sparky300winmag
09-07-2011, 06:09 PM
Well i went out last weekend by myself with my crossbow to see if i could find some elk in my fav hunting spots. Fri morn headed down the logging road to an area where i could glass cut blocks. Well , first cut block i glassed there was an elk feeding up the edge of it. Took out the spotting scope and low and behold a bull , i didn't stay put long enough to count all the points but i noticed it was at least a 5 pt if not 6. So i quickly headed up the other side of the valley to where it was located. I walked down the road( no vehicles could get through) and cow called and waited to hear something ( forgot bugle back at camp), but the bull never answered. The cut block was old and i couldn't see anything up high. So after awhile i took off to another spot . Again i went up high enough to glass the opposite side of the valley and bingo , i spot two elk feeding in another cut block. Again i pull out the spot scope and this time it was two bulls feeding , one a four pt and the other looked like a 5 pt , so tear down the mountain and up the other side of the valley , and slowly made my way to where i figured they were. Came around a corner on my quad and there were a bunch of elk feeding on the cut block . There were about 5 cows and one bull raking trees (which i believe was the herd bull , but i think only a 5 pt) and there was also a 4pt and splike bull with them. I looked off to the left and there was another bull , this time a six pt. I tried to sneak down the road and keep the tops of trees for cover to try and get close to the 5 pt bull because he was the closest , but the cows spotted me. The whole herd began to trot off into the heavy trees, and there turned out to be another 6 pt bull i didn't see off to the left as well. I tried cow calling and bugling but i was done for. They turned out to be about 350 yds away when i ranged it. I did work my way in after them and got within 200 yrds of one of the 6 pts , but they headed off out of range.
So i headed down the mountain, but decided to stop and glass across to the other side where i was originally and can you believe it, just below where i was were more elk. I glassed for about 25 min and sure enough i spotted a bull, another 5 pt along with about 4 more elk. So again i mounted my quad and proceeded across the valley to see if i could make something happen, but dark was closing in fast. I got to the other side of the valley and was working my way up to where i spotted them , when i looked down the bank of the old burn and there were more elk !! NOT the ones i was after , but there turned out to be a 4 pt bull there so i tried to work down the slash to get close , but again a friggin cow caught me and they quickly made exodus down the side of the mountain into the heavy cover. Dark came and it was over.
The next morn i did spot elk on bothe sides of the valley again , and i tried again for the 4 pt working my way up through the slash, but a vehicle had gone up that side of the valley already and was making its way down when the elk spooked again and i didn't get close enough. I have to tell you , hats off to you bow hunters who get one, because its bloody hard , if they aren't bugling back or coming to you. The spot and stalk is a hard way to do it. ( at least for me) SO i am looking forward to saturday when i can hopefully reach out and touch one of these elk with my 300 wsm. Hoefully the weather won't be a factor.
I wish you all luck this year!!
So i headed down the mountain, but decided to stop and glass across to the other side where i was originally and can you believe it, just below where i was were more elk. I glassed for about 25 min and sure enough i spotted a bull, another 5 pt along with about 4 more elk. So again i mounted my quad and proceeded across the valley to see if i could make something happen, but dark was closing in fast. I got to the other side of the valley and was working my way up to where i spotted them , when i looked down the bank of the old burn and there were more elk !! NOT the ones i was after , but there turned out to be a 4 pt bull there so i tried to work down the slash to get close , but again a friggin cow caught me and they quickly made exodus down the side of the mountain into the heavy cover. Dark came and it was over.
The next morn i did spot elk on bothe sides of the valley again , and i tried again for the 4 pt working my way up through the slash, but a vehicle had gone up that side of the valley already and was making its way down when the elk spooked again and i didn't get close enough. I have to tell you , hats off to you bow hunters who get one, because its bloody hard , if they aren't bugling back or coming to you. The spot and stalk is a hard way to do it. ( at least for me) SO i am looking forward to saturday when i can hopefully reach out and touch one of these elk with my 300 wsm. Hoefully the weather won't be a factor.
I wish you all luck this year!!