I am off the mountain to let the elk rest for the weekend. The first week has been promising, but no arrows have been drawn, excepting a few hapless stumps. The area that I hunt has been plagued by moo cows the past few seasons, but this year they were moved out early, and the results are promising. A small stream is the basic watershed for the area, and it looks like this:
I saw elk every day of the 5 days I hunted, which is a big improvement over years past. My closest call was on day 3, when I was hunting a relatively flat area that is lodgepole forest. A typical trail..
Sneaking along in predator mode, I got up on 6 feeding elk, and had a cow at under 20 yards, but needed those all important 'two more steps' when I felt a breeze on the back of my neck. Didn't take the elk long to leave. That same afternoon, I got up on 4 elk, and once again, the wind got me as it continued to swirl through the trees.
The rut has not yet hit its stride, but in the last day I did hear a couple of bugles, and the wallows are starting to be used. I took this photo yesterday; the day before, the wallow had not been touched. Now, it stinks of elk, and whoever used it threw mud on trees 15 feet away. I sat on it Friday afternoon, but nothing showed up.

I have been seeing only cows, calves, and spikes until yesterday evening, when on my way back to camp, I saw a very good bull in a park where I have never seen an elk before. If I had been more awake, I might have been able to play with him, but he had me dead to rights when I entered the park.
Friday morning, I arrived at a very elky spot right at first light, and found a still steaming pile of elk poop.
This is in another lodgepole thicket, and the forest floor is noisy, and I managed to break a twig, which caused an elk exodus. Elk were everywhere, and they wanted no part of me, and made that plain. There were probably 20 or so elk in the herd that I stumbled into.
We are getting regular frosts now, and it is causing the wetter part of the forest floor to change color. The aspens are just starting to change, but in the marshy areas, there is already a look of fall.
Lots of elk sightings, a couple of  'almost' moments, and the promise of a rut that is ramping up makes me ready to head back next week. It is shaping up to be a good elk season.

Beautiful pictures.... thanks for taking us along!

Good luck and God Bless

Rodd

Finding them is the hardest part - you're well on your way to a lot of fun!!  Hope it all comes together for you Pat.

very nice pictures. a pleasure to read your account of the week,

Good luck, and it sure does look like a promising adventure is unfolding for us.

looking good.  Good luck next week.

Nice pictures and recap.  Good luck next week.

Similar thing here. Tons and tons. Literally of MOO cows.  We got into a few elk on sat and sun but they have since disappeared. Not even glances. Hang in there, we still have a few weeks.    

Been waiting on your elk update,great pics as always.Good luck! I know your overdue on elk.  

Nice summary. I managed to get into elk as well all week but haven't figured out how to properly sneak up on them and the wind always seems to be wrong. Thermals go up while the wind is blowing down or a random breeze will go across the mountain from an entirely new direction at the wrong time. How do you combat this?

I wish I knew the answer about the wind. All you can do is your best to keep going into the wind. There are just times when you will get busted. Many is the time I thought I had everything right and it looked like it was about to happen only to feel the slightest breeze.......game over!
Man I love elk hunting! I should be headed west in a few days myself and I can't wait                
Good luck guys!

By the way,  Great pictures Pat.
That's really starting the blood flowing , can't wait!

Pat, thanks for the tag-a-long. Take a break and have at it again.
Shick

Good luck, sounds like some good hunting.

Thanks for excellent update & pics Pat.  You're off and running.

***Note*** your bow is strung backwards.   :p  

Gotta love a Morning Star!

Best of luck, hope you're in elk the rest of the season!

Kris

Beautiful pictures!  The Bighorns are definitely a special place!  Good luck with your next outing.  You've already had a great experience getting that close to them!    

Bernie

Good luck Pat ... be safe   love the pics

Great pictures, thanks for letting us tag along.
 Best of luck for the rest of the season.

Thanks for the pictures.  We "flat landers" here in the East are getting ready for the start of deer season, so this update is great for the blood flowing and pumping up some excitement.  I look forward to the updates!

 

Good luck...