ELK HARVEST COUNT POST THIS YEARS ELK KILL'S HERE
12-21-2006, 01:48 PM
#2
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Calgary,Alberta,Canada
Posts: 2,123
RE: ELK HARVEST COUNT POST THIS YEARS ELK KILL'S HERE
So me and my buddy managed to fill his late elk tag this year. So about 100yds from the trucks i look up to this hill about a mile away and i see some dots that i didnt recall ever being there but i didnt think anything of it then suddenly to our left we see two cow moose come running out about 500yds away and we figured that the day was off to a good start then suddenly 3 more cows popped out of the bush, then another cow we couldnt believe then suddenly a big bull steps out. So its not even legal shooting time and we've already seen 7 moose so we figured it was gonna be a really good day.
So we continue to walk about another 50yds and i take a look at the hill that i seen those spots on and i asked my buddy" hey are those elk" he took a look through the binoc's and sure enough there was about 10 of them there. So we stood there trying to figure out what we were gonna do then suddenly the elk started coming out of the wood work up where the rest of them were. There must have been about 30-40 head of elk.So we decided to walk down to the bottom of the hill they were standing on and they went a bit more north into another clearing and we were hoping to sneak up behind them so we walked up this cutline that they were standing on and started moving towards them. We decided to drop our packs so they wouldnt become a hassel if we had to crawl. I also left my gun and just grabbed my binoc's so it wouldnt get in my way. So we just come over a lil hill and there they were in all their glory. We managed to sneak to a kind of path in the trees and there were still a few smaller poplars in the way but nothing to worry about. I look at the herd and there was one shootable the thing was its butt was facing us and it had just turned its head and it was looking right at us and out of the corner of my eye i spotted a big 6x6 bull looking at us through a bunch of trees. So we had been had. I was told him ok lets get behind these blowin over trees and take a shot at the cow that was facing away. So he settled in a BOOM. Suddenly all hell broke lose as the forest came alive andhe though he missed so he continued to follow it and taking shots, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM. So now hes out of ammo and out of no where this elk comes running straight for us and i thought it was the bull and he was pissed so i told him to reload and he had forgotten to grab his bullets from his bag so here we are hiding and it ends up it was the cow he was shooting at and it was walking about 20yds in front of us and he didnt even have a bullet to finish it off. It bedded down so we snuck back to the bags reloaded and went back to finish it off but it had got up and ran away again so we just decided to go and check out the blood trail and she had lost alot and it turns out she had died about 150yds forom where she hoped up on us but he had nailed her in the hind and hit a main artery but hey at least there is still more meat in freezer and one less tag to fill.
By the way we werent able to get any pics in the bush cause both our cameras were frozen and wouldnt work for us.
So we continue to walk about another 50yds and i take a look at the hill that i seen those spots on and i asked my buddy" hey are those elk" he took a look through the binoc's and sure enough there was about 10 of them there. So we stood there trying to figure out what we were gonna do then suddenly the elk started coming out of the wood work up where the rest of them were. There must have been about 30-40 head of elk.So we decided to walk down to the bottom of the hill they were standing on and they went a bit more north into another clearing and we were hoping to sneak up behind them so we walked up this cutline that they were standing on and started moving towards them. We decided to drop our packs so they wouldnt become a hassel if we had to crawl. I also left my gun and just grabbed my binoc's so it wouldnt get in my way. So we just come over a lil hill and there they were in all their glory. We managed to sneak to a kind of path in the trees and there were still a few smaller poplars in the way but nothing to worry about. I look at the herd and there was one shootable the thing was its butt was facing us and it had just turned its head and it was looking right at us and out of the corner of my eye i spotted a big 6x6 bull looking at us through a bunch of trees. So we had been had. I was told him ok lets get behind these blowin over trees and take a shot at the cow that was facing away. So he settled in a BOOM. Suddenly all hell broke lose as the forest came alive andhe though he missed so he continued to follow it and taking shots, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM. So now hes out of ammo and out of no where this elk comes running straight for us and i thought it was the bull and he was pissed so i told him to reload and he had forgotten to grab his bullets from his bag so here we are hiding and it ends up it was the cow he was shooting at and it was walking about 20yds in front of us and he didnt even have a bullet to finish it off. It bedded down so we snuck back to the bags reloaded and went back to finish it off but it had got up and ran away again so we just decided to go and check out the blood trail and she had lost alot and it turns out she had died about 150yds forom where she hoped up on us but he had nailed her in the hind and hit a main artery but hey at least there is still more meat in freezer and one less tag to fill.
