Rocksteady 2020.. Year of Corona

[rocksteady]

Starting my annual hunting docu series for everyone to hopefully enjoy.

I was not successful in drawing any Limited Entry this year, but no big deal. I was fortunate enough to get my moose last year and a couple of whitetail. Had many, many close encounters with elk but either not enough points of just did not work out.

I am really getting excited about bow season. Have a trail camera out at a favorite spot with lots of potential. Mainly elk on camera, but also some mulies and whitetail, as well as a big moose.

So I will be packing a pocket full of tags, looking for opportunities in Region 4..

I will attempt to keep it up to date, as the season progresses, but there could be lags if I have no time..


I don't hunt bears and really did not have the passion for turkey this spring, but did get out a considerable amount of time shooting gophers on a friends ranch, which is always good practice of trigger control, sight picture yada yada.

Feel free to follow along and I hope I am able to provide pics and stories of hunts, especially successful ones..

[Island Idiots]

Enjoyed your post last year. Good luck Rock.

[jimzuk]

Yes your adventures last year was the best story on this site. Really looking forward to it again

[whognu]

Giddy up

thx

[nano]

I look forward to this every year , thanks for keeping it going rocksteady

[rocksteady]

Sep 1 will find me sitting in my blind with elk, moose, muley and whitey tags.

Any bull elk, spike fork moose, any wt buck and any muley buck for the first 9 days.

Have all of these species on my cam, so pretty hopeful.

I just hope the weather cools down some. During our last hot spell everything went nocturnal..

[Poguebilt]

woohoo! cant wait to see what the "honey hole" produces this year!

[quadrakid]

Best of luck!

[Redthies]

Looking forward to your stories again!

[BeerMan]

Last years thread was great! Good luck.

[Ron.C]

Sep 1 will find me sitting in my blind with elk, moose, muley and whitey tags.

Any bull elk, spike fork moose, any wt buck and any muley buck for the first 9 days.

Have all of these species on my cam, so pretty hopeful.

I just hope the weather cools down some. During our last hot spell everything went nocturnal..

good luck!!!! looking forward to following again this year

[Dash]

Really enjoyed your thread last year so I'm naturally looking forward to it this year. Best of luck out there!

[835]

Good luck MF'er! last year was a great thread... but I want to see an arrowed elk this year ok!
all the best

[rocksteady]

Well, eve of the biw opener..

Gear all triple checked, bow shooting well..

Cant wait til morning:)

[RICKADY]

Don't forget to set your alarm, if ya can even sleep, good luck to all on the first day,
looking forward to your writes Rock.

[835]

Jelous...... all i got..

[rocksteady]

Well, slow day.. in my ground blind by 530.. 45 minutes it was grey light.. sat there til after 11.. saw a whopping 3 squirrels.. big ones though..

Checked trail cam, no elk showing up until middle of tge night..

Oh well, thats hunting. Be back there again in the morning, unless i think of a better spot tonight.

Not gonna hunt evenings til it cools. Not seeing much daytime movement past about noon..

[rocksteady]

Day 2 was also a squirrel only day. Went to a diiferent spot along the edge of the river. Parked nearby, in the dark, snuck in.. i hear all sorts of cow calling and bugles across the river. I got stoked as this is one of the few places elk can cross against the current..

Well, didnt i get surprised when it gets gray dawn, theres a inflatable boat on the far shore about 100 yards down. They must have come in before me..

Bailed out of there. Did more scouting than hunting.

Saw zip.. not even a grouse.

I think the combination of the hot temps and a full moon is causing the elk and deer to be night owls. Checked my cam this morning, all the elk are coming through in the middle of the night.. some deer pics in daylight but not elk..

Oh well.. patience i guess.

The temps will cool, moon will wane, rut will kick into high gear and hopefully will end up with better stories for you.

May try a night hunt at another spot. Elk tend to travel through as soon as the sun dips behind the mountain..

Oh wel.. still having a great time in the peace and quiet of the woods..

