Missed a 6x6 bull elk!

[lunatic]

Well i'm not too proud to own up to this because sometimes shit happens. Saturday morning I quadded into my spot and walked in the last km. It was a nice cold morning with a little frost on the ground after a couple of unseasonably warm days and rainy evenings. I let out a bugle just before legal light and immediately got three responses. One appeared to come from the log block I was going into so I concentrated on that one. After bugling for 1/2 hr or so, I moved in closer and started cow calling. I got set up, found good cover and set up my shooting sticks. Within a few minutes I could see antlers coming through the tall grass. I ranged the elk at 302 yards. I had no issues with making this shot as I have practised extensively out to 400 yards with my Swaro Z6 scope on a 325 WSM . I wanted to coax him in closer but the wind had picked up and was not in my favour. I had made almost the identical shot last year in this same spot, so as I said the shot was not an issue for me. I got set up on the sticks, layed the 300 yard reticle just behind the shoulder and squeezed off the shot. I heard a "thump" but saw nothing but water vapour and the elk still standing. I quickly chambered another round, but he turned and slowly walked back into the trees as if nothing had happened. WHAT JUST HAPPENED? I checked the shot again through the scope and there it was. About 100 yards out, unforeseen the first time, was a small spruce tree with the top foot hanging down. The water vapour was from the bullet hitting the tree after a rainy evening. I couldn't fricken believe it. Two of the elk were still bugling to me but I couldn't coax another one out. I went up to the spot and looked for any blood sign for a good two hours just to be sure. I could tell by the way he walked off though that he had not been hit. The last two days have rained steady so I came in for a shower and to do some laundry, then back out for this evening. I'm sure I may get another crack at him as he has a good wallow close by. I have also seen a three point, a spike, and numerous cows. Will update again in a couple of days.

[trigger]

thats hard luck man, but keep at him. It will pay off in the end. Keep us posted and good luck.

[elkdom]

bologna $1.99 a pound Lawrence Meats

Prime Rib 28.99 Mr.Mikes

LUNATIC going hungry! priceless !:rolleyes:

[PGK]

That's why they call it hunting

[steepNdeep]

The only problem with using good quality gear is that when you miss a shot, you have noone to blame but yourself. ;) At least the others were still buglin'. We've all missed and I'm sure you'll get another chance. Good luck.

[hillclimber]

not the first time you will miss and probably not the last time. it happens to everybody. good luck on your next trip out.

cheers
stefan

[lunatic]

bologna $1.99 a pound Lawrence Meats

Prime Rib 28.99 Mr.Mikes

LUNATIC going hungry! priceless !:rolleyes:



Not for me Elkdom......my son is the GM there :grin:

[elkdom]

Not for me Elkdom......my son is the GM there :grin:

it's always good to have some back up!:razz:


as for being a "tree shooter" :oops::shock::oops: I know ALL about it!:roll:

one year I needed a "Timber Mark" I harvested SO MANY TREES :(

[shaner338]

That's the way she goes sometimes. Get back there and giver another go!!:-D

[ianwuzhere]

with patience and some good luck he wont go far.! good luck- hope see some pix of this monster soon!!

[TIKA 300]

That sucks,but get back in there and get um.......

All my years of framing,once we found a bullet lodged in a finger joint 2x6 stud,that clearly had gone thru the planer.......:roll:

[lilhoss]

Do the "typical guy thing",and bury it deep down inside of you,never to be spoken about again.

[Mik]

Bin there-Done that, but hey, were constantly learning. You'll get him yet!

[BCBigGame]

Tough luck, hopefully the tree huggers won't ride you to badly.

[lunatic]

Well I'm back home for a few days to recharge then will be heading back out. The in-laws are coming on the 18th for a week so I am hoping to have mine on the ground before they get here. Weather has not been cooperating lately. More rain the past few days, then the wind blew hard. Had a decent 5x5 in on Tuesday evening and a 3x4 yesterday morning. Have not seen any with cows yet but have seen numerous solo cows. Have seen 3 more legal bull moose so they are out there you just have to pound some bush to find them. For now I am still being fussy as work is slow and I have more time off. If it gets later in the season I will take a smaller bull to put some meat in the freezer. This coming week the conditions look a lot better so I will be at it again.

