Yeti GOBOX Collection

Back from Idaho!!!

7mm08mo

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 24, 2015
Messages
2,097
Location
Lake of the ozarks Missouri
I got back from my elk hunt last Thursday, and have been to busy with catching up and taking care of things to post a story. The day after I got back youth deer season started here so I had to take the boys hunting. So my dad came to me about two years ago and said he wasn't getting any younger and in any better health, and he wanted to go elk hunting and get one we've been once before to Colorado. I told him we could do it on our own but he had already been looking at outfitters as he said he wanted to increase his odds. This was also before I found this forum, but also why I found it because I wanted to learn as much as possible. So after some research and recommendations from his friends we setteled on and outfitter in Idaho. After a three day journey to get there, alot of it in high wind warnings across Wyoming 35-65 plus gusts on 10-16 we arrived in Idaho. Absolutley beautiful country, the day we went in it was snowing hard with about 4" on the ground. We had to go through what they called the gates of hell, that seperated the Hells canyon recreation area from the wilderness area, which is a rock bluff that has a wall of rock on one side and a trail of solid rock and 2000 feet of air on the other. After making it to camp we found a bear had raided the food left in tubs in camp. Luckily we rounded most of it up and salvaged what we could, apparently bears like apples but not blue cheese salad dressing. Day 1 we saw about 40 to 50 elk in the morning with a 320 to 330 bull, we formulated a plan to go after them in the afternoon after they bedded. We headed up the mountain after them. After a few hours of riding, we came upon the mules and one horse the outfitter had turned loose to graze. Apparenty the one horse did not like my horse and all of a sudden laid its ears back and kicked me and the horse I was on. After getting back on we rode on and I noticed my leg was bleeding throught my sock, long underwear, and pants into my boot and all over the saddle. We bandged it up and went on. That evening the elk came out higher than expected and to far to make a move that night but they had a suprise in there with them a huge bull that we hadn't seen that morning. The oufitter guessed he would go 350 or better. As we glassed them some elk came out a couple basins away and also had a giant bull, my excitement was through the roof. Day 2 we went low to make sure they were were we left the closer elk the night before, and they were so we made a move as it looked like they were heading for a spring, we get there and they were nowhere to be found then all of a sudden he says lets go they had beat us and were going over the saddle into heavy timber. We sprinted uphill and up a cut bank and I had to rest on a rootwad from a stump and at 450 yards I missed my first two shots at an elk ever. After checking to make sure I had indeed missed we went back to camp to eat lunch and clear some trail to where we had seen the other elk the night before in cougar basin. My dad had decided to hunt around camp as the terrain was very steep and rugged and had lots of deadfall to go over and he was realizing his limitations which in a way I was thankful for as I was worried about him getting around. Day three we saw a few elk in the morning and made it to cougar basin. No elk that night. The outfitter did see a mountain goat that I wished I could have seen but we had seperated for glassing purposes. Day four glass two bulls in morning and head up a steep mountain for the evening hunt. We had just tied the horses up and walked about 40 yards and heard a barking noise and he said elk, I unslung my rifle, and chambered a round and at 40 yards took the shot and SHOT MY VERY FIRST ELK a decent 6x6. I was so excited. I went about 40 yards up the mountain and then tumbled about 50 yards back down wrapping itself around a small pine tree to arrest its fall. Words cannot decribe my emotions at that point all the training and practicing shooting came down to that moment and it happend totally worth all the work and sweat from the last two years. We got him broke down and I packed the head off the mountain and he came back and got the meat with the horses. My dad was so excited for me when he got in that night. Day 5 dad and outfitter rode out of camp and I stayed to help the other guy in camp finish packing his bull out. At about 8:00 I hear shots as I was reading my bible as it was Sunday and I had tagged out. Went out and packed his elk in when we got back there was a note dad had gotten a 5x5 so happy and excited. We stayed in camp on Monday as the outfitter packed all the meat out and cut wood to help him out, by that time I was quite adept at running a cross cut saw from clearing trail every day I hunted and it didn't take long. Packed out on Tuesday a day early as we had all tagged out and as we went though the gates of hell it was raining. All in all a very enjoyable hunt and dream come true, and experience of a lifetime. Hope to make it happen again someday on my own somewhere. Saw some very beautiful and very rugged country. It all seemed uphill and very steep. Every time I glassed I had to dig my feet in to keep from sliding off the mountain. Here are a few pics.
 
Congrates to you and your Dad. That is quite the mule kick you got there. Sounds like you have some great stories to share with your friends at home.
 
What an elk hunt! That's great you and your dad both got nice bulls. Awesome,steep country not very far from me as the crow flies.
 
Congratulations on a great father son adventure.

My legs got sore looking at the inclines. Steep!
 
Very well done! Kudos to you for making the time/effort to do that with your father. You won't regret it.
 
Outstanding!! Congrats on some great memories with dad!
You're having a pretty great year with family success. Truly blessed.
 
Good Job! There's nothing quite like that first bull on a backcountry hunt. Congratulations to the "Show Me Staters".
 

Latest posts

Forum statistics

Threads
110,817
Messages
1,935,476
Members
34,889
Latest member
jahmes143
Back
Top