[rocksteady]

Hiking out from my blind, walking diwn the railway tracks, heard a noise behind me. Black bear was following me about 100 yards back. No bear tag, so just kept heading fir the truck

[rocksteady]

Buddy jyst texted ne. Killed a 5 point bull.. half day pack for 4 guys about to happen... at least i know that bulls exist :)

[rocksteady]

Day 4.. no elk, no bugles..

Saw 1 wt doe and 1 md doe..

Not much activity in this weather where i am hunting

[rocksteady]

Took the last few days off.. too hot for regular elk movement where i hunt, they have gone nocturnal.

Big storm coming tonight supposed to last for a day or so. Supposed to bring rain so hoping the rain and break in the weather will get them back onto their normal routine, plus the storm will help hide that stupid full moon..

[Redthies]

At least you’re getting out there! 3 more days to wait for rifle season...

[rocksteady]

So after taking 2 days off due to heat, sat in my blind from 0600 to 1700.. saw one wt doe.

Got drizzled/rained on for first 90 minutes then it went dead calm til about 200

Checked my cam and a lone 6 point came in yesterday morning around 930... argh..

Saw a few deer on the trip out. Passed up a spike wt in velvet at 30 yards on the drive out.

Hopefully the rain and drastic temp drop puts the elk back on a normal schedule vs nocturnal.

[j270wsm]

Snow in the hills around elkford this morning and supposed to drop to -1 over night. Hopefully it gets the elk moving for you.

[rocksteady]

I think they are moving too much.. into black, damp timber where you cant find them ;)

[rocksteady]

Another slow one. Sat at the cam from 630 til 1400.. zip.. zilch. Nil.. nada.

Elk came in last night around 130 am.

Drove up a different road. 4 muley does.

Same road way out. 3 wt does and a big 2 point, but he can wait, i am focused on elk..

One more day for archery.. no pressure ;)

[rocksteady]

Yesterday was a cluster.. went to feed horses at 530am.. found one of the 4 down and dead..

Went to my cam, checked it (all elk in dark) sat there fir an hour, then had to come home to deal with horse.

Wife was very upset, so j took today off to make sure she is fine.

First opening day of rifle that i have missed in my whole career

[Island Idiots]

Sorry to hear. Condolences. You will get back out soon.

[rocksteady]

Hallelujah!!!!!
Good news, saw my first elk of 2020 and it was a bull
..spike that is...

Set up on the river in the dark, lots of bugles and cows squelling on the private land.. the only elk i saw was the spike who walked out to the rivers edge around 730 and 2 does

[rocksteady]

http://imgur.com/gallery/7oXnwgz

[Island Idiots]

Way to go! Nice Buck!��

[338win mag]

Nice Whitetail!

[tyreguy]

Nice buck and nice shot.

[rocksteady]

I was looking for elk. Big open tall grass/ reeds. Only cover us a couple old cottonwood out in the field. Was tgere maybe 30 minutes and this buck and his bit smaller brother came out of the reeds to me.

Could not pass him up.

Still at square one for elk. At least i got one for the freezer

[Dash]

Nice buck! Congrats! Sorry to hear about the horse :(

[BeerMan]

Nice Buck! No wasted meat on that one:smile:

[Redthies]

Nice one RS! Sorry about the horse. Any idea on what happened to it? My wife would be a mess too.

[rocksteady]

Nice one RS! Sorry about the horse. Any idea on what happened to it? My wife would be a mess too.

I suspect a jammer.. he was laying in the pasture all flat out, no signs of trauma or wound. Looks like he just laud down and died. Of course, it had to be the wifes gelding. He has always been the obe getting hurt or getting into stuff. He was 24ish

[RICKADY]

Hey Rock, hope your wife's going to ok, and you to of course.
RIP to Horse!

[rocksteady]

Went to the cam this morning. Only 50 pictures sinc the 9th. Half were deer , other half was of a 4pt solo bull.

