2019 MT Elk

MTHunter1321

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Joined
Nov 10, 2015
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508
Location
Great Falls, MT
After an up and down fall my 2019 elk tag has been punched. I had set a goal this year to get one with my bow but between family obligations, work, and other circumstances that’ll have to wait another year. I spent the first weekend of rifle season trying to hunt mule deer but due to the wind and snow it was not a very productive weekend. The second weekend I went back to an area I had hunted a few years ago and had seen quite a bit of elk but was unable to seal the deal then. After 2 days of hiking 5+ miles each day I still had not turned up an elk sighting. I had already scheduled to have some days off of work starting mid week and as luck would have it, a winter storm rolled in late Tuesday night. My dad and I decided to try our luck in a completely new area for a few days and figured the snow would help. We met up on Tuesday night and had high hopes for what Wednesday would bring.

Wednesday morning brought us a fresh layer of 3-4 inches of light snow. Long story short, we started a hike through forest service right on the border of some private. After a couple miles of punch holing through the old crusty snow and not seeing any fresh sign, we decided to split up with me continuing further and my dad going back to the truck and then driving around to pick me up at another FS entry. After seven miles of hiking and temps in the low teens, I had still yet to cut an elk track. I got to the truck around 11am and after warming up a bit we decided to head to a nearby town for some lunch.
As we drove towards town we continued to take glances towards the mountains in hopes of seeing something. I finally noticed something that needed a closer look so we came to a stop and I tossed up my binoculars. ELK! About 200 of them were bedded just below a tree line a couple miles away from us. A quick check on my OnX confirmed that they were on public and were only about 3/4 of a mile further east than where my dad picked me up. We turned the truck around and headed back immediately. We parked the truck and got our stuff and started heading towards the elk. About 15 yards from the truck I looked up right as two cows came over the top of a ridge 800 yards away and started feeding down. We were in the open but figured if we could army crawl about 40 yards there was another hill about 400 yards away that would hide us from the cows. We dropped down and were able to close the distance to the hill in the middle and when we crawled to the top the cows were still feeding 400 yards away. My dad had said he would shoot the first legal elk he had a chance at. I told him a cow elk, 800 yards from the truck seemed pretty damn appealing as far as getting an elk out. He agreed and after a few minutes Ahmad one of the cows perfectly broadside. Two well placed shots later and she went down shortly after 12pm. We hiked up to her and my dad quickly tagged her and dropped his rifle as I still wanted to try to get on the large group that we initially saw. We got up the ridge that these cows had just come over and kept heading to where we thought we could be a position on the herd. After some time I happened to glance to the south and there they were, about 400 yards out onto private. We sat and watched them for a bit and determined that where we were would be a good spot to be in the morning as they might head back up and bed where they were. We went back to his elk and after gutting it, we decided to cut it in half. I made a trip back to the truck to grab some rope and then we each tied onto a half and started dragging with the rope around our waist. The downhill and the snow helped and we finally had her back to truck and loaded up by 2:45. Now on our way into town, we came across the same herd even further to the south in with a ranchers cattle and hay. That rancher had seen them too and was driving around their field trying to chase them away. They eventually took off...further south and deeper onto private. I wasn’t sure now what they’d do in the morning, if they’d eventually head back towards the mountains or just continue further south.
 
