like usual september couldnt get here quick enough. but it did arrive. after finding out this summer that i drew a tag, a couple scouting trips showed a bunch of elk in spots i love. made the wait to hunt even harder. (http://i1104.photobucket.com/albums/h333/huntnmuleys/elk%202012/dsc000442_zps0cdad121.jpg) (http://i1104.photobucket.com/albums/h333/huntnmuleys/elk%202012/bulls1_zps163eb5b1.jpg)
september 1 finally did arrive, and actually i'd already been up there for a couple days looking around. my brother Levi and i (both had tags) decided on a basin for opening morning, with a lot of elk but kind of remote. figured wed be alone in there. haha, ya right! at least 12 bowhunters in the woods. i was in elk all morning, hunters be danged, but couldnt get close enough to the herd bull. passed many cows and young bulls, but finally left the basin as the winds were getting froggy and no reason to push elk.
that afternoon, while Levi hunted back in the same basin, i was in a completely different area. Levi had elk all over him, but again not close enough. i, on the other hand, just about fulfilled my lifelong goal of a 350 bull. my cow calls and chuckles near a fresh used wallow brought an answer. the bull was pushing the herd my way!
(http://i1104.photobucket.com/albums/h333/huntnmuleys/elk%202012/freshwallowinlittlebear_zpsb0d3ea53.jpg)
soon i could see a cow sneaking along, with the monarch in tow. what a brute! and, he was walking right where i wanted him. however, as happens alot in the mountains, the wind switched literally 2 steps before he came into the clear. and that was that! a spike stood close by clueless, but my target was gone for the night. frustrating to be so close..
Sounds like a very good hunt. Any of your season left for a rematch?
Hap
the next morning we were back in the basin we hunted opening morning. Levi had seen a couple brute bulls in there so it was a go. i snuck in below a smaller herd making its way toward the trees, a medium 6x5 running the show.
(http://i1104.photobucket.com/albums/h333/huntnmuleys/elk%202012/6by5_zps48e4f3fc.jpg)
however, 2 other hunters came in from a different direction atop the mountain, and pushed a much bigger herd by my little band. all the commotion caused the elk to congregate, and i was left watching out of range...
it was QUITE a large herd.
(http://i1104.photobucket.com/albums/h333/huntnmuleys/elk%202012/herd2_zps1c197ea7.jpg)
(http://i1104.photobucket.com/albums/h333/huntnmuleys/elk%202012/herd3_zps23be7e2f.jpg)
Sounding good. Keep her coming!
that night we figured we'd give that basin one more go, even though there had been a lot of hunting pressure. upon getting in there, we discovered other hunters all over so while Levi persisted on, i decided to hike over a ridge and check a differnet basin. at the top, i smelled elk ahead of me and snuck in. two nice 5 points, and a cow and calf were quietly feeding along. one of the 5's was a nice one, so i decided to make a try. in the middle of all of this, the two bulls started lightly sparring, which led to more heated sparring, and i was able to move in. however, at about 40 yards, well out of range, i ran out of cover and became a spectater...
(http://i1104.photobucket.com/albums/h333/huntnmuleys/elk%202012/fighting5s1_zps2f01635f.jpg)
they eased off and that concluded the days events for me.
the next day honestly was pretty slow. the hunting pressure was taking its toll, and not a close call was to be had.
the 4th dawned nice and cool, and i was trying a different spot altogher. found lots of fresh sign but no elk. however, somebody else had found an elk, a spike had been shot. as i neared the kill spot, i noticed 2 coyotes coming in and the hunt was on. i finally got a shot at about 30 yards and shot low, to be honest i was well low and i think i dropped my arm on the shot. i did get a pic of the coyote after the miss, before he snuck off into the timber for good.
