So after tripping over dozens of moose, mules and a few whiteys this week with no sign of elk up we get this morning to make the hour drive to one of the properties we can hunt by first light, it's an isolated little corner alongside the peace river it's a 3km stretch of field a little over 1km wide surrounded by trees with with 2 stands of trees down the middle and a tiny rustic cabin at the front end; there's about 4' of snow on the fields and it's like -23c after blazing up a fire in the cabin it's starting to get light so we strap up and fight our way through the snow to the tree line in the middle of the field for a good vantage point, couple hours later we're back to the cabin after seeing nothing except howling coyotes
hanging out glassing as the fog that was surrounding the fields lifts now we can see the hills and there they are!
5 elk bedded in an opening about 300yds up a draw and 3 km across deep snow fields barely visible but definitely there so "screw it!" this is gonna hurt but it's gotta be done,
The plan, I go down the tree line where the elk can keep an eye on me as I pose no threat while my partner (the threat) head to toe in white stealthfully sneaks around the other side to come up under them
and after 3 hours of snowy misery had finally come up under them, backed out into the field to get them in his sights and......................MULE DEER!!!!