humble hunter
10-27-2009, 09:55 PM
Well, elkmaster c has already let the cat out of the bag on this one but here is the story.
It was our fifth trip in and raining like hell on sunday but we decided to go anyways as we had not seen may elk and I was thinking the rosie's might be like blacktails and come out during the rain. We endured the grueling 15km quad ride to the top (the road has been deactivated and the water bars are the most brutal I have seen, after the next heavy rain no quads will get in there without alot of work). We started to hike to get to a high vantage point so we couldstart glassing valleys. While we were walking I stopped and glassed a bunch of what looked like rocks on the tree line. My binos were abit foggy and I dismissed them as there were too many to be elk. After another couple hundred yards I cleaned my binos and glassed over there again. HOLY SH>T it is a large herd of elk. We then saw the biggest bull either of us had ever seen. We counted 13 cows, the big bull and 2 smaller bulls. They were about 800 yards away across a nasty canyon. It was now 10 am and after discussing it at length the best way to get at them, the stalk was on. We decided to circle and approach upwind as it seemed the only way to get a shot at them would be very close. We busted our way through 5' buck brush and nasty steep terrain untill we got to the edge of where they had been. It was now 3pm. We inched forward into the bowl but they were apparently gone. I was thinking that they must be bedded down somewhere in the buckbrush and we can't see them. Renato (who had the draw) got set up on a stump and I busted my way to the clearing at the bottom of the bowl. Still nothing. I radioed Renato that I was going to start yelling to see if they would stand up and he agreed. After a few whoops and whistled elk started getting up all over the hillside. Suddenly the big boy stands up and the boom of the rifle sounded. He staggered and then started moving across the hillside. I was on the radio saying shoot him again but renato replied he could no longer see him. He was standing broadside at about 200 yards lookig at me. I told renato to get down to me quick but by the time he arrived he had started to move again. It was now raining sideways and while he was setting up on a stump I got a bunch of kleenex out of my pocket to wipe his scope for him while he lined up. The bull finally emerged into a small clearing and renato fired again, this time a big puff of steam came off him. I said you got him good that time but he then moved into some alders and did not emerge. It would take an hour to beat our way through the nasty buckbrush to him so we decided to leave him for the night as we weren't sure we could get out before dark just walking and we did not want to move him any further. We got back to the quad at 6pm just before dark. Monday morning found us on our way up in the dark with another friend to help. It was of course raining like hell and fogged to the bottom. I was concerned we would not find him but when we got to the top the rain let up and the clouds blew off. (thank God!) We started the 3km hike down and alder encased skidder trail to the bowl. Our buddy told us we were out of our mind. We kind of laughed as he did not know about the buck brush yet. We finally got to the bowl at around 12pm and since I had best seen where he was, it was decided that I would direct the guys with the radio which way to go.(they could not see where they were going in the buckbrush). It took them until 1:45 to reach where we had last seen the bull and suddenly I saw him stand up. I yelled on the radio he's up and about 1 second after that 2 rifle shots sounded. I watched the big brute go down. These are tough animals, he was hit in the shoulder and in the lower body and he still made it through the night. Renato had gotten within 20 feet of him. I hot footed it up to them and they started to bone hime out. We loaded our packs with as much meat as we could and had to leave the cape and horns as we could not have gotten them out before dark. As it was we were not back to the quad untill 7:30pm. Today we went back for the next load and the cape andhorns and got back to the boat launch at 5pm. This was THE Nastiest hunt and pack out I have ever done. Here he is!
Renato with his bull
http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc96/traviskubin/DSC02906.jpg
Humble Hunter with the bull
http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc96/traviskubin/DSC02915.jpg
Smiling prick
http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc96/traviskubin/DSC02909.jpg
A job well done
http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc96/traviskubin/DSC02913.jpg
what girth on the rack check out my hand
http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc96/traviskubin/DSC02917.jpg
oboy here we go!
http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc96/traviskubin/DSC02929.jpg
Al Chitty: you guys are nuts. This is fun?
http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc96/traviskubin/DSC02918.jpg
Rear rack shot
http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc96/traviskubin/DSC02926.jpg
Thank God it is over!
http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc96/traviskubin/IMG00026-20091027-1704.jpg
I am going to bed for 2 days!