(http://i1104.photobucket.com/albums/h333/huntnmuleys/elk%202012/coyote1_zps6fe1059e.jpg)
that night, i decided to abandon my recurve for my first annual "Shedrock Appreciation Night." it was longbow/wooden arrow muley hunting time!! the main difference being that Shedrock kills big bucks, and im just happy to get a buck. anyway, after sitting in a spot for a while, i decided still hunting near timberline sounded like fun and went at it. a small group of muleys got up in front of me, one of em being a nice buck. they had no idea i was there, as they were moving to feed i suppose, but the buck followed the 2 does and a fawn through. i finally got him in a shooting lane at about 22 yards, stopped him, and gave him an arrow. however, there was a branch i didnt see, and it deflected my arrow back. lots of concern, but a rather long but easy to follow blood trail led to my first longbow buck.
(http://i1104.photobucket.com/albums/h333/huntnmuleys/elk%202012/muley1_zps4df574c2.jpg)
the next week or so was slower, although not without highlights. we did locate some elk that nobody else was harassing near a nice little trout stream.
(http://i1104.photobucket.com/albums/h333/huntnmuleys/elk%202012/brookie1_zpsb6858bc0.jpg)
congrats, nice buck
these elk were only being somewhat vocal, and were hard to keep track of in the thick timber. my calling was my only saving grace. over that week i called in the 2 herd bulls a couple times, but just couldnt bring it all together. had one in range one day, and he stopped broadside, but as i drew i had to lean around a small jackpine and he swung his head to see me, closing off the angle slightly. i really wanted to take the shot, but just couldnt bring myself to do it. on a good note, the bulls were hitting one wallow often. (http://i1104.photobucket.com/albums/h333/huntnmuleys/elk%202012/upperwallowinasecretspot_zpscd0b1591.jpg)
after a few days of this tomfoolery, i decided to try the general area where i missed the coyote. september 11 was one heck of a crazy morning! bulls were bugling and the party was on. i snuck on one bull, and he wanted to talk. our little conversation went on for a while, him coming in but not close enough. finally i got a little to aggressive and ran into some cows that got a little too good of look at me. frustrated at myself for being to hasty, i was ready to leave the woods when 2 more bulls fired up. this lead to a long chse through the forest, me calling and them just never getting into a shooting lane. i lived inside of 40 yards for over an hour moving along but no dice. left em in the same general area that i hunted the night of september 1, figuring that park would be a great place to be in the evening...
my brother tripped over this.
(http://i1104.photobucket.com/albums/h333/huntnmuleys/elk%202012/levisfind_zpsb2df70d6.jpg)
that night was almost perfect. i say almost, because one giant of a bull was in the area. i didnt call any, as i had a good wind and i thought the perfect ambush spot but it wasnt to be. 4 cows and a smaller bull erupted from the trees and the big guy gave chase, leading him out of my life...
(http://i1104.photobucket.com/albums/h333/huntnmuleys/elk%202012/bigboy2_zps8856e081.jpg)
i still had a great wind and good cover, but the problem was again, too many elk. cows and calves coming and going. the sun went down with no arrows fired, but a memory for a lifetime! (http://i1104.photobucket.com/albums/h333/huntnmuleys/elk%202012/sunset_zpscb3dbcdf.jpg)
one of these days that 350 will happen i just know it...
my brother had to leave the next morning and is a meat hunter so he switched to his compound. shot a nice cow, and we spent the next morning packing out. i am one handsome dude with a pack on!!
(http://i1104.photobucket.com/albums/h333/huntnmuleys/elk%202012/yikes_zpse89d8bf4.jpg)
middle of that day, Levi left with his elk and i was back at it, but the competition just seemed to be everywhere! i couldnt go anywhere without people. this lasted for a few days actually, but i about hit pay dirt on the night of the 15th. a BIG 5 point and about 10 cows came out about where i figured they would, and it was a stalkable spot. an hour and a half later, i was within 50 yards, and for some unknown reason the wind decided that it needed to do a 180 from what it had done all evening. it was not a happy hike out in the dark.
the next day we tried a different area all together.. (http://i1104.photobucket.com/albums/h333/huntnmuleys/elk%202012/5springs_zpsd8c525ed.jpg)
its a dandy elk basin, and there were elk for the taking...
