2012 elk -The Story

[Elksong]

This year I really dedicated myself to finding a good bull. I alway see and photograph some great bulls on the winter ranges and was sure that they all could not stay on the private lands all year. So I found myself in the mounatins as early as I could start and scouted almost every weekend or day off. Of course the elk have an advantage as they can travel to the high country before we can get there, unless you like to trek marathon distances in heavy mud and snow. So I found myself Losing the bulls in the spring and really putting the thinker and boots to work.

[joe vt]

ohhhhh i do perdict many many awesome photos to come        i can't wait!

[Elksong]

This year was a bit of a test also. We had the driest spring/summer I can remember. So it was obviuos after a short while that ti find water was to find animals. About July I decided I should check a seep in the timber in a little hole I know of and see if it was dried up or not.  I found it to be as wet and pretty a little spot as ever, so I hung a camera there just to see what was happening. Meanwhile I was still cover the hills looking for the big boys.

[Lin Rhea]

[Elksong]

Well, I saw lots of Elk those first couple of months, mostly cows and calves and a few good looking young bulls. The old warriors stayed hidden though. My seep wasn't showing much action and I was considering a different area. Then one day I hiked into the seep and checked the camera.





Things were looking up!

[KentuckyTJ]

[Tim]

  This is going to be awesome!

[Elksong]

These were good bulls, I wasn't sure what they would mature into though. The season was dry and by the time the rains started I wasn't sure what it would do for antler growth. I had a place to watch and some bulls to keep track of! It was very exciting! One of the things I do when I find Elk in an area is stay out! I will watch the area with the binos and keep activity in the area to as little as possible. I would check the camera once a week and go straight in and straight out, no wandering. It takes very little human presence to alter a mature animals activities. So to keep myself in the woods and doing what I love, I kept scouting other areas on foot. It was a great summer.

[Glenn29]

Ahh...Finally a drawn out story the Tradgang way...LOVE IT!

[redant 60/65]

Very! Very! nice bull your hard work paid off.  

[Elksong]

Here are few scouting pic's from this summer...

[wooddamon1]

[mmisciag]

This is great! Keep it coming!

Martin

[23feetupandhappy]

[Steve Jr]

Very nice pictures like those get the heart rate up    looks like youhave found a great place to hunt!

[Elksong]

Three days before the season we had a cold front roll in and had rain everyday. I was able to get up to my area and was greeted by the sight of a large bull, herding, checking and chasing cows. He would herd them up and and scream for  any and all to know he was king. To say this got me fired up would be and understatement! I shot a photo of him at least a half mile away.

[Elksong]

So now I am all kinds of ready to hunt! The last few days at work were some of the longest I have ever undured!LOL! Opening day dawned hot and clear. The temps were back in the high 80s low 90s and everything had gone back to summer mode. No buglin and very little game movement. My wife and I sat in a blind on the seep, but it had become very unpreictable. Once the bulls rubbed the velvet of and started to feel some hormones they split up and started to wander. They were still there, but they were not talking and they were watering randomly.

[maxwell]

Very cool, thanks for sharing.  Great pics

[kbetts]

Instant classic unfolding .......

[Dave Thaxton]

 Awaiting the next installment