2015 Elk, Wolf and Moose Success

[Duidery]

I really enjoy reading the trail camera and successful hunt threads on HBC so I thought I’d share some of my successes and trail camera pictures of the 2015 hunting season.

My season started out much like the others in years past: scouting and setting up trail cameras in July. As usual, I was excited to set up cameras at some of my same old spots as well some new spots I had wanted to try. Over the course of four different trips out, I was able to set up eight different cameras at natural licks and those stocked with water softener salt.

Going on vacation for the first two weeks of August, I was excited knowing that all the cameras would be out for at least a month before I could check them. With my vacation over, I went out over the course of a few days and checked all the cameras. My excitement slowly, one camera at a time, turned to disappointment. Four of the cameras, within a week of setting them up, were knocked off the trees by cow elk or black bears. Two of the cameras had decent activity on them for two weeks until the cattle moved into the area and didn’t leave, filling my memory card or draining the batteries. One camera had a visit from one of BC’s finest citizens, who deleted all pictures and then failed to put the memory card back in the camera. At least, they didn’t steal the camera. Refreshingly, my last camera, which was set up over a new lick, had some decent elk activity.

Considering all the days that the cameras were out in the bush, I had very few animals on camera and certainly very few bulls compared to years past. Unlike previous years, I wasn’t overly confident or excited for the start of elk and moose hunting. Here are some of the better trail camera pictures, including my first wolf on camera.

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[Duidery]

My first few times out elk hunting I experienced stormy weather which made calling difficult. The only action I had was seeing a bull moose in the timber but not being able to count tines and then shortly after, spooking a 4x4 bull elk that didn’t hang around long enough for me to shoot.

I then went to the area where I actually had some decent photos of elk. The morning was clear and calm. For the first time all year, I was finally feeling good about my chances. After lots of walking and zero action, that day quickly turned disappointing as well.

I then decided to try a completely new area. My wife and I were planning on going out for an overnight night, so my Chesapeake and I went out for a quick morning hunt before I headed out with the wife. I slept in and arrived at the new spot about 15 minutes after first light. Fortunately no one else was there. The dog and I slowly made our way down the line letting out a few cow calls along the way. The wind started to pick up so I wasn’t getting too excited about my chances. I was hoping to at least find some sign to see if it would be worth hunting again.

About 20 minutes from the truck, I thought I heard a bull growl off to the north. Other than the small line I was on, there was thick willow, alder and small poplar around me – not very good visibility. The dog and I got in position down wind and cow called again. I didn’t hear anything from him, but another bull bugled far off to the west. I set up the Montana cow elk decoy, settled in and cow called again. Immediately he bugled again. This went on for the next 45 minutes or so although he didn’t come much closer. In addition to this bull bugling, I could hear the odd crashing in the bush where I had heard the first bull growl, although he wasn’t being vocal.

45 minutes later, the bull stopped bugling and I couldn’t hear anything else approaching. With the wind swirling badly, I thought I had spooked the close non-vocal bull. I decided to head in after the bull that was bugling. I should have been more patient though because as I was packing up the Montana decoy, I heard a crash about 25 meters away but it was too thick to see anything. If I hadn’t spooked the bull earlier, I just did now!

Just as I was about to leave the line and head in after the bull, I let out a bugle to try to locate him. I happened to look back to where I had come from and there was a cow elk looking at us about 100 yards away. Luckily the dog couldn’t see the cow and didn’t do anything other than sit there. After what seemed to be the longest staring contest I have been in, she finally looked the other way allowing me to drop to my knees and get my gun set up on my pack. Just as I got in position, a small bull walked out on to the line behind the cow. He wasn’t as big I was planning on shooting but after screwing with the bulls for an hour and this one standing perfectly broadside, I decided to take him.

That’s right when my dog finally got sight of the elk and started growling. Both elk were standing there looking us but not moving. I had to shoot before they spooked. Just as I was lining up on the bull, my dog decided to walk in front of me. I managed to get him back behind me and lined up on the bull again. Once again, the dog moved in front me. I’m not sure if it was some sort of protective move, but the dog certainly wanted to be between the elk and me. I finally got the dog to stay behind me and lined up on the bull for the third time. The bull just started to move so I pulled the trigger. The shot felt good but the bull bolted. I rushed off another shot but he didn’t drop. The cow stood there and looked at us for about five minutes more until she finally turned and slowly walked into the brush.

