Rocksteady's 2013 hunting escapades

[rocksteady]

Well, got to admit I am totally unprepared. No bait, no trail cam,, no scouting.

Was up fighting fire in the Cariboo country (Anahim lake and Wells) for a couple Weeks. Got back and was swamped with my regular job. Then on weekends, I was more interested in hauling ass on my motorcycle than getting ready for hunting...


Put over 9k on her this year, last ride, last Sunday, was 800 km. Cranbrook to Eureka, Whitefish, Kallispell, Libby, Troy, then onto Bonners, Idaho and home. Realized when I got home, I need a new rear tire. 2" wide bare patch around the whole circumference, showing cords.... Eeeek!!

Anyways, I digress.. I drew nothing for leh, cause I forgot to apply.... Oh well, thats life...

Did not go out this morning, but got a text from my neighbour, he arrowed a bull elk this morning... I then saw 4 small WT bucks when I went to feed my horses..

I am gonna got out and sit and glass one of my favorite haunts tonight, hopefully see something to get me psycho motivated...

Stay tuned, I will try to chronicle the season as it unfolds....

[quadrakid]

Always look forward to your east kootenay adventures. Good luck.

[Rackmastr]

Good luck buddy!! I'm looking forward to the rifle opener, but got out last week and put out a trail cam with a bit of bait for a good deer I've seen a couple times on the way to work lately.

Looking forward to getting into some elk and knocking a tastey bugger down!

[rocksteady]

Frustrated as hell...

Been walking a tonne of miles in my favorite areas for elk.... No tracks, much less elk...

Weird...

Food everywhere
Water everywhere
Elk nowhere......

Betcha I have put 80 km on the boots in the last 3 days... No elk, 2 sets of tracks...

[rocksteady]

Been sseing a shatload of Turkeys, just no beards...

[rocksteady]

Not sure what is going on.... Hiked for 4 hours, saw 2 grouse... This is prime elk/wt habitat... Wtf?

[bugler]

They all dead. Populations are pitiful right now

[Mikey Rafiki]

Hearing good things about Perry and Roaring.

[rocksteady]

Hiked another 10 km today... Nothing, but 1 wt blowing at me and 3 grouse..... Argh!

[rocksteady]

Getting pissed off... Know the areas well enough, where the elk live/ should be...

Have not seen one yet, or even much sign...

And a total of 6 deer... By this time last year, I had passed up a dozen bucks....

If I dont see a shootable critter in a week, I am selling my guns and going vegan....

[Rhyno]

Getting pissed off... Know the areas well enough, where the elk live/ should be...

Have not seen one yet, or even much sign...

And a total of 6 deer... By this time last year, I had passed up a dozen bucks....

If I dont see a shootable critter in a week, I am selling my guns and going vegan....

Whoa...lets not over react...vegan....sell guns..now that's just crazy talk! Maybe things will turn around once the weather cools off a bit next week.

I have had similar success, 3 early morning and 1 fully day. Zero deer sightings and one spiker elk at 30 yards....too bad I wasn't in zone X!

I am off hunting the next week, but went I return I fully expect this thread to have some pictures of dead elk!

[brenden]

100km in the kootenays and two sets of elk tracks????? Were you on a treadmill in your basement??

[schooter]

While in Anahim Lake did you see any worthwhile moose areas? Have an LEH for 5-12, north of road 20, west of Anahim. Thanks.

[blackbart]

I have a bumper crop of veggies in the garden and will likely trade for guns, particulary those not fired this year. Let me know what you have and I will hook you up with some carrots and such.

[rocksteady]

No luck for you Bart, just smoked a 6 by 5...

Gods smiled upon me...

Full story once I get the beast home...

[Rackmastr]

No luck for you Bart, just smoked a 6 by 5...

Gods smiled upon me...

Full story once I get the beast home...

Congrats man! Looks like a nice bull from what I saw on the iPhone!

[rocksteady]

So here is the story, photobucket is not working proper, so pictures will come later.

So I head to one of my favorite areas (killed 7 elk in a 2 km radius in the past 10 years)...

Snuck in at first light, to the viewpoint, so I can see the habitat on private, as well as crown. I use this area as my thermometer.... Usually there is a huge number of elk on crown, once the rut kicks in, they fragment into small herds, scattering 360 degrees....

So I hike in the semi gray light of dawn....nothing...Get to the viewpoint, glass for 20 minutes... Nada....

Finally I see a couple Whiteys at 700 yards, feeding... Spotting scope onto rifle barrel... Round heads... Shit...

So I am glassing the WT and up to the North, someone opens up with a BIG gun... Not an '06, not a .270, the earth is moving....

Looking at the WT, through the spotter, to see how the shots affected them (8 shots in total), the deer were getting a bit antsy....

Out of the corner of my eye, I see movement... I see a cow coming at me with a bull on her heels, about 1 km away....

I focus the binos, elk coming, bull, not sure how big....

What I did not realize, that a cow and calf were coming at me when I was glassing WT...

