2019 Idaho....

[Duck-Slayer]

Met up with my 2 WI buddy’s on Monday evening. We got a temporary camp spot that evening, lots of people in the woods as expected. Next morning we bumped a cow walking in at daylight our only encounter for the day. Rained most of day 1,
Matt

 

[Duck-Slayer]

Day 2 we spent time trying to find a bow press in a local town which took half the day. Found one luckily and got his bow fixed up. The evening hunt went good other than the rain, We got to within 80 yards of a really big cow. She ended up spotting us before we could close the distance.
Matt

 

[Duck-Slayer]

Rained all night! So we got a little bit later start, left camp just after daylight. Went back to where we saw the cow on day 1 with no luck, except getting pretty wet!
Our afternoon went really well, spotted a really nice 6 point following what looked like a cow, hard to tell from 3 miles away. We waited patiently till they made there way into the timber to bed for the day.
We hit the trail and made it over there in about an hour on an old closed skid trail. We got even more wet if that’s possible hiking on the brushy over grown trail. I counted how many ridge lines we had to cross to get into position as the wind started up the hill. Sat down on that ridge line for a good 25min before he finally answered us. He sounds about 300 yards down the hill. Sent Mark out in front about 50 yards, sporadically called for a good 40 minutes with out a peep. Whistled for Mark too come back as I was getting pretty cold .
He got back and said give out 1 more bugle before we leave, so I did and he screamed right back about 150 yards away! Mark scrambled back down the hill, as he was doing that we called in another hunter from above us who proceeded to blow his flute terribly, dang I was mad
The bull ended up about 50 yards from Mark who said he was right there in the brush making racket but could not see him. I than began walking around calling and braking branches. Finally got him to bugle again and I went right back at him.... that was a mistake ..... he than disappeared and never heard him again. Great encounter!
Matt

 

[Duck-Slayer]

We are on top of the mountain today where I have sketchy service but am able to post these updates,
Matt

 

[ida homer]

Keep em coming, pics too if signal allows...

 

[Duck-Slayer]

Day 4, basically took there bows for a walk, called in 2 groups of other hunters, saw 3 cows off the road, ranchers were out with there horses rounding up cattle, called in another hunter.....
Matt

 

[Duck-Slayer]

Day 5, at the house taking showers and washing laundry. Will go out later tonight. And some pictures.
Matt

 

[ida homer]

Good luck Matt, fill that freezer!

 

[Duck-Slayer]

No freezer filling for me, I got a rifle tag, just playing caller this trip,
Matt

 

[Duck-Slayer]

Day 6
Went after a bull I found on Saturday evening after we got back. Weren’t able to find that bull and his 5 cows. Ended up back over where we called in that bull a few days ago. Notta....
Matt

 

[Duck-Slayer]

Day 7
I had some health issues this morning and did not make it out with the guys. They found a bull, cow and calf. Jake missed the calf after the bull ran it off is what they thought.
I left camp about 2:30 after doing a few chores around camp. And I’m glad I did, elk were all over tonight! Saw 4 different bulls, 3 spikes, and a dozen or so cows. Some pretty close. I’m pretty sure I could have killed the satellite 5 pt bull if I had a tag 🏷. Ended up back at camp showing them pics of all the elk I found.
Matt

 

[Duck-Slayer]

Bull down! Last morning!
Matt

 

[Sytes]

Nice work, Matt and crew! How's your foot managing?

 

[Baerman]

Persistence pays!!! Congrats Matt.