By the way we werent able to get any pics in the bush cause both our cameras were frozen and wouldnt work for us.
12-21-2006, 01:51 PM
#3
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Calgary,Alberta,Canada
Posts: 2,123
RE: ELK HARVEST COUNT POST THIS YEARS ELK KILL'S HERE
Me and my two cousins were also able to fill my cousins late cow elk tag as well. In the morning we thought for sure we wouldnt see any animals cause the wind was sooo strong, for example i was walking one ridgeline and i was watching tree get blown, after i seen that i got off of that ridge pretty fast.
As i was walking down from the ridge i heard 5 shots come from where my cousin and sure enough not a minute later over the radio i hear, get ahold of your dad cause we need the quad. So i get up to where he was there was a cow laying right where it was standing.He shot her right in the juguler( he was aiming for the chest but it hit a branch of some brush that was in front of her that he couldnt see and i guess he got lucky on the shot.)So another elk in the garage and more steaks and roasts for the belly.
As i was walking down from the ridge i heard 5 shots come from where my cousin and sure enough not a minute later over the radio i hear, get ahold of your dad cause we need the quad. So i get up to where he was there was a cow laying right where it was standing.He shot her right in the juguler( he was aiming for the chest but it hit a branch of some brush that was in front of her that he couldnt see and i guess he got lucky on the shot.)So another elk in the garage and more steaks and roasts for the belly.
12-21-2006, 03:55 PM
#4
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Helena MT USA
Posts: 363
RE: ELK HARVEST COUNT POST THIS YEARS ELK KILL'S HERE
I spent the whole archery season hunting for a big bull. With time running low, I decided to shoot the next bull I had an opportunity at. This 5 point came by at 30 yards and that was all she wrote.
12-21-2006, 04:11 PM
#5
Typical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Cedar Valley Utah
Posts: 977
RE: ELK HARVEST COUNT POST THIS YEARS ELK KILL'S HERE
Thursday: Scouting day. My buddy and I set up camp in the rain. Then it started to rain. After that rain, rain and more rain. After dark the rain stopped and almost immediately we heard a bull buglin close to camp. Got our hearts pumpin then after 15 minutes of some exceitement it began to rain.
Friday: Scouting day. We went out, in the rain, and heard a group of a bulls buglin in the distance. As we were trying to get to a ridge top to glass the bulls we bumped 5 cows and a small bull. Rather than spook the rest of the elk in the area we decided to back out satisfied that we had found what we were looking for and head back to camp, while it rained a bit more. My girlfriend also arrived at camp.
Saturday: Hunt opener. We didn't get much sleep due to some rain passing through the area....all night long. It was the kind of drops that sounds like baseballs hitting the camper roof.
We were in the area we wanted to be in and hiking well before first light. We heard bugles close to a mile away. The wind was right so we headed towards them. We knew they wouldn't bed far off on a South facing slope where we had watched them bed the day before. We tried to get between thier feeding grounds and their bedroom. But to our surprise it sounded like the elk were moving away from us. We couldn't figure it out until first light when we saw orange all over the mountain. We backed out and decided to circle 3 miles around where we thought the elk were headed.
When we arrived to our delight there were no hunters. We parked the truck and hiked over a mile. This was no normal mile, even by Rocky Mountain standards. There was a 300 foot deep gorge between us and our elk hunting grounds that had 50 foot cliffs in it. We eventually found a place to cross and exhausted from just crossing the gorge we stopped to have lunch. By this time it was 2:00 PM and warm, nearly 60 degrees. We had some lunch and started to do a little glassing. My buddy took a nap as I studied the landscape and decided where I thought there may be elk. At 3:00 with our plan set we headed to the top of a ridge. At the ridge top I let loose some "sleazy" cow calls. Instantly a distant bugle. It was nice to hear but we noticed another gorge between us and the bull. Again I called the same sequence. This time the bull cutt me off and bugled before I was finished. At what we guessed was about 1500 yds I see a bull on a dead run towards us. Acutally I saw him and lost him in the trees. I told my girlfriend in excitement that I had spotted a bull RUNNING at us and asked her to help me find him. She says, "I see him, but...um....babe....I think that's a cow." I said, "no honey it's a bull." Well it nearly broke out into an argument when my buddy interrupted us reminding us first that we were on an elk hunt and that a bull AND a cow are coming fast. (Don't worry we made up later. ) They were coming from two different directions and sparked the debate.