Thursday morning found us in our truck along with one of my dads good buddies. Driving in, it was apparent that word had gotten out about this large herd of elk. We drove by 8 trucks parked along the road down low shortly before daylight and we decided to head to the same area we parked the day prior and try to glass from there. About 20 minutes after shooting light, my dads friend had spotted the herd. They were crossing the fence line heading right back to where we saw them yesterday to bed down on the forest service. I figured I’d take a different approach than the one we tried yesterday so I hopped out of the truck and took off walking the fence, while two other groups of hunters were still in their trucks. It ended up being about a mile but I got to a group of timber that I knew was SW of the elk and I knew if I could get through that timber the elk should be fairly close. I got to the NE side and sure enough, there they were. A few were still feeding but a majority had bedded down. The only problem was is that they were 500 yards, outside of of comfort range. With the wind and how loud the crunchy snow was, I was hesitant to try and make a move to get closer as I thought for sure they would spook. I could see their tracks crossing the fence from private and figured if I could wait them out they would walk within range when they got up to feed. I was going to lay there and wait it out. About an hour or so passed with nothing happening, just glassing and seeing what bull I would like to get a chance at. All of a sudden about 20 of the elk on the edge stood up and were looking down at something. BOOM. A few more stand up. BOOM. The rest stand up and start moving. I thought for sure they were going to cross back onto the private so I took off running down the fence trying to get an angle on where I think they might cross. A quarter mile later I’m at the end of the fence and no elk had crossed. I can see 2 other hunters a few hundred yards to the north and can tell that they got one. I decided to walk up and see what they got and give my congrats. They ended up getting a cow and it was the hunters first ever elk. I chat with them for a bit and hear about how they got on the elk. Hindsight 20/20 I should have moved around to the north, but oh well. I could see where the elk escaped to and they were heading further into the forest service. In the hurry once their shooting started, I left my pack back where I was set up initially. After a half hour back and forth hike to get that I decided to follow their tracks for a while to see where they ended up. I could tell that my dad and his friend could drive around and pick me up at a spot so after a quick phone call that’s what we decided on. After a few hundred yards of following the tracks, instead of continuing to where I thought they might be going, they started heading uphill on a ridge. I figured as long as I kept following them I’d at least have a downhill walk back. After a bit longer, I heard some cows chirping and knew I was close. I slowed down and before long I could see elk moving through the thick timber under a hundred yards ahead of me. I’ve never really had the chance, and/or patience for timber hunting but I knew I would have to apply what I’d read about it now. I crept along, taking a few steps then stopping and waiting for a bit, then take a few steps more. After a couple hundred yards of this, I could see a cow and calf ahead of me about 50-60yards along with some others uphill. The cow and calf eventually started walking away and after a quick check I could still see the rear end of a bedded elk about where they were. I scanned and could see a bit of the head and then saw antlers, which at first I was convinced was a spike. A spike was not legal here. After a little bit, a head turn confirmed that he was a branch antlered bull. I was still in thick, thick timber and did not have a shot. After what seemed like an eternity, he eventually stood up and took a step or two to the left. Through my scope, I had a window that put it right into his boiler maker. I flipped off safety and squeezed. The woods erupted with elk and I could see the bull take off. In the middle of the sounds of hooves trotting off, I could hear some branches breaking.

Once I caught my breath and waited a few minutes, I decided to creep up to where the bull was bedded to see if I could find which direction he took off. I got to his bed and glanced down to my right and could see him laying 20 yards away. I was immediately overcome with some emotion, this being my first OTC general area bull I had taken.
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After a call to my dad to figure out the logistics to get him packed out, I began the work of solo quartering an elk. I was glad I was prepared with rope and after a couple hours, I had him skinned, quartered and in my game bags. I was then pleased to find out that my dad and his friend had gained some permission to get access that would allow them to get out 4-wheeler pretty close to where I would come down off the mountain at. I carried a hind and the back straps and tenderloins down and finally met my dad on the ATV. We dropped what I had and hiked back up and I got the other hind and the head while he got the 2 fronts and make the 15 minute hike back down to the ATV. We loaded everything up and tied it down and began419E93E6-C2C4-4060-9EB0-138EBC1FB77E.jpeg

After a bit, we got everything loaded up in the truck and were able to crack into a nice, frosty, blue mountain Coors Light...the first of many that night. 4C9627C4-9D81-40E1-894C-E744EA0562AD.jpeg

While definitely not the biggest bull, I couldn’t be happier with finally filling a general elk tag in Montana on a bull. He’s going to be great tasting and help provide for my family until next season comes. To have my dad and I each fill our tags in back to back days on public land will be something that we’ll both remember forever.
 
Awesome write-up. Sneaking up on 200 elk and not getting busted in timber before find a bull with a shot opportunity is a mix of a ton of skill and patience and a dash of luck. Congrats on a heck of a hunt!
 

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