Hunting Wife
Well-known member
Recent elk sightings and fresh snow? This is shaping up to get good.
The official 2025 Wyoming elk hunt for Dave N thread.
- Thread starter Dave N
- Start date
Wildabeest
Well-known member
El Jason
Well-known member
Cloud nine…
elkduds
Well-known member
Rooting for just enough snow to track 'em.
Irrelevant
Well-known member
Nothing in my hunting experiences has been as frustrating as trying to track something in the snow.
The general consensus among hunters seems to be that fresh snow for tracking gives the advantage to the hunter. I mean, after all, there is a critter at the end of that track, just follow it long enough and you'll find your prize. And while I have spent many entire days following a track, I have found that I have better luck doing just about anything else. Heck, napping at camp might produce better results. Maybe it, tracking, works in places where you can either see a long way, so far that the critter can't hear or smell you, or in places without wind or dead sticks (though snow mitigates the latter). Inevitably, the critter I pursue wisens to my presence, often because the wind seems to always be at your back in these situations, and then, IMO, all the cards shift in his favor. He now knows exactly where you are and where you're going to be, and will happily toy with you for hrs and hrs as he leads you through the thickest, nastiest country he can find.
So to counter, I'll root for the skies to clear, the snow to melt (so that you can at least take a nap in the sun under an aspen), and you spot something far enough away, but critically above the truck, to plan a successful stalk.
elkduds
Well-known member
Imagine if every elk left flourecent pink footprints wherever it went, that faded gradually over 3 days. Would that data change how you hunt? Even if you don't like tracking (I do), seeing where they've been and are going is a big help. Carry on.
We made our way back to the cabin and @Wildabeest produced a fine batch of biscuits and gravy with scrambled eggs. Wasatch the wonder dog licked the paper plates clean and we all hit the racks for a nap. Windy, windy and more windy with a touch of a rain/snow mix going on right now. I'm the first one out and about and the rest are still out cold. Hopefully we can find that bull in the same spot later and make a play on him.
8andcounting
Well-known member
- Joined
- Dec 16, 2013
- Messages
- 3,546
So knowing where they are (or have been recently ) doesn’t help ? Huh ? Ok . lol have a good day
El Jason
Well-known member
I think you are missing some satire and self deprecating humor.
Lighten up, Francis.
rjthehunter
Well-known member
Wait a second... you're just trying to keep people inside when theres snow.
Nothing beats waking up and seeing the snow is just starting to let up. All the tracks from then on are fresh...
Irrelevant
Well-known member
someone gets me
Clearly the wind just changed and that cloud blew in from Colorado. Dang hippies!
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There seems to be a whole lotta hang out time at the cabin and big meals. Sounds more like a retreat than an elk hunt. I want more sun up to sun down in the field suffering!
Sounds like you all are having a good time though! Good luck!
Sounds like you all are having a good time though! Good luck!
Wasn't much point this morning. I think we all needed a nap to recharge. Still clouds/snow up top so Tim and I hit it from the bottom. We found where the bull was but our options suck! Wind is ripping the wrong way to get higher and we're surrounded by 20 foot aspens. This will make @seeth07 happy. We hunkered down for now in some pines for a wind break and are going to wait here for a while. Deer hunting style! Limited view but until the wind lets up or switches we're kind of pinned down.
bowhuntmontana
Well-known member
We were hoping the clouds would lift and we could get back to this morning's vantage for the evening and drop down in if some elk appeared. Those clouds are holding tight. Dave and I took the sxs partway up a two track from the bottom and hiked the rest of the way in. The bull from this morning was in a pretty small opening, maybe the size of a football field. There were no vantage points to see into this without our scent blowing things up. So, we are tucked in tight hunting this like whitetails from the ground. You heard that right @seeth07 , whitetail tactics. It's low odds, but it is our best play tonight.
Dave is getting his fill of Wyoming wind today. Steady at 25, gusts to 40. Wonderful, windy, Wyoming.
I am headed back home sometime tomorrow. I think the move to hunt from the top will produce results over the next week.
Dave is getting his fill of Wyoming wind today. Steady at 25, gusts to 40. Wonderful, windy, Wyoming.
I am headed back home sometime tomorrow. I think the move to hunt from the top will produce results over the next week.
Addicting
Well-known member
Spent all afternoon post nap scouring the east side wintering grounds. There are some resident elk that stay year round. Looked over some absolutely beautiful country that would hold elk. It was a very dry summer and the area was short dead brown grass. There was nothing besides the creek bottoms that had grass. The cattle had that mowed down to nubs.
Pretty country with a lot of dead end two tracks. The burb did well fording fontanelle creek when the bridge was less than perfect.
Pretty country with a lot of dead end two tracks. The burb did well fording fontanelle creek when the bridge was less than perfect.
CRJR45
Well-known member
Love the pics , keep em coming , with Elk preferably .
Addicting
Well-known member
We should have fresh snow dusting in the morning. Plan is I will drop off the face and try and kill him in the morning. Dave will be the recovery team as it takes 1.5h to drive back around to the bottom. It’s a 1000’ of elevation drop in 1/4 mile. Dave’s knee isn’t cut out for that kind of travel.