Ok the next part happens fast. I finally locate the bull AND the cow. We decide to start running towards the bull to close the distance while stopping once in a while to check his location. The cow was closer than the bull he crosses the cows' path and starts heading the wrong direction with his nose to the ground on her scent trail. I again let out my "sleazy" cow calling sequence and he turned and again started running towards us. But wait a second....if he's there....where is the cow? She's still coming and now 60 yards away. Worried that she would spook we stopped running and the 3 of us hid behind a bush or a tree, what ever was close and stopped calling hoping she would go passed us so she wouldn't spook the bull now 400 yards out and closing fast. She was a little to our left and the bull started head off to the right. I decided the cow wouldn't spook the bull so I jumped up, spooked the cow, and headed to a spot and the edge of the trees where I could get a clear shot. The bull is now in stealth mode looking for a hot cow. So we went silent and waited for him to come within distance. Finally he was at 200 yards and broadside. A soft cow call stopped him and suddenly the "sleazy" cow turned into a 3100 ft per second 175 gr 7mm partition. The shot looked good but a second one made sure.
We spent the next two days quatering and packing him out. He's not a monster but he's a public land OTC tag bull. It was an enjoyable hunt and shared with my girl and best buddy. Here's my 06 bull.
Friday: Scouting day. We went out, in the rain, and heard a group of a bulls buglin in the distance. As we were trying to get to a ridge top to glass the bulls we bumped 5 cows and a small bull. Rather than spook the rest of the elk in the area we decided to back out satisfied that we had found what we were looking for and head back to camp, while it rained a bit more. My girlfriend also arrived at camp.
Saturday: Hunt opener. We didn't get much sleep due to some rain passing through the area....all night long. It was the kind of drops that sounds like baseballs hitting the camper roof.
We were in the area we wanted to be in and hiking well before first light. We heard bugles close to a mile away. The wind was right so we headed towards them. We knew they wouldn't bed far off on a South facing slope where we had watched them bed the day before. We tried to get between thier feeding grounds and their bedroom. But to our surprise it sounded like the elk were moving away from us. We couldn't figure it out until first light when we saw orange all over the mountain. We backed out and decided to circle 3 miles around where we thought the elk were headed.
When we arrived to our delight there were no hunters. We parked the truck and hiked over a mile. This was no normal mile, even by Rocky Mountain standards. There was a 300 foot deep gorge between us and our elk hunting grounds that had 50 foot cliffs in it. We eventually found a place to cross and exhausted from just crossing the gorge we stopped to have lunch. By this time it was 2:00 PM and warm, nearly 60 degrees. We had some lunch and started to do a little glassing. My buddy took a nap as I studied the landscape and decided where I thought there may be elk. At 3:00 with our plan set we headed to the top of a ridge. At the ridge top I let loose some "sleazy" cow calls. Instantly a distant bugle. It was nice to hear but we noticed another gorge between us and the bull. Again I called the same sequence. This time the bull cutt me off and bugled before I was finished. At what we guessed was about 1500 yds I see a bull on a dead run towards us. Acutally I saw him and lost him in the trees. I told my girlfriend in excitement that I had spotted a bull RUNNING at us and asked her to help me find him. She says, "I see him, but...um....babe....I think that's a cow." I said, "no honey it's a bull." Well it nearly broke out into an argument when my buddy interrupted us reminding us first that we were on an elk hunt and that a bull AND a cow are coming fast. (Don't worry we made up later. ) They were coming from two different directions and sparked the debate.
Ok the next part happens fast. I finally locate the bull AND the cow. We decide to start running towards the bull to close the distance while stopping once in a while to check his location. The cow was closer than the bull he crosses the cows' path and starts heading the wrong direction with his nose to the ground on her scent trail. I again let out my "sleazy" cow calling sequence and he turned and again started running towards us. But wait a second....if he's there....where is the cow? She's still coming and now 60 yards away. Worried that she would spook we stopped running and the 3 of us hid behind a bush or a tree, what ever was close and stopped calling hoping she would go passed us so she wouldn't spook the bull now 400 yards out and closing fast. She was a little to our left and the bull started head off to the right. I decided the cow wouldn't spook the bull so I jumped up, spooked the cow, and headed to a spot and the edge of the trees where I could get a clear shot. The bull is now in stealth mode looking for a hot cow. So we went silent and waited for him to come within distance. Finally he was at 200 yards and broadside. A soft cow call stopped him and suddenly the "sleazy" cow turned into a 3100 ft per second 175 gr 7mm partition. The shot looked good but a second one made sure.
