I drew a Nevada unit 6 elk tag this year. Many thanks to Worm for the advice and assistance in planning this my first elk hunt!
Opening morning was beautiful and warm no bugles but I was there and ready to hunt. My first spot yielded some awesome looking mule deer bucks that were 27+ inches wide and maybe wider. The morning hunt over and no sightings, I headed to camp for breakfast with my camp partner who is also my Father in Law.
Dad is nearly 80 and cannot climb the hills anymore and would rather spend his day in camp having a beer and a cigar. He is great company and can spend hours telling stories of the hunts and of the ones that spit the hook and got away. He is a true outdoorsman and loves just being out there.
That afternoon I had him drop me off a couple miles below camp. I worked my way along a fence line between private land and NFS land. I entered a small grove of poplars and could here a couple of bulls bugling below me. I crept through the grove ever vigilant for the sign of cows.
I pulled out my brand new Primos Huchie Momma cow call and gave it a squeeze. Almost immediately I heard a low roar followed by a short bugle. One more squeeze and I heard the hooves pounding. I crouched down and ready for a shot.
10 yards away through the undergrowth I saw hide and knew it was an elk. Moving from my right to my left the massive animal traversed the underbrush fluidly and without effort. It must have caught my scent because it suddenly stopped and reversed direction much like a cutting horse would. The animal moved back to my right and started uphill and cam into full view on the edge of the grove.
I have never seen an elk close up and was mesmerized by the size of the bull that emerged a mere 5 yards from where I was crouched. His main beams where the size of a mans forearm and every bit of 5 feet long. The whale tails were sporting 10 inch tips and every tip of his 6x6 horns were the most beautiful ivory white.
The bull moved off into the heavy brush and was gone. I did see his cows about 10 minutes later as they climbed the hill about a 1/4 of a mile away. Had I been holding an elk tag this would be a success story based on me taking a real trophy.
The real success of this story is that I was able to spend 5 days in the back country with a man that has spent his life hunting and fishing and the 18 years sharing his stories and a few hunts with me. Not too many years from now Dad won't have the ability to go hunting anymore but I count this hunt a success because of the time we spent together.
Anybody have a good recipe for tag soup?
Opening morning was beautiful and warm no bugles but I was there and ready to hunt. My first spot yielded some awesome looking mule deer bucks that were 27+ inches wide and maybe wider. The morning hunt over and no sightings, I headed to camp for breakfast with my camp partner who is also my Father in Law.
Dad is nearly 80 and cannot climb the hills anymore and would rather spend his day in camp having a beer and a cigar. He is great company and can spend hours telling stories of the hunts and of the ones that spit the hook and got away. He is a true outdoorsman and loves just being out there.
That afternoon I had him drop me off a couple miles below camp. I worked my way along a fence line between private land and NFS land. I entered a small grove of poplars and could here a couple of bulls bugling below me. I crept through the grove ever vigilant for the sign of cows.
I pulled out my brand new Primos Huchie Momma cow call and gave it a squeeze. Almost immediately I heard a low roar followed by a short bugle. One more squeeze and I heard the hooves pounding. I crouched down and ready for a shot.
10 yards away through the undergrowth I saw hide and knew it was an elk. Moving from my right to my left the massive animal traversed the underbrush fluidly and without effort. It must have caught my scent because it suddenly stopped and reversed direction much like a cutting horse would. The animal moved back to my right and started uphill and cam into full view on the edge of the grove.
I have never seen an elk close up and was mesmerized by the size of the bull that emerged a mere 5 yards from where I was crouched. His main beams where the size of a mans forearm and every bit of 5 feet long. The whale tails were sporting 10 inch tips and every tip of his 6x6 horns were the most beautiful ivory white.
The bull moved off into the heavy brush and was gone. I did see his cows about 10 minutes later as they climbed the hill about a 1/4 of a mile away. Had I been holding an elk tag this would be a success story based on me taking a real trophy.
The real success of this story is that I was able to spend 5 days in the back country with a man that has spent his life hunting and fishing and the 18 years sharing his stories and a few hunts with me. Not too many years from now Dad won't have the ability to go hunting anymore but I count this hunt a success because of the time we spent together.
Anybody have a good recipe for tag soup?