No other elk on camera in daylight, but no pics at dark either. No bugling, no cow chirps..

I think they all went over the mountain or something..

[HarryToolips]

Sorry to hear about the horse passing away, and congrats on your nice WT buck..good luck on the elk, wish me luck too, about to head out for 5 days trying to get my first elk...

[835]

Nice buck Rock.. he looks real "clean" dont really know how to say what i mean.. but sleek?

[rocksteady]

Nice buck Rock.. he looks real "clean" dont really know how to say what i mean.. but sleek?

He still has his summer coat..

[rocksteady]

finally found the elk..

Sitting on a viewpoint overlooking river bottom, see a cow about 1 km off.. hike as far as i can before the bench drops straight down in bluffs.

Got within 500 yards.. watch them for 20 or so. Cow and calf.

Hike back to truck, look again.. crap, more elk out, better go look.. hike back over. Spotter set up..

Another cow and a good sizedbull. Could not tell for sure at 500 if he was a 5 or 6. Too much smoke in fading light. Will beback there at first light..

The smoke is brutal for glassing.. just like fog, hard on the eyes

[rocksteady]

K, so was out at the spot that i left the elk in at last light, first thing this morning.

Hiked to the bluff. Within 5 minutes i had 6 cows and calves feeding below me at 200 yards. As daylight dawned, they mossied along over the train tracks into the nasty river bottom stuff... strange, no bull..

Another herd of 5 or 6 crossed 600 metres south.

As i was hiking from one bluff to another i see elk ripping down a sheer sand bluff about 300 yards away going like a bat out of hell.. i get to a vantage point and wait for them to come out of the timber into the sleough before the tranks, which they do..

First came a big old cow (no surprise) followed by maybe 8 others, then out comes the bull from last night, i think. He is hot on one of the cows chasing her willy nilly.

Get the binos on him, 5.. 5... spotting scope... 5... 5... maybe some junk on the bottom(was hoping for a double brow) and then they followed all of the others general direction of going to the river.

Eventually, after a km i lost sight of them. Bailed off tge bluffs to try to get around them but it did not work..

Back there again right now, glassing in the smoke..

[Redthies]

Of course, it had to be the wifes gelding.

At least it wasn’t her stallion...


you know...


you! :lol:

[rocksteady]

2 groups spotted tonight.

3 cows in one group.. 8 cows and a bugling bull in the other. Could not determine if it was a 4, 5 or 6 due to the smoke and being 700 yards aware or so..

[rocksteady]

At least it wasn’t her stallion...


you know...


you! :lol:

I am a gelding too.. want to see a pic of my scars?

[rocksteady]

Morning update.. no bugles.. but saw 2 small bunches.. 3 or 4 in each.

Smoke is getting a bit better.

Saw the one group this morning and decided to check them out closer..

Off the cut bank i go, down the hill 200 metres to the tracks, across and start slow handing it through the willows on this internal area totally surrounded by big spruce. Only way you could see in here would be from the air.. so i spend an hour or so in there, seeing lots of elk poop and sign, as well as lots of does and fawns wandering aimlessly.

Got to the formal edge of the river bank, time for a rest..

Take off my pack, drink some coffee and start doing work emails..

A few minutes in i hear a noise and there are 2 coyotes drinking water on a side eddy about 10 yards straight in front of me. They were in total confusion as to what i was.. put phone away, reading glasses in pocket, slowly reached for the rifle, brought it up.. bang.. first one drops, second one jumps 5 feet sideways to see what happened to his buddy. That was the last thought #2 had before he checked out. First one at 10 yards, second at 12

Back out for the evening hunt..

[Redthies]

I am a gelding too.. want to see a pic of my scars?

Nah. I’ll trust you on that!

[rocksteady]

Only saw 3 wt does and 3 cow elk last night. No bugles..

This morning i was dog tired from getting up early and hiking so much, so had a sleep in laid back day.

Out to a different spot tonight

[rocksteady]

Well, been getting behind on posting..

