Western WA Quality Bull Archery Mudflow Unit 5099

[Wanttohuntmore]

Great job,  looking forward to the story. 

[Rugergunsite308]

Hey all,
   This is the story of my 2023 Mudflow archery Bull Season. I will probably ramble quite a bit since I am going to try and include as much information as possible to give a full picture of the hunt as well help future tag holders. I will also be including a bit of my faith and points where I experienced God’s hand in this hunt because it played a large role. That being said, lets get into it!
   I scouted for the hunt on 4 different occasions. Once in June, just prior to Weyerhaeuser permits going on sale to ensure that I could access the south side of the unit without a drive in permit. This turned out to be true and I was able to gain access to the unit via the 4200 road over the Toutle range. Saw lots of blacktail and explored the deer creek side of the unit (west end) and found a road that takes you all the way to the bottom of the flow. There are also good glassing nobs in that section.
   Second scouting trip was in July and I explored the bottom of the flow and found it to be too hot to hold elk. Also traveled all the way up to 5 corners and explored some meadows in the 3-3.5k elevation range that seemed to hold more elk in the hot months. On the third trip after asking around on this forum I explored around spud mountain (South east side of the unit) and found it to be a great area for elk and spotting a nice heard of cows. That’s when I set a trail cam and caught the picture of the bull posted earlier in the thread. On the final scout on labor day weekend I set up camp and explored more of the Toutle side of the road since it was raining and my buddy who came with had an archery deer tag and the Blacktails were out and about.
   From here on out I’ll break it down by day:
Opener (1):
   I had 3 guys helping me on day one. Two are mountain marathon runners and the other is my father. We explored a couple drainages west of spud mtn. and had lots of sign but no elk. After lunch we went on the east side of spud mtn and had 3-4 elk bugling  in the basin between us and castle ridge, and we tried dropping down on one but it gave us the slip. From there we hiked back up spud and proceeded to bust elk 360 degrees around spud mtn due to poor wind. The elk in the mudflow might seem like they are an unafraid animals since they bugle so much in the unit, but one whiff of man and they are gone. On the west side of spud we busted a larger heard of just cows that took off parallel the road. Apparently there was a mountain lion on the other side of the herd that came barreling down and crossed the road ahead of us with a perplexed look on his face. We saw three more bulls that night in the same drainage.
Day (2)
   Again we walked out the east side of spud only to see elk feeding on a knob between us and castle peak. We put a good stalk on them taking into consideration the wind and got into the heard before starting to bugle. The Bull, a nice 5, was very responsive at about 75yds away but instead of coming into fight, rounded his cows up and took off. As we worked our way back to spud on the road we got a hot tip from a Toutle hunter about elk on the boundary trail at the far SE side of the unit. Upon inspection, the heard we saw was very large, but didn’t contain any dominant bulls, just a handful of 4pts and spikes. Although on that trail, we saw a deer that had either been chased over or was surprised by the presence of a cliff and had plunged 30ft to its death that morning.
After lunch we worked our way around spud and I got into a huge heard on the back side of spud with a large bull in it. I was praying for peace the whole time as I suffer from the shakes when I’m around elk. I was able to get onto the bull at 15 yds but he was angled down hill which eliminated the ability to take a full frontal shot. When he turned I moved into position to shoot but he was obstructed by alders and never gave me another shot before the heard busted. From there we bugled in another 5pt bull 400ft in elevation below this herd but couldn’t close the deal. Before the day was out we also got into another 5pt in a meadow to the west of spud that responded positively to cow calls but ran at the sound of a bugle.
Day (3)
At this point the help had left and it was just me. It appears the elk would respond to bugles willingly but weren’t quite ready to come in and kick butt at the drop of a hat. They were following Reagan’s advice: “Trust, but verify.” At this point I explored a little in the drainages west of spud to no avail. From there I worked to the north side of spud and began putting a stalk on a nice black antlered 5 point with a heard of 20 plus cows (see picture). After getting busted by a cow in a multi hour stock, I got into more bugling action but no more close ups with elk.
Day (4)
I decided to give the elk around spud a rest and hunt the drainages in the south central part of the unit. I would drive and either bugle into the drainages or just sit and listen. On one drainage I didn’t call at all and within a few minutes I could hear brush breaking as the elk winded me from the road and took off down towards the flow. With the wind traveling downhill I took off in parallel to them and got below them. As things settled down, I began to cow call like a lost member of the herd and brought the bull down to me. Again, praying for peace, I calmed my nerves as the decent 5 approached to 8 yards and I shot. The shot was a little high and I was up above him at the shot. This was around 8:00 am. I figured I had still hit lung though and stayed put without moving after the shot since I new he hadn’t run far. I was feeling smug thinking he was dead or dying only 30yds away or so. After 15 minutes I saw him crest a rise about 70 yds away and slink into the trees. I spent the rest of the day looking for him. There was no blood and distinct tracks went away after 80 yds or so. All I could do was go in wider and wider circles as despair began to set in. As the rain came on, further eliminating any hope of finding blood, all that was left to do was work my way back to camp. The pride I had felt after calling in a bull was then replaced by the yearly feeling of dread for archery equipment. How is anyone expected to kill anything with just a pointy stick? I have hit and seen elk be hit high before and they simply do not die. Additionally, any blood that does come out has to flow over the side of the elk then down to the ground, further decreasing visible blood on the ground. As I go to sleep that night, wondering if killing elk is even possible and feeling sick to my stomach about losing an elk, the only solace I feel is from the Josey Wales quote; “Buzzards got to eat, same as worms.”
Day (5)
I wake to more rain and more depression, and I even start packing up for a trip home, feeling as though a night at home, seeing my young son and wife, and taking a shower will lift my spirits. At about 9:30, after breakfast, I start to repeat “The Joy of the Lord is my Strength.” It became my mantra over the next few hours as I reloaded my pack, put on some new hunting clothes, and headed out into the wet conditions. As I was rounding the east side of Spud again, the weather broke, and I heard some more bugling down in the very bottom of the drainage between spud and castle ridge. From there I repeat; “The Joy of the Lord is my Strength” and I head down to the road that comes off of spud and connects with the castle ridge trail. Down in the bottom I come across a 4 point that wanted to play, but I couldn’t justify being 1500 feet below and 3.5 miles away from the truck to shoot the little guy. From there it was nothing but mayhem on the west side and top of castle ridge. I bugled in a couple of bulls that gave me the slip, had countless others that were bugling back at me, and spotted some absolute beautiful bulls. As I hiked out onto the boundary road that evening, my spirits had lifted and the Joy of the Lord was my strength.
   That night my father-in-law was waiting in camp and ready to get in on some rut action the next morning
Day (6)
   My Father-in-law and I loaded up and headed to castle ridge. Before we even had our packs on we were listening to elk bugling back and forth without prompting. We walked down the mile or so trail that skirts the west side of castle peak until we almost entered the blast zone. Here we were greeted by the bugling and foot stamping of a gorgeous 5pt with a whole herd of ladies with him. All I could see through the trees was his whale-tale formed by his fourth and fifth tine and I knew I wanted him. After starting to play the bugle game with him he rounded up his cows and cut over the ridge heading for castle lake. I cut below him on the other side of a finger ridge and crested over it directly into the center of the herd. All I Could see were the bulls antler tips and I could tell he was facing my direction. As soon as he turned his head I finished cresting the ridge and came to full draw. The bull ran uphill to collect his cows and then passed back down hill broadside to me at what I thought was 40 (but turned out to be 30) yards. As he was passing he began slowing down. As I released he sped up again to a sprint and I watched my heavy arrow take him in the high hip and bury itself in about 18 inches. I then watch the bull and his heard run towards the lake, bugling. I mark my spot where I shot from and where the bull was standing when I shot with the pit in my stomach sinking lower and lower with every bugle I hear getting closer to the lake.
   From there I go back and meet up with my father-in-law and shared with him the events that transpired. He had actually been on a hunt two days prior with someone else who had shot a deer in the hind quarter and had it die within 100yds. With prayers in our hearts we started looking. The whole ash hillside was totally covered in tracks and impossible to tell age. With my father-in-law following what looked like a main trail going in the direction I had watched the bull go, I zig zagged back and forth looking so see if any blood or sign deviated from this trail. I ended up following another trail down to a lower road that was littered with huge Mtn. lion tracks. I said to myself; “Mountain lions need to eat, same as worms.” At that point I heard a loud whoop a hundred yards above me and then a loud bugle obviously from my father-in-law. I thank the Lord and start running uphill, scrambling up the hill with my hands like when you’re dreaming and can’t move quickly in any direction. I find my father-in-law and eventually the bull wedged between a couple of stumps where he had collapsed and thankfully not fallen further down slope. My Father-in-law spotted him only because he had a couple of faithful cows still around him when my father-in-law approached.
   After a quick prayer of thanks and some grip-and-grins, we began butchering him from the top down and actually pulled his guts out through the ribs. We had him tied off in 4 different places to keep him from rolling further down hill. While removing the ribs, I found another arrow wedged broadhead first into the ribs from a hunter last year. It entered through the backstrap and wedged itself in the opposite rib cage. This gave me hope that the one I hit earlier in the week would survive for someone to harvest next year. Upon removing the hind quarters we found that my arrow had penetrated through the pelvis and poked out the far side of the elk, leaving the center of the arrow inside while the broadhead and fletching were both snapped off.
   After three packs each and breaking down camp, we were home around 11pm. Thanks again for all the help I received from folks on this forum, my family, my friends and finally God, for blessing this hunt.