[PGK]

How have your guy's temps been? Getting down to freezing yet?

[lunatic]

How have your guy's temps been? Getting down to freezing yet?



Had frost yesterday morning. Above average temps in the mid 20's forecast for the weekend and through mid week :sad:

[PGK]

Had frost yesterday morning. Above average temps in the mid 20's forecast for the weekend and through mid week :sad:

That is lame

[lunatic]

Well I can now add to this story finally. This will be a fairly long story so I will probably do it in a couple of parts. Yes, I have some pic's, but I am at work so I will post them if and when I can. No bitching!


After missing the 6x6 bull on Sept 5th when my bullet struck a small unforeseen tree, I hunted the area hard for another week, but never again seen or heard this bull. The weather was unseasonably warm, and then we had quite a bit of rain. I took a week off and then got back at it around the 19th of Sept. I was finding that the elk were not being very vocal in this area. I was seeing wolf tracks, and had talked to some neighbours of mine hunting the same area that had seen a pack of seven wolves. This was a possible explanation for the elk being reluctant to talk. After spending another 3 days in my usual spots and only seeing one cow bedded down, I decided to scout another area I had previously hunted. This area is actually only about 1 mile from my usual spot and has shown promise before. I scouted out the area during a morning hunt, and although I had no replies to my calling, I saw more than a dozen fresh scrapes and some elk "pits". I knew the elk were definately in the area.
The afternoon brought warm weather and gusty winds, but I decided to give it a try anyway. I walked into this area following a small 3D seismic line through the trees. I entered a nice area that opened up with mature poplar trees that looked very promising. I cow called as I entered this area using a Primos Hyper Lips Double. I choose this call as it is quite a bit louder than most cow calls and I wanted it to travel in the gusting winds. I immediatley got a reply bugle from far off. I waited a minute and called again. Again the bull replied. I found myself a good hiding spot, then got set up to wait. I cow called periodically and the bull would answer each time, but was not getting any closer. I knew from the direction of the replies that he was holed up in some very thick alder near a dried up lick. As it was getting late in the afternoon and I was solo, I choose not to go in after him. I waited another 1/2 hr, then decided to continue down the line. I walked another mile or so, then turned around and started back so I would get to my quad before dark. As I re-entered the area where I had been calling, I again cow called. I was still walking slowly along when I heard "something". I still don't know what I heard, but as I was trying to decipher in my mind whether it was an elk sound or not, I heard " snap, snap, snap! I froze. I knew it was something walking and it was close! I slowly looked over my left shoulder toward the sound and there it was. The biggest bull elk I have ever seen in the wild.....and I have seen well over a thousand animals easily in the many years I have hunted them. This bull was massive. The kind you only see on game farms. I have never seen one in Jasper nearly as big as this one. I have taken some nice bulls, but none would hold a candle to this guy. So here we are having a stare down at a mere 54 yards ( I ranged it later). I couldn't believe I was busted like that right out in the open, and my gun still slung on my shoulder. I know better. I didn't want to move as I was afraid he would bolt immediately if I did. I waited for what seemed like an eternity and then he turned his head slightly, tilted it back ( god he's HUGE), and started checking the wind. I figured...it's now or never. As slowly as I could, I unslung my rifle and flipped the safety off at the same time. He jerked his head back toward me immediately. I slowly started raising my rifle to my shoulder........

to be continued.......

[lunatic]

Piss me off! I just spent another 1/2 hr finishing this story and it "timed out" on me. I will have to do it again. GRRRRRRR!

[rifleman]

please do I can't wait

[lunatic]

