First elk

[Jack O'Conner]

Thanks for the friendly welcome. Piedmont is practly next door to us.

Ever hunt the Piedmont Burn? This area was badly burned in the 1988 fire. But now its a mulie domain. A guy with a good set of legs can get way back in there with an ordinary bicycle.

Last summer I scouted the area again and found two small herds of elk!

Jack

 

[bulldown]

My first elk was a cow at age 15. I took a +/- 500 yard shot. I hit her 2 out of 4 shots. When I crossed the canyon to tag her, I quickly realized that she was a hell of a lotter bigger than any buck I had ever shot. My dad wanted me to roll her down to the bottom. Yeh right!

My second shot had broken her back. I didn't pack my rifle up there because I thought she was dead but I did have a Ruger .22 pistol in my fanny pack. I was too young, scared and inexperienced to stick her jugular with a knife so I pulled out the Ruger (great excuse to use it). I fired 2x's point back into her temple. She was still alive! I fired 2x's more in the back of her head. Still alive! Finally after two more rounds into her ear, she passed.

This execution was not really a great experience for a first elk, but that's how it went. My dad has poor health and had recently had back sugery, otherwise he would have been up on the hill to help me.

I shot her at 8am. We were back to the cabin at 6pm. I truely got first hand experience of packing out an elk when I was 15! My dad drug her head, and I did the rest!

bulldown

 

[ElkHntinMD]

My first elk hunt was guided in Colorado. I shot him at about 150 yds. He was a 4X5. After the first shot hit him he just stood there (lungs) My guide told me to hit him again, so I jacked another round and shot again putting him down for good (spine) My guide told me to stay there well he went down and looked, in case he stood up! He got down there and motioned me down! I'm figuring he's dead, NOT! I got to my guide and that dang elk was going down off the side of the mountain pullin with his fron legs! I put 2 more rounds in the boiler room before he stopped! Joy, Elation, sadness, and the feeling this ain't real came over me!!
My second was with a bow, unguided! It was one of the most awesome experiences I have ever had in my life!!


ElkhntrinMD