Been out every day and most evenings.

Seen probably 10 wt bucks since i posted last, lots of does.

Elk... thats another story. Been seeing a few herds, a few bulls but no luck confirming 6.

Seens to be post first rut now.. not much bugling and when they do ots a half assed single tone with a couple chuckles at the end. Bulls are not returning calls with bugles..

Oh well, got my limit of grouse this morning, so not going home empty handed..

[HighCountryBC]

Definitely not post-rut, Rock. Things are going off from the Okanagan to the East Kootenays.

[rocksteady]

Things have dropped right off here in the EK. The screaming bulls are not as active as they have been, from my experience lately.

[rocksteady]

well, it finally happened.. found a 6 at first light.. 300 yards..

And missed :(

Spent 6 hours grid searching and not a single drop of blood.

[jan.wi97]

Oh damn... I was ready to clap a round of applause...
Next time?

[835]

damned! sucks

[rocksteady]

Things have changed though. Saw a 4 point wandering all by himself yesterday around noon. Later on the drive out i saw a herd with a big bull but could never see his points properly.

They are moving during the day, thanks to the moon going away and temps dropping..

[jan.wi97]

Things have changed though. Saw a 4 point wandering all by himself yesterday around noon. Later on the drive out i saw a herd with a big bull but could never see his points properly.

They are moving during the day, thanks to the moon going away and temps dropping..

We are looking forward to pictures of a nice rack
and then of a dinner plate piled with Elk steak :)

[Bugle M In]

well, it finally happened.. found a 6 at first light.. 300 yards..

And missed :(

Spent 6 hours grid searching and not a single drop of blood.

Was that 6pt coming in silent?? or did he let you know he was coming?
Or, just a passer by?

Anyways, off in the a.m. for my hunt to begin by friday evening!!

As for bulls going silent, I doubt they are post rut.
If anything, should be hitting the 2nd rut right about now, im my experience anyways.
Could just be the bulls going silent due to hunting pressure and too many folks around doing a whole lot of calling the past few weeks now???

[rocksteady]

6 pt came through with a herd. Cows were chirping, he never said a thing. I don't think its post rut, just a lull between cycles of cows going into estrous

[rocksteady]

Soent most of yesterday retracing my steps redoing my grid search like i did the day before after shooting at the bull.

Saw2 whitey does and 3 muley does.

Anyways, no trace of a hit at all. No large groups of crows or coyotes, so i feel better that i think it was a clean miss.

Same spot today. Cow and calf came thru at about 715. 20 minutes later 3 cows. Got some rain yesterday, so down on the river today fog is forming then dissapating then reforming..

If it stays foggy i will head down into the willow pits aling the river..

[tracker]

That's a big target to miss clean.. hope you made sure the gun is hitting where it should be after the miss..

[rocksteady]

That's a big target to miss clean.. hope you made sure the gun is hitting where it should be after the miss..


Yep.. bang on. I think it was the steep angle that messed me up..

[rocksteady]

after i had just finished typing the note about what i had seen i looked way down river and there was 5 cows with a bull walking up a sandbar. At 45 power i think he was a 5..

They all decided to cross the river away from me. I watched them fight the current big time. I thought i was gonna watch them all drown. They eventually get out and head straight downriver, where they had just come from.

As i am glassing them i see another bull pop out, watch them for a bit, rip off 2 bugles and head back into the willow pit he came out of. I think he too was a 5 but at 1000 yards its hard to tell if he had some trash down low

[HighCountryBC]

Was that 6pt coming in silent?? or did he let you know he was coming?
Or, just a passer by?

Anyways, off in the a.m. for my hunt to begin by friday evening!!

As for bulls going silent, I doubt they are post rut.
If anything, should be hitting the 2nd rut right about now, im my experience anyways.
Could just be the bulls going silent due to hunting pressure and too many folks around doing a whole lot of calling the past few weeks now???

