Duck-Slayer
Well-known member
This story begins with my wife and I convincing my Dad too pull his 5th wheel camper up too elk camp so my Mom can watch our two beautiful children during our elk but yet have the kids have the experience of elk camp, which they did, even thou is was fairly chilly for them, they did spend some time outside checking the woods out.....
our first morning was partially a scouting mission, even thou I pretty much knew where they would be after my successful archery season, the difference is that all the roads are gated for rifle season which is why this particular area is appealing too me and it is fairly easy walking for my wife with the gated roads too walk on, but we pretty much just did a cruise on the wheeler and glassed, wife wanted too see if she could get an easy elk
so she talked me into it.... so we did not see much, a few deer, no elk..... which further concluded my decision that the elk were up away from the main roads where I shot my Cow earlier during archery season,
my mom, dad, and the kids showed up that afternoon with there camper, we got them all situated, we had came up the previous evening, that afternoon our plan was too hike up too a gated road from below, it was only about 200 yards up a steep slope too the road, doing this would cut off about 2 miles of walking, we got too the road and continued up too where I had shot my deer during archery season and saw both the other little bucks that were with the buck I shot, my wife did not want too shoot one because we were "elk hunting", so we continued and cut around a knob of the mountain on a cow trail that would lead us too 2 meadows where there was an overgrown logging road, we got through the first opening
and were coming up too the other road and bam! walking through a narrow band of trees there's a bull... and a big one at that a 330 class six point at 150 yards.... the wind was perfect we were slightly below him with the wind going down the hill.... we only got too see him for a minute or two as he weaved through the timber, we were kind of on a slight finger that came through an old clear cut and he went over too our left, so we circled around too get in front too see if there was some cows with him... wife had a Cow tag... he was moved kinda fast which I figured he was trying too catch up too some other elk, as we topped the little finger we were greeted by a 280 class 5 point, we watch him near an old spring in the meadow, he was tearing up some brush.... my wife was all set up and ready on a stump, the 5 point was about 125 yards, I told her too wait and watch through the scope, there is probably more elk, since we've seen two bulls already, low and behold about 3 minutes or so later a cow walks into the opening, I told her too shoot, and BOOM! Whack! drilled her, she went maybe 50 yards and was done, that 5 point just stood there and was like what happened, he didn't have a care in the world, we watch him for another 5 minutes or so until he got too where the cow was standing and must have smelled blood or something and bolted, after some high fives we walked over too where the elk had piled up, no tracking needed.... the 130 gr. SST out of the .270 TC pro hunter did its job perfectly,
by than it was getting late in the evening, we got the first half boned, front and straps for the wife and a hind quarter boned for me, we that just quartered the other half in the dark and hung them in a nearby tree as we would return the next morning...
it was a fairly easy 2 mile packout down the closed road, the hardest part was the last 200 yards of steep rocky mountain in the dark with a guy that doesn't do well with his balance, lucky for me I have a great wife and trusty walking stick.... kids, mom, wife, and I were all happy that evening and Kristin and I were ready for bed, since it was 11 pm when we got back too the camper... the next morning we slept in alittle than returned for the other half of her elk, boned both quarters and made the trip back too the camper and just like that we were done on the first evening of a 5 day hunt, was awesome and very proud of my wife, 2 years in a row she has gotten her Cow elk, lots of fun, just wish we would have gotten one where the kids could have been there, but at 6 and 3 they won't be too long and they will be helping, and on a side note Kristin shot it on Oct. 17 our son's 3rd B-day..... she thought that was pretty cool, can't wait for next year....
on a side note we did see a huge buck that I guessed over 190" typical, too bad its a draw only unit.... since we were there for another 3 days we figured we would scout just in case we ever drew the tag.... I got this poor pic of a 170" buck....
Matt
our first morning was partially a scouting mission, even thou I pretty much knew where they would be after my successful archery season, the difference is that all the roads are gated for rifle season which is why this particular area is appealing too me and it is fairly easy walking for my wife with the gated roads too walk on, but we pretty much just did a cruise on the wheeler and glassed, wife wanted too see if she could get an easy elk
so she talked me into it.... so we did not see much, a few deer, no elk..... which further concluded my decision that the elk were up away from the main roads where I shot my Cow earlier during archery season,
my mom, dad, and the kids showed up that afternoon with there camper, we got them all situated, we had came up the previous evening, that afternoon our plan was too hike up too a gated road from below, it was only about 200 yards up a steep slope too the road, doing this would cut off about 2 miles of walking, we got too the road and continued up too where I had shot my deer during archery season and saw both the other little bucks that were with the buck I shot, my wife did not want too shoot one because we were "elk hunting"
, so we continued and cut around a knob of the mountain on a cow trail that would lead us too 2 meadows where there was an overgrown logging road, we got through the first opening
and were coming up too the other road and bam! walking through a narrow band of trees there's a bull... and a big one at that a 330 class six point at 150 yards.... the wind was perfect we were slightly below him with the wind going down the hill.... we only got too see him for a minute or two as he weaved through the timber, we were kind of on a slight finger that came through an old clear cut and he went over too our left, so we circled around too get in front too see if there was some cows with him... wife had a Cow tag... he was moved kinda fast which I figured he was trying too catch up too some other elk, as we topped the little finger we were greeted by a 280 class 5 point, we watch him near an old spring in the meadow, he was tearing up some brush.... my wife was all set up and ready on a stump, the 5 point was about 125 yards, I told her too wait and watch through the scope, there is probably more elk, since we've seen two bulls already, low and behold about 3 minutes or so later a cow walks into the opening, I told her too shoot, and BOOM! Whack! drilled her, she went maybe 50 yards and was done, that 5 point just stood there and was like what happened, he didn't have a care in the world, we watch him for another 5 minutes or so until he got too where the cow was standing and must have smelled blood or something and bolted, after some high fives we walked over too where the elk had piled up, no tracking needed....
the 130 gr. SST out of the .270 TC pro hunter did its job perfectly,
by than it was getting late in the evening, we got the first half boned, front and straps for the wife and a hind quarter boned for me, we that just quartered the other half in the dark and hung them in a nearby tree as we would return the next morning...
it was a fairly easy 2 mile packout down the closed road, the hardest part was the last 200 yards of steep rocky mountain in the dark with a guy that doesn't do well with his balance, lucky for me I have a great wife and trusty walking stick.... kids, mom, wife, and I were all happy that evening and Kristin and I were ready for bed, since it was 11 pm when we got back too the camper... the next morning we slept in alittle than returned for the other half of her elk, boned both quarters and made the trip back too the camper and just like that we were done on the first evening of a 5 day hunt, was awesome and very proud of my wife, 2 years in a row she has gotten her Cow elk, lots of fun, just wish we would have gotten one where the kids could have been there, but at 6 and 3 they won't be too long and they will be helping, and on a side note Kristin shot it on Oct. 17 our son's 3rd B-day..... she thought that was pretty cool, can't wait for next year....
on a side note we did see a huge buck that I guessed over 190" typical, too bad its a draw only unit.... since we were there for another 3 days we figured we would scout just in case we ever drew the tag.... I got this poor pic of a 170" buck....
Matt
