one that crossed that we hadn’t seen about 150 yards up a small ridge from us on our side. We waited for a short while after daylight and spotted a 5 point tending and breeding a cow on the other side of the clear cut. Those elk seemed as though they wanted to stay over there so we decided to head up the hill and check out the bull closest to us.
The bull seemed to be hanging in the area pretty good so we decided to slip in on him. We got up on top of the little ridge he was on and it opened up to where you could see for about 150 yards. We spotted the elk messing around up in there and so we slowly began making our way there. I hung back as dad busted out the Montana decoy (whitetail) and eased forward. We decided to use the decoy after getting busted several times. We figured the deer profile would put them at ease and sure enough it did. Dad got to within about 30 yards and setup behind a small cluster of pines.
Shortly after we were all set up, the elk worked their way closer and started heading over into the timber to our right. At about 20 yards from where Dad was positioned, the herd, in a single file line, made their way across the open area; each one pausing for about 2 seconds to look at the decoy before moving on.
Then the bull came up behind the herd. He was a good looking 6 point but not a shooter. He ran past at about 20 yards bugling and herding cows. Finally after a few minutes he pushed his cows on up the ridge and out of sight; bugling the whole time.
It was only about 8:00 A.M. so we decided to head back across the big meadow to where that five point was and see if we couldn’t get a glimpse of the other bull over there. We ran into a few cows right away so we headed down a draw to try and get below them and keep the wind in our favor.
We could here the bull a few hundred yards up the hill from us just bugling his head off. We crept up to about 80 yards away taking care to avoid any bedded cows. We made it to a small patch of pines and finally caught sight of him up in the trees. It was either the same 5 point from that morning or another 5 point altogether. Either way, he was not a shooter so we headed back out.
At this point, we have been seeing quite a few smaller sized bulls with large groups of cows. We started to question whether or not we made the right decision in passing on that big 7x7 on the first morning. But there was no use in worrying about it now; it would have to pay off, right?
Now it was about 11:00 A.M. and we needed to head back home to get some business done. Our goal was to get back early enough to do an evening hunt. We figured the fastest way to get back in the woods would be to stay up on the Naneum side. We would just hunt over there that evening and see what we could find there the next morning. We had seen a nice bull, probably 340+ on a scouting trip over there on September 25th, so we were excited about getting back over there.
Well, as is usually the case, we didn’t get everything done as fast as we thought we could. We ended up being so scrapped for time that we decided to go to a different spot down lower than were we wanted so that we could begin hunting sooner and possibly get an opportunity before dark.
There was only about 45 minutes of shooting light remaining before dark. As we hit the woods we stopped immediately to see if we could locate a bull. I did a quick locator bugle and before I could even finish a bull answered and he sounded BIG!! Now up until this point we had heard some nice bugles that didn’t turn out to be large bulls, but just based on this bull’s bugle he sounded like and absolute monster! He was just roaring at anything making noise is his neck of the woods.
It took us about 3 minutes to grab what we could and we headed up the hill. It was steeper country and heavily timbered so I was very skeptical that we would be able to get a shot on this bull, but I was hopeful we could at least see him and determine if he was a shooter. So I made a few cow calls as we headed up the ridge. He kept just screaming! As we worked our way up the hill he started sounding like he was getting CLOSE! We stopped for a few minutes and suddenly I saw a cow coming down through the trees. I alerted Dad to hold still; they were coming right too us.
I’m scrambling to get this cow focused in my viewfinder when all of a sudden my screen is filled with nothing but antlers. I looked at Dad and said, “Holy crap! He is BIG!” He came strolling in at about 30 yards and Dad fired one off through the trees as I was fumbling with the camera.
The herd took off but they didn’t go far; maybe 50 yards or so. I made a couple cow calls and we waited for a few minutes. I couldn’t see very well up through the trees but Dad came down and told me that he saw the bull’s legs wobbling and watched him go down.
We decided to sneak up that way and put another shot on him if we could since there was about 20 minutes of shooting light left. As we made our way up through the woods, much to our surprise, we bumped into the cows who took off up the ridge. We got to where Dad had seen the bull go down and he was nowhere in sight. ”CRAP! We shouldn’t have pushed him! Who knows how far he’ll run and it’s suppose to rain tonight.”
As we stood there with that sick feeling in our guts we wondered about what to do. Should we give him a couple hours and go get some flashlights? What if we bump him a second time, if he is nearby he’ll likely run for miles next time.
Then with about 5 minutes of shooting light left we heard him in the brush just up around the ridge about 40 yards away. At that point we knew he was down for the count. What a relief! After getting up on him we realized just how big he was! He had a massive rack and look to be the size of a horse! Definitely the biggest elk I have ever seen downed.
He is a typical 6x7. I grossed scored him at 366 1/8 and he comes out at 356 ¼ net. I’m not quite sure if I’m measuring the points right. So hopefully I’m doing it wrong and he can squeak in at 360 for the books. That is assuming he doesn’t shrink much. If only he was a matching 7x7 it would give him over 6 inches more! We are very happy with him regardless. It just goes to show what a true monster a bull has to be to make the books.