2nd rut? First estrus cycle is winding down and mature bulls are splitting off from their harems for a well deserved break. That's why it's common to see dink bulls running around with cows at this late into the month.

Still awhile before the second estrus cycle. Some of the best hunting is yet to come.

[todbartell]

Yep.. bang on. I think it was the steep angle that messed me up..

at 300y, a 20 degree shot angle will make the bullet hit 1.5" higher, a 45 degree angle would be 7" higher than where it would land at a flat 90 degree angle

[rocksteady]

It would have been 45 degrees or more..

Who knows, maybe i jerked the trigger or what have.

Not sure what happened, but definitely no sign of impact. No hair, blood, bone...

[rocksteady]

2nd rut? First estrus cycle is winding down and mature bulls are splitting off from their harems for a well deserved break. That's why it's common to see dink bulls running around with cows at this late into the month.

Still awhile before the second estrus cycle. Some of the best hunting is yet to come.

I agree with this.. plus with that stupid moon gone they are acting more normal.

[rocksteady]

Foggy along the river today. Glaased a bunch of cows from the viewpoint but no bull with them, so i make the quick 1.5 km hike down to where i saw the bulls and cows yesterday..

Come out of a willow pit to the edge of the river.. cow and calf feeding at 60 yards..

Waited for them to feed away and went all the way to the main channel.. just as i got there i heard cows in the timber, across the river. Dove into a log jam to wait.

No need to wait long.. within 5 minutes cows were coming out and swimming the river. As they moved thru the timber i could see the bull..

After a couple dozen cows passed by me, at 40 yards, i was SURE the bull would come.


He did. About 5 minutes later and you guessed it.. clean 5. Spotting scope on him at 110 yards.. no 6 th point..


He hung around for a few then went back into the timber.

To me that says lull between estrous cycles.. aka "the rut"

[boilerroom]

Wow, exciting - that must have got your heart going! So in your experience, will the bigger bulls (aka 6-points) start wandering between doe herds looking for some in heat or do they go deep to feed and get their strength back?

[HighCountryBC]

Wow, exciting - that must have got your heart going! So in your experience, will the bigger bulls (aka 6-points) start wandering between doe herds looking for some in heat or do they go deep to feed and get their strength back?

Things will slow down for a little bit here and start to pick up again part way through next month. It's a great time to be in the elk woods.

Go get 'em Rock!

[rocksteady]

I find the big bulls get picky..

Rest vs. Following cows that are not in heat.

Big bulls will chill and be fairly laid back keeping an eye on the herd. Young bulls will think they are the big boss with hopes of getting laid, but the cows hooves tell them "No means No".. whereas big bulls know to be patient and they will be getting lots of loving..in a few days or a week

[rocksteady]

Boileroom..

Elk dont know how to count ;)

Its about antler and body size. I have seen small 6s getbtheir butts kicked by big 4 points that have huge bodies (genetics)..

It is a rush chasing all of these elk, trying to outsmart them, be 3 steps ahead of them, with the hope that one will have 6 on either side...

I really get amped when the bugling us non stop and intense. Makes the hair on your arms go KaBoing..

[HarryToolips]

With your in field experience and observations, do you think the pred numbers have dropped in the EK, therefore hopefully allowing the ungulates numbers to start recovering???

[boilerroom]

Boileroom..

Elk dont know how to count ;)

Its about antler and body size. I have seen small 6s getbtheir butts kicked by big 4 points that have huge bodies (genetics)..

It is a rush chasing all of these elk, trying to outsmart them, be 3 steps ahead of them, with the hope that one will have 6 on either side...

I really get amped when the bugling us non stop and intense. Makes the hair on your arms go KaBoing..

Fair enough lol... I've seen some big-bodied 3-point muleys that I couldn't grow a 4th point on.

I've always thought of Elk hunting as a higher level than deer hunting, like flyfishing... once I figure out a bit more on deer I'll offer some help to someone to pack out their Elk and learn a thing or two.

