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2015 DIY ID Elk hunt - Very long story, beware

Irrelevant

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Apr 17, 2015
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I’ve been wanted to share this hunt for a while now and have finally found a few minutes to string some words together. By the end I discovered it took more than a few minutes, as there were just too many things tell, I just couldn’t leave them out.
This year I set out for my first out-of-state elk hunt; destination Idaho.
First a bit of background. I grew up and still live in Washington and was fortunate to be bone into a hunting family. Unfortunately, in 17 years I’d never killed an elk, and had only had to opportunities. One at age 15 I clean missed a nice bull, just too excited and too much gun (without enough practice). The second with my bow last year, but unfortunately a killed the one small alder sapling between me and the cow. In many respects I’d given up on WA.
I’ve been looking into Idaho for quite some time as a possibility for an elk hunt; one that would break the curse and finally put some elk meat in the freezer. Using the statistics from Idaho Fish and Game and Google Earth I was able to locate a half a dozen or more places that I thought were great elk areas. So over the next three summers I dragged the family over to ID for some summer camping and elk scouting. Unfortunately, none of the areas I’d identified online proved to be elk areas in real life. Oh, we saw elk, but in the densities that warranted the cost of an out-of-state tag.
During one of those summers I’d ventured over to WY for some backcountry flyfishing. On the drive back I stopped at several locations and found elk literally everywhere in that state. I was pumped. And have been applying for points ever since. But on the way back through ID I happen to take a side road through a valley I’d never been before. One without good harvest statistics and therefore not on my list of areas to scout. Something about the terrain and the remoteness struck something deep down and I knew I needed to explore it. If not for hunting at least for the scenery, as it was nothing I’d ever seen before.
Once home I looked back as the stats and sure enough they really weren’t that back. Maybe it would be worth hunting… I spent WAY too much time picked the land apart via aerial photos. I had every nook and cranny memorized. I finally put in a call to one of the regional biologists. I asked a bunch of questions but really wasn’t getting anywhere, no tips of any substance. I finally just asked were might I go and be able to hike 3-5 miles off trail, and see some elk and not see any people. I threw out some drainages thinking I already knew the answer. He responded with a canyon I’d never heard of. “It’s across the valley from where you looking.” I basically ignored him and kept asking about the areas I’d remotely scouted. He listened, then said “if I were you I’d look in XXX canyon.” I jotted down the name, but didn’t think much about it. The terrain just didn’t look good.
This summer I once again drug the family back to ID for another scouting trip. Simply because it was slightly closer we went to the recommended spot first to spend a couple of nights before heading to the areas I thought would be better. On the way in I thought, “Damn, this is remote, hope to shit we don’t get stuck or hurt.” We setup camp next to a nice glassing spot. Once the tent was up I took the binos and wandered up to the lookout. I randomly threw my glass up on a hill and WHAM there’s some elk. Then there’s some more elk, and more elk, and more elk. Everywhere I looked there were elk. I put the binos on a tripod to take a more detailed look and sure enough there were bulls everywhere, BIG BULLS, I mean like the biggest bulls I’d ever seen bulls.
I checked every morning and evening we were there, without fail so were the elk.
The last day we were there, the rancher, who runs his cows up the drainage, stopped by. The first words out of his mouth were, “I’ve never seen any camp there.” I picked his brain for 10 minutes on everything I could think of about the area, including so I’ve seen some elk over there, are they still in that area later in the season, same question but over here, what about migrations, how far do they travel? He finally stopped me mid-sentence and said, “Son, the elk hunting up here is easy. It’s the deer hunting that’s hard.” Quick, someone pinch me, I think I died and went to heaven. Easy elk hunting, I’d always thought that was an oxymoron.
Suffice to say we didn’t check out any more areas. I had the spot.
Fast forward to Sept. and I was back doing the WA archery elk thing for a couple weeks. Hunting with a friend and his family. This friend had volunteered to go along to ID with me just to call and pack (if needed), take a look at the country a bit. But he wanted to hunt WA hard, since that was his only tag. So the plan was to hunt all but the last day or so of the WA season, then take off for the last week of September to ID.
As luck would have it the second day of season I broke the curse and took a nice cow. It wasn’t the best of shots but thanks to my friend, his wife, and dad, we found her then next morning and packed her out. The stars had aligned, I had meat in the freezer, now I could actually hold out for a bull and ID and not feel like I had to take the first shot that presented itself.
The rest of the WA season was uneventful. No other animals taken in our camp, almost no elk seen the last week.
TBC...
 
