the elk won

cmiddleton

cmiddleton

New member
i just got back from my elk hunt, i feel like i was hit by a truck.
if work was this hard I'd have to find a new job.
don't get me wrong i loved every minute of it.
i have to work tomorrow but sorefeet is staying up there hunting deer this week and he will call when they start bugling and i'll beat feet back for however long it takes.
its nice to be the boss.
i was going to come back Wednesday but as hush mouthed as they are being i don't think they will start tomorrow.
i want to get into some screaming matches.
I'm worried because all the herds we saw never had ELVIS.
we saw one 350 bull opening weekend but i wasn't impressed.
he had 60 cows and 4 rag horns the other groups only had herd bulls we called in one raghorn 5 and 4 spikes. sorefeet shot one spike.
i never heard a bugle that i didn't think was another hunter all week.
i can't wait to do it again when they are willing to play along.
 
That sounds like a good time even with all the hiking, the work really start when you pull the trigger. Is that a rifle or bow hunt? If the elk are like the moose they won't be very vocal if there are any wolves around.
 
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its a bowhunt and we had two wolves but the fws took um out i think.
did see a sow and two cub black bear but never saw any lion tracks this year.
mike bull he shot in the spine it dropped 15 yrds off a two track road. the last three bulls he has killed ran to the road and dropped.
mine on the other hand have always been a pack.
 
yeah we were around laramie peak and never heard a peep out of anything. just lots of people camping and enjoying the 80 degree weather. we're going back up next weekend i think
 
We're leaving for the trailhead tomorrow evening. Will pack in on Wednesday and plan to come out on the 21st. I wish I was in better shape.
 
how long of a ride in do you have? yeah there were entirely too many 4 wheelers and grouse hunters, but not much to do about except saddle up the mules and disappear
 
i'm back but i didn't hear a thing this morning.
i'm a walker not a rider and my camp spot is 20 minutes from my house.
temps are going to drop so maybe that will kick them in.
 
another weekend of the elk walking me into the dirt!
these elk are really ticking me off i can't even get any action from the satellite bulls.
they are bugling and moving long distances today i followed them almost to far i was wondering if i'd get back to the truck. i had to take a nap to rebuild my legs.
slept about 4 hrs i was shocked normally i just sleep a hour in the woods.
tomorrow I'm packing more food and water!!!!!!!!!
no sign of Elvis
the herd bull is real heavy but will not score that great around 350"
I'm bummed i was looking forward to hearing Elvis.
tomorrows a new day maybe something great will happen. if i can get my strength back i could barely walk into the house.
oh yeah i got a 788 rem 308 yesterday for a great price FREE! i'll have to doll it up.
Cody went out the fourth day looking for the bull he hit on the second range by his self and broke his ankle.
he said it was gods payback for wounding that bull.he had to hobble 4 miles out.
 
The bulls are screaming hard here, seen a lot of bulls and been close a few times. They are holed up in heaving timber full of dead fall and don't seem to want to move out of it. Be at them hard again next week, the last week of the season.
 
they bugled on sunday but i haven't heard a peep sense.
yesterday a coyote ran away with my arrow i was setting up far a evening stand so i didn't go look for him.
i'll find the arrow next time as he topped the hill it was just the fletches still in him i'm sure he didn't go far i just didn't want to mess up my evening hunt.
today all i saw was black bear tracks in my tracks.
not a deer ,elk, coyote i guess i saw some blue grouse thats it.
yesterday was my 25th wedding aniversery but i was huntin.
sorry dear maybe next year i'll get a elk dead before the 15th and we can see each other on our 26th. [if i wasn't huntin i'd be working out of town anyway]
maybe tomorrow
 
this morning was pure magic elk had me surrounded tell 11:30. it was great i love it bugling cows calling i was in them i had a cow come up to 15 yrds and bed down making it so i couldn't draw on the bull.
i took two shots one at a 6x7 at 30 yrds but i lived up to my Indian name "he who hunts for sticks and twigs." the arrow caught a twig and i killed a tree.
then a smaller bull came in and i shot two branches and broke the arrow before it even got to the elk.
it don't matter that i missed today was the best day of the year.
the 6x7 is only about a 300 bull with two third points on his left side the other bull was maybe 250" but he came to the calls TWICE.
i gotta get a no scent shower and get back up there. those elk had me all lathered up and sweating like a pig. don't want to go after them smelling like a old construction worker.
 
well last night i had a nice 6x6 sneak in the back door. he busted me tring to turn around.
they were realy lighting up the night air while i was walking out in the dark last night.
i saw another 6x6 in the open after dark. i'd have liked to have shot that one as he was about 200 yrds from where i hid the truck.
then this morning it was dead silent.
i gotta get a shower and a change of clothes then its off to the races again.
sure is nice to run home in midday for some scentfree clothes and a shower. that realy is a big plus when walking in a elk herd.
tomorrow moseley is coming up for the morning hunt he can sit back and do the calling that should give me a chance to get the drop on one.
you would think someone who's lungs are as bad as mine they wouldn't go as hard as i do but you know "you only live once"
if i gotta go this is the best way to do it.
here lays casey
shot a big bull with his bow
his heart pounded so hard it was bound to blow
the calling and bugling had both hearts racing
the broadhead stopped the bull but the excitment killed casey.
 
well after 17 days i still haven't got my elk, saw elvis or even and real wall hangers.
i got to go back to work this week so its weekends from here on out.
hope i don't have to resort to the 300 mag but i will if i have to.
someday the big boys have to show up don't they?[confused smiley face]
 
still no big bull but i did find this little feller
bear_in_tree_1.jpg

bear_in_tree_2.jpg

i left when ma ma came back. she was a beautiful cinniman

boy i need a camera the cell phone just don't cut the musterd
 
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so much for bow season i never saw Elvis or any of my named bulls the one big herd opening day was the only big bunch we saw. we saw up to 14 but that isn't normal they are normally groups of 30. i saw two bulls that would be over 300" but nothing like the normal big boys. even the 350" leader of the 60 cows on opening day was small compared to who normally runs the cows up there.
i spent 19 days shot at several bulls even though they were not as big as my hopes.
i shot at two deer and they didn't make my standards either but a guy has got to shoot once in a while.
coolest thing of the whole season was seeing the black bear and its mom I'm still stunned at how beautiful that cinnamon bear was. i was kind of in a bad situation between her and her cub i wasn't afraid but i was wise enough to back away telling her its OK I'm leaving. she was popping her teeth at 20 to 30 yards and followed me tell the cub was behind her. i knew by her posture that she was afraid of me but she was going to get her cub if she had to go threw me to get it.
it was coool
it must have scared them more than me because yesterday there was a big puddle of bear puke at the base of the tree.
Thursday starts rifle season. i have a meeting on Friday in sundance but i'll hunt Thursday Saturday and Sunday.
i hope the rifles chase something big in to my area or i'll just have to fill the freezer again.
i really wanted Elvis but have no idea where he went or if he is still around heck even rocky is missing in action.
the elk just didn't do their normal movements at all this year.
all in all the hunting was great but the seeing and killing stunk its hard to be a head hunter when there isn't a nice head to hunt.
 
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