[rocksteady]

With your in field experience and observations, do you think the pred numbers have dropped in the EK, therefore hopefully allowing the ungulates numbers to start recovering???

I dont think predator numbers have dropped.

No opinion on wolves. I have only seen 2 in 30 years.
No grizzlies being legally taken.
Not many dedicated coyote hunters around anymore.
Lots of cat hunters, but a lot do not kill them, just tree and take pics.
Black bears, i have not seen an interest in bears from any of my friends

[rocksteady]

Well, yesterday saw 11 cows and a 5 point cross the river.. drove to another area, saw 2 herds. Both with bigger bulls and 3 spikes, so 6 bulls in total..

Today hiked for 2.5 kms downriver and had 3 bulks on the far side, screaming like banshees.. unfortunately heavy fog by the river so could never see just hear... second estrous is pending....

[Stone Sheep Steve]

Always love following your daily fall diary Rock!!

I think you d convinced my to make an effort on elk even though I can only commit to weekend warrior status with my job.
You are inspiring!

Keep it up!

SSS

[rocksteady]

Slow day today... 1.5 km hike in the dark to get to where the elk were yesterday.. nothing.. heard a couple crapoy bugles but only thing seen was a wt doe..

Nap time... then evening hunt maybe

[tyreguy]

Keep at it.
I always had a theory when I saw absolutely nothing in the morning I'd go out late morning or early in the afternoon again with the thought being they were all bedded early in the morning. Its worked a few times.

Have a good snooze.

[rocksteady]

Absolutely frustrating morning...

I drive up onto this little knoll. Not a mountain but a bump. All sides from me are downhill. I park there an hour after first light (too foggy to glass on the river)

Park the truck, shoot down the windows, grab the cell and check the news, HBC etc when i hear a bugle about 100 yards away.. i have hunted this nob before, the elk come up here to bed.. i grab my gun and head off in hot pursuit... see a cow, calf, then they are gone. Follow their tracks and the bugle for about 3km before they go silent..

Discouraged i hike back to the truck.. as i am driving out, about 250 metres from where i parked there is a bull bedded on a ridge maybe 50 yards from the truck... 3 point...

Stupid, stupid me...
I have hunted elk here before, they come here to bed. Rather than going after them i should have had another cup of coffee, let them bed and then slo-play it.. No, i gotta be aggressive...

After i see the bull, i drive down to the end of a spur where i have seen the elk cross... here us a muley doe and a byck bedded on the landing at the end. Doe is 30 yards from truck, buck is in tall grass, bedded.. he stands finally... 2 point....

Leave and not 200 yards later there is 25 turkeys crossing the road.... guess who forgot to grab the 12 gauge this morning???

Frick me, should have stayed in bed..

[rocksteady]

Snuck in to the same area this morning with a buddy... saw 5 solo cows and buddy saw the 3 point farting around.. weird... i have never seen so many solo cows when the 2nd estrous is pending... also saw some wt does and a 2 point muley

[todbartell]

Most of the cows get bred the first time they come into estrous, mature bulls are pretty efficient in breeding. They'll move off in hopes of finding another cow, or just hole up in an area that has good feed and security, start recovering a bit from the rigors of the rut and prepare for winter

[rocksteady]

Update.. been out every morning and night. On elk every single time..

Saw 6 bulls in one day, saw numerous other bulls.. not a 6, that i know of to be seen..

I have changed tactics... runnin and gunning..

When i hear a bugle in the dark i get an idea of where they are, grab my gear and head straight at it.. so far so good , git in on the herd every time.. just nothing legal or enuff light to seal the deal before dark...

Remembered to toss the shotgun in tonight...

Turkey down.. big hen.. then after i read the regs j found i could shoot 2.. Frick

[rocksteady]

Late late update.. cant remember all of the details.. going out in morning and evening. Still seeing lots of critters.. just no big bulls.. seeing 0 to 6 bulls a day..


Killed my 2nd turkey of the fall season, nother big hen..

