RustyRipper
12-16-2010, 09:02 PM
Well Now that my hunting season is at an end (sadly) I figured I would finally sit down and write about my hunting trip in the peace region and post up some pics. enjoy.
Well It started with high hopes and we were longing to get back up in that north country. One of our hunting buddies was already up there with his wife and she had taken a cow elk and he had seen a 6 point but couldn't get a shot. but he told us there were elk everywhere! needless to say we were high tailin it up there. It rained all the way up but we hoped once we crossed the rockies it would turn to snow. As our luck would have it, it was snowing once we got to chetwynd! first snow to boot. So with high hopes we set up our wall tent in our usual spot and got out to some of our hunting spots. To our great dissapointment though a pea soup thick fog rolled in and we couldn't see more than 50 yards. even worse we could see animals but couldnt make anything out. In one spot we could see what we thought was a herd of elk (just lots of legs) so we decided we would leave it be and come back once the fog cleared. well friends that wouldn't be for a time. We went back each morning and evening and for 3 days it was the same, couldn't see a thing. Finally on our 4th day we got out dark and early and we all split up, 2 went one way and 3 of us went to were we thought we saw a herd of elk. we got to our spot and right were we were going to park the truck were 3 moose standingthere. so we piled out and got the binos on them. One was bull and the other two were cow and calf. couldnt make out the bull and after a while they took off but no matter because it was very early still, sun wasnt even out yet. So we parked the truck and crept down along this coolee towards the bottom of the fields. along the way we spooked two whitetail bucks we could have shot but decided to pass, hopin we would find these elk. the 3 of us split up onto either sides of the coolee so we could hunt both fields. out of the still morning air the silence was broken by a terrific bugle!! and then a few seconds late another one. I just about started running I was so excited but I knew better. Bugling at the end of october! what luck. I stepped into the coolee for cover and crept farther down until the terrain cameup a bit so I could see some distance. Since there was no fog I could see for miles and down in the bottom corner was a big herd of elk!! I counted about 25 cows and 4 or 5 bulls. a couple were spikes or 3 points but there were a couple I knew were big even from that distance. I crept closer to about 600 yrds and took another look with the binos and The bull that was bugling was a 7 point!!! My heart was beating like a bloody freight train. I had to make a decision, either take a shot or try and get closer. it was starting to get light out and I could tell the cows were starting to get ansy, a few of them were already heading into the woods. Well the decision was made for me, while I sat there contemplating it and watching the bull of my dreams strut around bugling (and I forgot my bugle) they started to move through the coolee into the next field, where my buddies were. I watched them until the last elk wandered along and then I waited to hear the shot. I didnt have to wait long, before I heard the report of my buddies .300 win mag. all I could do it hope it was the big guy. then I heard another shot so I ran through the coolee and down towards the shots. When I got there I found him holding up the antlers of this beautiful 5 point, but it wasnt my big guy. he said he never even saw the 7 point so he must have split another way. hes still out there!
http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad133/RustyRipper/PA242032.jpg
http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad133/RustyRipper/PA242034.jpg
So afterwards my buddy told me there were about 30 elk in the field he was in and was just trying to get a good shot when they started to move and his bull was the last one to leave the field before my buddy got a shot. So with any luck we hoped the rest of the herd hadnt been spooked so we would try there again. We left it for the eveinng and just set up a trail cam and then decided to come back next morning. that night we told the rest of our hunting party (the two old timers we call em, the one buddys wife went home already and he stayed) and they were a little jealous and after we told them how big the herd was they wanted to come along next morning. So next morning we all go down and park the trucks at the top in the same place and snuck down the edges and split up into pairs and I went myself down the same way as the day before. Before we even made it half way we could hear bugling like crazy I knew everyone was smiling. this time I made sure to bring my bugle. I crept down the coolee until I could make out some shapes in the snow down in the corner. Just as I was about to blow on the bugle I heard another bugle but farther away and in a different direction. In the far end of the field I just barely make out some more shapes. There was a bull with some cows bugling with the bull that was near me. I could see this bull and he didnt look very big but he was against the trees so it was hard to make out. But I blew on the bugle anyway and he responded right away. I could tell he was pissed, he had all his cows around him and he was bugling like crazy and chuckling at me. he focused all his attention on me now. As it grew lighter I could still not make him out too well but I could see the other herd better now and to my disgust I could see the big 7 point in the far herd, about a mile way with no intentions of coming closer. I decided Id better just settle for this guy. His cows were starting to deek into the forest and so was the far herd so it was going to have to be quick. I was still 500 yards away and starting moving closer bugling every now and then. he was doing circles and buckng and just going crazy that I wouldnt show myself. When I got close enough I took a rest and waited for him to stop moving. before I could even think about shooting I heard a big shot go off and the bull was down and out. Well at least someone got him. So I walked down to him and to my astonishment he was way bigger than I thought. a 6 point and a pretty decent one at that. One of the old timers had seen him and thought he was bugling with another bull so took advantage of it and shot him.