Post by: cmiller85 on October 05, 2011, 08:52:46 PM
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Post by: Ranger91298 on October 05, 2011, 09:06:29 PM
Post by: WenHunter on October 05, 2011, 09:07:47 PM
Post by: muzzlebuck on October 05, 2011, 09:08:36 PM
Post by: 6x6in6 on October 05, 2011, 09:22:29 PM
Sweet bull. Congrats!!!
Post by: time2hunt on October 05, 2011, 09:30:23 PM
Post by: wastickslinger on October 05, 2011, 09:39:07 PM
Post by: Rooster1981 on October 05, 2011, 09:45:42 PM
Post by: stickbuck on October 05, 2011, 09:55:52 PM
Post by: SniperDanWA on October 05, 2011, 09:59:38 PM
Post by: Harstine Hunter on October 05, 2011, 10:19:38 PM
Post by: Ridgerunner on October 05, 2011, 10:42:29 PM
Post by: Todd_ID on October 06, 2011, 12:04:39 AM
Post by: Lunchbox1981 on October 06, 2011, 02:25:27 AM
Post by: idahoelkhunter300wby on October 06, 2011, 05:56:18 AM
You and your dad should be proud.
Post by: Huntboy on October 06, 2011, 05:58:40 AM
Post by: coachcw on October 06, 2011, 06:40:39 AM
Post by: KNOPHISH on October 06, 2011, 07:10:08 AM
Post by: groundhog on October 06, 2011, 07:27:58 AM
Post by: PlateauNDN on October 06, 2011, 10:40:25 AM
congrats on an awesome bull. Ill admit I was quite disapointed about the first picture. You got me. That bull you got is amazing. Have you seen the pictures of the Mission muzzy bull? He is about the same size. Sorry you had to deal with Phil Landcaster the elk poacher from here in East Wenatchee. That guy is just asking for it. Im glad he didnt totaly ruin your hunt. He is one of the reasons I no longer can bring myself to hunt on the colockum.
You and your dad should be proud.
I take it he's Indian? Do you know if he's Yakama or not?
Congrats to your dad what an awesome bull and sad you had the experiences you did and glad you got them on camera. :tup:
Post by: Gringo31 on October 06, 2011, 11:29:09 AM
Post by: jstone on October 06, 2011, 02:48:26 PM
Post by: predatorpro on October 06, 2011, 02:53:07 PM
Post by: colockumelk on October 06, 2011, 04:50:02 PM
Do us all a favor and PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE turn in that video to the authorities. If you suspect it is tribal then I suggest you send it to Plateau Indian because he does an outstanding job of tracking down those leads. I'm assuming he is tribal based on his comments to you. But again do all of us and the elk a favor and turn in this evidence.
Post by: 400out on October 06, 2011, 05:20:10 PM
Post by: hunterrcc on October 06, 2011, 09:56:24 PM
Post by: carpsniperg2 on October 06, 2011, 10:01:24 PM
Post by: SuperDave on October 07, 2011, 02:45:46 PM
Post by: firefighter4607 on October 08, 2011, 01:42:47 AM
Nice looking bull Congrats!!!!!
I was trying to be nice with that post, I was thinking that someone shot that with a quality elk tag :bash:
That is one hell of a bull your Dad got that did the tag justice
Post by: SkookumHntr on October 08, 2011, 08:53:39 AM
Post by: FSTaxidermy on October 08, 2011, 08:57:41 AM
Post by: bucklucky on October 08, 2011, 08:59:27 AM
Post by: 400out on October 08, 2011, 09:05:56 AM
Post by: Mark Brenckle on October 08, 2011, 12:24:44 PM
Post by: cmiller85 on October 10, 2011, 07:19:24 PM
I contacted the department last weekend after everything happened and they emailed me back and just asked which county it was in. I Havne't heard anything since, so I doubt they will do anything.
I reviewed the video footage and I didn't get enough shot to get the license plate. Seeing the guy come through the meadow caught me so off guard that I was scrambling just to get the camera on him. By the time I got the manual focus adjusted, he was out of sight. :bash:
But its not a chevy blazer. After reveiwing the footage, it looks more like a 93-95 model tan, nissan pathfinder (I think). :dunno:
Post by: coachcw on October 11, 2011, 07:28:17 AM
Post by: 250savage on October 11, 2011, 08:26:55 AM
Post by: colockumelk on October 11, 2011, 08:32:38 AM
Post by: woodywsu on October 11, 2011, 09:19:39 AM
Post by: C-Money on October 11, 2011, 04:45:37 PM
Post by: littlemac on October 18, 2011, 01:05:00 AM
Sorry to hear the Blazer part of it. I guess it takes all kinds, but if those guys don't follow the rules we'll all be the ones that lose out.
thanks for the great write up on your muzzy hunt.