[Rugergunsite308]

Elk on back of spud

[Rugergunsite308]

more gripn grins

[Rugergunsite308]

butchering

[Rugergunsite308]

Packout

[Rugergunsite308]

other arrow

[Falcon]

  Nice work and hug congrats 

[b0bbyg]

Nice work!  And thanks for all the details.
Missed you popping into camp this year, I should have had a 5 to match if I could shoot better when rushed.

Super happy you had a great successful hunt in a beautiful area.

[blackveltbowhunter]

Awesome write up, pictures and bull! Way to go! I have had the joy of helping a good friend on this hunt and its a one of a kind experience! Up and down spud...lol

Congrats!

[Wanttohuntmore]

Congrats! 

[dvolmer]

Way cool!  Great work!!!

[Rugergunsite308]

Just got the bull back from the taxidermist, (Shout out to S&D skullworks in washougal). I rough scored with P and Y to a gross of 240 and net of 227. I say rough score because it was me working off their interactive worksheet and using a sewing tape. Not official by any means but cool to know. Minimum for PY for Roosevelt is 225! Not that scoring is everything but it is fun to brag a bit about a PY bull. Don't know if I'll ever get an official score because It would probably pop my bubble. Bull was 43 4/8 wide but you can only count width up to the length of the longest beam, so only 38 inches of width counted.
Now I just have to find room on the wall....

[huntnfmly]

Congrats nice bull thanks for sharing

[ELKBURGER]

Nice story and nice bull Colton!!!