What a great hunt. I hunted/saw a lot of big bulls. Before the season and into the season, I contemplated eating this tag by holding out for a "big" bull. I asked guys who hunted it what to expect and had my own expectations from seeing large bulls in the Lick Creek unit. I knew that the decision on what to shoot would ultimately be decided in the moment.
I received a ton of advice and good information. I really appreciate all those who shared their knowledge. I met several tag holders during the hunt and most all shared real-time information about their hunting and the bulls they were seeing. Rob and Ken were especially helpful--Rob even fed me twice when I stopped at his camp late. One night as I was climbing up out of Wenatchee Creek canyon, I see about 5 guys unloading Pelican cases from a black Sprinter van. Turns out Steve Rinella drew the same tag and he and his crew had just pulled in. I shared where I had been hunting and suggested some hunts. We shared some texts and I'm hoping to see his hunt on MeatEater.
A few of the highlights (I was into elk everyday; mostly large bulls): My first hunt was the evening of 9/4. I headed down into West Rattlesnake. Once inside the first "good" draw, I gave a location bugle and got an immediate responsive bugle back. That evening I talked with 6-8 bulls and saw three big bulls: a 310 6x6, a 330 6x8:
and a 7x7 in this video:
So after that hunt, I was definitely holding out for a big bull. The 7x7 in the video was 40-50 yards away and I thought he was a rag-horn, until he turned to the side and I could see his tops. Wow. There is a set of genes there that produces narrow frames and big tops. This trail camera picture is a good example of that type antler:
My friend Jes came over for a couple days and we camped in the bottom of Wenatchee Creek canyon. Jes is a beast of a man and a great caller. On the second day down there, we saw 9 bulls, 6 were 320 or bigger, including a huge 7x7 that Jes estimated at 370 and this 330 bull:
We hunted from camp at the bottom of the Wenatchee Guard Station trail, up the ridge between the main and west fork, up towards Cabin Saddle, over the top to the Lake Ridge Trail, the back down to camp. Long day, but we were into a lot of elk. However, getting back to camp was taking a long time in the dark and we decided that hunting bivy style was better. So after a long day of chasing bulls, we packed up camp at 9:30 and packed out to the top.
I hunted at the south end of the Nat'l Forest, bordering private ground. Tons of elk there. I tried to coax one of these 6x6's over the fence, but could only get them to within 40 yards or so:
On another day down there I talked with bulls for 3 hours first thing in the morning a called a bull right to the fence. Later that morning, I called a 310-ish bull to within 40 yards of the fence where he bedded. I sat on him for 3 hours, while cows milled around behind me for 20 minutes or so. He had no interest in them. He and I occasionally talked to one another until he finally got up and walked away.
A day later, back at Rattlesnake Creek, I heard a bull bugling. I already posted most of that story. I decided to stalk him since the bulls had only been responsive to bugles at a distance and would walk away from bugles or cow calls up close. (The elk usually didn't go far; not what I was used to.) At 120 yards, I saw him bedded and slowed to a crawl. While I was sneaking in, a 320-ish 6x6 walked in silently and cows milled around near the 6x6. The 6x6 raked a tree for 20 minutes or so. The 7x7 had no interest in the 6x6 raking or the cows milling. However, at every distant bugle, the 7x7 would immediately bugle back:
At each bugle, I would take a step or two. After 50 minutes, he finally busted me at about 50 yards.
I backed out slowly and headed towards what I thought were his continuing bugles as he walked away. Turned out to be another bull that I posted about earlier. That other bull was a huge 7x8 that I had broadside at 15 and 20 yards with no shot. The brush that covered his vitals at 20 yards was like this:
. That brush looks like it would deflect an arrow and result in a wounded bull.
That 7x8 was a tank. This is a picture of a similar 7x8 (2-3" kicker on a 7x7) taken the next day from the place I bumped the 7x8. The two cows and the 5x5 below have "normal" sized bodies. He has to outweigh that 5x5 by several hundred pounds.
I had left two cameras in the bottom of Wenatchee Creek canyon and wanted to move one. I loaded my bivy pack and headed to a good wallow up the west branch of the main creek. Sat on that wallow with a bull above and two below, but no elk came in. I set up "camp" a few hundred yards away and was serenaded by bugles throughout the night. This bull came into the wallow while I slept
He stayed in the area and bugled all morning within 100 yards or so of where I slept. I moved in on him, but couldn't close the deal. I ate and headed to the next major wallow to set up my camera. I sat there for several hours. While there, I thought a lot about how gracious my wife and assistant were to let me take so much time for this tag. My wife cares little for horns, but loves elk meat. I decided that I could not eat the tag; that I needed to fill it, if possible. If I had an opportunity on a 6x6, then I should take it.
I left that wallow around 5:00 and headed to a bench that holds elk. As I stepped up onto the bench, I cow called and a bull immediately bugled back. I cow called again and could hear him coming from 100+ yards away. I moved to in front of a dead snag and called again. He came in on a string, right for me. He was a small 6x6, a rag-horn 6x6. I had passed on bigger bulls several times during the hunt. He ran to within 15 yards of me, passing so quickly through the timber that I didn't have a clear time to draw. At 15 yards, he stopped, looking straight at me, got big eyes and turned. I cow called and drew. At 20 yards, I shot. He ran. I could see my arrow buried to the fletchings and blood spraying out. At 60-70 yards he stopped either because of my cow calls or because of the blood loss. He hung his head, stumbled, and fell. I let him be for a bit while I marked where I was, then headed down towards him. The blood trail was easy to follow with bright pink blood. He had crossed a small creek and was lying on the other side. As I approached to within 20-30 yards, he jumped up and ran 15 more yards, stopped, and turned. I put another arrow in his other side and he fell again.
He is not the big bull that I had sought. I had viewed many trail camera pictures of larger 6x6's that I thought I would pass on. But I shot him with my camp on my back, solo, in a steep, rugged canyon. I'll be happy with that.
The creek that he ran to served as a good refrigerant. I built a lattice of branches just above the water and laid the bags of meat on them to cool. The draw and the Pacific yew tree's branches provided good shade.
The pack out was only 1,200', but was steep.
. Shallowforks offered to drive back from Spokane to help pack out. I've never even met him in person, but we talked via text throughout the hunt about our progress. My brother-in-law packed one load of meat for me and I packed 4 loads of meat, one load of gear, and one load of antler and hide.
If you are considering applying for the unit, I would highly recommend it. If you are willing to put in the effort, there are a lot of big bulls there. And plenty of steep, rugged country to hide them.