DeDutch
10-26-2013, 05:24 PM
So after missing last years elk season due to some work commitments I was determined to get out and give it a good shot this year. I left for region 7b on the 13th. My first day I ran into a very nice bull on a mountain top but had no shot as he came in silent. I pushed that entire creek basin and the surrounding areas for another few days but had lots of old and very little fresh stuff. I then went to a sweet little river bottom spot and had 4 bulls bugling the one morning.....really exciting but only got a good look at the one rag horn I got within 20 ft. Went back 2 days later and only heard one chuckle well before dark, a little odd I thought, but I went in and started working the area, wolves were in there thick!!!! I howled back and forth with the one wolf from maybe 30 feet but could not see her for thick brush! I gave that spot up as a lost cause and moved an hour away to area I had never tried before. The first day I hiked up onto a very promising ridge and pushed it hard, some fresh sign but not enough, I slept overnight on the mountain and hiked back down to the truck the next day. I then moved further along the road and thought I might work along an old quad trail when I found a set of fresh tracks heading up the adjacent mountain!!
Success I thought and followed them most of the way up but didn't get into any action that night. The next morning I was up by 4 and started hikintg by 4:30, after a tough hike I was near the top and started calling, immediately I had a bull bugling back, I danced with that herd bull for an hour all over the mountain as he kept circling and the wind was swirly. I had him finally at ~ 30 yrds in thick jack pines and thought why not so I ran at him and screamed.......and.....he didn't buy it haha!!! I bounced a few other elk that morning and got back to camp by 8:30. Up by 4 the next day and played with two other bulls but they were not very aggressive and I lost them pretty soon. I gave that mountain a rest and hit 3 surrounding ones the next but didn't find anything I liked. So back to the gold mine I went!!! Right away I had this bull bugling and moved aborut a km up and across thru the sets of nice poplar benches to a spot uphill from him. A few more soft mews and he popped up over the ridge at 200 yrds and moved in closer. Still only seeing snatches of tan in between the trees I waited as he stared right at me. Slowly he turned, gave a few soft chuckles and started moving across the bench, I waited and his front shoulders popped into clean view. At the shot he buckled and then trotted 100 yards and dropped. 6:30 am has rarely felt so good!!! I ran up to him and spent a few moments admiring the old warrior and the sunrise before starting to work. I cut my tag, unbuckled my packboard and grabbed my knife, bear spray, and some extra rounds, sent my family the SPOT GPS coordinates and began a gutless skinless method. I finished, divided the meat and antlers into 3 packs and hopscotched them down the mountain. After 9, 10? Hours I finally had everything back at the truck. This was by far the most gruelling solo trip I have ever taken but also very rewarding to try a new area, completely debone my animal in the field, and get a little further afield.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/4lyj74rp4reou4o/2012-09-23%2006.04.06.jpg
https://www.dropbox.com/s/yvlb4b1apb13bix/2012-09-24%2019.21.23.jpg
https://www.dropbox.com/s/ejui4cpsh7y6m01/2012-09-22%2002.50.52.jpg
https://www.dropbox.com/s/hooumkuhtyom6pf/2012-09-24%2019.22.35.jpg
Success I thought and followed them most of the way up but didn't get into any action that night. The next morning I was up by 4 and started hikintg by 4:30, after a tough hike I was near the top and started calling, immediately I had a bull bugling back, I danced with that herd bull for an hour all over the mountain as he kept circling and the wind was swirly. I had him finally at ~ 30 yrds in thick jack pines and thought why not so I ran at him and screamed.......and.....he didn't buy it haha!!! I bounced a few other elk that morning and got back to camp by 8:30. Up by 4 the next day and played with two other bulls but they were not very aggressive and I lost them pretty soon. I gave that mountain a rest and hit 3 surrounding ones the next but didn't find anything I liked. So back to the gold mine I went!!! Right away I had this bull bugling and moved aborut a km up and across thru the sets of nice poplar benches to a spot uphill from him. A few more soft mews and he popped up over the ridge at 200 yrds and moved in closer. Still only seeing snatches of tan in between the trees I waited as he stared right at me. Slowly he turned, gave a few soft chuckles and started moving across the bench, I waited and his front shoulders popped into clean view. At the shot he buckled and then trotted 100 yards and dropped. 6:30 am has rarely felt so good!!! I ran up to him and spent a few moments admiring the old warrior and the sunrise before starting to work. I cut my tag, unbuckled my packboard and grabbed my knife, bear spray, and some extra rounds, sent my family the SPOT GPS coordinates and began a gutless skinless method. I finished, divided the meat and antlers into 3 packs and hopscotched them down the mountain. After 9, 10? Hours I finally had everything back at the truck. This was by far the most gruelling solo trip I have ever taken but also very rewarding to try a new area, completely debone my animal in the field, and get a little further afield.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/4lyj74rp4reou4o/2012-09-23%2006.04.06.jpg
https://www.dropbox.com/s/yvlb4b1apb13bix/2012-09-24%2019.21.23.jpg
https://www.dropbox.com/s/ejui4cpsh7y6m01/2012-09-22%2002.50.52.jpg
https://www.dropbox.com/s/hooumkuhtyom6pf/2012-09-24%2019.22.35.jpg