Looked down, cow/calf.coming at me at 300 yards, going hell bent for leather, gonna come up the hillon an ancient, well used elk trAil.. Rest of the herd a few hundred yards behind...

Trying to watch the cow/calf, to see where they are going, and seeing the bull, coming hard, with the other 8 or 10 elk, following up the rear...

Bino'd the bull, as he was coming... Shit, 5 on his left side.... Check out the right...

1,2,3,4,5,6.... You sure? Recount... 1,2,3,4,5,6... Still not sure, after all it is an elk on a quick lope... 1,2,3,4,5,6.... It is legal...

Herd dissappears behind a stand of aspen, still coming at me... Where I am sitting is at least 300 feet in elevation from where the elk are....

Lead cow runs up to the close edge of the swamp and hammers on the brakes.... Damn... Downhill winds... She smells me...

Rest of herd keep following, coming out of the aspen, stopping in the swamp...

Wait for the bull to clear the aspen... Broadside at 150 yards or so... Forgot to compensate for the extreme angle... First shot, he flinched and turned 180 degrees...

[rocksteady]

He starts slowly walkin away... Quartering...

Lined up second shot behind the shoulder. BOOM! he walks another 5 yards, before I can chamber a 3rd round, he stops and falls over DEAD!...

The rest of the herd scatters in all directions....

I calm my nerves, hike down the nasty steep embankment to the swamp, wade through the chest high grass.... There is my prize... Sweet... Stone cold dead...

Get on the phone, call a couple buddies, they are on their way... Got busy doing the gutless method... Had it complete within about 90 minutes... Loaded the packboards And gamecart and headed to the truck... An hour and a bit, we were at the rigs...

[ruger#1]

Come on Rock, Vegetables would taste bland without meat. Glad you got one. Glad you have stayed in the game.

[rocksteady]

When I was skinning, I found first shot hit the very top end of the front shoulder blade... Fatal!

However, my second shot, due to the steep angle went in behind the ribs and out of the chest low down on the offside.... Fatal...too...

First live elk I have seen in 8 days of hunting, and a 6 point comes running from 1000 yards away, to

stop 150 yards away, in an opening, broadside...

Talk about lucky....

I was about half way thru tge gutless prep method, stood up to give my back a break... Looked North.... Perfect, picture perfect rainbow.... Shining down into the swamps...

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c372/rocksteadyrifle/20130916_090750_zps4f7583e8.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/rocksteadyrifle/media/20130916_090750_zps4f7583e8.jpg.html)

[rocksteady]

Where do I go from here??

The chiropractor... My back is fubarred from all of the hiking etc in the past week, or so...

Sleeping in... 04:00 is not a pleasant time to wake up...

Still on holidays for the rest of the week, so gonna tackle the honey-dew list....

Talked to my f-i-l, he says he is not surprised, cause I am the most persistant Mo-Fo he knows....

Time to relax, rewind, rejuvinate... Then start looking for a decent WT buck.....

Hopefully will have pics up tomorrow....

If this thread does not make sense, my defence is sitting in my hot tub for 2 hours, with a cold 6 pack...

[coach]

Awesome story, RS! Congrats on bagging a bull. Looking forward to the pics.

[Sitkaspruce]

Awesome Rock!!!!

Congrats on the bull and the hunt.

Cheers

SS

[Dutch Ppoacher]

Awesome!!! Hope to have the same luck

[rocksteady]

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c372/rocksteadyrifle/20130916_081534_zpsadbd811b.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/rocksteadyrifle/media/20130916_081534_zpsadbd811b.jpg.html)

[rocksteady]

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c372/rocksteadyrifle/2022532a-aff8-4719-87c3-f78767e765c5_zps235fa2cc.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/rocksteadyrifle/media/2022532a-aff8-4719-87c3-f78767e765c5_zps235fa2cc.jpg.html)

[d6dan]

Well done Mike. Good bull.:-D

[rocksteady]

Well done Mike. Good bull.:-D

Thanks... With lack of critters this year, I was wondering if I would even cut an elk tag this year..

[cmarrie]

Great story, could feel my adrenaline rising with each twist of the story. Hoping to experience something like next week as I start my first elk hunt. Congrat, best of luck in finding your WT.

[rides bike to work]

congrats on the nice stag.I look forward to your stories as they are real and unpolished from a guy like me trying to put meat in the freezer not a trophy on the wall. look forward to your updates throughout the rest of the season.

[835]

I was just about to say ..... all your other threads you killed something by now! .... then i saw your post!
nice work, i think i have read about the spot you shot this bull from in one of your past threads... well.. it looked the same in my minds eye anyway!

Nice work Rock!
Rock on!

[Stone Sheep Steve]

Great job, mike!!! Now get re-adjusted and get back out there!!:-D
I need some more reading material on my breaks at work.


SSS

[greybark]

Hey Rocksteady , well done . your dedication and perserverance paid off big time .
Cheers

[Darksith]

nice work. Thanks for sharing. sure do wish I lived in elk country...

