Shot two big game animals in a season (antelope excluded)…until today.
Had a nice brunch with the family, if you’re ever feeling too relaxed definitely let your 6 year old whip up pancakes, you’ll be stressed in no time! Got out to the spot at the crack of 1130. Wind finally laid down a bit so I was using a new-to-me spotter to glass for elk. Found one group pretty close to the private and set out after them. They must have laid down between me leaving the truck and making a loop around them. Couldn’t find that group but did see another larger herd about a mile away. Figured the few I saw linked up with them so off I went!
100 yards into my walk I look into the buck brush (or whatever it is) and there’s a big Ol’ pair of ears turned my direction. Throw the binos up and it’s a little calf. Get down on my pack and range it at 208. Now the rest of them stand up and it’s the group I was initially looking at, mostly spikes and cows. The majority of the group is further up hill but the calf is perfectly broadside and isolated and I’m starting to take slack up…but a big cow next to her turns broadside undoubtedly saving her. Just didn’t have it in me to shoot the calf so I squeezed off a shot at the big cow. Group startles a bit but still just mills about. I can only see heads over the buck brush now and they are staring at one cow by herself further downhill. She looks a little woozy and then tips over. The rest of the group stood there while I walked up to them, probably was 50 yards by the time they took off. Cow down by 1:30 in the afternoon. Quartered and packed to the truck by 4:30.
Totally grueling .7 miles for all the trips! Just happened to be a road within a couple hundred yards of where she fell. Didn’t have my pack frame but I blew the side out of the Alps Traverse pack I use. Not thrilled, definitely could have been in a pickle if I was deeper in the woods. Wonder if Santa has any leads on Mystery Ranch?
Freezer mostly full so I’ll end up giving most of this away, but a really fun afternoon that I had low expectations for.
Had a nice brunch with the family, if you’re ever feeling too relaxed definitely let your 6 year old whip up pancakes, you’ll be stressed in no time! Got out to the spot at the crack of 1130. Wind finally laid down a bit so I was using a new-to-me spotter to glass for elk. Found one group pretty close to the private and set out after them. They must have laid down between me leaving the truck and making a loop around them. Couldn’t find that group but did see another larger herd about a mile away. Figured the few I saw linked up with them so off I went!
100 yards into my walk I look into the buck brush (or whatever it is) and there’s a big Ol’ pair of ears turned my direction. Throw the binos up and it’s a little calf. Get down on my pack and range it at 208. Now the rest of them stand up and it’s the group I was initially looking at, mostly spikes and cows. The majority of the group is further up hill but the calf is perfectly broadside and isolated and I’m starting to take slack up…but a big cow next to her turns broadside undoubtedly saving her. Just didn’t have it in me to shoot the calf so I squeezed off a shot at the big cow. Group startles a bit but still just mills about. I can only see heads over the buck brush now and they are staring at one cow by herself further downhill. She looks a little woozy and then tips over. The rest of the group stood there while I walked up to them, probably was 50 yards by the time they took off. Cow down by 1:30 in the afternoon. Quartered and packed to the truck by 4:30.
Totally grueling .7 miles for all the trips! Just happened to be a road within a couple hundred yards of where she fell. Didn’t have my pack frame but I blew the side out of the Alps Traverse pack I use. Not thrilled, definitely could have been in a pickle if I was deeper in the woods. Wonder if Santa has any leads on Mystery Ranch?
Freezer mostly full so I’ll end up giving most of this away, but a really fun afternoon that I had low expectations for.