and take em i tried to do. sneaking on one herd, i was surprised to see that the herd bull was a decent 6 point but not a giant. dad was with me that day, and we almost pulled it off. however, the herd bull didnt pass by me, but a cow did. now id been holding out for a nice bull the whole time, but my hunting camp was a couple days away from leaving and i like elk meat so i decided that if i got a shot id take it. she stopped in a nice shooting lane at about the end of my effective range. only problem was a single branch that had my attention, i didnt know if my arrow would go under the branch and still kill her but i gave it my best shot, and shot directly under her heart. an air ball. the cow had no idea what happened, jumped back, and walked through the same opening with a small raghorn right behind her, but i knew that the shot was impossible for me so i just watched as they walked away....
that night, for the first time since the start of season, we got rain. enough rain i didnt hunt for fear of losing blood.
Wow! Very nice story and hunt! :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
the next morning, the 17th, i was back in where i missed the cow and was into a lot of elk, and other hunters. the 2 biggest herds in the basin had met up and it was a circus of elk, hunters, bugles, fake bugles, and everything else. i got close to many elk but the bulls eluded me. i left the basin again frustrated, there seemed to be nowhere to go that other hunters werent always in the way.
that night i tried the spot where the big 5 point had winded me a couple nights before. a bull was bugling as i was hiking in, and i made a play for him. got to the edge of the big park, and from his bugles decided exactly where he was going to push the herd out. sneaking in, i had a feeling that id get a shot, but it would be the lead cow. honestly, that didnt bother me too bad, i think id passed approximately 60 shots at cows, calves, and spikes before i missed that other cow, and with everyone going home i was gonna take what i could get.........
and soon i heard branches breaking along the trail i was sitting near. finally seeing the animal i could see, however, it wasnt the lead cow. it was a nice bull, and he was coming right where i wanted him. at 15 yards he stopped quartering toward me and peed all over himself. then he started walking out onto the park. exactly on the trail id hoped. now, im not a great shot, but on an elk sized animal at 12 yards im deadly, and after a short run the bull fell in sight, never even looking my direction....
(http://i1104.photobucket.com/albums/h333/huntnmuleys/elk%202012/wherehefell2_zpsdf8a6f73.jpg)
the beman mfx classic and woodsman elite had done its job to perfection! i think any hunt where so much hasnt worked, and so much blood, sweat, and tears have yielded no results, the victory seems surreal. (http://i1104.photobucket.com/albums/h333/huntnmuleys/elk%202012/mybull1_zpsf026cd53.jpg)
i am quite certain ive never hunted harder, passed more animals, hiked more miles, been so close to so many good bulls (most that i didnt get pics of) or been so concerned that id passed one to many elk in my life!
Very nice and your hard work paid off in the end.
doug77
(http://i1104.photobucket.com/albums/h333/huntnmuleys/elk%202012/group2_zps3a0748ec.jpg)
i got the bull dressed before dark and hustled out, happy as a lark. the next day we all went in to get him, out once huge camp down to 4. see, we have a large group that camps with us, most of em hunt deer and grouse. but this was the end of the trip. and, for the pack out, we had a 70 year old, a 63 year old, a 57 year old, and me. and with an all uphill pack, the other guys talked me into looking at paying to have my elk horsed out. i was skeptical of this, but got to admit it was a beautiful sight seeing that elk go out of there on horseback!
(http://i1104.photobucket.com/albums/h333/huntnmuleys/elk%202012/cowboybobber_zps4c9ca961.jpg)
(http://i1104.photobucket.com/albums/h333/huntnmuleys/elk%202012/packing2_zpsa23c8cc3.jpg)
not sure why that posted twice...
(http://i1104.photobucket.com/albums/h333/huntnmuleys/elk%202012/ieatelk2_zps72c00c62.jpg)
really glad it happened when it did, i have plenty of time off but the group was leaving the next morning, and honestly i have some other things to do this vacation too (like hunt antelope). however, our packing to go was not without incident. while packing the practice targets away, i noticed one of my elk front quarters was missing. i naturally figured that one of the guys was having some fun with me, but was wrong.