It was our fifth trip in and raining like hell on sunday but we decided to go anyways as we had not seen may elk and I was thinking the rosie's might be like blacktails and come out during the rain. We endured the grueling 15km quad ride to the top (the road has been deactivated and the water bars are the most brutal I have seen, after the next heavy rain no quads will get in there without alot of work). We started to hike to get to a high vantage point so we couldstart glassing valleys. While we were walking I stopped and glassed a bunch of what looked like rocks on the tree line. My binos were abit foggy and I dismissed them as there were too many to be elk. After another couple hundred yards I cleaned my binos and glassed over there again. HOLY SH>T it is a large herd of elk. We then saw the biggest bull either of us had ever seen. We counted 13 cows, the big bull and 2 smaller bulls. They were about 800 yards away across a nasty canyon. It was now 10 am and after discussing it at length the best way to get at them, the stalk was on. We decided to circle and approach upwind as it seemed the only way to get a shot at them would be very close. We busted our way through 5' buck brush and nasty steep terrain untill we got to the edge of where they had been. It was now 3pm. We inched forward into the bowl but they were apparently gone. I was thinking that they must be bedded down somewhere in the buckbrush and we can't see them. Renato (who had the draw) got set up on a stump and I busted my way to the clearing at the bottom of the bowl. Still nothing. I radioed Renato that I was going to start yelling to see if they would stand up and he agreed. After a few whoops and whistled elk started getting up all over the hillside. Suddenly the big boy stands up and the boom of the rifle sounded. He staggered and then started moving across the hillside. I was on the radio saying shoot him again but renato replied he could no longer see him. He was standing broadside at about 200 yards lookig at me. I told renato to get down to me quick but by the time he arrived he had started to move again. It was now raining sideways and while he was setting up on a stump I got a bunch of kleenex out of my pocket to wipe his scope for him while he lined up. The bull finally emerged into a small clearing and renato fired again, this time a big puff of steam came off him. I said you got him good that time but he then moved into some alders and did not emerge. It would take an hour to beat our way through the nasty buckbrush to him so we decided to leave him for the night as we weren't sure we could get out before dark just walking and we did not want to move him any further. We got back to the quad at 6pm just before dark. Monday morning found us on our way up in the dark with another friend to help. It was of course raining like hell and fogged to the bottom. I was concerned we would not find him but when we got to the top the rain let up and the clouds blew off. (thank God!) We started the 3km hike down and alder encased skidder trail to the bowl. Our buddy told us we were out of our mind. We kind of laughed as he did not know about the buck brush yet. We finally got to the bowl at around 12pm and since I had best seen where he was, it was decided that I would direct the guys with the radio which way to go.(they could not see where they were going in the buckbrush). It took them until 1:45 to reach where we had last seen the bull and suddenly I saw him stand up. I yelled on the radio he's up and about 1 second after that 2 rifle shots sounded. I watched the big brute go down. These are tough animals, he was hit in the shoulder and in the lower body and he still made it through the night. Renato had gotten within 20 feet of him. I hot footed it up to them and they started to bone hime out. We loaded our packs with as much meat as we could and had to leave the cape and horns as we could not have gotten them out before dark. As it was we were not back to the quad untill 7:30pm. Today we went back for the next load and the cape andhorns and got back to the boat launch at 5pm. This was THE Nastiest hunt and pack out I have ever done. Here he is!
Renato with his bull
http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc96/traviskubin/DSC02906.jpg
Humble Hunter with the bull
http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc96/traviskubin/DSC02915.jpg
Smiling prick
http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc96/traviskubin/DSC02909.jpg
A job well done
http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc96/traviskubin/DSC02913.jpg
what girth on the rack check out my hand
http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc96/traviskubin/DSC02917.jpg
oboy here we go!
http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc96/traviskubin/DSC02929.jpg
Al Chitty: you guys are nuts. This is fun?
http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc96/traviskubin/DSC02918.jpg
Rear rack shot
http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc96/traviskubin/DSC02926.jpg
Thank God it is over!
http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc96/traviskubin/IMG00026-20091027-1704.jpg
I am going to bed for 2 days!