Well after all the high fives we got him dressed and decided somebody better go get a truck. before we could even decide someone pointed and said hey theres a stray cow standing right there!! sure enough there was a cow elk standing at the edge of the field a few hudred yards away who hadnt even noticed us! so I said alright I got her. I crept along the edge of the field until I was about 150 yards from her and took a knee and squeezed off the .300WSM. bang right through her throat under her chin and she dropped like a sack of potatoes and never moved. what a morning!
http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad133/RustyRipper/P1015004.jpg
http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad133/RustyRipper/P1015018.jpg
We all went back and celebrated after quartering and hanging the animals and talked about what to do next. we figured those herds must be spooked now but we might try again in the morning. as for the eveining we were going to split up and find some new grounds. we went to an old spot of ours that had produced in the past and it didnt let us down. when we got there we saw a couple moose and some whitetails hanging out as well as a few mulies on the other side of the field. we were focused on the moose so we checked em out but nothing legal. so we waited to see if anything else would come out until it started to get a bit dark so we started to hike back along the edge of the timber when I spotted a couple dark shapes through the trees. I threw on the binos and there were two moose standing there, a cow and a immy bull. after a few minutes to make sure it was legal my buddy made the shot and dropped it.
http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad133/RustyRipper/P1015046.jpg
What a day!! two elk and a moose! by far any of ours best day to date. needless to say a lot of beer was consumed that night. Anyway we couldnt believe our luck and anythig else would be bonus as we still had muley season to look forward to. we were still a few days away from that so we thought we see if we could get a couple more. well our luck seemed to keep going as we were still seeing lots of animals much to the envy of some friends of ours who were up north from us hunting as well who hadnt seen a thing. they were talking about coming down where we were and they eventually did. we decided to use the jet boat as we had brought it all that way we might as well use it. after a morning and eveing hunt we had a couple islands cased out on the peace and on the second day of jetboating my buddy got a cow elk. nice big body on her but unfourtunately he shot her in a dried up slough that had water last year. so we had to quarter and pack her back to the jet boat on the other side of the island. at least it wasnt a big bull.
Well It started with high hopes and we were longing to get back up in that north country. One of our hunting buddies was already up there with his wife and she had taken a cow elk and he had seen a 6 point but couldn't get a shot. but he told us there were elk everywhere! needless to say we were high tailin it up there. It rained all the way up but we hoped once we crossed the rockies it would turn to snow. As our luck would have it, it was snowing once we got to chetwynd! first snow to boot. So with high hopes we set up our wall tent in our usual spot and got out to some of our hunting spots. To our great dissapointment though a pea soup thick fog rolled in and we couldn't see more than 50 yards. even worse we could see animals but couldnt make anything out. In one spot we could see what we thought was a herd of elk (just lots of legs) so we decided we would leave it be and come back once the fog cleared. well friends that wouldn't be for a time. We went back each morning and evening and for 3 days it was the same, couldn't see a thing. Finally on our 4th day we got out dark and early and we all split up, 2 went one way and 3 of us went to were we thought we saw a herd of elk. we got to our spot and right were we were going to park the truck were 3 moose standingthere. so we piled out and got the binos on them. One was bull and the other two were cow and calf. couldnt make out the bull and after a while they took off but no matter because it was very early still, sun wasnt even out yet. So we parked the truck and crept down along this coolee towards the bottom of the fields. along the way we spooked two whitetail bucks we could have shot but decided to pass, hopin we would find these elk. the 3 of us split up onto either sides of the coolee so we could hunt both fields. out of the still morning air the silence was broken by a terrific bugle!! and then a few seconds late another one. I just about started running I was so excited but I knew better. Bugling at the end of october! what luck. I stepped into the coolee for cover and crept farther down until the terrain cameup a bit so I could see some distance. Since there was no fog I could see for miles and down in the bottom corner was a big herd of elk!! I counted about 25 cows and 4 or 5 bulls. a couple were spikes or 3 points but there were a couple I knew were big even from that distance. I crept closer to about 600 yrds and took another look with the binos and The bull that was bugling was a 7 point!!! My heart was beating like a bloody freight train. I had to make a decision, either take a shot or try and get closer. it was starting to get light out and I could tell the cows were starting to get ansy, a few of them were already heading into the woods. Well the decision was made for me, while I sat there contemplating it and watching the bull of my dreams strut around bugling (and I forgot my bugle) they started to move through the coolee into the next field, where my buddies were. I watched them until the last elk wandered along and then I waited to hear the shot. I didnt have to wait long, before I heard the report of my buddies .300 win mag. all I could do it hope it was the big guy. then I heard another shot so I ran through the coolee and down towards the shots. When I got there I found him holding up the antlers of this beautiful 5 point, but it wasnt my big guy. he said he never even saw the 7 point so he must have split another way. hes still out there!
