WKCotts
10-08-2013, 08:14 PM
After a week or so of hesitation I remembered why I'm on this site and decided to post up some pics and story from my '13 elk success.
After two very close calls in archery season (one a monster 7x7) that still haunts me, it was time to dust off the sako and get ready for September 10th. I had been hunting and scouting hard since May. Awesome bulls were showing up regularly on my cams so it was only a matter of time... Or was it? The 10th and 11th went by pretty quietly. I was out of the trailer at 4am and wasn't returning till well after dark. It was smoking hot and things were pretty quite.
Sept 12th. I had parked the quad at the end of a road/quad trail I knew well. From there it was about a 4km hike to where I wanted to be. 6:15am I got to my spot, checked wind and began calling. Immediately a bull lit up... Deep and raspy from well inside the timber. For the next 2 hours we played cat and mouse as we called back and forth. Just after 8:15am I shot this awesome 6x7 bull between the eyes at 7 yards. I could only see from his nose up as he was in some nasty alders and thick timber.
Reality soon set in that I was hunting solo, it was smoking hot out and a long way from road or quad access. I gutted, skinned and opened him up before heading for my quad and calling for help. My good buddy Chad dropped everything he was doing and headed for the mountains. When he arrived he was in for a bit of a surprise lol 13 hours after I shot the elk he was all packed out and cooling in the creek until the next morning.
Here are a few pics
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y217/ecotter_21/image-8.jpg (http://s6.photobucket.com/user/ecotter_21/media/image-8.jpg.html)
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y217/ecotter_21/image-6.jpg (http://s6.photobucket.com/user/ecotter_21/media/image-6.jpg.html)
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y217/ecotter_21/image-9.jpg (http://s6.photobucket.com/user/ecotter_21/media/image-9.jpg.html)
Ill try keep this story short lol I took a day off after that long pack out and the next day my dad (pistolpete) arrived at camp and wanted to get in on some of this elk action. We went balls to the wall for the next 5 days, but it was very very quite. On the morning of the 18th we decided to check out a bit of a hidden spot low in the valley I knew held pressured elk. We hiked in around 2km, set up and began calling. Immediately a bull lit up above us well in to the timber. We made a quick plan on a stalk and some calling and went after him. After 30 minutes of calling back and forth we had closed the distance, the bull showed himself and was dropped in his tracks at 33 yards. He is a LARGE 6x7 with a g2 stunted in his velvet growth. Never less he is an awesome bull.
Here are a few pics. Hope you guys enjoy
Eric
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y217/ecotter_21/image-4.jpg (http://s6.photobucket.com/user/ecotter_21/media/image-4.jpg.html)
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y217/ecotter_21/image-3.jpg (http://s6.photobucket.com/user/ecotter_21/media/image-3.jpg.html)
After two very close calls in archery season (one a monster 7x7) that still haunts me, it was time to dust off the sako and get ready for September 10th. I had been hunting and scouting hard since May. Awesome bulls were showing up regularly on my cams so it was only a matter of time... Or was it? The 10th and 11th went by pretty quietly. I was out of the trailer at 4am and wasn't returning till well after dark. It was smoking hot and things were pretty quite.
Sept 12th. I had parked the quad at the end of a road/quad trail I knew well. From there it was about a 4km hike to where I wanted to be. 6:15am I got to my spot, checked wind and began calling. Immediately a bull lit up... Deep and raspy from well inside the timber. For the next 2 hours we played cat and mouse as we called back and forth. Just after 8:15am I shot this awesome 6x7 bull between the eyes at 7 yards. I could only see from his nose up as he was in some nasty alders and thick timber.
Reality soon set in that I was hunting solo, it was smoking hot out and a long way from road or quad access. I gutted, skinned and opened him up before heading for my quad and calling for help. My good buddy Chad dropped everything he was doing and headed for the mountains. When he arrived he was in for a bit of a surprise lol 13 hours after I shot the elk he was all packed out and cooling in the creek until the next morning.
Here are a few pics
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y217/ecotter_21/image-8.jpg (http://s6.photobucket.com/user/ecotter_21/media/image-8.jpg.html)
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y217/ecotter_21/image-6.jpg (http://s6.photobucket.com/user/ecotter_21/media/image-6.jpg.html)
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y217/ecotter_21/image-9.jpg (http://s6.photobucket.com/user/ecotter_21/media/image-9.jpg.html)
Ill try keep this story short lol I took a day off after that long pack out and the next day my dad (pistolpete) arrived at camp and wanted to get in on some of this elk action. We went balls to the wall for the next 5 days, but it was very very quite. On the morning of the 18th we decided to check out a bit of a hidden spot low in the valley I knew held pressured elk. We hiked in around 2km, set up and began calling. Immediately a bull lit up above us well in to the timber. We made a quick plan on a stalk and some calling and went after him. After 30 minutes of calling back and forth we had closed the distance, the bull showed himself and was dropped in his tracks at 33 yards. He is a LARGE 6x7 with a g2 stunted in his velvet growth. Never less he is an awesome bull.
Here are a few pics. Hope you guys enjoy
Eric
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y217/ecotter_21/image-4.jpg (http://s6.photobucket.com/user/ecotter_21/media/image-4.jpg.html)
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y217/ecotter_21/image-3.jpg (http://s6.photobucket.com/user/ecotter_21/media/image-3.jpg.html)