So off to Idaho we went. Being the nervous and pessimistic type I feared as we neared out destination that it would be overrun with hunters and not an elk to be found. As we headed up the canyon my fears were coming true. There were lots of camps, lots of ATVs. No game bags hanging in the trees. I was sweating. We pushed past the last of the camps and kept climbing, the road getting rougher and narrower. We got to the camp spot, quickly setup and headed to the knob for some glassing. I just knew it was going to be hard. There’s no way there’s this many people up here and the elk haven’t been pushed out. With a sigh of anticipated regret I threw the binos up, BOOM, they were there, right where I left them. NO… FREAKING… WAY. Not a mile and a half from the road, grazing in plain sight was twenty elk, including several nice bulls. Everywhere I’d seen elk previously we found elk that night.

Giddy with anticipation for the next morning I hardly slept.

We got up early the next morning. I had another closer glassing spot I wanted to get to by light. We timed it almost perfect and arrived just as the glow of dawn was strong enough to see across the small canyon. Elk, up and across from us, one large bull, 15 cows, headed across but away, thankfully at a leisurely pace, browsing as they went.

We dropped into the trees and boogied up the draw trying to cut them off. As we neared them we started hearing bugles, then more bugles, coming from bulls that we both could and couldn’t see, bugles coming from everywhere. The group we were trying to get in front of angled down into the creek bottom at a spot where a couple of feeder draws come together. There must have been another group or two that same spot at the same time, because all of a sudden we were in a freakin’ rut/bugle fest. They were screaming all around. Cows were going crazy. It was so chaotic it was hard to think, impossible to strategize, what to do. We don’t exactly have these experiences where we hunt in WA, hell hearing a single bugle can be the highlight of the day.
We ended up trying to setup and call a bull in. But it was hard to get a word in edgewise with all the chaos around us. We tried relocating closer a couple of times. Finally I ditched my buddy and just went in for a stalk. I’d had enough playing games I knew I could sneak in and get close, it would just be whether or not close meant close to a bull or just cows. By this point the elk appeared to have hashed out most of their beefs with each other and the main group we were after started moving up a feeder drainage to bed for the day. I quiet-ran as near as I dare, then snuck along a finger ridge, popped over where I thought the best spot for a shot would be. There in front of me was half a dozen cows at 30 yards and the biggest 5-point I’ve ever seen at 50 yards but behind a deadfall. They all basically turned and looked at me, and I knew the gig was up. I froze as there was no point to move, I didn’t have a shot. They didn’t bust, but they got uneasy and made it a point to get up the hill, no more grazing, just steady walking.
Feeling amped but a bit dejected dropped back down to my buddy. Replayed the story for him. Monday morning QB’ed the piss out of it. Then figured if the elk were going to bed, we’d be wise to get across from them so we could watch exactly were the bedding and would know when they became active again. It would also give us a chance to get up high, real high, and see some new terrain.

We turned and started up the opposite slope. We’d made it about half way and I caught movement in front of me. Black, bobbing and weaving in and out of the trees. To me there was no doubt. Wolf. But my buddy who was a big behind me, thought it looked more like a bear. I’ve never seen a wolf in the wild so, for I’m sticking with a wolf. Whatever it was it was clearly after the same thing we were because before I could take another step I caught more movement ahead and starting picking out elk parts. We were within 60 yards or so of a group of elk. The wolf… would have only been 20 or so yards from the elk. To me it was super cool. It just made me feel more a part of the landscape and not just a foreign intruder.

We watched them for a while, but couldn’t find any bulls in the group. Just only lone spike. A little later we spotted the same group above tree line and discovered there was a bull, a small 5 pushing 25 cows. Not sure how he managed that with the monsters we were seeing in the area. He much be very sneaky.

Once up at tree line we sat down to figure out where exactly the group we were after bedded. With 10x binos on tripods were couldn’t make out any fur on the slope across from us at 600-800 yards. We picked it over time and time again. The thing was, it was open, very open, I thought there was no way those elk bedded on the slope, they must have gone over the top into the next drainage.

