Mtn man,more ammo and four friends had six either sex elk tags and got home sunday with one cow and one bull(mtn mans).I have a lot of work in front of me after two weeks away.I will tell the details with pics(I hope)later this week. Don
I hope you know that it is bad luck if you didn't shoot your first elk in the rear. WeekendWarrior believes so strongly in that he shoots everything in the ass.
Thanks guys, it sure does feel great...especially since this was my 5th year elk hunting. I was getting ready to hang it up. (ha ha) Sorry about the mix up mountain man, that is just the name the guys in camp gave me a few years back. This is the way it went:
Day 1: My brother who has gotten 2 bulls in 4 years, decided he was going to help me get my first one. (I didn't figure this out till later) We got busted trying to get to our spot in the dark. Elk all around us and we had to set tight till daylight. Daylight came and I caught a few cows heading to dark timber as we crested to our stand. Spent the rest of the day hunting dark timbers. Kicked out 1 bull, no shot.
Day 2: Took two of our friends to my spot, waiting this time till daylight. Bull, 220 yards broadside. Trouble is either sex license are no good on spikes in 4 point only units. Bummer...Hunted some other spots and found hunters had driven way in where it used to be blocked. Talked with some locals who said that with the extra drought cow tags, our unit was hit hard the 1st and 2nd seasons. Roads that had seen little use in previous years seemed like highways.
Day 3: Discouraged...did a little walk around camp. Crossed 149 North, no fresh sign.
Day 4: Decided to go to the wilderness.It was white and cold, the wind howled the whole walk in. After walking from 3 AM till 1PM in a big loop to lower Powderhorn Lake and back we were just about to enter the 1 1/2 mile trail back to the jeep when I told my brother I'm never coming back to this place so take a picture of me. He said step back into the meadow and took a wide angle shot of the peak and me. As soon as he finished he whispered, get down. I said what? and he said BULL! I turned and saw an animal but had forgot my glasses, binoculars and that my scope was still on 3.5 setting for dark timber hunting. The bull didn't see us but we were out in the open. I was almost laying down, my feet toward the bull. My brother said get my knee up and use it for a post...One shot later..One elk dead...He didn't even take a step. 394 yards, hand load 165 grain partitions. I'm still going to try to post pictures.
Day 5: Took the horse in and packed the elk out. Should have hung the meat, coyotes got some of it.
Day 6: A friend shot a cow and that night 4 of us tried to drink 1/2 gal of crown royal. Almost but no cigar.
Day 7: Very sick. Some guys went on 1/2 day hunt. Just saw cows, guys only interested in a bull.
Thanks again for all the congrats. It sure feels great to get one. Don