Number 50
There are some fun mile stones in a person’s life and I reached one yesterday, I was able to harvest my number 50 elk. What makes this number 50 extra special is that I did it on my own in the -12 to -18 degree freezing cold. I am lucky in that I can hunt within 20 miles of my house and after 8 days of looking for and not getting an elk getting should make the bitter cold a no go day. I am just not smart enough to understand giving up and off I went. Rumors are hunter’s best friend or worst enemy. I hear rumors and tend to not listen very close unless it from someone that may let the truth slips out. So at 6:00am I was on the road wonder if the last snow would stop my progress to creek bottom that the elk supposedly are calling home. I made it to the road that fallows the creek and found elk tacks but they were old and would make poor soup. So I decided to take the trip around to the east side of the hill and the other creek. This trip requires 3 creek crossing and if you have not played in frozen creeks with your truck, hum be smarter than me and do not. I made it through the 3 crossing and found the elk tracks and sign so thick you would think a herd of sheep had been feeding the meadow and creek bottom, but sadly they had move on. Well I had trekked this fare and decided to travel just a little farther along the trail. I was looking in some sage brush to my left and though that is not normal and a critter stepped into sight and it was an elk and then 2 more heads popped up. It was just to fare to shoot so I worked my way around for a better view and they had vanished. I looked on the ridge and almost had to sit down and question my sanity, because there was at least 300 to 400 head of elk on the ridge to the west. One small problem, they had made the distance over 1000 yards. I had a very good idea where they possible would hold-up so back down the trail I went back across the creeks. I parked the truck and headed up the trail to see if my hunch would pay off. 20 minutes on the 4wheeler and 30 minutes on foot put me 200 yards from pay a freezer full of elk. I lined out on a big fat cow and 1 shot from my 7mm with 139 grain hornady through the heart lungs and my any elk tag was filled. I had an additional cow/calf tag and I decide now or never and I had one yearling cow standing and looking straight at me. I had a great rest over a tree limb, that enable me to put one between her eyes. So the work began and after an hour I had them both ready to go visit my garage. A trail was within 30 yards of their positions so I was able to get the 4wheel to them and one at a time I took them to the truck. Needless to say at the negative 12 degrees I was getting very frosty by the time I had both elk to the truck. So I hop in and put the key in and turn it and click-click. It is now 3:30pm and getting colder fast. My choices, stay put with no heat of get on the 4wheeler and drive the 5+ miles to a ranch house and hope they home. At this point I am cold and just a little concerned. I wrapped a coat around my head and face and down the snowy road I went. Let’s say I was pretty frosty by the time I reached the ranch and as always was treated by the ranch family with a hot cup of coffee and a ride home. The way sportsmen help each other is why my number 50 is extra special, because some fishing friends stopped ice fishing on the lake and helped me go retrieve my truck and elk. The trips through the creek had coated the running gear with a thick coating of ice and cause the starter to freeze and not spin. Good luck and be safe and someday you may make a 50 elk mile-stone.
Sorry no pictures, my camera and phone just to cold.
There are some fun mile stones in a person’s life and I reached one yesterday, I was able to harvest my number 50 elk. What makes this number 50 extra special is that I did it on my own in the -12 to -18 degree freezing cold. I am lucky in that I can hunt within 20 miles of my house and after 8 days of looking for and not getting an elk getting should make the bitter cold a no go day. I am just not smart enough to understand giving up and off I went. Rumors are hunter’s best friend or worst enemy. I hear rumors and tend to not listen very close unless it from someone that may let the truth slips out. So at 6:00am I was on the road wonder if the last snow would stop my progress to creek bottom that the elk supposedly are calling home. I made it to the road that fallows the creek and found elk tacks but they were old and would make poor soup. So I decided to take the trip around to the east side of the hill and the other creek. This trip requires 3 creek crossing and if you have not played in frozen creeks with your truck, hum be smarter than me and do not. I made it through the 3 crossing and found the elk tracks and sign so thick you would think a herd of sheep had been feeding the meadow and creek bottom, but sadly they had move on. Well I had trekked this fare and decided to travel just a little farther along the trail. I was looking in some sage brush to my left and though that is not normal and a critter stepped into sight and it was an elk and then 2 more heads popped up. It was just to fare to shoot so I worked my way around for a better view and they had vanished. I looked on the ridge and almost had to sit down and question my sanity, because there was at least 300 to 400 head of elk on the ridge to the west. One small problem, they had made the distance over 1000 yards. I had a very good idea where they possible would hold-up so back down the trail I went back across the creeks. I parked the truck and headed up the trail to see if my hunch would pay off. 20 minutes on the 4wheeler and 30 minutes on foot put me 200 yards from pay a freezer full of elk. I lined out on a big fat cow and 1 shot from my 7mm with 139 grain hornady through the heart lungs and my any elk tag was filled. I had an additional cow/calf tag and I decide now or never and I had one yearling cow standing and looking straight at me. I had a great rest over a tree limb, that enable me to put one between her eyes. So the work began and after an hour I had them both ready to go visit my garage. A trail was within 30 yards of their positions so I was able to get the 4wheel to them and one at a time I took them to the truck. Needless to say at the negative 12 degrees I was getting very frosty by the time I had both elk to the truck. So I hop in and put the key in and turn it and click-click. It is now 3:30pm and getting colder fast. My choices, stay put with no heat of get on the 4wheeler and drive the 5+ miles to a ranch house and hope they home. At this point I am cold and just a little concerned. I wrapped a coat around my head and face and down the snowy road I went. Let’s say I was pretty frosty by the time I reached the ranch and as always was treated by the ranch family with a hot cup of coffee and a ride home. The way sportsmen help each other is why my number 50 is extra special, because some fishing friends stopped ice fishing on the lake and helped me go retrieve my truck and elk. The trips through the creek had coated the running gear with a thick coating of ice and cause the starter to freeze and not spin. Good luck and be safe and someday you may make a 50 elk mile-stone.
Sorry no pictures, my camera and phone just to cold.