http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad133/RustyRipper/PA242032.jpg
http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad133/RustyRipper/PA242034.jpg
So afterwards my buddy told me there were about 30 elk in the field he was in and was just trying to get a good shot when they started to move and his bull was the last one to leave the field before my buddy got a shot. So with any luck we hoped the rest of the herd hadnt been spooked so we would try there again. We left it for the eveinng and just set up a trail cam and then decided to come back next morning. that night we told the rest of our hunting party (the two old timers we call em, the one buddys wife went home already and he stayed) and they were a little jealous and after we told them how big the herd was they wanted to come along next morning. So next morning we all go down and park the trucks at the top in the same place and snuck down the edges and split up into pairs and I went myself down the same way as the day before. Before we even made it half way we could hear bugling like crazy I knew everyone was smiling. this time I made sure to bring my bugle. I crept down the coolee until I could make out some shapes in the snow down in the corner. Just as I was about to blow on the bugle I heard another bugle but farther away and in a different direction. In the far end of the field I just barely make out some more shapes. There was a bull with some cows bugling with the bull that was near me. I could see this bull and he didnt look very big but he was against the trees so it was hard to make out. But I blew on the bugle anyway and he responded right away. I could tell he was pissed, he had all his cows around him and he was bugling like crazy and chuckling at me. he focused all his attention on me now. As it grew lighter I could still not make him out too well but I could see the other herd better now and to my disgust I could see the big 7 point in the far herd, about a mile way with no intentions of coming closer. I decided Id better just settle for this guy. His cows were starting to deek into the forest and so was the far herd so it was going to have to be quick. I was still 500 yards away and starting moving closer bugling every now and then. he was doing circles and buckng and just going crazy that I wouldnt show myself. When I got close enough I took a rest and waited for him to stop moving. before I could even think about shooting I heard a big shot go off and the bull was down and out. Well at least someone got him. So I walked down to him and to my astonishment he was way bigger than I thought. a 6 point and a pretty decent one at that. One of the old timers had seen him and thought he was bugling with another bull so took advantage of it and shot him.
Well after all the high fives we got him dressed and decided somebody better go get a truck. before we could even decide someone pointed and said hey theres a stray cow standing right there!! sure enough there was a cow elk standing at the edge of the field a few hudred yards away who hadnt even noticed us! so I said alright I got her. I crept along the edge of the field until I was about 150 yards from her and took a knee and squeezed off the .300WSM. bang right through her throat under her chin and she dropped like a sack of potatoes and never moved. what a morning!
http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad133/RustyRipper/P1015004.jpg
http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad133/RustyRipper/P1015018.jpg
We all went back and celebrated after quartering and hanging the animals and talked about what to do next. we figured those herds must be spooked now but we might try again in the morning. as for the eveining we were going to split up and find some new grounds. we went to an old spot of ours that had produced in the past and it didnt let us down. when we got there we saw a couple moose and some whitetails hanging out as well as a few mulies on the other side of the field. we were focused on the moose so we checked em out but nothing legal. so we waited to see if anything else would come out until it started to get a bit dark so we started to hike back along the edge of the timber when I spotted a couple dark shapes through the trees. I threw on the binos and there were two moose standing there, a cow and a immy bull. after a few minutes to make sure it was legal my buddy made the shot and dropped it.
http://i929.photobucket.com/albums/ad133/RustyRipper/P1015046.jpg
What a day!! two elk and a moose! by far any of ours best day to date. needless to say a lot of beer was consumed that night. Anyway we couldnt believe our luck and anythig else would be bonus as we still had muley season to look forward to. we were still a few days away from that so we thought we see if we could get a couple more. well our luck seemed to keep going as we were still seeing lots of animals much to the envy of some friends of ours who were up north from us hunting as well who hadnt seen a thing. they were talking about coming down where we were and they eventually did. we decided to use the jet boat as we had brought it all that way we might as well use it. after a morning and eveing hunt we had a couple islands cased out on the peace and on the second day of jetboating my buddy got a cow elk. nice big body on her but unfourtunately he shot her in a dried up slough that had water last year. so we had to quarter and pack her back to the jet boat on the other side of the island. at least it wasnt a big bull.