(http://i1104.photobucket.com/albums/h333/huntnmuleys/elk%202012/thebear_zps412957f5.jpg)
that black spot in the trees center of the pic is the black bear that had drug off one quarter. i spied him about 10 or 11 yards away watching me. of course no good pic as i was too caught up in just seeing him. cool as hell, and he did saunder off into the trees far enough for us to retrieve my front shoulder. all he got from the game bag was part of a backstrap (the dirty bugger).
ok, thats the short version of the hunt. hope nobodys sleeping trying to read this.
cool!
Wow! Very nice story and hunt! :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Congratulations, you certainly earned that bull!
Great pics and a great story!!! Congrats! Hunted in WY 2002...would love to go back someday...sooo many hunts sooo little time lol!
Excellent recap of your hunt...what an exciting season you had...well done and congrats on a nice bull!
Great story and pics.Congrats on a nice bull and thanks for sharing.
Terry
Brad, thanks for taking the time to take me along with you on the hunt. Exciting story and a great bull down as well as venison in the freezer. Nothing more frustrating then hunters crawling everywhere when you think you have the basin to yourself. Way to stick with it. :clapper: :clapper:
Nice bull,congrats.
Hell no on the sleeping!
Great story and hunt. Way to keep at it with the competition, wind and all. Great effort and thanks for taking the time to post.
Nice job and congrats on the elk taken.
Great story, great muley, great bull, great country, just GREAT!!!
Sounds like an incredible trip and a bull well earned ......Congrats! :thumbsup:
Congrats!
Now that is how I like to start my day, hot coffee and a cool hunting story! What a great story and pics. You had an awesome hunt and I hope you get an antelope to finish your slam. Thanks!
Sorry about the double post. I have an injured mouse finger from a broadhead accident.
Great Story and pictures, congratulations on an awesome adventure!
Congratulations on a Great Bull & Buck.
Randy
Sleeping? Are you kidding? THAT WAS AWESOME! First year in 10 I haven't been in elk country. That made my day, man. Way to go!!! :thumbsup:
Great story and pics!!! Congrats on both critters! :thumbsup:
Thanks for the great pictures and the story to go with it! Congratulations!
thats an awesome story with two great trophies!
Congrats. Awesome hunt.
Must feel great congrats on a successful hunt.
Awesome bull, Persistance paid off in a big way!!
Great going on a hard earned bull. I'm still at 'em, 11 days so far, and heading back tomorrow.
Awesome hunts! Thanks for the pics and story, well deserved trophies my friend!
Great read, a trip to remember for sure thanks for sharing .
One beautiful bull and you sure earned it.Thanks for sharing.
Congrats on the animals, great story and pics! :clapper:
glad you enjoyed the tale. i truly wish all of you could experience elk hunting sometime. there is nothing on this planet, in my opinion, that compares...
ill put of a few more random pics from my hunt. here is another of those 2 five points sparring. it was funny, they were like kids on the playground. started nice and easy and by the end (many minutes later) they were really going at it. kind of a you wont best me kind of thing.
(http://i1104.photobucket.com/albums/h333/huntnmuleys/elk%202012/fighting5s2_zpsb7669320.jpg)
heres a bobcat we happened upon one evening. i know hes hard to see but the eyes give him away.. (http://i1104.photobucket.com/albums/h333/huntnmuleys/elk%202012/bobcat1_zpsfbac78d0.jpg)
these next 2 are from a scouting trip, this is one of the forest service outhouses at a trail head. on the one door, the momma bear had pawed the heck out of it, and the other door you can see the cub imitating its mom. neat stuff!