 

[Duck-Slayer]

I’ll write it up and post pictures soon,
Matt

 

[Bowhuntrben]

I’ll write it up and post pictures soon,
Matt

You better

 

[Duck-Slayer]

Day 8
Went out to where I found a satellite 5 pt and a big wide 6x6, 7 cows and 2 spikes the evening before. Had the 2 bulls going a little bit in the morning when we were at the bottom, but the bulls did not want to come down and play. Went around to the top as the wind switched up hill. Not much luck, the elk moved 1 ridge over while we were circling around to get above them. We left them alone till the evening. Meanwhile we went to another glassing location and found a few more elk, but nothing very close. Had our lunch and took naps .
The evening started with not too much activity. We started where I found the elk the night before. About 1hr before dark we decided to head back to the wheelers and see if we could find some elk that wanted to play. The elk from that morning that moved off to the next ridge were bugling! We made an aggressive move toward them, got about 150 yards from the elk and setup. It wasn’t but a couple of minutes and that bull was 75 yards and going crazy! Got a video of the calling back and forth I’ll post. For some reason he wouldn’t fully come down to us. It’s either because the satellite 5 pt was harassing him or there was a small clearing above us I didn’t know was there that he wouldn’t cross after a great day in the elk woods we headed back to camp in the dark with smiles on our face.
Matt

 

[Duck-Slayer]

Day 9
Wednesday, getting close only 2 days left. Both of them decided to hunt together this morning, as My Achilles needed a break and I went deer hunting. They headed to a spot that Jake hunted the evening before and found some elk making noise. I did not find any deer..... they had some luck in finding those elk but no luck on calling them in. Rookies lol
We met back up at camp for lunch.
That evening all 3 of us went to that spot and found some elk right away. A bugling war between us as we followed them closely up the mountain, he never wanted to turn and come after us ...... another walk back in the dark unsuccessful.
Matt

 

[Duck-Slayer]

Day 10
Last day,
We went back to the same spot ast yesterday. We split up this time to cover more area. Mark and I came in from mid mountain and Jake came in from the bottom. These elk were bedding down in the bottom which was odd. Anyway we got on the bull pretty quickly as they were in the same meadow as they have been the previous day and a half. After 2 unsuccessful setups the bull decided to follow a cow and calf into the timber below us. We did a small circle to her even with them. Got setup around 100 yards from the and ripped off a bugle, He immediately responded. After about 10 minutes Mark started to work closer to the bull. I lost sight of him in the brush/timber. I decided to move up as well, got to a tipped over stump about 80 yards on a small finger ridge. Just as I barely peaked over here comes the cow and calf, they filed right by me at 25 yards, I could see tines just over the ridge line following the direction of the cow/calf. I quickly backed up and tried to find Mark, after a few minutes he came walking down to me. He had inadvertently got above the cow and they winded him. He did not even know they were there.
After this encounter I bugled to locate where the bull was, he was almost directly down wind, so I chalked it up as a win for the elk.
Not to long after I bugled the last time there was no response, seemed odd. I told Mark either he winded us or Jake shot him. We walked back to the wheelers and circled around to where Jake had came up from the bottom. No sign of him, we waited 15 minutes and decided to go back to camp and eat and wait for him to show up. About 15 minutes after we got back to camp he showed up with a smile ear to ear. That bull filed right past him at 37 yards following the cow/calf, which he said he got greedy and decided to let the cow go by in hopes that the bull would follow. Jake said that the ball was headed back to us when I called the final time. Jake said that if I would not have called him back towards us that he would have not came down close to him. But he ended up turning around and following the Kous Jake said that if I would not have called him back towards us that he would have not came down close to him. So while the bull came back to us he moved up closer to where the cow and calf had filed passed. After I quit the bull turned around a came right bye him. Jake shot him as he came through a small opening, drilled him! Got the back of both lungs, bull went 80 yards and was dead!
Matt

 

[Duck-Slayer]

Day 10
The evening after we got the bull packed out, Mark and I went back out on the backside of the mountain where Jake had killed his bull. And with about 15 minutes left of light we had a bull going crazy on the backside of the mountain. He went from being 800 yards away to 300 then to 100 yards and was just bugling his brains out. We ran out of light, also two side-by-side’s came cruising by right as we were headed back to the four wheelers about a mile down the road. We went back to camp with smiles. It was a great day in the elk woods.
Matt