We stuck it out and glassed all afternoon. Worked our way in a 360 around the knob we were on, trying to glass all the terrain we could. All for not. No other elk were seen until 2pm. Then I finally spotted a cow, across on another hill, the one our group had came from. The one cow turned into several, then we spotted the bull. He looked good. To me it made no sense to stay where we were waiting on elk that we didn’t actually know were still there, when we can see elk within a short hike away.

So off we went, all the way down, then back up the next ridge. We relocated the elk, finally spotting the bull. Now that we were closer it was obvious we had grossly underestimated him. HE WAS HUGE. Way bigger than anything we’d seen that morning. 30” fours if they were an inch (ok that might not be true at all, but it sounds good).

We strategized and I was blunt that I wanted to attempt a quiet sneak. No calling.
The ground was pretty open and my buddy cautioned be against it. But I thought I could get close enough, as long as the wind didn’t betray me. They’d been steady all afternoon but I knew at some point they were going to shift back downhill and once they did the gig would be up.
It actually went really well. I was able to get in close. Find a good sitting spot. And just hope the bull wandered my way at some point. Over the next hour I had three different cows at 30 yards and under. Most of that time the bull was destroying a group of lodge pole pines. Unfortunately there was no way to capitalize on that, he had too many eyes and ears between him and I. I kept waiting and finally he gave up on his tree and came my way. 100 yards, still coming, 85 yards, still coming, at 70 yards he came clear of the small trees turned slightly up hill and came broadside to me giving me a perfect view of him in all his glory. I wasn’t comfortable with that range, not this year at least, and was hoping for at least another 10 yards. So a stayed frozen. Though facing uphill he instantly had be pegged. No idea how he knew I was there, other than the Spidey sense that’s allowed him to get that big, tipped him off. He burned holes straight into my eyes for at least a full minute. It was intense. Then for no apparent reason he whirled around and took off down the hill and out of the area taking his entire herd with him. Gone. In. Seconds. WTF, how did that happen? Why did that happen? W T F!!!

Game over for the day. I was spent. He had a little daylight left but no enough to complete another stalk. So we went back towards where we’d started that morning. Sure enough our original group had reappeared. Figures. While grassing and planning for the morning. My buddy stops mid-word, “I got a cougar.” “Where?” “Dude, I’m not taking my eyes off him or I may never find him again.” So he starts described all the trees this cat is walking by. Sure enough I pick him out too. He is a giant cat, and he’s stalking some elk. We get to witness the pounce, which targeted a calf, but failed. Then how the elk responded to him once they knew he was there. They didn’t run, they turned and faced it and barked. The bull (big 5 point) came down towards the cat to get between it and the cows. The cat turned and melted back into the brush. While this was going on, at the top of the ridge, above tree line, silhouetted with a bight moon rising behind them two giant bulls were doing battle. Holding their heads high and walking parallel to each other then turning and colliding with such force it was jaw dropping. The power struggle was serious. Not serious the way we use that word but life and death type serious. Cool shit on top of cool shit. If the trip ended right then and there it was a success.
TBC...
 
Skipping over all the pointless hiking, eating, sleeping stuff.

The plan the next morning was to mimic day one. Unfortunately, day two started with way fewer elk spotted and the elk we did spot were a half hour ahead of us in heading to their beds. There was no way we were getting ahead or ever close, not in this terrain. A bit disappointed but there were still elk around, and we were certain that there were more we weren’t seeing. Thankfully the ones we could see included the monster that I stalked in on the previous evening. We’d since named him Herc. The plan quickly became to sit and watch him all day then make another move in the afternoon.

Up the hill we went. Every couple of minutes we’d stop and check in on him. Once he and his harem (much smaller today than yesterday) got up high they milled about for a while grazing, which allowed us to gain elevation to get even with them. Then on one of the standard check-ins he was gone. We couldn’t find him. We couldn’t find any cows. They’d disappeared, almost as if they’d never existed at all and were just a part of our imagination. We simply couldn’t believe it. We stained our eyes over and over all morning and afternoon trying to pick an elk out. Nothing. Eventually we convinced ourselves that they simply HAD to have gone over the ridge to the next drainage.

That afternoon the wind kicked up pretty good. At 330 we had yet to see an elk since morning. *Side note: it is ridiculous that if you were to hike into this area midday you would be convinced there’s not an elk in this entire drainage, and yet they ARE there. Simply crazy.* We figured we had to do something, can’t just sit there so we started working our way over to the next drainage that we’d convinced ourselves the elk were in. 300 yards from our glassing spot my buddy spot elk below us. It’s Herc. How in the hell did he get below us? I would have been my house that a group of elk couldn’t have worked down the hill without us seeing. There’s simply isn’t that many trees and brush to conceal them.