(http://i1104.photobucket.com/albums/h333/huntnmuleys/elk%202012/dsc000472_zpsb32322f3.jpg)
(http://i1104.photobucket.com/albums/h333/huntnmuleys/elk%202012/dsc000482_zpsd3de69e7.jpg)
(http://i1104.photobucket.com/albums/h333/huntnmuleys/elk%202012/DSC000252_zpsb9ea1a12.jpg)
(http://i1104.photobucket.com/albums/h333/huntnmuleys/elk%202012/DSC000242_zps096e2b8a.jpg)
here are a couple more herds in the distance, scouting before season. LOTS of cows and calves, in fact too many. i really think the bull/cow ratio up there is not good at all..
What an adventure! Thanks for sharing! :thumbsup:
Congrats! I bet you'd have been happy with that hunt even without that great looking bull. A huge bull on the ground makes it that much sweeter.
and unfortunately i do NOT have a pic of this, but a bull i passed on the morning of the first. he was a spike, but not like a spike. the antler was huge, really thick. couple little points at the tops. and he was near another spike at one time, his body was nearly twice the size, looked like a cow standing near a calf. my best guess was an old regressing bull. i still kind of regret not shooting him.
great tale!! you are right to be proud of that one. Way to go.
great story and LOVE the pictures!
Good job!
great bull and a fun hunt to tag along with you. thanks!
Awesome story! Congrats! I need to hit that place up with all those cow opportunities. I just want to get An Elk (any elk) with my recurve :D
Great pics. thanks for sharing!! :thumbsup:
Good stuff buddy. Many Congrats
Good job Brad!! Congrats to you and Levi! :bigsmyl:
Congrats on a great bull! Good to see that hard work does pay off with elk sometimes.
Thanks for sharing
Wow. What a great outing. Thank for sharing the experience.
Congrats!!
Loved the story and the pics were a perfect match. Thanks for sharing.
Good Stuff....CONGRATS!
We had almost no rut activity down in our little corner of AREA 21. Congrats!
I'm impressed again... Congrats Bobber! Nice story and photo's.
Fantastic!!! Congrats!!
What a great hunt. I really enjoyed your story and pictures.
-Jay
Congrats!! Great story!
Congratulations sir! Awesome animal!
great hunt, thanks for sharing. You earned that bull thats for sure.
Congrats on a great bull! The story and pictures were great too. :thumbsup:
:clapper: :clapper: :clapper:
Great trip thanks for taking us along.
What a great hunt!!! Congrats on keeping at it and getting a great payoff!
Awesome adventure! Congrats!
Good for you!!! Great pictures and story!!
CONGRATS!!! Nice bull. hope to give elk hunting a shot next year.
I really enjoyed your story and pictures! Congratulations on a fine bull and for taking us along! :clapper:
Bernie Bjorklund
NC Iowa/SW Wisconsin
Thank you for the great story. To be into animals that often had to be a great motivator when the alarm sounded in the morning. A well-earned bull, indeed. Congratulations.
Great job! COngrats!
Great story. I believe it harder to get the Mule deer than the Elk. How did you locate a packer so quickly? Talked w/hunters I met in the forest here in CO and they paid a packer as well to help them get one out. $300 for a 2 mile pack. Don't know if that reasonable or not. Nobody commented on the pic of you with the backpack claiming to be handsome....strange :biglaugh:
ya i didnt understand that either Butts, i thought i looked like brad pitt in that pic..
there is a place in the area we hunt, they sell gas and showers, but they also do rooms and trail rides, so we figured theyd pack an elk. turns out they want to start advertising that even so it all worked out. my muley isnt real big so probably not near as cagey as an old buck, but i totally agree, a big muley is wayyy tougher.
Congratulations on your elk. Were you hunting in the Bighorns? Just curious.
Great hunt !!!
You did a fine job of taking us along, thank you.
Very nice bull, good shootin'..
Yepper, bighorns for me.
feel like i was there - great story! congrats!
Great story, and pics. NIce Bull!!! Nice to see some areas have a bunch of Elk still. The herd I hunt in SW MT is a shadow of its former self. Now if you could just get away from all the people. Maybe a drop camp using that horse packer? I was wishing lately I lived in a home where I could start keeping some Llamas. Lots of gears turning lately.
Congrats on a super hunt!