I slowly raised my gun to my shoulder when my worst fear became reality. It still amazes me after all the years I've hunted these animals, just how incredibly fast they are. He whirled around and I was looking at the South end of a North bound elk as fast as you could say "boo". I never even bothered to try and get him in the scope, as he was weaving in and out of the trees and was gone in mere seconds. I stood there in utter disbelief totally dejected. This was a once in a lifetime trophy and I had blown it. I re-enacted it over and over in my mind and kept coming to the same conclusion. I should have stayed put longer initially.....and I knew it! I returned to camp that evening feeling very sorry for myself and had a very restless night.
The next morning I set out with high hopes of seeing him again. I entered the area before daylight and set up. I called until a good 2 hrs after daylight and never saw or heard ANYTHING! I returned to camp for breakfast feeling dejected once more, but knowing I would not give up that easily. I returned in the late afternoon, and decided to set up my Montana cow elk decoy in the open timber where I had seen the big bull. I set up the decoy, then found a good hiding spot amongst some fallen timber. I proceeded to cow call about every 2 minutes with an occasional bugle thrown in for good measure. After about 40 minutes, I caught movement in the trees behind " Suzie Q". I looked through the binoc's and saw that it was an elk coming and that there was bone. I held my breath, hoping, pleading, that I would get a second chance. It didn't take long to realize that it was not the "big guy", but was a respectable 5x5. I actually contemplated not shooting him, but quickly talked myself out of it when I thought about how little I had been seeing/hearing, and that work could call any day. I put down my Primos call and switched to my Screery cow elk call and softly mewed. The bull came straight in to about 20 yards behind "Suzie" and about 40 yards from my hiding spot. I decided to wait for a better shot angle as he didn't appear to be spooky at all. He started circling around and stopped broadside at about 60 yards. He must of thought that he was looking at one skinny cow, as he was now looking at the side view. I still had no shot as there were bushes obscuring the view, and I was not about to have that happen again. He continued to circle and try to scent something, but there was no wind and I had sprayed plenty of estrous cow scent around. While he was still somewhat obscured from view, I turned myself around so I would be facing him again. I softly mewed again and waited. He began to move again, and when he was 180* from where he first emerged from the bush, he crossed my sights at a mere 22 yards. The .325 WSM barked and he was down. I called my brother on the radio to come and help, and we gutted, skinned and quartered the elk. We arrived back in camp about 11PM.

Lots more to this story but I will have to post again in the AM as 4:30 will come quick and I have to work. I will have pic's!

[hillclimber]

alright awesome story. can't wait for the pics.

[BiG Boar]

Since youre all tagged out, what are the GPS coordinates of that big guy? Would hate to see him die of old age.

[lunatic]

I got up early the next morning and took my elk into Tumbler Ridge to hang in a cooler. I returned to camp in the afternoon ready to go again to try and find my brother-in-law Derek his first elk. On a hunch, I decided to try something I have never done before. I was going to return to the exact same area and try for a repeat. We got to the area, and after showing Derek how the whole scene had played out, we decided to get set up and came up with a game plan. I set up "Suzie" in the exact same spot as the previous evening. I then set up in the same spot that I had been in, and had Derek set up about 60ft away. I told him to just remain quite and let me do all the calling. I again called every couple of minutes and again through in the odd bugle for good measure. After about 45 minutes of this, I caught movement in the trees at just about the same spot as the previous evening. I glanced over at Derek and he appeared to be daydreaming. I hissed his name and pointed to the trees. I could tell that he could not see the elk from his vantage point, so I signalled for him to watch me. I gazed through the binoc's and realized that it was another decent 5x5......more than adequate for a first elk. I looked at Derek and gave him a thumbs up! The bull came straight in toward the decoy, then when he was about 20 yards from her, he turned broadside and started walking parrallel to her. I again glanced at Derek waiting for him to take his shot. He waited.......what was he waiting for? Unknown to me, he was in a slight depression and had to rise to one knee in order to shoot. The bull was locked onto "Suzie" so Derek rose up, steadied his aim, and the .300 WSM barked. Another elk down and no more than 50 yards from where mine had fallen. We actually drug it out and gutted, skinned and quartered it right where mine was done. To say Derek was elated would be an understatement. He has been coming from the South for 4 seasons to hunt with me. We have seen many bulls in that time, but were never able to close the deal on one for him. It seemed as though I would always tag out after he had left. With the 3 pt and up season, this was a great opportunity for him to finally get an elk. After 2 elk in 2 days, I was a little sore but happy. Derek still wanted to try to get a moose, so we decided that the next morning we would get his elk to town, then return to try and find a moose. We had been seeing plenty of bulls, but only one legal one which didn't present the right opportunity. More to this story yet. Stay tuned!