So 2 of those in the freezer, just not as filling as a 6 pt elk..

Having a blast, living the dream, getting lots of exercise
...

[rocksteady]

I think the rut is done..

I am seeing huge herds (200+) with multiple bulls (10 to 12), no 6's.

I think the big breeding bulls are spent. Hiding in the thickets, eating, sleeping and resting up.

Lots of bugles being cranked out, but by the smaller bulls who think they are now "The Boss"...

Maybe a dink 6 will be with the herd (he spent all season as a satellite)..

Been a fabulous run, hunted just about every day since Sept 1.. many many elk, probably 70 different bulls, lots of opportunities, 1 miss at a 6.. was a great season.

Love to have a bull in the freezer, but sure appreciate hiw many ops i had this fall on elk..

Gonna do whatever feels right for the next 3 days... sleep in? Go for a drive? Set up on a viewpoint..

Not confident in cutting a tag this elk season but sure gas been a good run.

[rocksteady]

Just my opinion and observations... in my area..

[DannyO]

And I love reading them!

[Ron.C]

Thanks for sharing Rock. Been very fun to follow.

[Sitkaspruce]

Get back to work Mike!!!

Another good read about your hunting season so far! Thanks for bringing us along!

Cheers

SS

[tomahawk]

I'd say your livin the dream of a lot of hunters, I measure success in being out in the wild enjoying the pursuit, seeing animals interacting and the excitement of the chase. You've done an amazing job of being successful in my eyes!! Thanks for bringing us along.

[rocksteady]

Even though i was off work, i was still dealing with email and phone calls from clients.... so dont give me the "get back to work talk"... maybe i need to text your wife to smack you around.. i am sure she would be into it..

[Redthies]

I bagged my two turkeys. Had one for thanksgiving. It was awesome. I used the new .22 bolt gun to sniper one, and the 12 gauge on the second. Shot them both in about 3 mins. My wife had her own two she could have taken, but the flock we were on was smaller and we figured we should let them be strong for the winter.

[The Hermit]

Enjoy the last few hours... ya never know so stay alert dude!!

[Moose63]

This thread gives me an appreciation of how difficult it is to find a 6 point elk. You live there and are out there hunting there every day with trail cams, etc., and are still having limited success.

I'm beginning to appreciate more the out of towner going into an area blind and bagging one.

Thanks for the diary....

[Bugle M In]

This thread gives me an appreciation of how difficult it is to find a 6 point elk. You live there and are out there hunting there every day with trail cams, etc., and are still having limited success.

I'm beginning to appreciate more the out of towner going into an area blind and bagging one.

Thanks for the diary....
Yup, locals who do put in time have a better chance but there still is no gaurantee.
I always say that "luck" still has its part in the play of hunting.
Sure, skill makes a big difference, but at the end of the day what really separates a 6pt form a 5 pt walking in or for that matter a 350+ class Bull.
"Luck" if you ask me.

Best i could do was bring a nice 5pt bull within 50 yards into the wide open river area.
Cant make them grow a 6th point on the spot sadly.

Nice posts Rock, appreciated the share the past several season from you!!
Good luck!

[HighCountryBC]

Yup, locals who do put in time have a better chance but there still is no gaurantee.
I always say that "luck" still has its part in the play of hunting.
Sure, skill makes a big difference, but at the end of the day what really separates a 6pt form a 5 pt walking in or for that matter a 350+ class Bull.
"Luck" if you ask me.

Best i could do was bring a nice 5pt bull within 50 yards into the wide open river area.
Cant make them grow a 6th point on the spot sadly.

Nice posts Rock, appreciated the share the past several season from you!!
Good luck!

If you're just a random hunter who doesn't know the area or what the inventory is like in a spot then sure, you're just hoping to get lucky. As Ourea has said many times, for those who spend time scouting, luck has nothing to do with it. You don't need to be a local to do that.

There's a lot that separates a 350 class bull coming in from your average 6 point.