[Kootenay Killer]

Were you south or north of those 8 shots cause that was my buddy trying to lay the hammer down on a spiker haha thats funny i was sitting just north of him wondering myself what was going on. It was his last day out for awhile

[rocksteady]

Were you south or north of those 8 shots cause that was my buddy trying to lay the hammer down on a spiker haha thats funny i was sitting just north of him wondering myself what was going on. It was his last day out for awhile

I would rather not divulge that info...

[andrewscag]

Nice! Sounds like you got the kind of luck that comes from a ton of walking and hard work. Congrats

[anotherone]

flookie bugger, now i hear you went and shot a little buck just because you could

[Poguebilt]

Well done Mike.... The "honey hole" sure is a nice spot!

[rocksteady]

Went for a walk in the rain for a couple hours, on some steep high, thick ridges... Saw a bunch of does...

On the drive out a spiker stood at 60 yards, trying to look tough. Aimed at the throat patch. Bullet went where I aimed. No tracking necessary..

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c372/rocksteadyrifle/20130918_145841_zpsb33045ee.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/rocksteadyrifle/media/20130918_145841_zpsb33045ee.jpg.html)

[rocksteady]

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c372/rocksteadyrifle/20130918_145945_zpsb0fc0bc0.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/rocksteadyrifle/media/20130918_145945_zpsb0fc0bc0.jpg.html)

[rocksteady]

Sorry for the crappy pics... Did not know the lens on my phone was dirty...

[d6dan]

Tender vittles Mike!. Congrats now what's left on your hit list?.

[rocksteady]

Tender vittles Mike!. Congrats now what's left on your hit list?.

Turkey with shotgun (Oct 1, I think)
Whitey doe (Oct 10}...

Helping my friends find their elks.
Helping my friends pack/drag/carry their elks...

[f350ps]

Were you south or north of those 8 shots cause that was my buddy trying to lay the hammer down on a spiker haha thats funny i was sitting just north of him wondering myself what was going on. It was his last day out for awhile
Hahaha........nice try!! K

[jaeger]

Went for a walk in the rain for a couple hours, on some steep high, thick ridges... Saw a bunch of does...

On the drive out a spiker stood at 60 yards, trying to look tough. Aimed at the throat patch. Bullet went where I aimed. No tracking necessary..

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c372/rocksteadyrifle/20130918_145841_zpsb33045ee.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/user/rocksteadyrifle/media/20130918_145841_zpsb33045ee.jpg.html)

The Hunting gods have been good to you!! Nice Job on both Anmals!

[rocksteady]

Well, been on a hunting hiatus for a bit. Nothing open for me to hunt...

As of tomorrow, though, I am legal (once I buy another tag) to smoke a Whitey roundhead.

Shooting a doe in the trench is about as hard as finding a crow at the local dump..

Gonna try to make it challenging, and get it on video...

Couple years ago, did it self filmed with the .338, year after, shotgun with blackpowder slugs, not sure how I am gonna do it this year...will post the plan and results, once my deviant brain thinks of it...

I am tossing around "old school"..... 30-30, iron sights, wool pants, Mac jacket, John Deere ball cap.... :)

[Sitkaspruce]

Crossbow or bow???

Good luck Rock, I know you will succeed......!!!...LOL

Cheers

SS

[Kootenay Killer]

Wasnt trying to find your secret spot there rocksteady was just wondering thought it was funny I know that hole aree congrats on the kills though

[WKCotts]

I am tossing around "old school"..... 30-30, iron sights, wool pants, Mac jacket, John Deere ball cap.... :)

Haha awesome!

[Islandeer]

Wear a Greenpeace hat when you get your doe, now that would be something yah dont usually see.

[Sleep Robber]

Geezuz !! I guess I better go out and buy me some fancy new $$camo$$ shit as I'm still in my Bannick Burns/Suspenders and Stanfields !! I did swap out the ol reversible orange/green lid for a newer Cat diesel power cap though so I think I'll just rub some more dubbin in me caulk boots and stick to what I know. The 30.30 ?? I'll continue to pump lead pills into deer with it til I fall over dead.:wink:

BTW, nice thread, it's enjoyable to read and congrats on the animals to date.

[rocksteady]

Father in law came over for the long weekend. We humped a lot of miles looking for abull... No luck.... Found a couple beds of bulls that just reeked, but no elk..

Went to feed my horses this evening, took the rifle, did a little road hunt... Came upon a section of hydro right of way that is freshly slashed....deer all over it... Saw 3 big does standing alone, no fawns etc. figured wtf, got out, laid down the bipod. 200 yards, bang, run like hell, piled up 10 yards later. Dead... Easy downhill drag to a knoll, back the truck up, in she goes....

No idea what I should do with my spare time now....

[Sleep Robber]

At least you'll be eating well, congrats on the doe and to a good season. I'm sure there's a few hunters out there that would love your help and there's always dogs etc. to kill the time.