Either way the game was on. The wind was blowing hard and steady and they looked to be in a very stalkable location. My buddy thought setting up in front of them and waiting for him to feed by was the best bet. I thought the wind would betray you with that approach, it’s steady but there’s always a little variation, and it wouldn’t have taken much to blow my scent right to him.
I ended using a small finger ridge to get within 100 yards and out of sight. I popped over the ridge into some pretty dense trees and worked my way toward him. During this effort his cow’s turned and grazed back up toward me. All seven getting within bow range. They eventually did an about face and grazed back down, clearing the path between he and I. I only managed a few more yards before he picked up his head, noticed the cows were all out in front of him and started walking in that direction. I ranged the closest spot on the trail he was on, 60 yards. This is it, get ready, calm nerves. His head went behind a tree and I came to full draw. When he got to the spot I’d ranged I sat up on my knees. The motion caught his attention and he stopped. Perfect. Deep breath… exhale…release. Arrow hits the dirt ten feet in front of him. WTF WTF WTF!!! He crow hops and is gone. I stupidly try to chase and get busted by a cow that held back a little. She takes everyone with her. It’s over. Again, in just seconds.

Banging my head against the wall. What happened? I went back and ranged the spot he was standing. 80 yards. What? It was 60 yards just seconds ago. Ranged again, 80, again 80. So three options exist, either he actually stepped out behind where I originally ranged, my rangefinder accidentally picked up something, some grass or stick, 20 yards closer, or I was hallucinating. Feeling pretty down I walked back to find my friend. We discussed what happened, and again, what went wrong. While talking we notice a bunch of elk pouring back into our drainage from the adjacent one through a pass a few hundred yards off. The first group spots us (we’re standing out in the open like to rookies) and takes off, oh well, no bulls. Then another elk pops over the pass. It’s a bull. “How’s he look to you?” “Pretty damn nice, he’s alone. Let’s try calling”

We run up the ridge as he walks along the tree line. I tell my buddy “Just give it all you have. You won’t be able to see him or me, but just make it sexy and desperate. He looks lonely.” I get hidden in the last tree on the mountain. My buddy behind me 40 yards in some thick brush. He starts cow calling. The bull has in the meantime disappeared in a wrinkle in the hill. If he’s still coming our way he’ll pop up at 80 yards. It’s clear shooting, but will likely be a quartering toward me shot. Not ideal. I can’t let him get uphill of us or our scent will be hitting him full force.
A half dozen seconds go by and I see antler tips coming up over the grass. Here he comes. Plodding along, head down, very Eeyore-ish. I can hear the cow calls but it doesn’t look like he can. Doesn’t matter he’s still coming. Arrow knocked. Draw. At about 60 he stops, he picks his head up, his ears swivel forward and eyes get big. He finally hears the calls. You can see the light go off in his horny head “Cows! I’m going to get lucky tonight!” and he starts running right at us. 50, 40, 30, no time, no shot, he goes behind the tree I was hiding behind and uphill of me. Shit he’s going to wind me any second but there’s no choice he just keeps coming. At 10 yards he slows to a trot and at 8 yards is completely broadside. I point and shoot. At 8 yards it wasn’t aiming, just pointing. Arrow goes into the lung and out the other side. He takes off. He’s dead on his feet, there’s no question in my mind. Checkmate.

For whatever reason this overwhelming sense of great accomplishment, accomplishment so great part of you thought you’d never achieve it, over took me and I let out of scream “F*&^ YEAH!!!”

My buddy didn’t see the shot so he runs up with his hands in the air, “what happened?” “Dude that’s a dead elk, it worked flawlessly!” We hug, we find my arrow, we wait, we get impatient, and after a brief search we find him piled up in some trees a few hundred yards away.

To wrap it up, the pack out was 4 miles, 2k feet vertical, all downhill, we got him all in two trips, 16 miles round trip each. We’ll be going back next year.
 
"Skipping over all the pointless hiking, eating, sleeping stuff. "

However you also skipped over the all important photos part.
As a very wise huntlker tends to say "It never happened if there are no pictures" :hump:

Nice hunt story, but lets see some the county you hunted and and some animals! ;)
 
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