MarvB
Well-known member
Well I'll end this saga with this final chapter. Won't bore you all with more pics of mediocre bucks and cow elk but will cut to the chase.
We hunted are asses off for the final four days of the hunt. We were in elk every single day and I passed on numerous cows and a couple of spikes (sorry Moosie). The bulls were as quiet as I've ever seen/heard and though we ran into a few big herds, not even the rags were showing an interest as yet. Without the ability to call it became a game of "try and guess" where they'd either feed out or go bed. We guessed right on quite a few occasions but were always on the wrong side of the bulls...thats hunting!
Saw a total of only 3 branch bulls in the four days we hunted elk- sure that plenty more were around but....
On the last evening of the hunt we were slowly working a ridgeline down where we had seen elk the prior day. As we met on a small landing for one final game plan Mike2 sees antler tips above the tall grass of a buck bedded in the reprod down below the landing about 80 yards. As he was the only one still with an unfilled deer tag we changed to buck hunting mode and gave him hand signals as he stalked his way in. The wind at this point was just howling and he defiantly used it to his advantage. As he just got inside the "golden forty" the buck stood up and began to feed. Another buck, nearly his twin, stood up as well.
I heard the hit and as the buck bounded away my first though was OMG that is a fuggin PIG of a deer. The hit was a bit far back as the buck was quartered hard away. We saw the buck bail into an area of thick reprod and then saw his buddy break out the other side- Mike2's buck was down or at least holding to check his backtrail. It ended up being the later as Mike2 approached the buck took off once again down the draw! Myself and another friend circled down below where we last saw the buck while Mike1 kept vigilance from the landing above with his binos. Caught movement and watched as the buck skidded to a stop in some pines and bedded down.
He looked pretty spent at this point but since we were loosing light quickly we opted to go in at the buck rather than to wait him out. Mike2 worked his way above him while the rest of us fanned out to watch for an escape. Heard the impact and then the war hoop! The rest was history for Mike, Mike & Marv
Sorry about the "back of the truck" shots. The other buddy did manage some field pics in fading light but I didn't (for the first FRIGGIN time) have my camera on me. I will post them up when he sends me the copies.
The buck was a basic 4x4 with two of the forks trying to split and a small (not really noticeable in the photo) kicker off one side. The fronts were bladed and AMAZING in mass- the photos really don’t do the buck justice- it is truly a smoker of a muley. The right side also had triple eye guards which was pretty cool. You can make them out better in the bottom pic.
All in all, a great hunt with a couple of great friends. Three for three in an new area will work for me anytime and being able to factor in on the best buck my buddy has ever taken was just icing on the cake.
Hmmmm...one final note....was basically packing up to leave the next morning and out in prairie below the meadow our trailer overlooked, just happened to see a few cows milling through....visions of grandeur and a quick (for a geezer) sprint across the prairie led to a change in Marv's departure time...
We hunted are asses off for the final four days of the hunt. We were in elk every single day and I passed on numerous cows and a couple of spikes (sorry Moosie). The bulls were as quiet as I've ever seen/heard and though we ran into a few big herds, not even the rags were showing an interest as yet. Without the ability to call it became a game of "try and guess" where they'd either feed out or go bed. We guessed right on quite a few occasions but were always on the wrong side of the bulls...thats hunting!
Saw a total of only 3 branch bulls in the four days we hunted elk- sure that plenty more were around but....
On the last evening of the hunt we were slowly working a ridgeline down where we had seen elk the prior day. As we met on a small landing for one final game plan Mike2 sees antler tips above the tall grass of a buck bedded in the reprod down below the landing about 80 yards. As he was the only one still with an unfilled deer tag we changed to buck hunting mode and gave him hand signals as he stalked his way in. The wind at this point was just howling and he defiantly used it to his advantage. As he just got inside the "golden forty" the buck stood up and began to feed. Another buck, nearly his twin, stood up as well.
I heard the hit and as the buck bounded away my first though was OMG that is a fuggin PIG of a deer. The hit was a bit far back as the buck was quartered hard away. We saw the buck bail into an area of thick reprod and then saw his buddy break out the other side- Mike2's buck was down or at least holding to check his backtrail. It ended up being the later as Mike2 approached the buck took off once again down the draw! Myself and another friend circled down below where we last saw the buck while Mike1 kept vigilance from the landing above with his binos. Caught movement and watched as the buck skidded to a stop in some pines and bedded down.
He looked pretty spent at this point but since we were loosing light quickly we opted to go in at the buck rather than to wait him out. Mike2 worked his way above him while the rest of us fanned out to watch for an escape. Heard the impact and then the war hoop! The rest was history for Mike, Mike & Marv
Sorry about the "back of the truck" shots. The other buddy did manage some field pics in fading light but I didn't (for the first FRIGGIN time) have my camera on me. I will post them up when he sends me the copies.
The buck was a basic 4x4 with two of the forks trying to split and a small (not really noticeable in the photo) kicker off one side. The fronts were bladed and AMAZING in mass- the photos really don’t do the buck justice- it is truly a smoker of a muley. The right side also had triple eye guards which was pretty cool. You can make them out better in the bottom pic.
All in all, a great hunt with a couple of great friends. Three for three in an new area will work for me anytime and being able to factor in on the best buck my buddy has ever taken was just icing on the cake.
Hmmmm...one final note....was basically packing up to leave the next morning and out in prairie below the meadow our trailer overlooked, just happened to see a few cows milling through....visions of grandeur and a quick (for a geezer) sprint across the prairie led to a change in Marv's departure time...