I slowly gathered my things and headed to where I had last seen the elk. Once there, I couldn’t find any signs of blood so I tried to get the dog excited to see if he would follow the bull. The dog caught on and bolted into the bush on a long leash. I followed him and 20 meters later he was standing yipping over the dead bull. I had drilled him right through the lungs. He wasn’t as big as I would have liked but the hunt was full of excitement and I didn’t want to pass up the tasty meat. We were able to get the ATV right to the elk and get him out easily.

With so much disappointment on my cameras and the uncertainty heading into elk season, it felt good to have one down and meat in the freezer. My dog has now been on four successful elk hunts. I have shot more with him, than without. It was also nice that he was able to lead me right to the bull. Hopefully he can now associate elk blood with all the great bones and scraps he gets. He is certainly my good luck charm when it comes to elk hunting.
http://i1325.photobucket.com/albums/u633/Duidery/DSC09801_zps3aapolbh.jpg (http://s1325.photobucket.com/user/Duidery/media/DSC09801_zps3aapolbh.jpg.html)
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A week later, my wife, my four-month baby and our two dogs decided to try the same spot. We did exactly what I did a week earlier and heard a bull from almost the same spot. This time though, the bull was bugling to the south. Once again the wind was swirling as the bull answered my cow calls.

All five of us hunkered down under a large spruce tree, getting shelter from the now falling rain. About 15 minutes later a cow walked out onto the line. The wind swirled and she walked away from us down the line and into the trees. About five minutes later, a cow popped out onto the line followed by a very small 3x3. I asked the wife if she wanted it but she declined. She had shot a small 2x3 last year and wanted something quite a bit bigger.

With the bull still bugling, we decided to head in after him. It was almost comical, having my wife leading way followed by me with the baby in a carrier and two dogs on leashes. We got in about 150 yards where we spooked some cattle that ran right towards the bull. We went on a bit further but the bull didn’t bugle again and with the rain coming down harder, we decided to call it a day. With the baby, the wife knew her hunting time would be limited this season, so she was a little disappointed to not get any closer to the bugling bull. At least she had some action though. We went out a few more times but couldn’t get anything to respond to calls.

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[HarryToolips]

Congrats on your 5x5 bull elk, and sounds like a great time huntin with the family....sounds like your elk pops is doing well up there...

[Duidery]

I really wanted to find my wife a bull elk so I decided to scout a few areas for her. The dog and I headed out one night after work. I pulled up to the spot, grabbed the gun and thought about grabbing my pack. Since I mostly likely wasn’t going to be shooting or processing an animal, I decided to leave the pack, which also had my spare bullets. I started down trail with three bullets in my gun. This wasn’t grizzly country so I felt comfortable with only three.

I made a long loop following an old trail. When I was at the far end of the loop just heading back toward the truck, I began to hear a pack of wolves well off in the distance. I have heard them many times before and thought nothing of it. As I was following the trail towards the truck, I began to get closer and closer to the wolves. With about twenty minutes of daylight left, I wasn’t feeling overly great about the trail heading right towards the wolves. I didn’t want to back track all the way back the way I came and I didn’t want to bushwhack through the willows towards the truck so I continued on, hoping the wolves may be just off the trail or smell me before we got too close.

About five minutes later, I looked up and one was standing on the trail looking at us at about 75 yards. I took my scope cover off but before I could get a line on the wolf, it turned and went out of sight. Another (or possibly the same one) then appeared on the line so I thought I better send a message. I aimed at the neck and dropped it where it stood – that should scare off the pack. I walked up and found that it was only a small pup and it was at the intersection of two lines. Standing over the dead wolf, I looked to the left and there was a large wolf watching us on the line. It began to run once I noticed it. I shot as it ran away and dropped it but it got back up and limped over the hill. I turned around and looked down the line in the other direction and saw another small pup watching us. With only one bullet left and a potentially injured wolf on the line towards the truck, I decided to not shoot the small pup. It turned and ran off soon after.

I snapped a couple of pictures of the dead wolf pup, stashed it in the bush and then headed up to look for the other. As we approached to where I thought the wolf was when I shot, a bunch of the wolves below me began to howl. I have never been afraid of wolves before but the howling of the wolves combined with only one bullet and five minutes of daylight was extremely creepy and eerie. My dog was also feeling uneasy and wouldn’t leave my side so I decided to get out of there immediately.

