Went back up for the weekend hunt and to take down camp, snow coming that could make it a quite a task next weekend.
Left town early with plans to be driving in right at daybreak, worked out perfectly.
Driving in when the truck in front of us stopped on the road, as we eased over to pass him he sticks a hand out the window and stops us. Elk on the ridge just above the road. He has a deer tag.
Sure enough a nice 5 pt with a hand full of cows are on the finger ridge. We drive out of sight, down the road just a bit in the direction they are moving, the other truck drives on.
We eased up though the aspens and make it to the cattle exclusion fence and there they are, the cows have us pegged and the bull is above them watching us too. As they start to take off I ask for a cow call, the spouse calls and the bull turns and comes back towards us, giving me a shot. I shoot, feels good and the bull reacts to the hit. He turns to follow the cows and the spouse lets out another cow call. The bull again stops and offers a nice broadside shot at about 320 yds. No reaction, I missed!
He runs to the small aspen motte between us. We move up the ridge to the side of the aspens and we can hear him struggling to make it out of them. He breaks out the other side and tries to get up the ridge. Another cow call stops him for a perfect broadside shot at 209 yds. He goes down hard with the shot and we are ecstatic.
I lay back in gratitude marvelling at what just happened when I hear "he's up". The bull got to his feet and took off straight downhill to the aspen motte again. What?
He made his death run to the edge of the aspens and was done.
Thankfully he ended up in the open for processing.
While quartering, the deer hunter makes his way down the draw, we had pushed some deer by him but only a small buck he passed on. He watched the gutless quartering method, commenting on how clean it was then helped us "pack" the quarters to the saddle where we had the game cart waiting for the ride out. He even wanted to steer the cart downhill for us, which we gladly let him do. I had a front quarter in my pack, spouse had a quarter in pack and the rest carted it's way down the ridge. Cabelas will be selling another game cart according to the deer hunter.
All happened within 650 yards of the road and the truck. We had a 600 yd pack out down hill.
Would we have seen the elk, maybe but the stopped truck had our attention on it , not looking for game at that moment. The hunter explained that other guys had helped him and his son take a very nice 7 pt a few years ago and ever since he tried to pay it forward. Eli, you're a good man!! Hope you enjoy the elk tenderloin we gave you.
Left town early with plans to be driving in right at daybreak, worked out perfectly.
Driving in when the truck in front of us stopped on the road, as we eased over to pass him he sticks a hand out the window and stops us. Elk on the ridge just above the road. He has a deer tag.
Sure enough a nice 5 pt with a hand full of cows are on the finger ridge. We drive out of sight, down the road just a bit in the direction they are moving, the other truck drives on.
We eased up though the aspens and make it to the cattle exclusion fence and there they are, the cows have us pegged and the bull is above them watching us too. As they start to take off I ask for a cow call, the spouse calls and the bull turns and comes back towards us, giving me a shot. I shoot, feels good and the bull reacts to the hit. He turns to follow the cows and the spouse lets out another cow call. The bull again stops and offers a nice broadside shot at about 320 yds. No reaction, I missed!
He runs to the small aspen motte between us. We move up the ridge to the side of the aspens and we can hear him struggling to make it out of them. He breaks out the other side and tries to get up the ridge. Another cow call stops him for a perfect broadside shot at 209 yds. He goes down hard with the shot and we are ecstatic.
I lay back in gratitude marvelling at what just happened when I hear "he's up". The bull got to his feet and took off straight downhill to the aspen motte again. What?
He made his death run to the edge of the aspens and was done.
Thankfully he ended up in the open for processing.
While quartering, the deer hunter makes his way down the draw, we had pushed some deer by him but only a small buck he passed on. He watched the gutless quartering method, commenting on how clean it was then helped us "pack" the quarters to the saddle where we had the game cart waiting for the ride out. He even wanted to steer the cart downhill for us, which we gladly let him do. I had a front quarter in my pack, spouse had a quarter in pack and the rest carted it's way down the ridge. Cabelas will be selling another game cart according to the deer hunter.
All happened within 650 yards of the road and the truck. We had a 600 yd pack out down hill.
Would we have seen the elk, maybe but the stopped truck had our attention on it , not looking for game at that moment. The hunter explained that other guys had helped him and his son take a very nice 7 pt a few years ago and ever since he tried to pay it forward. Eli, you're a good man!! Hope you enjoy the elk tenderloin we gave you.