We spent the next two days quatering and packing him out. He's not a monster but he's a public land OTC tag bull. It was an enjoyable hunt and shared with my girl and best buddy. Here's my 06 bull.
12-22-2006, 09:49 PM
#7
Typical Buck
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Anchorage,Alaska
Posts: 512
RE: ELK HARVEST COUNT POST THIS YEARS ELK KILL'S HERE
I spotted this Elk from 200 yards and snuck up on him. Jumped on his back, grabbed his hornsand rode him like only a true Montanabareback rider could. After 10 minutes or so of him thrashing around under me he finally got tired and fell over.
I guess he had a heart attack. Don't know how the hole behind the shoulder got therethough as I am still baffled.
Said you wanted a story
I guess he had a heart attack. Don't know how the hole behind the shoulder got therethough as I am still baffled.
Said you wanted a story
12-23-2006, 07:55 AM
#9
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Lanark county, Ontario
Posts: 1,412
RE: ELK HARVEST COUNT POST THIS YEARS ELK KILL'S HERE
ORIGINAL: Montana Bob
Here's another story you fill in the blanks.
Here's another story you fill in the blanks.
There is your story bob
12-23-2006, 12:03 PM
#10
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Elizabeth Colo. USA
Posts: 4,413
RE: ELK HARVEST COUNT POST THIS YEARS ELK KILL'S HERE
I hadn't gotten an elk with my bow before this year, and I always blamed it on the fact that I wasn't putting in enough time hunting them. So, this year I went up every 3 day weekend of season.
Finally, on the 4th weekend, there was snow falling up in our hunting area, so I left work at noon on Thursday, with plans of hooking up with a buddy near our spot. But, unfortunatly, he called me as I was getting close to his place with the news that he couldn't go that evening, BUT said if I got one that he would come up and help me get it out.
SO, I went on up into our area. The elk had been bugling pretty good in the last week or so, so my plan was to simply cover some ground and look for tracks in the fresh snow and listen for a bugle. Well, first thing I found was bear tracks. Luckfully, the bear was going the opposite direction of my travels. Not long after I had found the bear tracks, I cut some very fresh elk tracks. I wasn't sure if they were cow or small bull, so I started following them. I hadn't gone 1/2 mile when I jumped the small bull from his bed. I immidiately did a couple of lost cow calls, and he stopped and turned to listen. I could see him just 60 yards away, so I did a few more soft cow calls, and he started my way. I quickly knocked an arrow and simply kept him interested with a few more soft cow calls. When he got broadside at 25 yards, I took the shot and placed my 100 grain inner-loc broadhead right into the shoulder. I could see the Gold Tip arrowburied to about the fletchings as he turned to run away, BUT the damage was done. I recovered him about 75 yards later. I field dressed him, entered his location on my GPS and went for help. We got him out that night, as the snow really started to come down.
{img}http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v156/songdog/IMG_0977.jpg?t=1166900503{/img}
Finally, on the 4th weekend, there was snow falling up in our hunting area, so I left work at noon on Thursday, with plans of hooking up with a buddy near our spot. But, unfortunatly, he called me as I was getting close to his place with the news that he couldn't go that evening, BUT said if I got one that he would come up and help me get it out.
SO, I went on up into our area. The elk had been bugling pretty good in the last week or so, so my plan was to simply cover some ground and look for tracks in the fresh snow and listen for a bugle. Well, first thing I found was bear tracks. Luckfully, the bear was going the opposite direction of my travels. Not long after I had found the bear tracks, I cut some very fresh elk tracks. I wasn't sure if they were cow or small bull, so I started following them. I hadn't gone 1/2 mile when I jumped the small bull from his bed. I immidiately did a couple of lost cow calls, and he stopped and turned to listen. I could see him just 60 yards away, so I did a few more soft cow calls, and he started my way. I quickly knocked an arrow and simply kept him interested with a few more soft cow calls. When he got broadside at 25 yards, I took the shot and placed my 100 grain inner-loc broadhead right into the shoulder. I could see the Gold Tip arrowburied to about the fletchings as he turned to run away, BUT the damage was done. I recovered him about 75 yards later. I field dressed him, entered his location on my GPS and went for help. We got him out that night, as the snow really started to come down.
{img}http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v156/songdog/IMG_0977.jpg?t=1166900503{/img}