[rocksteady]

Its an obsession... trying to figure them out and get a 6 are a challenge most years. Other years you get lucky lucky and stumble on 1 on day one

[Sitkaspruce]

Even though i was off work, i was still dealing with email and phone calls from clients.... so dont give me the "get back to work talk"... maybe i need to text your wife to smack you around.. i am sure she would be into it..

You have my wife's phone number........:shock:

I feel the phone has become the bane of our hunting existence! I don't know how many times my hunting partners have sat down and answered their work email while hunting. I know I do look at my emails....it's like looking at a bad car accident, you don't want to...but you still do! BUT, I don't answer any of them because my out of office says I am not and if I do......ding, ding, vibrate.

Good Luck Mike!

Deer season is just starting up here! Put out a couple fake scrapes to see what is around in a new area. Also saw a scrape and fresh rub! Damn cold up here though!

Cheers

SS

[rocksteady]

Well the last few days of elk season played out as eventful, seeing lots of elk, lots of bulls but no big ones.

Went for a quick drive this morning and filled my 2nd whitetail tag on a doe.

Not sure what I will do now? I think Spike Fork moose is still open, will have to check...

Have to schedule ride alongs for my old hunter buddy and some rookies..

[rocksteady]

Doe weighed 70 lbs at the butcher.

I had choices ...

Hunt 4 point muleys or take a whitetail doe.. took the doe..

I would rather have 70 lbs of good eating vs 150 pounds of rutted up muley. I am not saying they all are like that, i have had my share of gross muley bucks over the years, so just as happy to take a tasty doe

[Bugle M In]

If you're just a random hunter who doesn't know the area or what the inventory is like in a spot then sure, you're just hoping to get lucky. As Ourea has said many times, for those who spend time scouting, luck has nothing to do with it. You don't need to be a local to do that.

There's a lot that separates a 350 class bull coming in from your average 6 point.
Sure, if scouting is an hour or 2 drive.
But then again, for others, a 10 hr drive (one way) every few weeks is asking a bit much, even with a huge obsession.
Like i said, if its in the backyard or reasonable, then i agree, doing lots of scouting is going to reduce success thru luck.
Think the average joe on this site, with full time obligations, cant do that, or not on a yearly basis.
Then it comes down to many years "getting to know the area", but still, they have to be there.
Or, if you have a hunting buddy who does have that time, but then again, you have to be "lucky" to have a friend that has those opportunities.
For my group, we dont have that time or ability, but knowledge and experience helps, but yes, for us luck has to play its role between having a legal bull
walk out in the end.

Obsession and obligations do not go hand in hand.
Generally means losing job, being divorced, or both.

[Bugle M In]

Doe weighed 70 lbs at the butcher.

I had choices ...

Hunt 4 point muleys or take a whitetail doe.. took the doe..

I would rather have 70 lbs of good eating vs 150 pounds of rutted up muley. I am not saying they all are like that, i have had my share of gross muley bucks over the years, so just as happy to take a tasty doe
Sounds like a good season anyways.
Getting to see elk and other game is really the best part anyways.
A lot better then just watching squirrels all day.
Have fun, good luck, and ya, leave cell in the truck if possible.

[rocksteady]

Picked up my 83 year old hunting pal at 0800 this morning, had a big fat doe in the truck, all cleaned ny 0844.

The old guy can sure shoot. One shot. Bang flop..

Today is the last day for does so he and i will go for a cruise looking for bucks over the next month..

[HarryToolips]

^^^^good luck the rest of the season, and that's great that your helping others out...also good to hear that by the sounds of it, your WT population is doing ok???

[Redthies]

Awesome! I’m not 83, but I’m free tomorrow...

[rocksteady]

^^^^good luck the rest of the season, and that's great that your helping others out...also good to hear that by the sounds of it, your WT population is doing ok???


WT population way down over the last 10 years but still a very healthy population. Most of this years fawns were twins from what i saw.