I know not cool. Right?
So after about 3hrs of sleep and me constantly looking out of the tent to make sure I could see the stars I finally made it to the morning. I was too sick to eat so we made it to the spot we had last seen him about 30min before daylight and started tracking. I was lucky that it was so muddy because after an hour of very slow tracking I lost all blood and was following hoof prints. He covered about 3/4 of a mile straight up a hill to a ridge line. But it took us about 4hr to track him to his last bed just below timberline.
I was very happy but I also had that oh crap what have I done feeling. Ill explain.
It took all that I had to make it to this elk and we knew that it would be totally up to my wife to take care of an animal and pack it out if we scored on this trip. We usually have a crew of good people up hunting with us when we go for a few weeks in the middle of Sept but not this time. This was just a quick scouting trip. Having done a few solo elk packs my self I know what a chore it is and how it beats you up. Not something you want to put your wife through. She had assured me that she could handle it before we took the trip and I thought she could but didn't want to see her hurt herself. Here is a pic of Crystal taking a rear off of the ridge bone in leg and all. (she insisted it would take too long to bone it or cut the leg off with the pack saw) I disagreed but I was not going to argue with her for fear she would leave my gimpy ass on the hill to eat my elk. I can still hear her 1/4mi away hitting trees with that hoof and cussing.
I just want to say thanks to all of the good people who go out of their way to help someone hunt who otherwise wouldn't be able to go. I know these are not the biggest bulls in Idaho but the memories of these hunts are priceless to us I hope you enjoyed the "story".
congrats