I went back the next day with an ATV to retrieve the dead wolves. I found the pup where I stashed it and then began to look for the larger one. I had both dogs with me and hoped they would be able to track the wounded wolf. The dogs were able to find where the wolf left the trail but they soon lost the trail in the thick pecker pole poplars. We retraced our steps and found a bunch of blood and even two chunks of bone. I got excited and figured that my first adult wolf would dead a short distance away. Not the case however. We tracked his blood trail for 275 yards before we finally lost all signs of blood. I was very disappointed I couldn’t find it – it was the first time I actually had shots at wolves and the dead pup wasn’t much of a consolation. We decided we had enough and left with me learning to always carry extra bullets, even if I’m not hunting.

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[.308SLAYER]

Thats sounds like a not bad hunting season and a double with the wolves to boot congrats, i think its safe to say that the bigger one is dead they must have a den in that area that pup looks like it was just starting to get out on its own good job

[Cyrus]

sounds like a great year! congrats!

[Huntfarm2]

Nice elk… Head back to that area where you shot the wolf in the spring and Howl all around there and you will find the pack and where the den is near

[Duidery]

With the moose rut in full swing, the wife decided that we should have one last hunting trip over Thanksgiving weekend. She picked a spot where she had done some fieldwork in the past and had seen moose and found some large sheds. We set up camp Friday afternoon and I went out for an evening hunt looking for somewhere to head out in the morning. This spot didn’t have a lot of sign so the wife, baby and I tried a different location the next morning. There was some older sign but definitely no signs of a moose rut. We then road hunted during the day hoping to find some sign for the evening hunt. We didn’t see much sign and only a couple of wolves during the day. They were gone before we could even stop the truck.

The wife decided to stay in camp that evening so I took the ATV and decided to cover some miles and hope to find some recent sign. I put a lot of kms on that evening and finally got onto a pipeline with some fresh bull moose tracks. It was windy so I wasn’t keen on calling so I just kept covering ground hoping to run into something or at least find a spot to call if the wind died down the rest of the weekend.

I approached a lease and saw a dark spot in the far corner. I continued on with the ATV and noticed a cow moose standing there. I didn’t even slow the ATV down; I just drove right past her. Once I was past the lease a few hundred yards, I grabbed the gun and ran back to the edge of the lease and crept up onto the topsoil pile. A bull walked out behind the cow at about 200 yards. Neither animal knew I was there. I turned the scope up to 18 power and looked at the brow tines on the left side – crap only one! I looked at the right side and there were three obvious tines.

I waited a couple of minutes until he turned broadside and drilled him right behind the shoulder. He took a few steps up the bank so I was going to shoot again but he began to do the death wobble. He swayed and then rolled back down the bank to where he first stood. He began to thrash so I shot him in the neck, which ended his suffering. I hopped on the ATV and drove up to him and was surprised to find him at the edge of a large puddle.

I drove back to camp, gathered some supplies and drove the truck right to him. We were able to drag him onto somewhat dry, grassy ground where we gutted and cut him in two before loading him in the truck. I drove into town the next day, hung him up with the winch and skinned/cleaned him up. He was 670lbs at the butcher. I was back at camp that afternoon to enjoy some drinks around the fire with my family that night.

I know a lot of people on here are going to crap on the idea that I was hunting moose from an ATV, but I have seen much more moose and had much more success hunting them from an ATV. Of the five moose I have killed, four of them have been while hunting from an ATV. The one I got while walking was seen right after we left the ATV. Sometimes with moose, covering ground is better than just focusing on one area. In this case, it wasn’t my first choice but because of the unfamiliar area and heavy winds, I wasn’t able to call and concentrate on one area.

Anyway, that has been my 2015 hunting season so far. I probably wont have any deer stories but I hope to share some coyote kills.

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[Backwoods]

Right on!!! Great pictures and storey congrats on your season thanx for sharing

[Pinewood]

Way to go! Great story and pictures.

[avadad]

Great season! Good for you to have a wife who supports your hunting.

[albravo2]

What a season! Good for you!

[kush]

Quite Jealous

[epicZERO74]

Very sweet trail cam pics and success story!!

[kennyj]

Great season! Thanks for sharing your family adventures.
kenny

[hunter1947]

You had a real good year this year ,,I like the picture of your doggy sitting there thinking about all,,LOL ,,thanks for your story and pictures was a nice see,,congrats on your years hunt..

[BiG Boar]

What a great season. nice job

[325]

Congrats! Nice animals

[ElliotMoose]

Right on! That elk will be a tasty one. Congrats on a great season! Get back out there and hammer some wolves!

[markt308]

thanks for sharing man! that's a pretty awesome season so far

[lakelander]

Great season there buddy!!