[lunatic]

My Father-in-law Bill and I took the elk to town the next morning and returned to camp in the afternoon. That afternoon we just went on a road hunt through some logged areas to try and get them a moose. As I said, we had been seeing and calling in quite a few bulls that week. The next morning, Bill and I headed out on another moose quest. Derek was still in bed as he's just not as tough as us :grin:. It was a cold morning and the moose seemed to be on the move. The first cut block we entered we saw a cow/calf pair, then another lone cow. We drove into the second log block and Bill spotted a good size bull. I got out of the truck and started calling to it. In came the bull to under 50 yards. He was a real nice wide bull, but lacked the required 3 brow points or 10 points total. I did get some nice video though. We left that area and headed back toward camp. As we approached another road that we had gone down the previous evening, Bill said " I bet Derek got up and came in here...should we check?" I said "we might as well, they seem to be on the move". We drove in about a mile or so and then spotted Derek's truck on the road in front of us. It didn't appear to be moving. I glanced through the binoc's and told Bill " he's not in there, he must have seen something". Seconds later, we heard a gunshot. We drove up behind Derek's truck, got out, and we hear another shot. We start across the log block towards where the shots came from and when Derek sees us he lets out a whoop. He had drove into the block and spotted a really nice moose with a cow. He was attempting a stalk when the bull walked into the bush. He got closer, knelt down and started grunting and beating a bush with a stick. The bull began thrashing the bushes and then came out grunting looking for a fight. Derek was pretty sure he had seen 3 brow tines but wasn't sure. He waited, and when the bull emerged from the bush he counted 10 points through the scope. He stood up, aimed and fired. Bull down! We gutted the moose, loaded him whole into the truck (with the aid of a big tree), then took it back to camp to skin and quarter it. After 3 animals in 4 days I was exhausted but it was well worth the effort. I would like to congratulate Derek on a nice first elk and a beauty moose. Good job bro! I'm already looking forward to next year and yes.........i'm still dreaming about the one that got away.

http://i1020.photobucket.com/albums/af325/lunatic53/DSC01057.jpg

http://i1020.photobucket.com/albums/af325/lunatic53/DSC01047-1.jpg

http://i1020.photobucket.com/albums/af325/lunatic53/DSC01050.jpg

http://i1020.photobucket.com/albums/af325/lunatic53/DSC01063.jpg

http://i1020.photobucket.com/albums/af325/lunatic53/DSC01067.jpg

[bowhunterbruce]

man your season is going friggin awsome,congrats to both you and your bro.
very well done
bruce

[d6dan]

Woah!,what a great story and good pics Lunatic!, I was following your story last night and looked forward to the rest of it today. Nice animals, Congrats.:D

[lunatic]

Since youre all tagged out, what are the GPS coordinates of that big guy? Would hate to see him die of old age.



Thanks for the offer but........I think i'll just have to tag him next year.

[BCrams]

Pretty sweet hunt there !!

[Blainer]

Great story!"10"
Sounds like a very successful hunt and with family;does'nt get any better.

[The Hermit]

Excellent story! Just got home from a successful 2 man 2 moose hunt myself... gotta ask... how the hell did you get that moose in the truck whole?? We had a hell-of-a time just lifting the quarters into and out of the canoe, onto and off of the quad, and then into the truck!!!

[lunatic]

Excellent story! Just got home from a successful 2 man 2 moose hunt myself... gotta ask... how the hell did you get that moose in the truck whole?? We had a hell-of-a time just lifting the quarters into and out of the canoe, onto and off of the quad, and then into the truck!!!


Well my in-laws had never seen it done this way either but it works slick. My dad taught me how to did it when I was a youngster. If you look closely in the picture, you will see a rope tied up high in the tree in front of the truck. What you do is skid the moose behind the truck ( as close as possible to the bumper), and butt the front of the truck up to a suitable tree. You then have someone stand on the truck hood and tie a rope up as high in the tree as they can (it helps that i'm 6'7"). Run the rope over the cab of the truck and tie it to the moose's head. Now have someone slowly start backing up while one or two poeple help guide the head, front shoulders etc up over the back of the truck and into the box. Works really slick. My wife and I have done this many times with just the two of us. Also helps to remove the tailgate if you don't want to chance damaging it.